I blame my grandmother.  Or maybe my mother.  I love other holidays, but Christmas is beyond that.  Christmas is hands-down my favorite holiday of the year.

My grandmother loved Christmas.  She passed away when I was 15, but much of what I do at Christmas just makes me think of her.  She always spent Christmas with us, even up until the end.  I have memories of her sitting in her red robe in her wheelchair that last Christmas, smiling her crooked, stroke-induced smile, experiencing everything with such joy.  She had an artificial heart valve, and we could always hear it “clicking,” and when she was excited, it would click even faster!  It was part of who she was and how I remember her.

Every year I listen to the Christmas songs on the radio and never hear the one that makes me think of my grandmother.  I haven’t heard it in years, but this is it:

The Bell That Couldn’t Jingle

My mother always made Christmas eve and Christmas special.  There were cookies and Christmas music, and  a big ham dinner, and spiked eggnog after Midnight Mass, at which my mother and I both sang.  Never mind that I was almost always sick on Christmas, with some flu, cold, or even pneumonia (that happened twice that I can remember).  It is still my favorite holiday.

This year, as we are away from family, and my husband is weirdly homesick (we spent very little time with his family when we lived in St. Louis, so I’m not sure where the homesickness comes from), I am trying to keep the traditions there that my grandmother left for me in my memories.  I spent Christmas eve baking cookies, finishing up a last minute gift, playing Christmas music on the stereo from my iPod (which has about 8 days of Christmas-themed music on it), and wearing myself 0ut.  We were blessed to have a white Christmas (we got 15 inches of the fluffy stuff on Thursday) which helped my mood along just fine.  I do miss my son, Stinky Boy, and seeing my dad and stepmom, and we had no Santa gigs on Christmas eve for the first time in about 8 years.

But still, it was a wonderful, completely satisfying day for me.  I got everything accomplished that I wanted to get accomplished, and Christmas day dawned bright and sunny and full of presents and yummy food and happy children.  My grandmother would have loved it!

We did start a new “tradition” this year.  We went to see a movie.  We saw We Bought a Zoo, which we all loved.  It was different to leave the house on Christmas day, something we have not done in years.  It was a nice way to spend part of our afternoon before coming back to watch the Packers game on television.  I’m a dedicated Packers fan these days.  We’re hoping for another trip to the Super Bowl!

I leave you today with pictures from the last two days.  Be sure to also check out my “Seven Days of Christmas” pictures on the 365-Degree Blog!

One final project: a tied fleece throw for the Perfect Child.  I did this while she was off working at the nursing home for the lunch shift.  Lest you be fooled, I usually am working on some last-minute project EVERY Christmas eve.  It’s part of my procrastination gene.  It wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t save something to be done at the last minute.

The stockings hung on the …wall…with care.

The chicken dressed in his holiday finery.

Wrapping presents.  Lots and lots of presents.

And there was baking.  Lots and lots of baking.

The tree was loaded, even before Santa came!

Then there was fudge.  With nuts.

The girls making Monkey Bread for Christmas breakfast.  

The girls wearing their Christmas hats they got from their brother.

Christmas dinner.  Yes, those are Christmas marshmallows on the sweet potatoes, because that’s what we had.  The placemats are sort of a tradition in our house now, we received them after someone gave them away.  There are 18 of them, and every time I get them out of the decoration box at the holidays it makes me want to do a giant holiday dinner just so I can use them all at once!

So our lousy politicians went on Christmas break without solving some of the big issues they needed to solve before the end of the year.  This is, unfortunately these days, business as usual.

In my adult lifetime, any time there has been a Democrat in the White House, the bipartisan bickering, name-calling, territory-marking, peeing contests have occurred at overwhelming levels.  This current term of a Democrat in the White House is worse than I remember.  I also remember that any time a Democrat was in the White House, our country operated at a surplus, rather than a deficit.  This time, the deficit grows and grows with no end in sight.

Now, our congressmen, who are presumably there to serve our needs as constituents, have gone on vacation and left us without resolution of an ongoing tax cut for middle-class Americans that is set to expire in a couple weeks.  The tax cut, ushered in when the recession was at its worst, gave most middle-class families an extra $80 or so a month into their paychecks.  This was money they could spend to presumably boost the economy.  It’s hard to say whether this worked or not, as we still seem to be struggling financially as a country.  That $80 a month was probably being spent on groceries, or gas in the car, mundane everyday things.

