It's Trying...

... to snow so it looks like winter.  We're supposed to have about 4" by tomorrow evening, and I don't mind.  It's been so mild that the grass is still green.  It's not growing, it knows better than that because yours truly is NOT mowing the lawn in December.  Besides I put the mower away in the shed.  One of my knitting pals bought a house on the other side of Colburn Park from us and she mentioned that she has snowshoes.  I have snowshoes too!  We could meet in the middle and tromp around the park.  Wouldn't that be fun?  Yes, it would, I mean, it will.  Durwood and I plan to put up the Christmas tree today.  I think this is the earliest we've put it up in ages.  (Last year it was nearly the 24th when Durwood said "I'd like to have a Christmas tree..." kind of sad and pleading, so I groused downstairs, hauled up the tree and bin of ornaments, and grudgingly put it up.)  That segues nicely into today's Photo a Day theme which is "someone you love" and the main person I love is Durwood--plus I have lots of pix of him which is handy, not to diminish the love-ness of my feelings, but he's the easiest to depict.  (The rest of you know I love you too, it was just... oh, I'm stopping explaining now)  Yesterday  I reclaimed the "Christmas on the Beach" cheapo CD that I bought ages ago from the dive shop so we can have steel drum carols when we decorate our ocean-themed tree.  I know it's lame but I'm willing to do just about anything to find a little holiday spirit, it's been thin around here the last few years.  Let's see... what else do I have planned today?  Put out the nativity set and the garish Magi that Mom made in ceramics a century or so ago.  Buy the ingredients to make Rosanna's Pimento Cheese (recipe upon request) so I can make little sandwiches for my "dish to pass" at Thursday's knitting guild holiday potluck.  Rosanna was one of DIL2's bridesmaids and I pretty much fell in love with her, well, with her shoes... no, with her too.  My picture of her is my second favorite (okay, third favorite) from the wedding.  See?  Then I guess I'll keep working on the Secret Sewing so that I'm not racing around like a caged weasel when gift-giving time comes--too soon now.  Our online-ordered Christmas cards won't be here for another week (I procrastinated and refuse to pay for expedited shipping) but I do want to unearth some leftovers from previous years to send a few to Walter Reed Army Hospital so that some recovering soldiers know that I'm really grateful that they've kept me and my loved ones safe all these years.  Did you ever thank a Vet, an old one or a young one, and see the look on their face when they realize that you mean it and that you're really grateful?  It makes a warm place deep in my heart to thank them.  The young ones are especially thrown by sincere gratitude.  That is a pity.  So if you see a Vet today please tell them, "thanks for keeping Barbara Sue safe" (if you're too embarrassed to speak for yourself).  I appreciate it.  I'll never make it around to all of them on my own.

December 8--Georges de la Tour, The Fortune Teller.  "Come inside, ma'am," she said every time Gail walked by the dark little shop on the edge of town.  Hanging beside the door, nearly obscured by the overhanging leaves of a tree, was a wooden sign carved in the shape of a hand.  Gail was tempted.  She'd been fascinated by tarot cards and the Ouija board ever since she and a bunch of classmates had scared themselves to death at Cynthia Tweedale's slumber party the year they were all thirteen.

And that's when I fell dead asleep.  All that bell-ringing dancing, I assume.  Time to go read my horoscope (Durwood says it's a good one today) and then begin getting the decorations up out of the basement.  Maybe I'll toss the old guy into the car and take him for a stroll through that Asian market later...  Sayonara.
--Barbara Sue