Old man winter's icy blast

They're talking about arctic blasts on the late-evening news tonight, and the first frost of the year. It's hard for a native of northern England not to be a bit amused by all this excitement over a bit of frost (though I'm sitting here with a comforter over my knees, wearing a fleece jacket over a sweater), but a week ago we were in the high 80's, and Tucsonans aren't used to this. Apparently they spray magnesium chloride on vulnerable spots like bridges. Maybe that's less corrosive than the coarse sea-salt and grit that they use back home. Nights like this, I miss my hot-water bottle a bit, but it perished a couple of winters after I got here; the desert isn't kind to rubber.

(I almost made it to 1000 words today, in the end.)