Snow and the other woman

In the last twenty-four hours, my little slice of the Republic was hit with about a half inch of rain, a smattering of sleet, and five inches of wet sloppy snow that weighs brutal on a shovel but packs a wallup as a snowball! Tree limbs litter yards and roadways; deep puddles of slush greet walkers at most corners.

Electrical service at the bog flickered through the evening and early morning hours but managed to remain true through the day – despite being unavailable through a good portion of Washtenaw County (see Outage). There were the requisite idiots driving too fast for conditions who (should I say justly?) were rewarded with steep towing and body shop bills.

It’s winter in the upper Midwest and this is how we roll.

I thought I’d stop in on Howard on my way home from the office. True to form, he was seated in a chair by his front window, reading lamp aglow, and in happy concert with a novel. I almost didn’t want to disturb him – but I did. I was met with hearty welcome from my frail friend

We visited for the better part of an hour and solved most of the world’s problems. He recounted stories from his days as a retailer in Ann Arbor; I shared what news of the day I could. Oh, I also was charged with delivering a spate of greetings from the “gang” at the watering hole. To any of you reading, he sends his best wishes and has agreed to let me pick him up and bring him out next week.

Through the course of the visit, I asked him how he was doing. With an honestly I’d hoped for (and dreaded) he told me he’s feeling poorly and shared how day-to-day tasks were almost bettering him. The melancholy in his eyes was quickly replaced with a happy glint as he told me of a conversation he had earlier that day with his pastor. This woman was the local pastor at the Chelsea church he attends, but is now in Tennessee. Nonetheless, she is his pastor – his description: “With the exception of my wife, I’ve never loved a woman more.”

Howard shared his conversation with her and told me it ended with him telling her, “I’m not ready to go and He’s not ready to have me.”

He started to tire and I made my leave.