Off the clock

It takes a lot to keep me from going to work, even when my take-home pay doesn't depend on me showing up. For the last two days, however, I've been battling some something-or-other that refuses to go away -- so today, atypically, I'm home.

That's not to say that I've sentenced myself to bed rest. Before dawn this morning I walked the dogs, followed by liberating my wife's car from the ice and four-ish inches of snow that fell on us overnight. Next I did the same for my TrailBlazer and drove to the drug store, bringing home a handful of over-the-counter cures for what ails me.

Had I been less bullheaded and done that yesterday, I might be at work today.

The streets between here and the store were snow-covered and slippery, making me wonder what my country-roads commute would've been like this morning, especially the 15mph S-curve by the old one-room schoolhouse. There will be other winter's days, other snowfalls.

I suspect that at some point today a short walk will do me good. Depending on how things go, later I may pull on my boots and head down to the nearby common space. We'll see.

For now, and to my regret, I'm staying put.