Day 3,912 —Running in the Snow—

 

Going out on a snowy day feels epic. Earlier, I looked out and saw a light dusting, so I decided to wait until there was some more snow down before I started on my run.

When I looked down the major roads by my house, there were no cars out. I stopped and took some pictures, and I saw a few trucks driving and a lot of plows. Most people at the stores looked like they worked there, shoveling the walkways.

I saw 4 people out walking and said hi. They were all smiles and going somewhere to have fun. I decided to run down Watson, which is usually always busy, but today it was almost empty.

I was thinking about buying a game, so I was going to look around at GameStop, but when I got there, I realized the store was gone and almost everything on the strip had changed since I had been there last. I run by there a lot but don’t go by the stores as frequently, but that GameStop has been there since I was in high school. I wonder if all their stores are closing.

I ran down Lindbergh and took a picture next to the sign that tells everyone to “stay home!” It makes me laugh because the only people who would be reading it would already be on the road, so do they expect people to see the sign and turn around?

I went into a gas station and the guy there was playing chess on his computer. He told me to be safe, and I saw a car out front without a bumper. I went by a park where I used to live and where I have taken pictures before. I noticed the bridge didn’t look the same. Gone were the wood planks. They were replaced with a plastic/metal material. I went by the Masonic Temple on Sappington. On the side, it said founded in “1975.” The building still looks well maintained and nothing looked like it had changed since I had first noticed it close to 30 years ago.

I don’t know if people still go on about Mason or not, but I read a Christian comic book as a kid that suggested that the Masons are in league with the devil, and I wonder if that story is truer today or less.

I went to the grocery store to buy a few things that we ran out of and a treat for my family. I got a package of vegan cookie dough and some of my daughter’s favorite vegan cheese. I also got a French baguette, which was a mistake because it was too big to fit in my vest.

At first, I strapped it to the back with the cord, but when that didn’t work, I carried the baguette as I ran. First in my right hand, but when my hand got too cold I switched to my left hand.

I thought about how the only vehicles on the road were big trucks, and I wondered if I had a big truck I would feel inclined to go drive around in a snowstorm just to justify my purchase, but I don’t know: I am not a truck guy.