That's really apropos of nothing. The temp today when I hit the streets at 7:10 a.m. was a balmy 25. There you go. Old Sol was just raising his weary head, casting a pretty pink glow in the east-southeast sky. Floating high above that sea of pink was the crescent of Sister Moon, bidding us farewell as her brother prepared to take his watch.
The temperature, while warmer than the single digits of a couple weeks ago, was still below freezing, so the gutter terrain was rough. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Chick, chick, chick. Shhh, shhh, shhh. Footsteps make a wondrous variety of sounds as they compress snow and frozen slush in various formations.
It made me think of the cliched legend of the number of words Eskimos supposedly have for snow, depending on its qualities. I'll bet they have as many for the sound of footfalls on different types of snow and ice. Then I realized something. So do we Anglos. Really, descriptive language is limited only by one's imagination. What sounds to one runner like "schick" as Nikes crush crystaline snow layered thin over pavement may be heard as a "kish" by the runner behind him.
Running in the winter you might hear the usual sound of footfall on pavement, slightly muffled by your ear-warmer headband, or it may sound like snick ... skitch ... critch, crunch, schiff ... scrit or skiff, depending on the consistency, composition and corrugation of the snow, slush and ice under foot. Then there's swoosh--THUD! OW! DAMN! as your foot slides on hidden ice and you find yourself on the ground (I've avoided such mishaps so far).
So, the Eskimos got nothin' on us except that their beer is always ice cold and ready to serve in frosted glasses.
The temperature, while warmer than the single digits of a couple weeks ago, was still below freezing, so the gutter terrain was rough. Crunch, crunch, crunch. Chick, chick, chick. Shhh, shhh, shhh. Footsteps make a wondrous variety of sounds as they compress snow and frozen slush in various formations.
It made me think of the cliched legend of the number of words Eskimos supposedly have for snow, depending on its qualities. I'll bet they have as many for the sound of footfalls on different types of snow and ice. Then I realized something. So do we Anglos. Really, descriptive language is limited only by one's imagination. What sounds to one runner like "schick" as Nikes crush crystaline snow layered thin over pavement may be heard as a "kish" by the runner behind him.
Running in the winter you might hear the usual sound of footfall on pavement, slightly muffled by your ear-warmer headband, or it may sound like snick ... skitch ... critch, crunch, schiff ... scrit or skiff, depending on the consistency, composition and corrugation of the snow, slush and ice under foot. Then there's swoosh--THUD! OW! DAMN! as your foot slides on hidden ice and you find yourself on the ground (I've avoided such mishaps so far).
So, the Eskimos got nothin' on us except that their beer is always ice cold and ready to serve in frosted glasses.
Anyway, Christmas is past and the new year is almost upon us. Hopefully you've sent your Christmas cards (ours went out yesterday, but I declared them valid because we're still in the midst of the Twelve Days of Christmas) and any thank-yous necessary for the lovely gifts you received. I mention the thank-yous because I found one in the street today; I hope the intended recipient had a chance to read it before it blew away.
The note was pretty special, done in pink and purple crayon and decorated with volleyballs. The writing inside was a dark sky blue.
Today's Stats
Temp: 25 degrees F
Distance: 4.19 miles
Weekly Total: 8.94
Treasure: 6 aluminum cans; 1 handmade thank-you note (in crayon).
iPod Playlist (shuffle)
The Ballad of Billy the Kid - Billy Joel
Ordinary World - Duran Duran
Real World '09 - Rob Thomas
Bitch - Meredith Brooks
Slight Figure of Speech - The Avett Brothers
Ten Thousand Words - The Avett Brothers
Texas Trilogy: Train Ride - Lyle Lovett
Mutineer - Warren Zevon
The Burn - Matchbox Twenty
The Night is Still Young - Billy Joel
The Entertainer - Billy Joel
Got your card the other day. I can't believe how growed up the girls are!!!
ReplyDeleteI love Warren Zevon but don't know Mutineer. I need to pick up some more of his albums.
Awesome find.
ReplyDelete