The day technically started at midnight, a continuation of late-night number crunching and attempts at circumventing a software glitch that had apparently been waiting to strike since November.

An hour and a half later, I finally went to bed, sniffling and sneezing.

Yes, I have a cold.

I can state unequivocally, Zicam works.

But never for more than two and a half hours.

Two and a half hours after the Zicam quit working, it was time to get up for the first of two meetings scheduled for the day.

Both requested and scheduled by me I should add.

At least this one had breakfast.

The second meeting followed immediately thereafter but had no food, although two comments requesting donuts at next year's meeting were registered.

The company was excellent. Topped only by my lunch date, who was the wife, who happened to take a late lunch at the same time our meeting broke.

Lunch was melancholy, us being the only customers in the restaurant. It having been stripped clean over the weekend, the various antique decorations that had been removed available for purchase in the banquet room.

Anyone want a real Victrola for $125?

Hard to believe any business would go out of business in this boom economy, but when the idiots running the motel chain in some other state decide they can make more profit with continental breakfasts than a full service restaurant, well, the restaurant closes.

You have until Wednesday to grab your last tastes of their menu.

Or your last pie.

Except the raspberry pie. There is no more raspberry pie.

I bought the last raspberry pie today.

Yes, all of it.

And then, before I could even make the short drive home, another request of my time was made. You see, a rancher called to say he found the 200 elk we'd missed in our flights last week. They were just a little further north.

With three hours of daylight left, did I want to go driving eighty miles to see if we cound find them to get a better count?

You know the answer to that.

But no, we didn't find the elk. Not even after many miles of slogging through the thaw.

And before we were halfway home...

The thaw was over.