And in all honesty, I’m not as disgusted about the fact that my taxes are going to be going back up in January as I am about our ineffective politicians who cannot seem to do anything but argue and fight and seem to have no real grip on reality.  It is ridiculous to see grown people acting this way.  I also think that every single one of our politicians has lost its grip on reality and what life is like for a typical middle-class family.

Therefore, I propose the following:

Upon election to Congress, Senators and Representatives immediately lose access to any funds they may have in their coffers, other than a small (let’s say, $2000) savings account.  They are given a 15-year-old car, or older if they prefer, that is just a bit too small for most purposes but gets decent mileage, and has about 160,000 miles on it.  A Toyota Corolla or something like that.  They must care for themselves, their spouse, and two children under the age of 18, one of whom is of driving age.  They get an after-tax, after-social-security salary of $45,000 a year.  They have employer-supported health care for which they pay anywhere from $200 to $600 a month for their part of the coverage. This salary has to house this family (rent or own, doesn’t matter), pay utility bills including electric, gas, water, sewer, and trash, buy groceries, toilet paper, shampoo, etc.  Let’s throw a pet in there too, let’s say, a cat.  So there is kitty litter and cat food to be bought, and an annual exam and shots.  Copays for doctor visits for the kids cost $35 a pop, and medications for the entire family cost about $200 or more a month.  They must pay for car insurance, homeowners/renter’s insurance, and all maintenance and repairs on their older car.  If the house is owned, there is maintenance and repair there too, including at least one yearly “plumber’s tax” of at least $1500.  If they can afford it on their salary, they can have a second car, but its vintage must be at least the same as the other, if not older.  Again, the car is too small to be useful for everything (say, picking up a great bookcase found at a thrift store but no way to transport it because the vehicle is too small).

When Christmas time comes, that salary needs to buy Christmas presents for the spouse and kids, plus an expected purchase of a charitable gift for “Toys for Tots” or another similar program.  When birthdays come around, that salary needs to buy presents for that, too.  And don’t forget spending some of that cash on a present for the spouse.  When the car breaks down or a tire blows out, there is no credit card to use to pay for that repair; the cash has to be on hand.  And don’t forget those dental bills, because dental insurance, while provided through your employer, only pays about 10% of the thousands of dollars of dental work that needs to be done.

While all of this is being paid for, some of that salary needs to be set aside for savings (for emergencies, of course), and some needs to be set aside for retirement.  No credit cards or credit accounts of any kind will be allowed except for a mortgage (if they can even qualify for one on that salary with their expenses).

If there is anything left over, they can get cable television, cell phones, and Internet service to the home.  The spouse may try to get a job, as well, but it will be only part-time, or if full-time, at no more than $30,000 annual salary.  The family income will at no time top $80,000.

This lifestyle is what the congressman gets to maintain while they are in office.  Their government-related travel is covered, but only at coach fares and public transportation levels.  They have to work every day of a work week, and only two weeks of vacation are allowed each year. There are only 7 sick days that can be used.  When they don’t go to work, and they don’t use vacation or sick time, they do not get paid for that day.  Only a standard 11 paid holidays will be observed, and working hours are paid as a salary with a minimum of 8 hours per day spent on the job (sometimes more but without being paid overtime or compensation time).

This is my life.  I believe every man or woman working in government, being paid by my tax money to do the job I’m asking them to do (run my country) should have to live this life.  It is not a particularly hard life, we get by okay, but it is a bit of a juggling act sometimes.  And it means we have to make very conscious choices about what is important, and what isn’t.  Not having a line of credit, or a lingering account that needs to be paid off, does mean I have more discretionary income than I might have otherwise.  But there are definitely choices that we make so we are sure we can make ends meet.  December is hardest; I’m down to a few dollars in the checking account because I spent most of my discretionary income on getting a nice ham for Christmas dinner, and presents for the girls and hubby.  It is not a Bob Cratchit life, by any means, but it is not the life of Oprah, either.  I work hard, I work long hours, but I do this so my family will be fed, housed, able to drive their cars, talk on their cell phones, and watch TV.  We eat wholesome, home-cooked meals, and rarely have a night out or takeout food.  These are choices we make so we can have the things that we truly need and want.

