The Cold Shoulder
by Ariel DeAngelis
[I originally posted this first on my Facebook timeline on January 28, 2016… Some people have likened it to a “message from Michael” and I suppose in some ways it could be looked at like that, but in my mind at least, it’s simply about a conversation that Michael and I had about possible upcoming events… He was very ambiguous about what he told me, and though a few people have queried me asking for more info, there really isn’t any more that I can give at this time. As I have already explained to those individuals who wanted to know more, I could say what I myself have conjectured from what he said that day, but that is my own “translation” … and may or may not have anything to do with what we might expect… So in any case, enjoy the read, for whatever it’s worth to you.] 
(January 28, 2016)
I had a conversation with Michael this morning. We've been having a lot of conversations lately - more so than usual it seems. And of increasing incitement of curiosity. For instance, just the day before yesterday he said to me "We don't have much time..." And I had wondered in what context he had meant that - he and I personally or collectively, the "world"?... This prompted a friend of mine to tell me that she too had gotten a direct message about there not being much time left... Hmmmm well okay , so looks like it's more than just him and me then...
Well this morning I was standing in the bathroom having just washed my face and run the brush through my hair, apply some lotion to my hands which are parched from the "salt" chemicals they put on the roads to melt the snow... And I'm thinking about the snow and the storm in general that we had experienced over the previous weekend, and out of the blue Michael says to me,
"There's going to be another storm". And I thought to myself oh yeah, right, uhuh, sure! Then I considered the time of year and the likelihood that he wasn't just kidding, remembering other winter storms from not too distant past and how the last one rivaled them all. Then he said,
"This one will be bigger than that".
Oh my! 3 feet of snow in somewhere around 36 hours isn't big enough? And then I considered that perhaps he was being metaphorical so I asked him,
"Is that a metaphor for something?" And without hesitation he said "Yes, you could look at it that way" and I felt relieved. Considered all the other "meanings" such a metaphor could include...
Then he continued, "but there will be an actual storm that is bigger than the last one". Great! I thought. I didn't want to believe him, and he told me if I didn't believe him then perhaps I could take a look at the forecast. Well like that wouldn't do any good - I had just checked the forecast on my favorite weather website and there was no mention of another storm coming, but to satisfy my curiosity I went there again and this time looked at the storm predictor.
Nothing. All clear and no new storms on the horizon. In fact things are quite calm at this time. Ha! I felt vindicated. So he suggested I look elsewhere, and I thought "okay, well whe... " and "Farmers' Almanac" popped into my head. So okay. I googled "Farmers' Almanac January 2016" hit the search button and as the results are coming up he says "you should try February instead of January" ... Oh yes of course, January is almost over with ... And as I typed in February my memory drifted for a moment back to February 2003 and what had come to be known as the "Valentine's Day Storm" which actually began a day or two before Valentine's Day but after two swathes by the time it was over had dumped somewhat more than 23" of snow on the area. Being from the Western part of Oregon, I had never seen that much snowfall up close and personal like that. Then the words "bigger than that" haunted me again and I thought "Oh DEAR!"
And at the same time I was taking into consideration Michael having cited that "storm" was also being used as a metaphor for "something else". I wondered what that something else could be - evidently something really big is on the horizon other than "just a snow storm" (and as if to corroborate my assumption upon considering that just now, a hawk flies past my window). So these two things are going to coincide? "Yes!" comes the answer. Oh goodie...
So, I know I'm supposed to write about this one - this conversation Michael and I had this morning. He really wants people to know? I guess. But I really don't want to. I'm tired. Sometimes I just don't want to write anymore, but I have this compelling, almost to the point of overwhelming urge to write about it. I tell him I don't want to. He should find someone else to write about it. And I can see him with my mind's eye standing there with that impish smirk on his face. And I ask him "Why me?!" And he answers,
"Because people like to read what you write" yeah, uhuh, okay, sure they do... And the prodding gets a little stronger. I start feeling the sense of angst and urgency building, I say to him "I don't see what the big hurry is" (or something like that) At the same time I'm walking over to pick up my phone trying to decide whether to post first on FB or my website (knowing that to post on my website will take considerably longer). Then just as I'm thinking I don't know what the hurry is, I hear *ba-ding*. An email has just come into my gmail inbox - I look at the subject header. It's from my Twitter subscription "This week on Twitter... " and I start laughing as I continue to read ... You'll see in the photo I've included with my post what I found so amusing. Yes I had to do some extrapolation to deduce that it was something I should laugh at, but made me realize that he REALLY wanted me to write about this and post it right away. If I have to post it to FB first to get it out there, so be it.
So, in conclusion, I did view the Farmers' Almanac forecast for 2016 winter weather (http://farmersalmanac.com/weather-out…/2016-winter-forecast/) and while it looks like they missed January's storm by about a week, they're still calling for more beginning the second week of February. (and I can hear Michael laughing).
So it looks like we're in for TWO significant events sometime in February based on the "winter storm" theme - one quite literal, the other metaphorical. I wonder what it could be...
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