Slush Fun
It warmed up quite a bit last night and today, and most of the accumulated snow has melted. As of yesterday (Friday) afternoon, however, we were still getting flurries, and Mrs. Perils and I set out for a slushy walk around the ‘hood and down to Fremont to run some errands.
As we were crossing a busy intersection near our house, I espied a cell phone embedded in a pile of slush in the middle of the street. I opened it up, thinking it was probably toast, but it sprang to life an displayed this (Click any photo to enlarge):
After the initial Pavlovian blanch, I recovered my holiday sense of benevolence and equanimity, and paged through the speed dial list looking for likely contacts who might be able to point me to the owner. “Padre” and “Madre” were at the top of the list, and I managed to get in touch with the owner’s dad. They (dad and 14-ish daughter) came by the house after we finished our snow slog and claimed the phone. We kidded a bit about the OSU-Michigan thing, we’re all adults here, right?
But if it had rung while we were out walking, and started playing The Victors, I’d've chucked it off the Aurora Bridge without a shred of remorse.
Other curiosities encountered in our peregrination - just a few feet from the intersection where I found the phone was this tableau:
Buses have been running erratically, and I guess someone was worried about missing an episode of Days of our Lives.
Then, we stopped into Chocolati to see if they had gotten a shipment of gift certificate cards (I had tried to buy one for Mrs. Perils on Wednesday, but the snow had delayed a delivery of the plastic cards), and I was tickled to see this offering:
Just next door, at the Bottleworks beer boutique, was this sign:
Down in Fremont, the dour and purposeful Comrade Lenin had gotten a partial makeover:
We stopped at Mad Pizza for a bite of lunch before heading back up the hill. Inside the shop, they were playing Mary Poppins on a flat-screen video with the sound off. Their sound system instead was playing some sort of driving techno dance mix. Eerily, the chimney sweeps’ dance number on the screen meshed almost perfectly with the techno beats:
On the walk back up the hill, we met a long-time friend and walked a few blocks with her, catching up on perhaps 5 or 10 years worth of news. She was wearing Yaktrax Walkers, little grippy matrix things that you slip over your shoes, that would have been very welcome on the several walks in this stuff that we’ve taken.
Nice walk through town. I’m glad things are finally getting back to average winter temps and precipitation. That was quite a snowy deluge.
You are a better person than I. If I found a cell phone with a USC logo on it, I’d bury it in the nearest snowdrift. And I live in L.A., so the nearest snowdrift is…
Yummy DecemBEER picture. Did you sample? We just have opened the Oatmeal Stout we made last month. I may have to send some to Perils, Jr.
Robin - yes, I finally drove my car out of the driveway Friday night for the first time in a week. I’m a ninja snow-driver, so I would have if I had to, but thanks to the internet, I can service most of my clients dressed in my jammies in front of my laptop. Don’t tell them that, though.
Kathy - It was a total test of character. The only thing that made me try to return it was the possibility that the owner might be a “she”, and that “she” might be cute. She was, but she was also 14. And her dad was big.
Brian - we bought Perils Jr. a gift certificate from Bottleworks, so it might be wise to space out your deliveries
Aw, you woulda found that cell phone owner any time of the year, Michigan logo notwithstanding.
I’ll take a glass of the Decembeer. Here’s to ‘09!
Chocolate fish and chips? They’re adorable and would last about 35 seconds around here. . . enjoyed the photographic walkabout.
My kids just bought some Yaktrax at REI for my 80 year old Mom for Christmas. She is coming to see me for my birthday next week and since UPS delayed our Christmas pkgs for her, too, I thought I’d add the Yaktrax to her other gift.
She has been traipsing around Mt. Helena and her driveway in Helena, Montana with not great traction on her LL Bean boots for ice. They have had their share of extra snow and ice this season as well.