New Year's Eve

Happy Happy Joy Joy!

Dec 30

This morning one of the characters cleaned the ashes out of three woodstoves; the cafe's, her boss' house, and her new ranch house. She retrieved a wheelbarrow at each place to haul the ashes deep into the woods.

She waded through snow higher than her calves and dumped the ashes on a huge rhododendron in the woods.

And when she was done, there was wood in the wood ring and the promise of a beautifully warm day. Times three.

Dec 29

This is the same parking lot where the flying rats were perched the day before, waiting for the storm. Jim informs me that flying rats are pigeons, not seagulls.

The word for yesterday was caterwauling, the noise that Jim raised when I informed him that he would have to tack up the tarp after it had partially blown off in the blizzard, shortly after he informed me that flying rats were pigeons.

We received 6-60 inches of snow depending on how the wind blew. At dawn the wind continued to blow, making the woodstove the place to be in front of.

A vodka martini costs 8-9 points depending on the number of olives. That and a fire in the woodstove will soothe any caterwauling blizzard or whining human.

Dec 28

I wonder where these flying rats will go when we receive our 12-16 inches of snow.

Dec 27

After a week of naughtiness, cookies, banana cream pies and potato chips, the monastery called. And the prodigal returned.

As Jim says, "Only 363 shopping days left 'til Christmas".

Dec 26

It was the neighbor's table decorated so beautifully on Christmas for ham, turkey, and pot roast. Our ham was hot dogs, our turkey was gobbling, our pot roast was lasagne.

Our neighbor had 13 for dinner plus those who came for dessert later. She raided her husband's sock drawer to protect the floor from all the heaviness pushing away from the table. She needn't have worried. Nobody pushed away. We all fell asleep at the table after dinner and dessert, overcome by tryptophan and whipped cream on tiramasu.

And hence I'm late this morning for blogging and weight watchers and after-Christmas sales.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve Day

Peanut Butter Cookies

Staples for a camera card

Twitchell's Airport Boozer Christmas Eve Afternoon Party

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conceptions's Evening Mass

Presents!

Dec 23

Dreaming of a White Christmas

1. Vodka martini with olives

2. Pretzels dipped in White chocolate

3. Macaroni and White cheddar cheese

4. Meat lasagne smothered in mozarella

5. Glass of White zinfandel

6. White dinner rolls

7. Mashed potatoes

8. Banana cream pie

Reduced to Zero

It all started with the Christmas letter,

then there were 2 Christmas cards

missing from the collection,

false accusations against card corporations,

a breakdown in teamwork,

and the final blow, a broken toe,

too hideous to photograph.

Not just a simple mistake

to be forgiven, this stubbing.

But it's Christmas and we go

from zero

to one hundred and twenty

in six seconds.

Get your rear in gear.

Game On!

Winter Solstice

Lunar Eclipse 3:17 AM EST

Full Cold Moon 3:13 AM EST

Winter Solstice 6:38 PM EST

Walking To The Light

Dec 20

Every year around the time of the solstice I become a crow attracted to shiny objects.

Instead of a closet full of sorry, my closet contains dressy gowns of glitter, form fitting slinky knit things, gauzy ribboned tutus, and festive floor length formals with beaded bodices.

As a crow, I peer with one eye and then the other, sizing up which gown is the best suited for this year's party.

Crows are not that fond of netting or plastic that can get caught in their beaks.

Peach colors would be fabulous against a black feathered backdrop.

But the winner this year is the peacock blue floor length gown, totally rhinestoned, listing for $3,999.00. It was a size too small for my head to fit through the opening and did not accomodate wings.


So, back to the pumpkin pie for dessert and dreams of diamonds. The days get longer beginning tomorrow and the sun shines on my glittering eye for two minutes longer, a jewel in the light.

Six more days to Christmas

It's not clear whether the dragon tree will suffice for a Christmas tree. It looks so...unfinished. Maybe that's because, boo hoo, there's only one nicely wrapped present. The rest are clad in brown paper, mailed from distant lands, shaken not stirred.

Which reminds me of the single remaining cut glass martini glass from medical practice days. A search reveals no glass, no vodka, no olives, and no gin. The shaker is waiting.