Congress needs a dose of reality.  Not because I need my $80 back, but because they don’t understand what it means to be a middle-class American.  And since there are more of us than them, they really need to get back on track and understand what is truly important, and where their priorities are.

And their vacations should be rescinded immediately!

Is not as disgusted about the fact that my federal taxes will be going up in January, but that our ineffective politicians cannot seem to do anything but argue and fight and seem to have no real grip on reality. It’s ridiculous to see grown people acting this way. I think every member of congress, upon being elected, must feed and board a family of four, on a salary of just under $50K, as I have to do. They must pay for their own health/car/house/renter’s insurance, their own car which they will also have to put gas into and pay for maintenance and repairs, buy and prepare the food to keep their family well-fed and healthy, pay all copays and deductibles at the doctor’s office and pharmacy, and buy Christmas presents for their kids, spouse, mother and father, not to mention paying utilities like gas, electric, water, sewer, and trash. Maybe they’d understand then what it’s like to make choices about whether to eat or put gas in the car to get to work, and whether they can afford the decent toilet paper or have to go with the low-end scratchy kind, and whether the kids can have shoes or hair cuts (because you can’t afford both). And whether they can afford heat air conditioning, Internet service, or cable television. That might bring a bit of reality into their ridiculous arguments.

I’m still trying to figure out why I can’t seem to find any time for blogging these days.  Other than a slightly longer commute, I still have as much time in my day as I had before.  I hope I figure it out soon, I feel like I’m so very very far behind!

So we are a week away from Christmas.  Tater has been changing the little count-down numbers every day, and keeps reminding us that its “almost here.”  Yes, we know.   We also know we’re not done shopping yet.  So if we could get full advantage of the remaining seven days that might be nice!  I did pretty much finish up with the things I needed to get, including the stocking stuffers.  Usually I’m out buying those the day before Christmas eve, and it is a struggle to find enough stuff.  I should be better set this year.  I hope.

And I finally baked a cookie that I can be proud of.  I’ve made several batches of cookies, and brownies, since I’ve moved here, and none of them have turned out right.  I was blaming the oven.  That’s because I’m not always the brightest light on the string.  Brownies end up crumbling into nothingness, and cookies flatten out and end up tasting like, and feeling like, burnt molasses.  Chewy, but not in a good way, not to mention flat as pieces of paper.  Yuck.  Then I remembered that we are at altitude here, and maybe there are instructions for high-altitude cooking of chocolate chip cookies.

Aha.

So today’s batches of chocolate chip and butterscotch chip cookies turned out beautifully, as you can see.

I’m just going to have to remember to always check the recipe, no matter what I”m baking.

The house is decorated, there is still snow on the ground (and two small snowfalls to come this week), we have plenty of candy, and Klown did manage to book us one Santa gig.  On Friday we will be visiting the Independent Living Center where he works to do our Santa/Mrs. Clause thing.  I was worried I’d not get to put on the dress this year, which would have just made me sad.  Of course, it’s a free gig, but I’m not going to complain.  It’s something.

Speaking of Klown, he had hernia surgery earlier this week.  We were trying to put it off until spring, but it just wasn’t going to make it.  His surgery was outpatient, but occurred so late in the day that he was unable to get on his feet before the surgery center closed.  So he spent the night on the post-surgical ward, and got to come home the next day.  In typical Klown fashion, he overdid it the first three days when I wasn’t home to watch him, so I made him stay home and rest the last two days.  I’m not above taking away car keys if necessary.  He needs to get healed so he can go back to work.  January is going to be pretty rough with only one paycheck, and I don’t need him putting his ability to work in jeopardy just because he’s bored and tired of being at home.  He never was one to want to stay home, while for me, not having to go somewhere every day pretty much sounds like heaven.

