Is Christmas becoming “all wet?"

Predawn weather this morning at 7 am included patchy ground fog and rain. Combined with darkness and no fog lines or center stripes on township roads, the trip, with the Better Half [BH] in the passenger seat, to deliver several bags of Christmas and birthday presents to the Daughter Person, Son-In-Law, Granddaughter’s home was quite an adventure. Visibility was much improved, with dreariness increased, during the trip back to our place. Mission accomplished, per BH.

Today’s day length is less than half a minute more than that of the winter solstice on Thursday. That’s barely noticeable. The dreary days added to the long nights prompt conscious efforts to offset excessive moodiness. I’ve been preparing to take advantage of dark, but clearer, skies by reading a book, Spirits Dancing, about the aurora, Milky Way, and the universe in which we exist. In the twenty-five plus years we’ve lived in the country, light pollution has grown noticeably. I have seen the aurora a few times, but don’t recall ever seeing the Milky Way except in photos.

Next Thursday will bring astronomical winter into conformance with the meteorological season which began on December 1. If you wonder why they don’t match, you can find an explanation here. Our current atypical weather is consistent with the three month outlook from NOAA. Will El Nino continue until or past spring? We’ll see. Santa may need to add wheels to his sleigh’s runners this year.

December driveway puddle (12/29/2019)

Photo by J. Harrington

Four years ago we had a large puddle in our driveway a few days after Christmas. Three years ago we watched boaters launch into an ice-free St. Croix river at Franconia in early December. At the moment, the forecast is for rain showers on Christmas Eve and a rain-snow mix the next day. One might almost think North Country winters are getting warmer and shorter.

“Your Luck Is About To Change”

By Susan Elizabeth Howe

(A fortune cookie)

Ominous inscrutable Chinese news 

to get just before Christmas, 

considering my reasonable health, 

marriage spicy as moo-goo-gai-pan, 

career running like a not-too-old Chevrolet. 

Not bad, considering what can go wrong: 

the bony finger of Uncle Sam 

might point out my husband, 

my own national guard, 

and set him in Afghanistan; 

my boss could take a personal interest; 

the pain in my left knee could spread to my right. 

Still, as the old year tips into the new, 

I insist on the infant hope, gooing and kicking 

his legs in the air. I won't give in 

to the dark, the sub-zero weather, the fog, 

or even the neighbors' Nativity. 

Their four-year-old has arranged 

his whole legion of dinosaurs 

so they, too, worship the child, 

joining the cow and sheep. Or else, 

ultimate mortals, they've come to eat 

ox and camel, Mary and Joseph, 

then savor the newborn babe.

********************************************
Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.

’Twas 10 days before Christmas

I bet at least once you’ve gone down a flight of stairs that had one more, or less, step than you expected. It threw you off balance for a bit. That’s how I’m feeling every time I think we’ve finally got squared away for Christmas. This morning we nearly ran out of packing tape. Spare C cell batteries had been placed in service, so backups were needed. Another package of Christmas cookies needed a ride to the post office. (The union for Santa’s elves is starting to nag me to join.) And, since we burn candles more at this season, candle lighters are getting exhausted with spares needed. Maybe next week will be more quiet.

my preferred kind of snow flake

Photo by J. Harrington

The Better Half informs me that most, but not all, the Christmas cookie baking is attended to. I keep reminding myself that cloudy, rainy weather could be worse. It could be snow or ice (freezing rain). Anyhow, tomorrow morning we’ll visit the Granddaughter and I’ll attempt to read a solstice book to her. Several years ago we picked up a copy of The Shortest Day, and I’ve come to really enjoy it, even if I’m the closest we can come to pass for a young’un to read it to.

Many years Christmas has brought wonderful presents such as clothes, books or food, but no toys for me to play with. This year I’ve figured out a solution to that issue. I will have dug out of storage and have set up, ready to play with, several fly-tying kits I bought a year or two ago and never got around to assembling. Post-Christmas tying will keep my hands, eyes and mind busy and provide something to fantasize about when warmer weather comes. After all, a guy can only wear so many clothes, each so much food and read so many books at one time. If this seems strange in a Christmas posting, take a look at yesterday’s blog.

We’ve cut it close, but today is the best available time for today’s poem, just like the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago and the second best time is today.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

By Anonymous

The first day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The second day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The third day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The fourth day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

Four colly birds, 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The fifth day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

Five gold rings, 

Four colly birds, 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The sixth day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

Six geese a-laying, 

Five gold rings, 

Four colly birds, 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The seventh day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

Seven swans a-swimming, 

Six geese a-laying, 

Five gold rings, 

Four colly birds, 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The eighth day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

Eight maids a-milking, 

Seven swans a-swimming, 

Six geese a-laying, 

Five gold rings, 

Four colly birds, 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The ninth day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

Nine drummers drumming, 

Eight maids a-milking, 

Seven swans a-swimming, 

Six geese a-laying, 

Five gold rings, 

Four colly birds, 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The tenth day of Christmas, 

My true love sent to me 

Ten pipers piping, 

Nine drummers drumming, 

Eight maids a-milking, 

Seven swans a-swimming, 

Six geese a-laying, 

Five gold rings, 

Four colly birds, 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The eleventh day of Christmas 

My true love sent to me 

Eleven ladies dancing, 

Ten pipers piping, 

Nine drummers drumming, 

Eight maids a-milking, 

Seven swans a-swimming, 

Six geese a-laying, 

Five gold rings, 

Four colly birds, 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree. 

The twelfth day of Christmas 

My true love sent to me 

Twelve fiddlers fiddling, 

Eleven ladies dancing, 

Ten pipers piping, 

Nine drummers drumming, 

Eight maids a-milking, 

Seven swans a-swimming, 

Six geese a-laying, 

Five gold rings, 

Four colly birds, 

Three French hens, 

Two turtle doves, and 

A partridge in a pear tree.

********************************************
Thanks for visiting. Come again when you can.
Please be kind to each other while you can.