Cold – Memphis Flyer

Well, folks, we’ve made it to the last stretch of 2024. I know my least favorite season of the year is settling in when 4 p.m. is the golden hour and the breeze starts biting. It’s so very cold (unless it’s not; Memphis winters are finicky like that). It’s damp and the fallen leaves lie decomposing on the lawn. You’d think being a January baby I’d enjoy winter, but it’s not just the weather outside that’s frightful.

Target is packed! Every sweet grandma within a 20-mile radius has come to my Superlo to gather ingredients for this year’s holiday feasts, jamming the aisles as they stop to socialize. My biweekly food subscription box has been stuck on a FedEx truck for three days! There are way too many drivers on the streets looking at their phones! Did they even notice they pulled out in front of me? And stay away from Poplar Avenue! As my colleague Toby Sells joked on Slack the other day, “That right lane needs a surgeon general’s warning.” That goes for all year, but even more so now. The town is full of elves scrambling to find gifts for everyone on their “nice” lists, and I just want to buy dog food! Bah, humbug!

I think that feeling hits for many of us this time of year. It’s counterintuitive to be out buzzing around when the sun sets at 5 p.m. and the temps dip near freezing. Our bodies want to rest and recover, hunker down and bundle up. But we’ve got to hurry! Christmas is just a few days away and heaven forbid Uncle Dan doesn’t get his gifted garden shears! If you click “buy now” it might make it to him in time! And then there’s that issue. This pressure to spend more money than you should on presents for people who love you whether you get them that gift card or not. As much as I love to see the holiday spirit alive in little ways — the lights, the yard Grinches and Santas — it pains me to know that these things trigger bad feelings, too. For those missing a spouse, parent, or pet; for those whose paychecks don’t allow the type of gift-giving they’d like to do; or those who will spend New Year’s alone longing for connection. So while you’re out spreading holiday cheer, remember it’s not so cheerful for everyone. Some are simply trying to get through.

Back to my rant above. I know I’m lucky to be able to buy my dogs’ food even if I have to fight through traffic and long lines to get it. I’m blessed to have loved ones to share the holidays with, even if some are spread across the states and all we can do is FaceTime. A phone call can be as good as a hug if it needs to be. I don’t even shop at Target very often, and my food box will arrive at some point. If it’s spoiled, oh well. The real elves — our USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and other delivery drivers — are busting their butts to ensure our many, many purchases make it to their destinations. If those gifts are late, guess what? Cousin Sue will still be delighted if her present lands in January.

Speaking of January, this “double issue” of the Memphis Flyer will be on stands for two weeks while our staff enjoys a holiday break. Our writers have shared their thoughts on 2024 — and projections for 2025. On a normal year, I’d have done a recap as well, but as regular readers know, this year was a bit of a flop for me, with more than half of it spent recovering from a broken foot and three surgeries. I’m on the other side of that now with minimal lingering discomfort. After a roller coaster of a year, here’s hoping we can all enter 2025 the same way. May “minimal lingering discomfort” be 2024’s swan song.

In the meantime, be kind, slow down, express gratitude, give yourself grace. We don’t have to do anything, really. We get to. Reminding ourselves of that when things become overwhelming can do wonders. For now, I’ll embrace the early golden hour that colors my chilly neighborhood walks, and the biting breeze that lets me know I’m alive and awake and all is well, however cold. I get to be here, with you and the migrating birds and the carolers and Scrooges. And that’s pretty darn cool. Wishing you all warmth and love this holiday season. See you here next year!

It’s 11° right now. ELEVEN. And it “feels like” -2°. My weather app says today’s high will be 18°, around 2 p.m., and the low will be 5°. What it “feels like” to me, when I step out to let the dogs do their business is: immediately no. The pups agree. It took a lot of coaxing — and a good deal of shoveling — Monday to get them to go outside at all. Fran and Steve are long-haired miniature dachshunds, weighing in around 10 or 12 pounds, give or take. They’re up to their bellies in the blanket of white stuff in their (yes, it’s theirs) backyard. At first, Steve went out loudly barking in confusion. “Where is the green stuff? I can’t frolic in this mess!” Fran cautiously walked down the back-porch ramp only to step into the cold and turn right back around. “I have to tee-tee, but — immediately no,” she huffed. So I took to shoveling to reveal a patch of — still frozen — grass and dirt for them, wishing I’d clicked “add to cart” on the little dog boots I’d been eyeballing last week online. Alas, we make do.

We’re back in the warm house for now, and we’re grateful the heat’s still running and the pipes haven’t frozen (well, the hot water line in the kitchen gave me a scare, but it’s flowing again, thank the stars). Early this morning, ABC News reported (in its article “Arctic blast grips US as snow and ice spread from Louisiana to Maine”), “More than 200 million Americans are on alert Tuesday for heavy snow, ice, and dangerously low wind chills as an arctic blast grips the nation,” and “Weather-related school closures are affecting more than a million students nationwide on Tuesday.” Gosh, I remember being so excited about snow days as a kid. I even recall a few years ago my dogs enjoying the snow. But that was without the “dangerously low” temps part. And it was also before I became a homeowner, worrying about additional insulation, disconnecting the water hose and covering the spigot, and finding that perfect drip for the faucets so the plumbing doesn’t suffer a fatality. Memphis wasn’t made for this — our old houses, ancient trees, and power grid aren’t fit for teens or single-digit temperatures. And as a Southerner, I’m most certainly not. But, please hold. I’m going to try something …

**Donut residue** **in a U of M lot** (Photo: Shara Clark)

After all that complaining about the weather above, I decided to trek to the U of M campus on foot. Of course, I was reminded as soon as I stepped out my front door that I’m the clumsiest person I know and tend to sprain my ankle in a gentle breeze, but I made the round trip — slow and steady — without injury. I’m back at my laptop now, snow-blind. It’s a sunny 15° (feels like 4°). There were a handful of cars out and about in the neighborhood and four other people walking — I’m guessing also trying to trick themselves into thinking they don’t mind it too much. I’m still not a fan, but it’s quieter than usual, and the snow crunching underfoot and the chill on my face was a decent lunch-break refresher. There was evidence of donuts in the U of M parking lot (so at least someone had some fun?), and the piles of snow accentuated the garbage bags of leaves and thrown-out mattresses and old toilets that have been sitting on the curb for weeks awaiting city debris pickup. But I digress.

I’ll try to remain as positive as possible, and I hope you all enjoy your snow angels and snowmen. There is certainly some beauty in it, I’ll admit. I hope your pups are frolicking despite the cold. I hope your pipes remain intact and that our city’s power keeps powering our lights and heat.

The icicles are melting in the sun, but I hear we’re expecting a round of “mixed winter precipitation” come Thursday, followed by more “dangerously low” lows. To that, I say — in solidarity with my fur-babes — immediately no.

Stay safe and warm, folks.