As the year comes to a close, I have much to be thankful for, and much to be looking forward to.  Yes, it looks like we will have to move, but at least we’re here where we can actually look at property and do some research to be sure the place isn’t in foreclosure and doesn’t have some of the idiosyncrasies that this place has.  And we might get lucky and find a place for less money, which would be wonderful.  Yes, it looks like my car is going to need a new clutch by the end of January, but that’s not unexpected in a car that age and is really just routine maintenance.  But I live in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.  I have a great job that I love doing, and work with some amazing people, not to mention some amazing students.  We are all, except for Klown, healthy.  Winter is just beginning here and I’m growing into my own; frozen landscapes, clear blue skies, the call of the hawk on the dry winter air, it all speaks to me as nothing else does.  I’m out of summer hibernation and enjoying each day that I get to wake up and breathe Colorado air.

I love this time of year, and feel badly for those that are struggling with their holiday spirit.  This was my grandmother’s favorite time of year, and I celebrate all there is to celebrate.  The pretty colors and lights, the brisk mornings, the beautiful presents under the tree, the ugly Christmas sweaters I encounter, the piles of treats just waiting to be eaten…  I cannot imagine not enjoying this time of year, if only because of all the beauty and the holiday wishes that seem to get spread around everywhere.  January is long and cold and austere, and I’m going to build up my fat, jolly, gluttony self in anticipation of poor boring old January!

I wish all my friends and family a blessed holiday season, no matter what they celebrate, and hope that they, too, can find joy and happiness in these warm times.  It isn’t about what we have, it isn’t about what we can buy for others.  It is about what is in our hearts, and how we treat those around us.  That is one element of the holidays that I think everyone can manage to embrace.  Happy Holidays!

We added up snowfall for our season so far, and we’ve had over 30 inches.  We are getting snow tonight for the third time in five days, just a “dusting” by Colorado standards, but still could be five inches.

It is just one more weather wonder here.

No, we aren’t crazy.  Really.  We came from a place (Missouri) that has snow.  But the snow here is different.  It is dryer, it evaporates off roadways fairly quickly, and really is a non-issue most of the time. So far.  Within an hour of the end of the snowfall, most of the streets are clear, as the snow melts on the pavement and evaporates.  The snow stays on trees, grass, buildings, etc., but not on the pavement.  It is like this (picture taken after a 5 inch snowfall):

And that wet pavement you see?  In another twenty minutes, it is completely dry.  The only place I’ve run into the chunky ice that I was used to in Missouri is on the corners, and it’s easy to avoid.   So far, I’ve had two messy, but not dangerous commutes.  Most people drive a slow and steady pace, as far as I can tell, and despite the fact that there is snow on the ground and it is mushy and slippery, I see no one in the ditch or sliding through stop signs.

And then there are incredible views of my newly-white world.    I am living the dream I dreamed for so long.  It has been so worth it to get here!

The other night I had a handful of people over for some writing.  It is, after all, National Novel Writing Month, and there’s a great group of writers in my little town who are making the novelling attempt.  There are young and old, but I’m pretty much the oldest in the group, with others down to around 20 years old.

One of the younger ones, who I usually pick up and take to writing things because he doesn’t have reliable transportation (no cars in the family), said when he came in my house “Wow.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a clean house.”

All I could see was the cat foot spilling out of the bowl and the mold growing around the grout in the shower.  And the dirty socks that hadn’t made it to the hamper, and the handful of dirty dishes in the sink.

This kid is polite, grateful, and a lot of fun to be around since he has a really great sense of humor.  It makes me wonder what he lives in.  I know that his parents both work, and that things are rather tight for them financially due to some medical issues, but still.  I was raised to think that one could always afford soap and a bit of elbow grease.  I have a vacuum cleaner, a mop, and a broom, and I know how to use all three.  My cleaning supplies come from the Dollar Tree.  I’m a stickler about clutter in the main part of the house; I am fully aware of how important first impressions are.  Simply picking up and putting away can make all the difference, and I try to keep counters/tables/floor picked up.

But clean?  No, I don’t think it’s all that clean.  Perception is everything, as a former boss once said to me.  And I guess that is true.