Dec 18

The University of Washington has a Common Book that is required reading for all freshmen. This year it is an anthology of poetry, You Are Never Where You Are. One of the featured poems follows:

What Work Is
-Philip Levine

We stand in the rain in a long line
waiting at Ford Highland Park. For work.
You know what work is - if you're
old enough to read this you know what
work is, although you may not do it.
Forget you. This is about waiting,
shifting from one foot to another.
Feeling the light rain falling like mist
into your hair, blurring your vision
until you think you see your own brother
ahead of you, maybe ten places.
You rub your glasses with your fingers,
and of course it's someone else's brother,
narrower across the shoulders than
yours but with the same sad slouch, the grin
that does not hide the stubbornness,
the sad refusal to give in to
rain, to the hours wasted waiting,
to the knowledge that somewhere ahead
a man is waiting who will say, "No,
we're not hiring today," for any
reason he wants. You love your brother,
now suddenly you can hardly stand
the love flooding you for your brother,
who's not beside you or behind or
ahead because he's home trying to
sleep off a miserable night shift
at Cadillac so he can get up
before noon to study his German.
Works eight hours a night so he can sing
Wagner, the opera you hate most,
the worst music ever invented.
How long has it been since you told him
you loved him, held his wide shoulders,
opened your eyes wide and said those words,
and maybe kissed his cheek? You've never
done something so simple, so obvious,
not because you're too young or too dumb,
not because you're jealous or even mean
or incapable of crying in
the presence of another man, no,
just because you don't know what work is.

Dec 17

The cattle line at the airport lends to clandestined inspection of many things, including footwear. People were not easily fooled by the woman with the camera, and they kept an uneasy eye on me.


I just wanted a picture of their shoes, didn't think it was such a big deal. Spies have those little pencil cameras so they can take photos of unsuspecting marks.

The stems of the Colorado-Nebraska border windfarms are almost as decorative in the sunrise as the footwear of those ticketed passengers in the airport security line.

Dec 16

The winner of the evening lighting entertainment in a small town. Somewhere on Linden Street, west of the high school and just east of Dude's.

It's a travel day, back to the east, back to moisture, back home.

Dec 15

We made a big score at the banks today. In the novel, the banks were robbed. In real life, the banks were relieved of a few 2011 calendars. We're feeling mighty proud of ourselves. Tomorrow we're hitting the car dealerships.

Dec 14

In the novel a clownish character cheerfully and innocently invites the heroine to step through a doorway. The heroine has a bad feeling about what's behind the door. Even though there's no dark ascending stairway, what good could possibly come of this invitation?

This has unexpectedly uncovered a fear of clowns. Courlrophobia.

Would you go through?

Dec 13

"I'm Late! I'm Late! I'm Late For an Important Date!" - White Rabbit

Late to the Blog World this morning. Slug-a-bed. But the writing is completed before the midnight hour. There was excitement over the weekend; a nighttiime Christmas parade. One enthusiastic viewer exclaimed last year, "It gets better every year!" This year there were 8 lighted floats, candy thrown into the streets, children with no hats or mittens. I had to push two of them over to get to the Reese's peanut butter cups that were thrown. Serves them right for having no winter wear.

Dec 12

One small bird was hunkered down in the grass, trying to find something to eat. The wind was blowing 40 mph and though the thermometer said 23 degrees, the wind said zero.

We stayed warm in the local pool hall where I won (Again) when my brother sank the 8 ball on his second shot. Birthday fun comes in all colors.

Steve's Important BDay

Arrived safely yesterday late morning.

Bought a Tee shirt for my brother's birthday, a long and well-thought out gift purchased at the Boston Airport. It is now safe to decorate for Christmas with this December birthday passing by.

Dec 10

Last night the temperature dipped to single digits in a clear night. December is the time for the Geminids, shooting stars on which to wish for money, money, money.

Yesterday I took a walk on the iced frosting of the cookie woods. All that moisture in the ground erupts through the frozen soil, just begging to be inspected like a physics problem.

Instead of walking in the woods during a day with temperatures in the low 20s, it is another travel day with a destination in the high 40s. This time the bus, the airplane, and the rental car will be the modes of transportation. Much better to watch the Geminids at 45 degrees than 8 degrees. Easier money.