28 January 2026
It’s once again several degrees below cold this morning, and the weather has finally claimed my lawn. It had been holding on with scattered patches of green, but now it’s surrendered to a uniform winter brown. No complaints here—just a hundred miles north, I suspect the ground wears a full winter blanket.
I could say the cold has me stuck at home, but that wouldn’t be entirely accurate. I rarely leave the house anyway. That said, I did venture out Monday afternoon for a pharmacy run.
Pharmacy runs become routine for folks of a certain age. I’m not sure if the frequency is the same across the country, but I’d bet most doctors stick to the 90-day supply model. The trick is syncing them up—refilling everything at once to save trips. Of course, there’s always that one prescription with a string of 30-day refills that throws off the rhythm. The downside to the “line them all up” strategy is becoming that guy—the one who walks away from the pharmacy window with a grocery bag full of meds. The move is to turn and leave like it’s nothing unusual. Everyone gets a bag full, right? Nobody’s paying attention anyway—they’re just waiting for their own moment at the window.
One good development: pharmacy procedures have gotten pretty streamlined. No more waiting hours for your name or number to be called. My doctor sends prescriptions electronically, and I can hop in line online and wait for the pharmacy to ping me when it’s ready. If I time it right—off-peak hours—it’s usually in and out.
In the end, it’s just winter doing what winter does—slowing the pace, tightening the circle, and reminding me that even the smallest routines carry their own kind of weather.
I like these cold, gray winter days. Days like these let you savor a bad mood.” — Bill Watterson
“Aging seems to be the only available way to live a long life.” — Kitty O’Neill Collins
#photo #photography #nature #bird #birdphotography #morning #NorthernCardinal #weather #pharmacy
