I just can't seem to get motivated to post anything this week. That would be, most likely, because all I can think about is the weather, and how much I hate it, and how it turns me into a cranky old person who does nothing but complain. Yep, that's me right now--cranky as hell and constantly complaining. And since they're now promising a few inches of "wet, heavy snow" will be coming this weekend to settle in on top of our as-yet-unmelted thick sheets of ice...well, I think you can see this won't be getting better any time soon.

I will say that I am extremely grateful that Tulsa was spared the freezing rain that is killing trees and power lines in many nearby towns. Our trees and power lines are fine at this point. The main roads are becoming fairly passable--it's just the side roads and driveways and yards and parking lots at this point which are deadly sheets of solid ice. I can't even imagine how cranky the people are who've been without electricity and water for several days now. They interviewed two elderly people on the news the other night who made me want to cry--they had heat but no electricity, and were basically trapped in their house. The old man wept as he thanked the news crew for coming by "to talk to us."

My own parents have lost a huge hackberry tree in their backyard. Most of it came down on the back fence and storage buildings. My father had just moved his car, or it would have been smashed, too. Part of the tree is still standing, and if it comes down it will hit the house. My mother is afraid to go in the dining room, and the tree guys are all so busy they can't get anyone to come look at it. It was a huge, beautiful tree, planted by my grandfather 50 years ago. My mother cried when she called to tell me. I wanted to cry, too. I loved that tree. My grandfather put a great swing in it for us when we were little, and we spent hours playing under those branches. I'll miss that tree, like I miss my grandpa.

There is one piece of good news. I've told this to several of my family and friends, and I'm not getting what I consider to be a suitably enthusiastic response. Let's see if you guys can do better. The stray cat I've been feeding and trying to befriend, the perenially pregnant (and pregnant once more, I'm sure, since the tomcats just came a-courtin' a few days ago) stray cat I've been trying to catch for what seems like forever, though it's really only about a year---that stray cat is now LETTING ME PET HER! And she's rubbing against my legs and she's PURRING! If this ice and snow ever lets up, I'm sure I will be able to scoop her up and get her to the vet for a long overdue spay. Yay! Yay for no more babies! Kittens are great, but I've tamed all the feral kittens I care to for a while. Isn't that good news? PETTING AND RUBBING AND PURRING, OH MY!