A friend stopped by after work this afternoon. She wanted to drop off a check for our son, who had done her grocery shopping back during her family’s COVID lock-down in January.
A weather system is coming through tonight, and the temperatures were dropping—with the winds picking up. Wind chills are predicted to reach a low of -8 F by dawn. (That’s -22 C—which again proves that the USA should continue to use Fahrenheit instead of Celsius. It just sounds better when the mercury is so low!)
I was finishing putting extra hay into the rabbits’ cages and pulling down their extra layers of blankets to protect them from the wind. I encouraged her to drive up to the house, where she would feel the weather less.
But even after we both reached the house’s entrance, we still stood outside, shivering as the gusts increased in intensity.
It didn’t even occur to me to head inside at first—because we don’t do that anymore. Everything is outside.
Suddenly I remembered. She’s had COVID. Our house has just finished COVID, and all who were not sick just tested negative. And, she works in a nursing home and has already done the full two rounds of her vaccination.
Guess what? I invited her in for tea and a chat.
How strange that a simple action like that now feels like such a wondrous gift!
Silver lining for today? Remembering the simple pleasure of a cup of tea and catching up with a friend.
