Saturday, December 29, 2012

Homebound

Tonight, after a few days of gray skies in Illinois, I drove home to Seymour. I wanted to be home for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day because these are the days when I finish projects from the old year and set goals for the new year.  This would be impossible to do when I'm away from my files and computer.

Gary and I checked the weather forecasts in Dixon and Rockford in Illinois and in Beaver Dam and Seymour in Wisconsin.  It looked like more snow was on the way, but not until later in the day, so I made the decision to travel today. 

So as I drove here, I was running against time.  At Dixon, the skies were gray, but the roads were dry. By the time I drove past Rockford onto the toll road, it was sleet that hit me but not much and the highways remained clear.  Near Stoughton I stopped for lunch and noticed it was getting colder.  Instead of sitting down for lunch, I got a takeout and ate the sandwich as I drove. I flicked around radio stations to hear about the weather, but the roads remained clear all the way around Madison, past Beaver Dam, through tiny Rosendale and on to Oshkosh and Appleton.

At Appleton, I had to stop for gas.  The clerk told me her husband was a trucker and he was reporting bad weather in Wausau, west of us.  I kept on moving.

At Skunk Hollow, the snow began to come down.  It was wet, sloppy stuff, the kind that leads to black ice. There were few people on the road.  I slowed way down and crept into my hometown.  I stopped at the supermarket for Rascal's usual treat, broasted chicken breast which I shared with him for dinner.

For a brief hour, the sky cleared and for the first time in days, I watched our golden sun as it set in the west.  Then the gray skies returned.

I am home. For the next few days, let it snow. I'll be here in my little house with Rascal, working on 2013. 

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