It's Christmas

Years ago, the days preceding Christmas day were bitter from an Arctic front. The cold led to temperatures in the teens in the morning, with afternoons right below freezing.

The days were beautiful, with a pale sun and azure skies. Sunsets brought a brilliant orange that quickly followed the sun below the horizon. Other than the cold, the days were those that stamp memories forever.

Christmas day was the day the temperature finally rose above freezing. It was a day of reckoning for many, since the efforts to prevent freezing water pipes were futile during the long cold. Efforts to just drip water were futile, since the water pressure dropped, and the pipes eventually froze.

I had a relative that prepared their dinner, everyone was seated for the feast, and the ceiling fell onto the table. The dinner was ruined, and there was nothing to do, until the appraised surmised the damage, and the repairs could begin.

This morning, I awoke to a temperature of 67. The heavy fog created ghostly tendrils in the stirring air, and the quiet was filled with the sound of dripping of water from the bare limbs of the trees. As I watched the day begin, I realized the air conditioner would probably run sometime during the day, and the mosquitoes will be fierce some in the rural areas.

In a way, a little colder air would be pleasant, but in another, this warmth is much more pleasant than the bitter cold so many have to face. It's what there is, and I'm blessed for what I have.

Merry Christmas to all that venture into this cubbyhole tucked behind the last row in the internet, and may God bless.