Winter Solstice

 

 

What is the magic of the Winter Solstice that always has a mood-altering effect on me?  I know it is my mind that believes the "days are getting longer" and that I won't really be able to "see" the result until weeks from now.  No matter, I am always more energized after celebrating the event.  This year I spent the waning hours of the solstice writing Christmas cards and sending electronic messages to friends in Hawaii.  There is a lot to be said (positive) about the age of instant communication.

 

I remember the year I spent on Guam.  I had to schedule a time (Sunday mid-day for me, Saturday night in Indiana) to call and connect with the family.  When the earthquake hit all communication was stopped for several days - leaving those stateside wondering my fate. 

 

This morning's message was that I will be peaceful and have sufficient time to get everything accomplished that must be done.  So far I overslept and awoke with barely sufficient time to make it to physical therapy.  The rain has not let up all morning.  Yet here I sit, one last blog before heading to the Christmas festivities.  I am peaceful. 

 

May you have to same peace within that I have.  I am deciding not to be stressed today or through this week.  I have decided to enjoy what comes each day - after all, there is more daylight to enjoy now.

 

The cold is coming.
December's winter solstice.
Start of the season.

 ~Robert Pettit, "Winter Solstice"

 





Crunch Time



The Christmas Rush has started.  The pressure is mounting.  I guess I am starting to feel the holiday spirit.  Not sure I am ready, however. 

Cookies have been baked and given away to several on the list.  Today I will complete one of them for the family gathering and prepare the dough for tomorrow's final baking action (date cookies, of course).

There is also preparation for the "Night Before the Night Before" party (I have a couple appetizers in mind for my contribution).  Then there is also wrapping, the Christmas letter to be sent, and packing to be accomplished prior to leaving for the "homeland" and family festivities. 

Winter comes tomorrow (shortest day of the year).  My attitude starts to "darken" after the Summer Solstice, but the Winter one cheers me up (longer days and more sunshine).  With the exception of yesterday, the sun has not been visible here for several months.  Tomorrow will definitely correct my lingering doubts about winter and should make the next few months bearable.

All this said, here I sit communicating with you, my dedicated fans, listening to "The Shawshank Redemption," and putting off the inevitable feeling of an impending deadline.  Once again, the pressure player will rise to the challenge.  I just have to select the appropriate sequence of activities.  I love this movie.

"At Christmas, all roads lead home." ~Marjorie Holmes

Windows 8-point something ...

I might sound a tad frustrated, but so be it.  As someone who grew up with computers, starting with punching cards in Fortran, the newest Windows platform is a mess.  It was designed for idiots, or fools who grew up believing that notebooks were computers.  As a result, those of us in the "rusty" age group are not proficient in its use.  We also don't feel compelled to spend hours dinking around on the system and attempting to see how many "cool" ways there may be to accomplished the simplest of tasks (like write a letter and have it print on paper).

Last week I spent over an hour with a Dell specialist "fixing" my all-in-one printer so it would also scan while not connected to my computer.  Within two days it no longer would scan or print.  Today's session was closer to two hours.  Guess what - the fix (apparently) is that the printer must reside CLOSE to the router. 

Now let's review.  The new laptop, which I prefer to use in the living room, requires a wireless printer.  Said printer was residing on a file cabinet adjacent to the desk where the laptop is generally used.  The router is in the office.  The desk top computer (rarely used these days) requires a "hard connection" to a printer.  It also cannot recognize the new printer (because of the archaic operating system).  The desk in the living room is a roll top and not suited for the desk top computer.

Hum.  Therefore, the laptop prints to the unit in the office, while in use in the living room.  I guess my Fitbit will record an increase in daily steps that will result from the resolution of the technology problem

That said, the office is in total disarray (no photos yet).  It is my major project, and started about a week or so ago.  The rodent "visitors" had invaded the closets (which are full of shelves and, thus, files and what have you).  The "stuff" needs to be cleaned out, sorted, and generally tossed.  During "round one" of the activities, I have managed to sort/toss approximately 2/3s of the first shelf.  The process, unfortunately, has also netted a mess on the floor and all flat surfaces.  A printer in the area has not been on the immediate agenda. 

So much for complaining.  Now I am hopeful that a Christmas letter of some sort can be generated and mailed prior to the end of the year.

