A Winter Escape

This is the window on my side of the bed, totally coated with ice

this morning. What's wrong with this picture?

WE CAN'T GET ANY FARTHER SOUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The palm fronds are coated with ice. They sound like castanets
when the wind blows. The grass is ice covered and sparkling in the sun.
My neighbor has a tarp over the planters behind his casita, trying to save his flowers.
I had the fore-thought to bring my mint plant in, so the mojitos are safe.


It began to mist yesterday afternoon, nothing serious but enough to make
Bella and I miserable on our walk to the dog park. I should say our walk in the
dog park because I drove up there. There were others with their pets-
all shivering like me - swearing they thought no one else would be there.

Late in the day I went to the Laundromat, and when I called John to pick me up
a change had occurred. It was raining in earnest and freezing fast. The steps into
the trailer were beginning to get slick. The wind chill was 16 degrees.

Right before bed Bella gets her last outing of the day. It was my turn to go,
and John had dropped off to sleep on the sofa watching TV so I couldn't beg off.
When I opened the door I was shocked to see how much ice had built up on
the steps. They looked deadly to me, and I have NO balance at all on ice.
I got the great idea to let Bella go down the steps on her own while I stood at the door holding the 15 foot long leash. She got the idea and rushed out in to our "yard". She was hurrying to get business done when I felt something brush against my leg. Looking down I didn't see anything but I had a sinking feeling that Earl had escaped the trailer. I'd noticed him earlier at the top of the stairs but he was no longer there. I searched for him, looking in all his favorite places to hide but with no luck.
Finally I woke John up, telling him that I couldn't find Earl and suspected the worst -
Earl Scooter had run out in to the storm. We searched the trailer together - no Earl. John put on his coat, grabbed a flashlight, and went out in the dark calling the escapee.
He came back a few minutes later empty handed. I felt so guilty for letting the cat get away and I didn't know if I should cry or cuss. Ten minutes later I went out and looked 'til the flashlight died but I couldn't find him either. We talked about how resilient cats are and how Earl could survive the storm if he spent the night out, trying to convince each other we'd find him the next morning. John went out again with a fresh flashlight but still no cat. I felt sicker by the minute and began to open the door every few minutes to call for him, knowing I couldn't sleep. On the forth or fifth try, just as I was closing the door I saw a flash of fur. After 45 minutes in freezing rain Earl decided to come home. He was cold, wet and triumphant. His arrogance as he strutted back in was infuriating. We tried to cuddle the little demon but he wanted none of it.

After the excitement I couldn't sleep and was lucky enough to catch a live update on the storm at 1 am. All the freeways had been closed because of the horrific driving conditions and multiple accidents. The weatherman had gotten his hands on an ice scraper and was demonstrating how to use it.

This morning things are looking up. The sky is blue and the ice is blowing off the palms in thin, ruler-shaped pieces. The forecast tomorrow is 59 and Sunday it should hit 70.
Winter has lasted long enough.