Eve

The reins of reigning rain, this time in the form of freezing fog, prevents much safe travel in these parts this morning.

The rooster crows to a cloud-covered dawn.
"Bugger off!" I say to him, clutching vainly to the departing dreams of an old year.
Even though it is tempting to spend the day drinking martinis, sitting in front of the fire, eating peanuts in the shell and reading romances, there are these new ideas floating around yet to be put into form, whispy tendrils brushing up against the canvas to be painted, viewed and spotlighted.  One more day.

Dec 30

Tidying up before the year turns its page, the five bad attitudes of aviation rear up:
Resignation; "What's the use?"
Invulnerability; "It won't happen to me."
Impulsivity; "Do something quickly!"
Macho;  "I can do it."
Antiauthority; "Don't tell me!" (how to live my life).

And of course, like snake venom, there is an antidote to each bite of bad attitude.  The first antidote is acceptable; "I'm not helpless.  I can make a difference."
But I don't like the last four;
"It could happen to me."
"Not so fast.  Think first."
"Taking chances is foolish."
"Follow the rules.  They are usually right."

ATC to the rescue

Dec 29

What now?

Walk more.

That was yesterday's tally of steps at the end of the day.  Today will be less walking, more driving back through the I-84 corridor, through Danbury, Waterbury, Hartford, then Worcester, etc., snow tires roaring on the bare pavement, weaving in and out between cars and trucks.  Just in time to craft some resolutions that are measurable.

Dec 28

Wednesday in PA.  Freezing rain at the end of the year.  Woke late; missed morning activities, meditation, yoga class.  You can bet I won't miss breakfast.  Saw who I needed to see the first two hours of arrival.

Now what?

Dec 27

And so the study of magnetism begins.

Mold is attracted to chocolate cake made with pumpkin puree,

but repulsed by chocolate cake made with sugar and eggs.

Is it something to do with polarity?  Ionization?  A leaky cell membrane?  Has the mold contaminated the cookies that were in the same container as the cake?  These are just some of the questions that arose this morning while packing for today's drive through the I-95 corridor.  What will get me through if I have no cake?  Magnetism.

Dec 26

A fairy angel, a duck, a penguin, a goose, a pig, a mouse, a scaredy cat, and a bear doctor.
Some of these dough ornaments carry stamps on their backs, "BB 1985".  All are taken out of the old ziplock bag, inspected, displayed and put back in their beautiful Christmas box for another year.

Time to throw away the partially burned-out lights on the fake tree, the crumbled wrapping paper that avoided the fire in the woodstove, and the old strawberry Santas that didn't get eaten.  A new snow has dusted the deck and stairs leading home.  Off we go!

Merry Christmas!

The ice is booming this morning before dawn.  Like the pipe organ at church last night, the ice hits its bass notes with majesty.  It will take a miracle to get us away from the woodstove on this Christmas day with temperatures near the zero mark.  But our friends from Wyoming are staying one night at Beauty, their camp down the lake, and we will surely muster the good cheer to visit.  If Dunkin Donuts is open on Christmas, we will take a dozen doughnuts.

Otherwise we will pray to the Immaculate Conception to make a fruit salad and yogurt appear at their doorstep.

Glory Hallelujah!  Let the pipe organs sound and the procession begin!  Let the presents be brought forth and the unwrapping commence! 

Day Before

Things are looking up in the gift department under the tree.  Daisy keeps sniffing the blue bag that contains presents from the Italian wholesaler neighbor.  Maybe there's cheese in the bag.  We used to take turns opening presents on Christmas Eve, then alternating the next year with Christmas Day.  I grew up opening presents after Christmas Eve church services.  Jim said he always opened his presents on Christmas Day.  We can't remember whose turn it is this year.
Sometimes in my family for Christmas Eve supper we ate oyster stew (Yuck!) .  Sometimes we drank egg nog from the carton.  I'm going to the Mall today for that last gift.  Maybe I'll pick up egg nog ice cream too.

 

Dec 23

It is a black and white kind of day.  Snow fell in the night, muffling the street noise, not that there is much street noise to muffle at the lake.  We attended our last official party of the Christmas season, a pilot who is also an undertaker.  His friends talk about him "doing" them when they pass on and wonder who's going to "do" him at his time.  Cheery conversation at the party.

