Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The trees of Christmas

Today's gloomy, cloudy weather doesn't come close to Minnesota Nice. If the weather forecasts for later this week are correct, we're headed for even less niceness. I remember really cold weather starting around Thanksgiving back shortly after I'd moved to Minnesota. Probably in the later 70s. The temperatures were in the single digits and the windchill was 25 below or worse. That was the year we hung lights and decorations on the ficus tree and declared victory, because someone we know refused to risk frostbite or worse shopping outdoors for a real Christmas tree. The daughter person was insistent that we get this year's tree last weekend. I suppose she's going to be entitled to whatever righteousness she may feel for being right. No ficus for us this year.

decorated Christmas tree 2013
Christmas 2013    © harrington
Rather than spend time complaining about today's weather, I immersed myself in an archaeological dig for the top of my downstairs desk. We've been reorganizing and purging old files and it takes twice as long to find where to put anything because nothing is where it used to be. None-the-less, after some time focused on papers, files and desktops, notable progress was made. It's not finished but we can see the finish line from here. One of my major Christmas presents to myself will be to come as close as possible to being decluttered and organized going in to 2014 (feels strange to type that). Makes me wonder if William Carlos Williams is writing about real weather or my desk and downstairs.

Blizzard

By William Carlos Williams 

Snow:
years of anger following
hours that float idly down —
the blizzard
drifts its weight
deeper and deeper for three days
or sixty years, eh? Then
the sun! a clutter of
yellow and blue flakes —
Hairy looking trees stand out
in long alleys
over a wild solitude.
The man turns and there —
his solitary track stretched out
upon the world. 

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Thanks for listening. Come again when you can. Rants, raves and reflections served here daily. (The Polymet draft SEIS will be here Friday.)

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