One interesting development during the search was uncovering several "old" photos.  I close with this one.  I have even provided the month and year.  It appears this was my very first sports car. 

 "There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs." ~Ansel Adams

It was the ...

...best of times and the worst of times, ... .

Sir Charles Dickens nailed today with his "Tale of Two Cities." 

The day started with me rising and having barely sufficient time to get showered, dressed and out the door for therapy.  Then I looked at my phone - a text.  "...the worst of times, ... ."  A friend's mother left and went home to be with her husband and other ancestors.  It wasn't really the worst, however.  Her quality of life had seriously diminished, and it was definitely a great day.

Therapy had me with a substitute therapist.  Not a bad guy, I must admit.  No pain until after I left.  That went away after I got home, and I actually completed a couple additional exercises this evening.  That isn't done on a "normal" therapy day (but then I don't usually have to be there by 9:30 AM).

I finally began a cleaning task that I have been delaying for many, many, ... months.  Cleaning the office!.  The "rodents' tracks" had been identifiable on the shelving, so I began there.  After a few hours, I have about 1/4 of one shelf completed.  I scored one "recycler" Christmas present.  However, the "best" - I netted $89:  $10 in a going away card when I left Buzzi, $20 in a wedding card, and $59 in a birthday card from mom. 

I have always said that if someone else has to clean out my house, they should look in every card that I have saved.  I am starting that task myself.  In fact, I even discarded many Christmas cards from 1998 today.  I have gotten a real start on the process. 

Included in the morass that I evaluated was a few quotes related to family trees and relatives.  I believe I will close with some of them at this time.

 

"I trace my family history so I know who to blame."

 

"A family tree can wither, if no one tends to its roots."

 

"Genealogy:  where you can confuse the dead and irritate the living."

 

   ~ Edmund Burke



Winter Already - and I am NOT Ready!

 I find it hard to believe that winter started this week (that is astrological winter, or whatever the weather man said).  Granted we had snow before Thanksgiving, and even on that day as I drove to Indiana to be with the family.  But this morning I woke to freezing rain.  I almost decided not to venture out.  Then I remembered I have now taken the "big car" (i.e., the Pilot, "Chuck") to the mechanic and had him checked out.

Therefore, it was time to "put on my big girl panties" and head to town.  Only the first three roads were "icy" - and the rest were merely wet.  Good travel to town. 

However, the weather from the first of this year (as documented in the photos) continues to haunt me.  The "what if's" of winter driving always make me nervous.  I likely should take a winter driving course (annually would be best - sort of like taking skiing lessons before heading down the first slope of the year).

But what's the fun in that.  Maybe it would be better just to move to, say, northern Michigan for the winter.  I could definitely hone my snow/ice/slush driving skills then.  More than likely, however, I would be a winter hermit - only venturing out when the roads were clear enough to get to the local grocery/liquor stores.

Not only is it winter, but Christmas rapidly approaches.  Because this is my first one as a retiree, and because I have been making (limited) headway in clearing out closets and other "storage" areas, I have decided to make this one a "recycler" Christmas. 

I am a true believer that we all have way too much "stuff."  I stared with my desk a couple months ago, and rapidly eliminated several years of saved bank statements and cancelled checks.  What the heck - the seven-year period of tax record saving was well beyond these papers.  Naturally, my bag of stuff to burn was almost full, so yesterday before the freezing rain began I ventured out in the back to my "burn barrel."  When I moved it to the clearing away from the tall grasses I noticed movement in the bottom, from under the ashes built up from the last burning event.  Yep - field mouse!  He/she popped out of one of the air holes and dashed to the tall grass.  I lit papers and dropped them in - more mice!  Enough to stop a girl's heart! 

The mice have known about winter for many weeks.  They invaded my house and tormented the cats.  There have been a few "bodies" around - including one earlier this week (I picked it up by its tail and took it out to the far side of the driveway - coyote snack).  I have attempted to ignore these country signs that could be pointing to another cold, snowy several months.  Now it is too late - I can't make reservations for southern climes at this point.  I will have to tough it out.  Trips to Indiana may need to be maintained on an flexible schedule to avoid the truly nasty conditions.

Illinois winter could be similar to Northern Michigan.  If that is true, I will be the hermit. 

 

"There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.... In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself." ~Ruth Stout