Winter Sunset

The morning arrived, sunny and breezy and warm - a perfect drying day - and we made good use of it. I decided it was time to tear apart Dexter's room and wash all the blankets and dust and vacuum. We also did two additional loads of wash, including a bunch of towels.

A few months ago, the clothes dryer started making an alarming squeal. We took it apart and cleaned it and sometimes it's fine; other times, it screams like a banshee. So we only start laundry on a sunny, warmish, breezy day, just in case the dryer pitches a screaming fit and we end up having to dry everything on the line instead. So now we have to check the weather before we do laundry; it's very retro, in a way.

Dexter doesn't like it when we mess with his space, of course; in fact, it makes him very worried to see all of his things being removed, the room being torn apart. The blankets dried mostly on the line, but we finished them up in the dryer. Redoing the cat room is a task I take on about twice a year, usually in January and July. So it was high time for it.

I worked like a crazy woman all morning, and by lunchtime, the cat's room was back together, all sweet-smelling and clean and wonderful. Dexter, for his part, got a case of the vapors and took refuge under a blanket on the bed, where he spent much of the rest of the day.

Because it had warmed up, the ice and snow were melting everywhere, so we also seized the opportunity to use pounding and sweeping and shoveling implements to remove a bunch of ice from the drive way and deck. The yard was slick, though; still is, with bits of melted-frozen-melted ice here and there. You need to wear a decent shoe, pay attention, watch your step, move cautiously.

We were getting ready to have our supper in late afternoon, when the sky suddenly started to turn colors. I ran for my camera, put on some shoes with grippy soles, and practically flew out into the yard. This is the photo I risked a treacherous dance through our icy backyard for: a lovely winter's sunset, all pink and purple on the western skyline.

The soundtrack is a favorite Bruce Hornsby tune: On the Western Skyline.