...And Now There's a Varmit Loose

This week, Vancouver was visited by a stretch of unseasonably warm weather. The fog lifted, and a fresh breeze blew in from the sea. Infected with a summery sort of feeling, I bought a cheap Slurpee-substitute from a local corner-store, and drank it outside. My lips froze, and I got an ice-cream headache to boot, but I didn't mind. It was a lovely day. People were milling all around, swinging bags and chatting amiably about their holiday joys and tribulations:

"...and then I went back to Le Chateau, and, sure enough, it was exactly the same pants, fifty dollars cheaper!"

"There was a varmit in my Christmas tree. So now, there's a varmit loose in my house. Merry Christmas to me."

"You think that's bad? Get this: my mother-in-law showed up last night, after you guys left, and put rum in all the punchbowls. So the adults' punch was about two hundred proof, and as for the kids...well, they've all got headaches this morning."

"I was looking for that stupid Dragon Quest game. Can you believe nine stores in a row were sold out? I was going to have to go to North Van, but then...."

"If I hear one more "Happy unspecified holidays!", I swear I'm gonna...."

"Christmas shopping? Hell, no!"

I drifted along, pretending I wasn't listening in. I needn't have bothered, though. No-one paid me a lick of attention. They were all too busy enjoying the sun and the season. It felt almost like those early spring days you get, when there's still a bit of a nip in the air, but underneath that, there's a certain smell of growth. It's a hopeful sort of smell. It makes me think of crocuses, and lazy days on the lake. I sniffed experimentally, searching for that smell. I swear I found it, too. (Well, when you get right down to it, it was probably just warm earth I was smelling--but it sure did feel like spring.)

The warm weather vanished as suddenly as it came: we're back to the usual winter splooshiness today. Looking out the window, I can't tell whether it's raining, or everything's just dripping. I tried to get in some birdwatching, but it was nothing but soggy, irritable trash-birds, as far as the eye could see. The merry crowds had dispersed, as well. I expect they all went to Metrotown. You can walk for miles at Metrotown, without ever having to set foot outside. There's even a covered walkway from the mall to the Skytrain station, so your purchases won't get wet on your way out.

In other news, someone across the street put up some proselytisation in fairy-light format last week. "Jesus Saves," it said, in blinky red-and-green letters. I noticed it for the first time on Tuesday, and again on Friday, when I saw that someone had changed it to "Jesus Shaves." On Saturday, it was gone. Shame, that. I was rather hoping they'd tell us what brand of razor He uses. Gillette or Schick, I imagine, would kill for an endorsement from on high.

That's a dissection pin, a pair of googly eyes, and a whole lot of eyeliner. Kids!