John McLoone

It’s already winter, at least in my mind. It’s cold, and I awoke to ice on my windshield. Not only that, but there was significant damage from this first frigid attack.

I strolled out of my home, eager to take on the day. Old Man Winter had other plans for me.

I should have known and taken better precautions. I was careless, but the season is to blame. This tragedy would not have happened in June or one of the other two months when our part of the world has a suitable climate to support life. My wife and I had our daily discussion about the weather. She asks me what the temperature is, and I offer her a full report on the present temperature and the outlook for the rest of the day. When I alerted her to the fact it was 33 degrees at 6:30 a.m., she commented about some of the plant life she tends to probably being victim of frost, perhaps the worst of the “F words.”

I don’t get going as quickly in the morning as I once did. I need that extra dose of caffeine to give me the momentum to get out the door. So, I made another pot of coffee, filled up both my cup and a “to go” paper cup, grabbed my iPad and phone and headed to the door. At the door, I realized that my hands were to full to turn the knob, so I put everything down, turned the handle and exited. I repeated the process on the outside to close the door.

I headed to my car and realized the key was in my pocket. I’m not fancy enough to drive one of these modern vehicles where you just touch the door handle and everything unlocks. And even if I did, I still would have had my hands too full to open the door. Obviously, there’s no handy table in the middle of the driveway for me to set my things down, so I put my coffee cup on top of the car. Now, this isn’t just any coffee cup. Yes, it’s my favorite mug. It was returned to me just recently from a period of exile underneath the seat of the car. After a run through the dishwasher, we were reunited this morning.

I should have treated it with more respect than to put it on the top of a 33-degree car. What I didn’t realize was that there was a layer of ice on the vehicle as well. I could only watch in horror as my faithful friend slid toward me, dumping its contents along the way and crashing into pieces at my feet. I couldn’t even attempt to save it, what with the other cup of coffee, the iPad, my phone and my keys occupying my hands.

This to me is a harbinger of dark days and months ahead. Only halfway through October, and winter has already dealt a deadly blow.