Seasonal adjustment time

As this is written, there's less snow on the ground than in the picture below. Not that we're wishing for anything like the East Coast got hit with. We're almost tempted to take the back blade off the tractor and knock down some fresh gopher mounds with the drag harrow. But we suspect that's all that would be necessary to trigger snow and/or ice storms from now 'til New Year's.

lighted Christmas star on barn

Photo by J. Harrington

We did fire up the tractor and putz around a little today. Partly to be sure the machine would start and partly to get out of the house for a bit. Cold, cloudy, dreary weather is inhibiting our inclination to go for a long walk in the woods or through the fields, but we're hoping to enjoy a fire in the fire pit on Monday afternoon and evening, to celebrate Winter Solstice. Since locally the Solstice occurs at 4 am Monday, we may even consider celebrating Solstice eve with a fire tomorrow instead of or in addition to Monday.

Despite our best efforts to enjoy the spirits of the season this year, we must admit that the combination of COVID-19 restrictions, USPS Christmas package hangups (due to the criminal regime in DC), unseasonable, dreary weather and related factors, today we are not yet feeling peace on earth, good will to all. Instead, we feel pensive, penned in, cabin-fevered and frustrated. Time to think about what we can do for someone else instead of focusing on what we can't do for ourselves right now. Almost time to begin to enjoy longer days to be eventually followed by warmer days. But first, we'll celebrate Solstice, then Christmas.

When Giving Is All We Have 

Alberto Ríos - 1952-

                                              One river gives
                                              Its journey to the next.

We give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.

We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.

We have been better for it,
We have been wounded by it—

Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.

Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:

Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.

You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me

What you did not have, and I gave you
What I had to give—together, we made

Something greater from the difference.

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