MODERATION

I made it home yesterday noon. It had been snowing for several hours while I worked, but the wind was blowing pretty hard. The roads were becoming snow-packed. We got an inch and a half of snow. I know that doesn't sound like much to those of you who usually get feet of snow or whatever that is in metric. Also we in the Great Plains tend to measure snowfall horizontally as that is how it falls. Yet, once that first flake drops, the drivers around here forget what little courtesy and good sense they ever had. I suppose they think they can blame their bad driving on the weather.

The thing is that driving on ice and packed snow calls for reduced speed, gentle changes in acceleration, deceleration and direction. People who have four-wheel drive SUVs in countryside so flat they had to build a hill for the Soap Box Derby races do not understand the concept of subtle as it applies to driving. As I made my way home, I passed at least four cars in the ditch, two of them the 4WD SUVs. So I called my supervisor and told him I wouldn't be back until morning.

The cleaner came, as Tuesday is his day at our house, apologising for being late. He had had to detour around an epic accident. I hit him gently with the adages: Better late than never, Haste makes waste and Better safe than sorry. I finished wrapping presents for family while he worked, and I got all but a few of my Christmas cards addressed. I discussed moving the defunct (and extremely heavy) television out to the garage. He will do this as soon as the streets are clear again as his son will be coming out to help him. I may ask them to put the other extremely heavy tv in the living room on skid pads while they are at it. Then I can move that set away from the wall more easily when it's time to spring clean.

The word of the day for December 10, 2008 is "moderation" — Pronunciation: \,mä-də-'rāt\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): mod·er·at·ed; mod·er·at·ing
Date: 15th century
transitive verb 1 : to lessen the intensity or extremeness of [the sun moderated the chill]. 2 : to preside over or act as chairman of.
intransitive verb 1 : to act as a moderator. 2 : to become less violent, severe, or intense [the wind began to moderate] .
— mod·er·a·tion \,mä-də-'rā-shən\ noun

Our quote for the day is from Euripides (480 or 485–406 B.C.), Medea. 636:

Moderation, the noblest gift of Heaven.

;^)