The End of Another One

Well, here's hoping for a kind and gentle new year - one where our loved ones are happy, healthy and safe. 

Enjoy your road ahead, wherever it may lead. 

I am, as always, thinking of you tonight.

Today's Walk

Went on a nice (though brisk) walk today through the farm fields and neighborhood of the adjoining town with Rachael and Sam today. Nothing to report - other than, with the students away for the holidays, it was nice peaceful. And I had some nice company.

This Year's Response

Below is this year's response to Sam's letter from Santa. Before we get to that though, we have the usual disclaimer:

First of all, in terms of appearance, Santa's writing has always been (over-the-) borderline legible. Add to it the fact that: 1) It's late and Santa has had a long night (and a long, busy week), and, 2) Santa is not exactly a spring chicken (and he's getting less springy with each passing year).

And secondly, in terms of subject matter, Santa is given no advance notice on what Sam has written. So, at best, Santa has had little to no time to think about a response.

And also, did I mention it's late and Santa has had a long day (and week)?

Anyway, here's the letter - and for those of you that are hieroglyphicly challenged, there's a handy transcription below. Merry Christmas.

12/25/2022

Dear Sam,

I am so glad to hear that you went on such a nice vacation and had such a good time. It is so much fun to re-live cherished memories. And even more important, you get to spend time with people you love, and those who love you.

And, since you asked, that is what I love best about my vacations - it is not where I go that matters. It is that I spend my time with those that I love. When you are with people you love and who love you in return, everyday is a vacation (well, almost!).

I am sorry your Grandma is no longer here. As you say, "it's an adjustment". I know it doesn't feel the same but remember, you carry your Grandma, and all those you love, inside you everyday.

I'm glad you're keeping busy and I'm glad you're making new friends. And good for you for working hard and for rolling with the hard times as best you can. Sometimes our road is bumpy but we can't let it stop us from moving forward.

I'm proud of you and all you do. Merry Christmas and thanks, as always, for the snacks!

Love, Santa

Another Christmas Eve...

 ...another letter to Santa.

I'm not sure what to make of Sam's relationship to Santa. But as long as Sam keeps writing letters, Santa will keep writing back. (More on that later.)

Greeting the Train

Tonight's "Video"

You don't even need to watch this one. Just listen and enjoy yourself for fifteen minutes and forty-six seconds...

Next!

With Christmas only days away, it's nice to see the store is wasting no time getting ready for the next money-making opportunity. 

My question is, does it count for both holidays if I give one of these for a Christmas present? It would be nice to get them both out of the way in one fell swoop.

Christmas Shopping with Sam

Seeing the Light

Sam and I spent the evening driving around and looking at Christmas lights. You're welcome to join us, if you like, but, to get the full impact, you need to have this playing in the background...

 

Ok, ready? Here you  go... 

Went by quick, didn't it?

Prepping Dinner

 Making dinner with Sam...

Tonight's Video

 It's been some time since I last posted this video. Seems like a good time to post it again...

For That Special Someone

I spotted this while Christmas shopping with Sam. Unless there's a towel shoved in there, it looks to me like you're paying ten bucks for nothing but a box of rocks.

Thanks for the Help

Why do people comment on things they admittedly know nothing about? Are they bored? Are they trying to make friends?

Click to enlarge

Here we have a partial screen grab taken from the bottom of an Amazon page. One of today's Deals is a pair of binoculars (which, despite the fact that I have absolutely no need for them, I still decided not to buy). 

Anyway, at the bottom of the page, as is often the case, potential buyers post questions about the product, which, presumably, someone who knows what they're talking about can answer. In this case, Jeanne steps up to the plate. 

I'm not sure what the deal is with Jeanne. I'm sure she's a very nice person (actually, I'm not sure. I'm just trying to soften my critique), but why is she wasting hers and everyone else's time (i.e.: mine) by giving a non-answer? 

Maybe she's posted hundreds of these types of 'reviews', sprinkled throughout Amazon and other various websites. Maybe she's just killing time, sitting around in muumuu, waiting for her alleged husband to get home while her fourteen cats are climbing all over her. 

Maybe Jeanne needs to get out more.

Rainy Night

Gift Wrapping

Sunday afternoon was spent helping Sam wrap presents for his brother and sisters. A lot of thought goes into something like this - a lot of going to different stores, looking for just the right containers, looking for just the right wrapping paper (before deciding that maybe those gift bags we saw earlier were a better idea - and going back to get them). Not to mention the gifts themselves. That's a whole other story - one, possibly, for another day.

Anyway, thanks to Google's 'Magic Eraser' I can share a couple of pre-Christmas photos of Sam wrapping his gifts, while the presents are safely erased from the images...

A Dangerous Position

I always stand to Sam's left at an intersection. I  figure this is the more dangerous of our two spots. Too many times, some clown takes the corner next to us, going "right on red" while looking only to their left, never thinking to turn their head and see if , a) there's a walk signal, and, when there is, b) if someone is right in front of them, crossing on the street. 

Take last night, for example. Last night, I nearly got killed on my walk home with Sam. 

Last night, Sam and I, each decked out in our various reflectors, were heading home in the 5:15 P.M. darkness. As we approached a busy intersection, Sam pressed the button for the "Walk" sign --- and we waited.

When the light eventually changed to Walk, Sam and I stepped off the curb - and some low-watt individual comes sailing around the corner on my left, never stopping and presumably, never looking. I jerked to a stop and pulled Sam back - and this moron stopped - barely - ending up about six inches away from me.

I yelled at this idiot while gesturing at the walk sign - and by the time I continued past his car, he rolled down his window and yelled at me (!) for crossing in front of his car (!!!) - and for crossing while the (now-blinking) hand was up on the walk sign (!!!!).

"IT WAS A WALK SIGN!!!" I yelled, jabbing my finger in the direction of the blinking hand. My new friend drove off before I could point out that THE HAND WAS BLINKING because it had just said WALK!

Idiot.

This is (one of) my fear(s) in Sam walking alone. People are crazy. And it's hard nearly impossible for Sam to process a situation like this quickly enough to stay safe. 

The world is a fast moving place. And people are idiots.

Evening Sky

Even though the daylight doesn't last very long on these cold, pre-winter evenings, at least it leaves us with pretty sunsets.

Trimming the Tree

 

A Visit to the Tree Farm

 A few photos from today's annual crammed-in visit to the local tree farm...

Midnight Walk at Five P.M.

 I'll be glad when the daylight shines longer...

Moonlight in an Empty Bedroom

 

Sunday Stroll

Rachael made it home this weekend for a brief visit. And though it was brief, we still managed to fit in a walk at Temple Woods (among other things, including a lovely dinner later that evening). Here are a few random photos (of the walk, not the dinner)...

Our Evening Walk

Sam and I went for a walk at the Train Yard last night - for the first time in what felt like forever. I'm not sure when we went last, mid to late summer, I think. As you can see by the photo above, we're well into Fall at this point. Most of the foliage is on the ground.

We never got to see the final harvesting of the mystery crops in this field. At one point, the crop was corn. But not long after that, we went for another walk and the corn was gone and what appeared to be pumpkins was growing there instead. Now it's all gone. All that's left is an empty field. I think someone is effing with us (as the kids say). 

It was an especially long walk this evening - our Rail Yard walk melded with our Canal Route for a total of close to five miles. This is a lot for us, especially on a week night. On our way back, I snapped this photo of the back of a young couple walking up ahead. I'm  not sure what possessed me to do this. Maybe it was because they looked happy, at least from the back. Of course, even I look happy from the back. Sort of.

Another Heavy Frost This Morning