We talk about accidents, fatalities, student pilots, the FAA guys, and airplanes, of course.  We rarely talk about air traffic controllers; sorry, guys.  The wives walk around the undertaker's house and talk quilts, school activities, fabric, grandchildren, the pool house.  I am both a pilot and a wife, so I can join in with either group, and do.  I also sit at the bar without talking and drink vodka on the rocks with olives.  The olives are stuffed with a garlic clove that I pick out.  Who would do that to a perfectly good olive?

Today the wood is gathered for the woodstove and for warding off the forecasted cold Canadian air.  Frigid is the word used.  The Banderante is late for its UPS delivery, but there is freezing rain and snow falling.  It just passed overhead, following the ILS to Lewiston, runway 04.  It will get where it needs to go, just as we all will today and tomorrow and the day after that.  Christmas!

Winter

The home DSL is full of static and won't let us enter cyberspace.  So here I am, thrust back into the old familiar thieving realm of the parking lot.  The Christmas cards are all written and sent, probably to arrive sometime around the new year.

We are going to a Christmas party for pilots in Turner, Maine.  I am going to try to make these snappy little strawberry Santas seen recently in Nebraska.  If it is a failure, I still have all the cookies to fall back on. 

Longest night of the year

Yay!

For those optionally suffering due to the lack of light, yay!  The sun begins its return.  Those little white lights decorating the American yew outside the door just do not substitute for Ra, God of the Sun.  The dark night is done, the birth begins.

Tonight Stonehenge will be occupied by druids with pink hair sporting wooden staffs and flagons of mead.  Carhenge will likely be visited only by the winter prairie winds, 12:30 AM EST 12/22/11.

Five more shopping days 'til Christmas

Where in the world is Manny?

Manny is a character in one of the novels, a hero of sorts, who falls in with a bad crowd, has a girlfriend named Peaches, a ne'er-do-well fluff chick, and lately has been running from a missile-launching terrorist group.  No wonder these novels go nowhere.  Time for the novelist to go shopping.

Dec 19

Departing the Christmasfest with two more presents to place under the tree at home.

This one weighs 10 pounds and nearly put my suitcase over the limit.

We're out the door and down the highway 2 1/2 hours early, in time to line up and wait, exhausted, but happy.

Dec 18

High Tea

Anniversary Party

A live band on a wooden stage

Smuggling a dog away from her owner

Just enough vodka, glitter, fire and dancing for the season.

Now it's time to be nice rather than naughty.  Yeah, right.

Egg Nog Latte

Butter rum egg nog with a splash of coffee.

We will go to a friend's house this afternoon for high tea and cookies, bringing 3 dozen cookies as the price of admission.

The Friends of Oakland Christmas party, or Oakie Party, at the Welfare Society Hall tonight rounds out the evening.  There will be a pot luck supper, live band, dancing, and friends from college days who still live in our college town.  More tomorrow!!

Dec 16

The dogs, West and Boo,  appreciated a good walk in the park to chase squirrels and little birds.

They stayed home while Melinda and I first went to the Omaha Country Club for petit fours and cocktails.  The place was decorated beautifully and tastefully.  Little gingerbread houses lined the hallway.

In honor of Hip Man's favorite cereal, I took a picture of the frosted miniwheats house.

 

And a couple more.

After drinks we drove to Lincoln for Book Club and a sit-down dinner for eleven, a Yankee swap and a sleepover.  So far the season is filling my yearly quota for meat, sugar and alcohol.

Dec 15

Not blogging today, dear, something about a headache.

Egg Nog Book Club Party

The bookclub book has too much gratuitous violence for the season and for my taste.  So I'm not even going to mention it.  Except that it was the first one on my new electronic reader.  The second was the Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas.  I am looking forward to reading "All for one and one for all".

12/13

Another day dawns at the beach,

with an invitation to spend all the warm hours between sunrise and sunset in the sand.

But not today.  Today it is departure day for the families and friends of the bride and groom.

I am heading for holiday parties in the Missouri River valley.  Maybe there will be a picture of the St. Louis arch on the way.  Maybe egg nog brule will be served for dessert at the airport cafe.

Maybe a chickee bar will miraculously appear in Omaha.

Dec 12

Flying out of Boston for

a December wedding on the beach, with colors of turquoise and coral.

The wedding was an hour before sunset, and the rain mostly stayed offshore. 

The vows were spoken.

The witnesses gathered.

And of course, there was the cake.

In my mind I was sure it would be, you know, Florida, and I could be ever so cool and mature about it being just another place.

But it was the walk alone last night on the cool sands with the tide rolling in that completed the seduction of the heart.  I know now why all our New England friends are deserting the northeast.