Well, the weather is always a good fallback for conversation. It’s safe and you can normally find agreement on it from folks without too much negotiation or conflict. So, I start there today. Spring is on its way. So close. Even if we have a couple good 12 – 18” snowfalls – which would brighten up the dirty, tall, icy piles around here – it won’t last for weeks. Yes, if that gray sky would just drop flakes, I would happily take it. Or if those clouds would just ship out and make way for some sun, the rest of the population in snow country would also feel a bit better.

Some people, Bill being one of them, are more desperate about the need for 90-degree weather. Driving through a local neighborhood, I saw a very desperate guy (not Bill) in need of sun and warmth. He stood next to the curb, a smile on his face, and his rigid arm and thumb extending, pleading for a lift.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. He was holding a sign that made me smile when I passed him. I had to have another look. I circled the block and pulled over to the curb a few feet away from him. I know what moms say about hitchhikers, but he looked harmless enough: I had to stop and take his picture.

He wanted a lift to paradise, but I told him he would need more than just a car ride on a snow-, ice-, slush-lined street to get there. He didn't reply, but he did let me take his picture.

 (See the glory of 50 Inches of Snow in Pictures!)