Rosebud

You know those things from ages past, tucked away, like these tiny gloves.  Brings to mind one of my favorite passages from Wordsworth's ODE.  It's not verbatim - I don't want to go look it up.

"what though the radiance which was once so bright, be taken now forever from my sight.  And though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower, we will grieve not, rather, find strength in what remains behind.  In the primal sympathy, what having been must ever be.  In the soothing thoughts that spring forth out of human suffering.  In faith that looks through death, and in the years that bring the philosophic mind."

The Last Hurrah

I make no bones about it.  I don't like winter and a cold wind is howling tonight. Winters in Oklahoma are hard and frigid. Last winter, Oklahoma recorded its coldest temperature ever at 29 degrees below zero.  I'd much rather be at the beach. Okay, the summers are hotter than you know where; our temperatures were the highest on record this summer at over 115 degrees.  There were terrible wildfires and we are still in extreme drought conditions.  In fact, our state has had crazy weather of late.  Just yesterday, Oklahoma had tornadoes, flooding rains, snow and earthquakes.  Yes, we are having quite a lot of earthquakes.  We've had small ones before; usually they aren't even noticeable.  Three in the last three days have been noticeable.  I never hope to be an earthquake stronger than the 5.7 one Saturday night.  It took me a minute to figure out what it was.  The roar was the first thing I noticed.  I thought a jet was going to crash into my house.  I never knew an earthquake made noise.  I heard today that the roaring was sound waves emanating from the earth.  Who knew?  Then the house started shaking.  I could even hear and feel it as it moved away.  Weirdest thing I've ever encountered.  Made the hair stand on end.  I don't know how anyone could make it outside during an earthquake.  I sat there mesmerized; an earthquake was the last thing I could have imagined.  I'm not superstitious, don't believe in the messianic end times soothsayers, but something strange is going on.