I bought a pair of boots yesterday. They’re really nice boots—waterproof, lined, and at a very good price. I was fortunate to get them. My old boots gave out last year. They sprung a leak and can not be repaired. It’s been on my mind to get a new pair but I procrastinated about that. With the weather being as mild as it has been this year, getting new boots never seemed to be a priority.

Perhaps my buying the boots yesterday was some sort of psychic prophecy, for today it is snowing, one of the few times it has done so this winter. It’s a bit unusual, having so little snow. I understand there is even more unusual weather other places. In this country, there have been tornados in Kansas and, if I recall correctly, Tennessee. This is quite early for tornadoes. Normally they don’t occur until April. I understand other parts of the world are undergoing periods of unusual cold, a condition that is deadly for many people.

This atypical weather brings on thoughts of global warming. Could it be that we are beginning to experience results of that phenomenon? The accompanying question is: Are we (humans) responsible for the phenomenon? Whether we are or not will probably never be decided. Actually, we may all die of heat stroke and still be arguing about it. The second possibility is that the unusual weather is part of the 2012 event, that which is predicted by the Mayan calendar. That also is problematical. There are ongoing discussions as to what, if anything, the end of that calendar signifies. Is it global calamity, the end of the world, a transition to more enlightened times or nothing at all? Either event may or may not hinge on the actions of mankind. We may not be able to prevent either from occurring by taking more care of the environment as is suggested by some. What harm there would be in proceeding to do that anyway is beyond me. But that is another subject.

Be that as it may, my new boots, warm, snug, dry and skid proof, make me prepared for any kind of weather, prepared for anything—except the end of the world, of course. That particular event calls for a different sort of preparation.