complaints
As the elevators fail to come for 15, then 20 minutes, I speak to a neighbor from down the hall who's waiting with me. Over the years, our conversation has never gone beyond greetings. Now we talk about how her ceiling is flaking as if it has a bad case of dandruff. And we talk about the pandemic (wouldn't be a real conversation without pandemic talk).
micturating
A dog urinates on the fallen head of a snowman.
pleasant
Sitting with all of them is like hosting a talk show panel. I turn to each, ask questions, and give them time to speak. I serve as a moderator for interruptions and insults. There's no need for me to share anything about myself.
slush
The center of the frozen lake has softened into dark, slushy water, like a pond inside the lake. Some geese are at its gray edges.
snowfall
After the billows of the blizzard, there's a mesmerizing gentle snowfall.
surfeit
They take a shopping bag full of crumbled bread to the lake, and within minutes, a goose-duck metropolis has sprung up around them.
youthfully
After the dog's leg injury, they've set up a ramp for her against the couch. But she still tries to jump on and off, her energy at odds with her body.