But I feel bad for anyone that has to live in discomfort due to lack of cleanliness or an overabundance of clutter.  I am not perfect, but I try to keep things picked up and put away and make it a place I want to be in.  I have to live here, after all.  It should be a place I want to be.  And taking care of it is part of making it a place I want to be in.  It may be “just a rental” and not the greatest rental I’ve ever lived in, but I want to, and can, keep it decent.  Even if all I can afford is cleaning supplies from the Dollar Tree, and a few baskets for organizing from the local thrift shop.  It’s better than letting it all go to hell.

This is one of those things I’ve had to learn, and re-learn, over many years.  Now that I’m older, I feel I’ve passed the point where need to look outside of myself for someone else to prop me up or to give me what I think I need.

What I need, and what I desire, will come to me if I have an abundant heart.

A “friend” is suffering from a self-imposed lack of abundance.  His latest complaint is that no one has invited him for Thanksgiving dinner.  He paints a dreadful picture of himself so often that I’m sure people are starting to ignore him.  He was “forced” into a divorce that he “didn’t deserve,” he only has his kids on some holidays and not others during the year, he hates how he has to make a living now (he used to live off his wife’s income, for the most part, despite several college degrees), and complains about anxiety and sleeplessness and can’t understand why no one will “rescue” him from this horror of a life he must live (through no fault of his own, of course).

But one thing I’ve learned is that joy, beauty, abundance, and comfort don’t come to me when I’ve got a non-joyful, ugly, destitute, and uncomfortable heart.  It sounds cliche, and probably a bit over-dramatic, to say that you draw to you what you are, but that is exactly what happens.  If you walk around with your negative attitude and grumpy face, you will get negative attention.  If you walk around with your positive attitude and smiling face, you will get positive attention.  The fact is, what you put out, is what you pull in.

Everyone has things happen to them that they wish didn’t happen.  Sometimes we have control over those things, and sometimes we don’t.  But how we deal with those things, the attitude we use to deal with them, make all the difference.  Even when we have lost things, we have so many more things we have gained, and things we can make into happiness and goodness.  It is all, I believe, in our attitude.

For my friend who is lamenting that no one invited him for Thanksgiving, perhaps it is because his negative attitude, his constant “want” and “need,” are just so negative that no one wants him at their table.  Perhaps, he should try offering his full hands out, instead of his needy hands.  If we live an abundant life, in word and deed, then an abundant life will be returned to us.  There are always blessings to be had, blessings that come to us even when we don’t think they are blessings. And the best way to receive blessings is to be a blessing to begin with.

Smile.  Thank someone.  Offer help to someone.  Pay attention to the world around you and focus on everything but yourself.  It will make a world of difference.

It’s November, which means it’s time for thankfuls.  I know I’ve really let this blog slip, and I need to pull it back into something that might be almost current.

November means I’m writing my annual novel for National Novel Writing Month. This is my ninth year of writing for National Novel Writing Month.  This year rivals one of my past years as the worst experience.  I’m having fun at write-ins and am managing to write something most days, but I’m woefully behind the goal to write 50,000 words in a month.  I’m grasping at the weakest possible plot lines and filler material.  Really sad.  This is the first year I think I am thinking I’ll be glad when I reach my 50K so I can stop this nonsense!  Next year will be better.  It has to be.

Now, on with the thankfuls.

1.  Earlier this year, I was laid off.  It was an ugly five months of me reporting to work and feeling like Dead Man Walking and pretending that nothing was wrong.  While I am still angry about how it was handled, and how I was treated, I was able to find another job before my last day of work.  I signed a contract for my new job on June 16th and was finished with the previous job on June 30th.

2.  Not only did I find another job, with a similar pay scale and almost identical work, it was located in Colorado.  Yes, this meant we had to move (and we spent our savings to do so), but I fell in love with Colorado some 35 years ago and swore someday, I’d live here.  Well, now I do.

3.  Both Klown and the Perfect Child are also gainfully employed, and have been since a month after we got here.

4.  Both of our cars made the cross-country trip with no problems.  So did the cats.

5.  I could afford a turkey and the rent in November.  Oh, and a new Christmas tree, since the old one was given away before our move so we wouldn’t have to drag it across three states.

