The amazing thing about time is how fleeting it is. How small and insignificant those grains of sand seem as they slide through the neck of the hour glass only to accumulate in a large mound underneath with incredible quickness.
So it is with amazement and not a little shame that I'm admitting to how much time has gone by since the last and only posts to this blog. Experiencing life seems to interfere with the recording of it - a common theme I've read from other bloggers. I will endeavor to change this.
To be sure of hitting the target, shoot
first and call whatever you hit the target.
Since the last entry, much has happened. Summer seemed to be a non-event. We didn't receive the long spells of blistering, unbearable heat that I recall from past summers. It seemed to be muted...and wet.
Other than a freak snow that dumped a foot before the leaves could fall, winter likewise has struggled to make an appearance. November exited stage left in the mid 60's. Apparently the weird weather wreaked havoc with the fall foliage across New England. The Maples really need that hard cold snap to turn the brilliant reds, oranges and peach colors the area is known for. Instead the landscape was an underwhelming sea of yellows and browns. Of course that freak snow storm I mentioned didn't help. It caused severe damage to the trees as the snow clung to the leaves rather than falling between bare branches. Now that the leaves have truly fallen the trees look like so many broken fingers reaching skyward. The bright scars of bare wood where branches hang limply dot the otherwise wintry gray landscape.
Do you know what the doppler effect is? The Doppler effect is named after Austrian physicist Christian Doppler who sought to describe the change in frequency of a wave for an observer moving relative to the source of the wave. In simpler terms, it explains why the siren of an approaching ambulance gets higher as it approaches and then drops after it passes. I mention this because this also describes the month of December.
December, with it's crush of holiday madness approaches like a freight train in the distance. Slowly at first, steadily building and building to a crescendo of bight lights, merriment and good cheer only to quickly fade once it passes.
We aren't particularly religious people (not at all in my case). Our celebrations center on family with a sprinkling of your standard decoration for tradition's sake. I particularly abhor the commercialism and shopping mania that so many seem to get wrapped up in (pun intended). Shopping malls are decidedly out for me from November to January. We rely on Secret Santa to handle the gift giving for the adults (limit $50 please...we don't want Santa to go into hock). The nieces and nephews get somewhat more spoiled. It keeps the holiday more sane and enjoyable in my opinion.
This year will more than likely be the last "low-key" holiday for us for reasons to be explained later. We didn't even bother with putting up a tree this year. The "greenie" in me can't quite accept killing a tree, decorate it for a month or so only to trash it soon thereafter before it becomes a fire hazard. It just strikes me as wrong. This year we considered a "fake" tree, but they are so...well...fake. Of course that leaves decorating a live tree
A blogger I read, Cindy (and family) from Zach Aboard, has created an mish-mosh of holiday traditions - stemming from Christmas, Hanukkah, and Pagan (winter solstice) - to create one uniquely their own. I like this. A lot. Perhaps in the years ahead we'll do something similar: Winter Solstice with a smattering of Christmas thrown in for good measure.
Overall, 2011 was pretty good. We managed to escape the daily grind and take a few vacations. We made the pilgrimage to visit Mom/G in Florida to do a little sailing. It is, more than likely, our last trip for a awhile though. As I alluded to earlier, Changes are a coming. L is pregnant and our little girl is due in March.
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