Angry Bear

Many years ago, Offspring the First came home from preschool with one of her works of "art" - a large construction-paper cutout in the shape of a teddy bear.  The assignment had apparently been to color said bear in the manner that each child saw fit.  It was clear that Offspring the First had been uninterested in the task; the sole decoration upon the bear was a roughly drawn face with  bold eyes and a large, slanting, downturned mouth.  Herself and her Beloved dubbed the project "Angry Bear," for the bear did indeed look quite cranky.  On subsequent days, and in fact, even up until the present, anyone in the household who is feeling out of sorts is referred to as "Angry Bear."

This morning, Herself is Angry Bear.  An uncomfortable night's sleep -- she woke up just after midnight because she was cold -- was combined with an involuntary awakening before dawn, as well as with the premature morning arrival of the Wee Dog requiring attention.  An incipient headache threatens, and the bruise on her thigh from where she inadvertently and rather forcefully poked herself with a kitchen cabinet door knob yesterday is still tender to the touch.  Further, despite her best efforts, the house remains untidy, with the possessions and detritus of various family members scattered about.  She also remembers the Onerous Task which she must accomplish today because the work product is awaited.  In addition, she eyeballs warily the current one hundred small annoyances, too trivial to list individually, yet together serving as the blunt-beaked peckings of a small flock of ducks.

Angry Bear.

And yet - the weather is cool, quite windy, and rather cloudy.  A lovely change. Perhaps if the weather remains this way, Angry Bear will dissipate.  We can hope.