Clyde

Clyde saved my month.

Sherry and I must have ticked off the weather saints. They spoke to their boss and requested our little patch of Washoe Valley get slammed with huge amounts of snow, wind and cold. Five-foot drifts are everywhere I wish to go. My former friend David sends me photos of some beach in Hawaii. A snow-laden limb drops onto my buried Toyota Highlander. My beloved Badgers lose a third straight basketball game.

I need to do something to protect my sanity. I bear crawl out my back door. It’s beginning to sleet. This allows the frozen snow just enough moisture for me to build Clyde, who is undoubtedly the ugliest snowman created in the history of mankind.

I fall in love with Clyde. Sammy Watt What snatches one of Clyde’s birch arms and hides it in his secret spot. Clyde’s left eye drops quietly to the snow. All four shepherds mistake Clyde for a white fire hydrant. A hungry night thief steals Clyde’s crunchy orange nose. 

But Clyde still stands defiantly, facing the Sierra west wind. He is my hero. If Clyde can absorb all that is thrown his way, who am I to pout while sipping my hot chocolate?

My advice: If you’re having a bad month, build yourself a Clyde.