6.  In the four months we had no health insurance, no one got sick or needed emergency care.

7.  My family is alive and well, no one has any overriding health issues, and I still have my parents.

8.  I get to drive to work every morning facing the mountains.  Right now they are snow-capped.

9.  I have the most comfortable bed I’ve ever owned.

10.  It has already snowed three times here.  And it’s not even winter yet.

There is plenty more I can be thankful about, but a list of ten is a decent start.  Tonight, the turkey comes out of the freezer to start thawing, and I dig out the roaster.  Pies are planned, and potatoes will be peeled.  The bread maker will get its first use since we moved here, and I will teach the Perfect Child how to make stuffing from scratch and a dried out loaf of bread.

Life is good.  Life is very very good.

I made what I hope is my last trip to the post office for the rest of my natural life.  I can buy stamps at the grocery store, gas station, or Target.  I can ship packages via the local UPS store.

I try to be patient, but on a Saturday, really the only day of the week when I have time to run errands, I do not want to spend nearly an hour trying to ship off a simple package.  I had a bag full of stuff to send to my mother, and a bag of stuff to mail to a friend back in St. Louis.  The package to my mother was slightly larger in size, but weighed less, and was going to Florida.  The package going to St. Louis was heavier, but smaller.  I picked through the boxes they had available, and packed both packages into “flat rate boxes.”  The last time I did this, only a couple months ago, these same boxes were marked “priority” on one side and “flat rate” on the other, so they could be used either way.  I assumed these were the same way.

I assumed wrong.  I got the boxes packed, addressed (they had NO labels, I had to write on the box with a ball-point pen), and stood in line behind 10 people.  Eventually, twenty minutes later, I got to the counter.  The clerk said I’d have to pack the items in priority boxes, not flat rate boxes, and the clerk pointed to where the boxes should have been.  I pointed out to her that there was nothing there but the boxes I used.  So she gives me two boxes from under the counter, which are smaller than the boxes I’d already packed.

So I go back over to the little table in the corner, spend ten minutes packing the electronics in a new box and re-addressing (still no labels, still me with a ball-point pen).  The other box?  No way was all that stuff going to fit into the smaller box she’d given me.  So I get back in line behind 8 people and wait another twenty minutes.

I showed the clerk the box that was too small, so she weighed the bigger box and said, well, this one will be cheaper sending by flat rate anyway.  What??  You told me ten minutes ago that it was more expensive.  And, the box is LIGHTER than the one with the electronics, which is going to cost almost $10 to send as it was.

At this point I’m livid.  I’ve now wasted almost an hour of my time, to find out I STILL HAVE THE WRONG KIND OF BOX.  Turns out that they now ship based on distance, AND weight, and despite the fact that the box of yarn and teabags I was sending my mother weighed half as much as the box of electronics, it was going to cost twice as much to ship because it was going to Florida instead of Missouri.

I could have taken both bags of stuff to the UPS store, had THEM pack them up, and ship them, and paid less.  And it would have taken less than ten minutes.  And I wouldn’t have gotten any kind of hassle about what box or had to repack anything.  UPS shipped a 300-lb. trailer hitch for me to Oregon in a huge blue Rubbermaid tub sealed with bands of silver duct tape.  There was no issue whatsoever, and they even hauled it out of the car for me to boot!  The post office?  God only knows what kind of hoops they’d have made me jump through for the same thing.

The U.S. Postal Service is whining about losing money, how no one ships anything through them anymore, how they are just not going to make it financially.  I say, they have brought these problems on themselves.  When you make it difficult to do a simple thing (ship some yarn to your mother, for instance), they’ve completely lost touch with not only what their customers want, but what their customers are willing to put up with.

I wasted an hour of my Saturday, doing something ridiculous easy (at least, it should have been).  And they wonder why people are shipping their packages through different services?  It’s not all about price.  Sometimes it’s about convenience, and lack of hassle.

Tater got the stomach flu this weekend.  She woke up in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday throwing up.  She has not had a stomach bug since she was a baby, so in her memories, this is the first time.  She was very unhappy about the whole thing.

“I don’t like this very much,” she said the first time she threw up.

By the fourth or fifth time, it was “I don’t like this at all.”

Me either!

