Good morning, and happy new year.
It's a brand new year, I've most of a cup of microwaved coffee and a couple of not-quite-stale christmas cookies.
let's get weird.
In signing in to write this, this morning, I discovered that someone celebrated the winter solstice, by reading... my blog. Like... a whole lot of it.
Every so often, this happens. I sign in after not writing anything for a bit, and... there are 75 hits on one random day; I can see exactly which posts were read, how many times, etc.
Each time, I wonder who it was, and what compelled them to keep reading, and each time... I never know the answer, obvs.
Hope they liked it, at least.
It's a brand new year, and I've a herd of deer walking down my unplowed street, and a flock of cardinals duking it out at my bird feeders, which have seen NO action, for the last week.
hope they like it, at least.
Today was supposed to be my family's annual christmas gathering. Seemed like, as we got closer this year, the dithering and dire weather predictions and such started a bit earlier than normal.
Almost like something, something huge, has caused the non-delusional among us, to exercise more caution than we used to do.
maybe.
The winter weather threat that cancelled this year... a bit of a popcorn fart. Lots of build up... and then all fizzle and no sizzle.
the three or so inches of snow on the ground are pretty, if not particularly unsafe. it's not quite a picture postcard, but....
Hope everyone likes it, at least.
Anyhow, due to predicted weather, and what ended up being a need for some to quarantine.....family christmas was 15 minutes long, two days ago.
My sis dropped stuff off and picked stuff up, and later in the day, I stopped by my mom's for 60 seconds to pick up the stuff that was left, there, by others.
And when I called her first to make sure it was ok to come by, I was told "As long as you're NOT planning to stay and talk." alrighty, then.
Not very festive, but everyone should end up with the correct presents, eventually..
Hope they like them, at least.
Today is last day of my paid christmas break. I mean, of course I signed in and had to do a bit of work most days, compared to 90% of other salaried folk, cuz... ships and trains don't stop, just because you're on shut down....
But it was nice, and I've never lost sight of the fact that it's a sweet gift I get from my employer, every year.
Even if I did virtually nothing outside of chores and moving some stuff from the country house, all week.
"Idle" is not my thing. But "I don't know what to do with myself" IS my thing.
You can imagine how well this has gone at times, lo' these 54 years.
If nothing else, it means that when my wife tells me to "not worry about the house" because she'll take care of it when she gets home from work...... I will OF COURSE worry about the damn house.
At least a little.
Birthday was on the fly this year, which is fine.
Nice card and fresh coffee waiting for me when I woke up, presents from family already opened due to the 15-minute family christmas; a couple presents to unwrap at some spur of moment time later in day when my wife got home; celebratory texts and calls at random moments throughout the morning..... good enough.
In part because it de-emphasized the fact that it was my birthday.
I realized, awhile ago, I don't actually like birthdays. Mine.
Other people's are fine, and I hope they like them, at least.
I don't care that I'm getting older; I stopped worrying that I wasn't "far enough along" in my life, decades ago; and I'm not of a weird religion (redundant?) that doesn't acknowledge them.
It's just that once I stopped expecting the actual to somehow meet my expectations, when I couldn't even clearly state my expectations.... life got easier
Growing up, it was always shoe-horned in around Work and travel schedules. So be it, it was all I knew, so.... And There were years when I'd hear about how tight money was for christmas, knowing of course my birthday was five days after.....
I am not bitching, as a middle-aged-grown-ass-man. One has no business bitching, really, after you've decades to sort it out for yourself.
At whom does one bitch, at this point?
(Man stands in yard, shaking fist at clouds. Not a good look.)
I know the best that could be done, was done, and I appreciate it for what it was.
But now, NOT trying to force it to be more: NOT being told " don't wash that dish, it's your birthday!" for example, while my birthday's absolutely NOT an all-day thing in any other way.... NICE.
And a casual dinner / beers with friends to end it..,. was perfect.
I hope I liked it, at least.
I checked just now, and... I did.
