Rocky Mountain High

Still cold as Swedish hell. I go on about it this time of year, but it is the determining factor in much daily life. Need to go to a store? Put that space suit on. Need to take someone to preschool? Put that space suit on, and hers too. Need to take the garbage to the curb, a few feet away? Put that space suit on.

I did just that at about 10 pm. At least for the few seconds that I spent looking up at them, the stars were bright and clear for the suburbs. Old man Orion is trending toward the southwest at that time of night in these chilly latitudes, meaning that spring isn't too long in coming. Sixty days: by then, all the snow will be gone. Which isn't to say it'll be warm, exactly, in early April. Global warming doesn't mean warm everywhere all the time.

Speaking of the sky, I now have an urge to go to Colorado some August to see the Perseid meteors. That's a side effect of watching YouTube. I happened on a clip of John Denver appearing on the Tonight Show about 35 years ago, and he described camping not far from Aspen, way up in altitude, and seeing the Perseids. That sounded better than any show money can buy.

I'm middle-aged and can say it now: I've long been fond of John Denver, ever since his songs were first on the radio in the early '70s. But I didn't mention it to anyone then: God no, girls liked John Denver. Boys were mocked for such an opinion. Listening to his performance of "Rocky Mountain High" on YouTube, however, I can see why I liked him -- that mellifluous voice.