You might have noticed a large gap in time between this blog entry and the last one I made. Or you might not have. Based on the lack of movement of my visitor counter in the metrics section, I think I may actually be alone in noticing the gap. But no matter. I am back. I have decided to revive this blog, not because I have anything new or exciting to say, but because . . . well . . . gosh darn-it, everyone else is blogging, so I am. too.
Thanksgiving came and went so quickly that I can hardly remember it. I loaded up the family into the covered wagon and we began our wilderness trek to grandma’s house. Well, okay, it wasn’t really that dramatic. I loaded the family into the car and we drove nearly ten hours on the interstate through some dubious parts of the country to get to Mom’s house. Grandma’s trailer is out back, out of sight of the road. We spent four days there and had a wonderful time. We did all the usual Thanksgiving rituals: eating 7,500-calorie meals three times a day, wandering around the tiny town Mom lives in (mostly looking for something that was open), and driving along pretty backroads (again, mostly looking for something that was open).
But all too soon it was time to return to the big city and to resume the life of quiet desperation that I was allocated upon hitting middle age. Life since Thanksgiving has been just a blur of everything James Thurber had tried to warn me about when I was young, only I was too young to believe such things. And now, here I am.
“Here”, by the way, is just a stone’s throw away from Christmas. That analogy would work if one could throw a stone forward through time about two weeks. All I have managed to accomplish in preparation for the Christmas season is to lug down from the attic the one or two metric tons of holiday paraphernalia that we have accumulated over the past 15 or 20 years. I did that about a week and a half ago. It is all still packed neatly in the boxes and bins which are still stacked in the formal dining room. Hopefully, we will get some time this weekend in which we can actually unpack everything and get the house looking like it is the Christmas season.
I find it hard to get into the Christmas spirit when it is so warm and sunny outside. We have been having temperatures during the daytime in the mid 60’s. And the skies are not cloudy all day. Indeed, they are quite the opposite. The skies are blue, the sun is shining, and birds flit hither and yon, having decided that there was no need to jet south for the winter. It’s hard to put any real enthusiasm to singing “White Christmas” when the chances of actually having one are zero.
Last year, in contrast, was perfect for Christmas. It snowed all day long on Christmas eve. The snow was big and fluffy and was beautiful to watch as it fell lazily from the skies. It made it a real joy to look out the windows. However, the temperature was only in the upper 30s, so it didn’t stick to the streets (which was a good thing). We awoke Sunday to an honest-to-goodness white Christmas. There was about 3 or 4 inches of snow on the ground and it was still snowing slightly. However, the temperatures immediately climbed into the 40s and the snow went away soon enough. But it was sure beautiful and it really put all of us into a Christmas mood.
I am praying for a cold snap this year, but I don’t think we’re going to get it. We couldn’t be THAT lucky two years in a row.
December 9, 2010
Somewhere in Texas
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