Roars in like a lion

I remember the saying from grade school that March rolls in like a lion and out like a lamb.  (April showers also supposedly bring May flowers, but out here in drought country...)  At least I thought it was "rolls in".  Maybe coming from Portland, that was appropriate.  It is not nearly as accurate a reflection on our winds as "roars in".

This past weekend I expected the trailer to rock me to sleep, so raucous were the winds.  I nearly lost my arm and the storm door when I tried to leave the house Sunday afternoon.  It took all my effort to hold on to the door and muscle it closed.  A storm was expected to drop some moisture, but the clouds were blown away too quickly by the strong winds.  Even more tragic, a small plane tried to take off from a nearby town in the winds and was fatally brought back down to the ground. 

With the winds roaring, it was a perfect time for Tom and I to lay low and not do too much.  A week ago, I expected to arrive home after a week in LA for a conference and visit with my mom.  Though I spent the time in full view of Disneyland (including the fireworks display every evening around nine - which will have to satiate my need for fireworks given the county fire ban we're already under at home), I brought home no mouse ears, only germs.  The time was well spent - I learned much at the conference.  But the time is also part retreat and part vacation.  I spent quality time with my mom, hung out with family friends, as well as visited with an aunt and a cousin.  I also made my now third annual pilgrimage to the Pacific Ocean and dipped my toes into the frigid waters.   

Trying to get home, I learned my flight was delayed 3.25 hours - a snowstorm in Denver cancelled the flight into California with the flight crew for my first-thing-in-the-morning flight.  They arrived on the first flight in Monday morning, but with one missing, we waited a little longer.  Then mechanical issues left us on the tarmac for another 1.25 hours.  I finally arrived in Colorado with the terrible realization that I was really not feeling well anymore.  My ears and sinuses and shoulders hurt, and I feared that I brought home the CA version of the influenza virus and would introduce it east of the Rockies.  My best laid plans for shopping and dinner with the Columbine ladies were thrown out the window, as I eased onto the highway and sped home to my bed.  Avoiding friends is hard to do, but I would have felt worse if I exposed them all to what I had.  I finally slunk in through the front door about 7:45 pm and clung to Thomas.  Three days in bed, plus a shot of antibiotics in my butt left me pain-free, but I still needed to work up some energy.

So while March roared to life around me as the wind pummelled anything in its way, I felt more like a gentle lamb easing my way into another month.  I finished a few books pretty quickly and even got to tackle one of the puzzles Tom gave me for Valentine's Day.  Maybe this weekend will be different.