A Watched Pot…

February 1, 2026

February only has twenty-eight days. Merciful Lord, thank you! That means we can dash through this month and be that much closer to June. Which is when spring truly begins in Michigan. Winters are brutal in these parts. Exceedingly prolonged and lingering. That about sums it up.  It’s like that proverbial watched pot that never boils.  But in our case, it is because we forgot to turn on the burner. All of this makes me ponder how we deal with the stir-crazy nature of a long Michigan winter.

To deal with this, one must adapt and find alternatives to committing Harry Caray. No, I’m not talking about the silent film actor, nor the late Chicago sports announcer. Although thinking about him makes me smile. I’m actually talking about harakiri.  If you are not familiar with that term, allow me, in my current state of malaise, to enlighten you. Harikari refers to a ritualistic form of suicide by disembowelment that was once practiced by the Samurai in Japan. Which is quite frequently considered in Michigan, as our winter drones on. I equate it to listening to someone give a 5-month, monotonic lecture on different varieties of cat litter. It’s the definition of tedious!

That is because there is only so much you can do when you are cooped up inside the house for days on end.  Yes, you can go outside, but I am no longer the winter sports enthusiast I once was.  Nor do I have the tolerance for the extreme cold we have been having. And no, shoveling and shivering do not count as outdoor winter activities, although that is primarily what I do. And watching the birds eat at my feeders can only amuse me for so long before my mind starts to melt into jelly. So of course, being the survivalists that we have been taught to be, we find things to do to pass the time. Like counting over and over the days, hours and minutes before I leave for Florida.

Binge watching television shows is a modern-day answer to quell seasonal distress. It’s so convenient nowadays. It makes me wonder what people did before they could stream stuff.  Wait a minute!  I was around then.  Truthfully, I don’t recollect what we did.  I was too busy with kids and work and doing the things you do when you like winter.  Not anymore.

As I was surfing through channels the other day, I guess I should say snurfing, as it is winter.  I am from Muskegon, Michigan, so I know what that means.  If you don’t, look it up.  Anyway, I stumbled upon the game show network.  I hung out for a while to check it out.  What I found out was that I was tuned to Game Show Central, where they rerun old game shows.  It was a walk down memory lane that’s for sure. I got to see some of the Game Show legends of yesteryear. There was Bob Barker, Richard Dawson, Gene Rayburn, Bob Eubanks, Dick Clark, Chuck Woolery and Wink Martindale. Each in their prime. It made me all warm and fuzzy, until I looked outside and then I felt like I was inside a snow globe. Another squall was passing through. That, and I got tired of Richard Dawson spreading a lip fungus on Family Feud.  If you know, you know. So I flipped off the TV and went to organize my sock drawer. 

Oh, by the way, we are so bored that we started playing cribbage.  Even my adult kids learned to play. Of course, they play online together, so they don’t have to be in the same room. Which is probably a good thing. Regardless, that is another good way to kill time versus the alternative. I’m happy to say that my adult kids with their childlike sense of humor and a modern vocabulary filled me in on the alternative meaning of “Pegging”. Once relegated only to cribbage, sadly, no more. If you don’t know, don’t bother looking that one up.  It’s highly unlikely to be a crossword clue anytime soon.

Speaking of crosswords, I am banging through a record number of crossword puzzles, to keep my mind a… five-letter word for “Bathed with light”.  “Aglow” of course. I am really getting good at this.  I think that’s why I used the term Harikari earlier. It was a clue a few days ago. I wonder if those Samurai used an EPEE?  See what I did there?  Regardless, it is a great way to pass the time with your brain somewhat engaged. In the process, learning a few fancy, obscure words you’ll never use again, unless you are doing a crossword.  Like antediluvian or ersatz.  I just gotta find a way to fit those into a conversation. I am telling you, stir crazy is the real deal around here in February.

Well, I better shut this down.  My wife just said we are going to go walking in the mall. You know you’re desperate when that happens.  Or old.  Anyway, surviving winter in the great white north is a challenge. Which must be obvious to you by now if you have read this far.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Ooops, sorry!  I was either just having a flashback from The Shining, or perhaps slipping further into a pit of despair. Nah! Don’t worry, I am doing just fine.  

Has anyone seen my axe? 

REDRUM