Winter Woes

While Mrs. H. has always professed a penchant for zippy little sport cars with overcharged engines and seriously unstable suspension systems, she admits to liking not a little the charming accessories attendant in luxury vehicles. So even though the thermometer had been dipping precipitously into the single digits, Mrs. Hall often indulged Mr. Hall's desire to keep the shine on the big black car blindingly bright and the interior showroom clean.

A quick trip to the car wash Tuesday afforded a hasty glow, but unfortunately, only spurred the weather gods on to further wrath. By Wednesday the freezing rain and ice had left only the most adventurous on the roads (the schools were closed for the second day in a row) and by Thursday, most DPW employees were throwing their hands up in disgust and meekly walking the impassible side streets home. Mrs. H. complained it was no longer possible to discern what color her 2002 Dodge Grand Saltlick actually was; and in fact, for all she knew, she could be driving someone else's family flivver. And the snow continued to fall- by 7:00 am Friday morning another nine inches of lake effect covered the back forty. Things were looking pretty serious and Mrs. Hall knew there was only one remedy for these blues- she sat Mr. Hall down in the big leather chair and re-introduced him to Rand McNally.

Images of deserts and cactus, blue mountains and the open road again filled Mr. H's head, the atmosphere in the Hall took a turn to the more lighthearted, and no amount of weatherman's gloom and doom could penetrate his concentration. While Mr. Hall is still in the throes of finalizing his flightplan, the Monitor feels it is safe to report that it will surely involve long hours under a blazing sun and lots of off the beaten path delights. Watch for the next installment of their travel plans: "The Road Less Graveled"- stay tuned!