We had huge plans for Saturday.  We were going to get up reasonably early and put on makeup and costumes and go walk in the Halloween Parade through downtown of our little town.  I had spent the week making a fabulous costume for The Perfect Child, who wanted to be a princess.  Her boyfriend was to be her prince.  We rounded up all the necessary pieces and parts and by Friday night I was done.  Using gold curtains and a cream-colored pillow sham, I made a dress for the Ninja.  I used some boot covers we had for a Santa costume (removing the fake fur) and cut them down for The Boy (how we refer to him) to wear over his dress shoes and black pants.  He wore Klown’s big poofy pirate shirt, and a maroon wool vest with gold braid we’d found at a thrift store.  We added a plastic sword and crown, and he was as princely as an 18 year old could possibly be.  Tater had a pretty Red Queen dress (from Alice in Wonderland) and a red wig and red-and-silver crown.  Klown was going to do her makeup.  Klown and I were going to go as, well, clowns, of course.

After that, there were activities at the library (crafts and etc.), and a whole day of activities at the Longmont Museum surrounding Day of the Dead exhibits they have had up all month.  The kids could decorate their own sugar skulls, make tissue-paper flowers, and watch performances from local Hispanic dancers.

But all that changed, as I ended up sitting on the couch with a sick Tater in my lap, and the teenagers went off to the parade and museum without us.  They had a ton of fun.  I kept telling Tater, “there’s always next year.”

She did get to go to her school’s Fall Festival on Friday night, where she got to wear her costume and actually won first place.  They had pizza and cupcakes and candy and lots of activities.  And at least she won’t be sick for Halloween, and will get to go trick-or-treating.

I felt like it was a bit of a lost weekend for me.  I didn’t get anything done that I wanted to get done, and here it is Sunday night and we still have three loads of wash to get through before bed, with a dryer that takes two times to dry fully.  I really need to do something about that…

As for our predicted snowfall, it was more immense than they predicted, and we got 15 inches of heavy white stuff between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.  We did loose some major branches on one of our trees, as did plenty of other people.  Power was out at our house for nearly four hours after the storm started, and we were not alone.  The snowfall, this coming Wednesday, is supposed to be a bit lighter.  We still have unmelted snow in our yard despite the fact that we have had three 5+ degree days since the snow fell in the first place. And yes, I still love it!  You can see some of my pictures at my 365-Degree Blog.

As I sit in my snug house (well, as snug as it can be considering it has terrible windows and leaky doors) tonight, we are under a winter storm warning with a possibility of 6 to 10 inches of snow in the next 24 hours.  It has been raining with temps in the mid-30’s for several hours.  In the high country, only a few miles and a thousand feet in elevation away from us, it has been snowing instead of raining.  15 to 20 inches of snow will fall in the foothills and up into the mountains.  Looking outside, even though it’s dark and approaching bedtime for most of us, I see the telltale signs of the snow to come.  The sky is orange from the streetlights.  The wind has a damp, sharp-toothed bite as it scrapes across my bare arms, just shy of leaving a sheen of ice as it goes.

Those that know me know that this is just about as close to heaven as I can get.  I’ve been waiting for the first Colorado snowfall since I got here in July.  I am a winter creature.  I love the freshness and clarity of winter air, the sharpness of it, the way the sky gets so blue that it almost hurts your eyes.  I look at a world covered in white, and wonder at the way everything turns soft and clean.  While others see the sleeping trees as dead, and the lack of vegetation as despair, I marvel at the clarity of the view, the way the horses’ coats steam in the sun on a cold day, the way the leaves lay like a colorful, artful quilt when I look through a stand of wood.  I see the hawk, feathers puffed against the chilly air, its eyes sharp as it searches for its lunch among the frosted blades of grass in a field.  I would love to be that hawk, swooping through the frozen air.

I am more likely to be found outside in the winter than in the summer.  Every winter day, with its cold nibbles at my cheeks, its bare landscape resting in preparation for a colorful spring, brings me a joy I have never been able to explain.

Winter is when I come alive.  Winter is when I feel healthy.  Having moved to a place where winter comes earlier, and stays later, suits me just fine.

I wonder, when I wake up tomorrow, what I will see.  I hope it’s something like this.