Quietly Christmas

Christmas has come and gone like a thought in the wind. I stayed home by myself and it wasn’t too bad. Hubby had to work and since I was recovering from the flu, I thought it best not to germinate the rest of the family. (I wasn’t much in the mood for family anyway.) I poked around the house and accomplished some cleaning and laundry, then spent the day watching TV and reading.

After discovering nothing on but a Criminal Minds marathon, I watched videos we took of Jamaica in 2007. In the beginning of one disc is a sunset on Seven Mile Beach in Negril. The picture is the ocean waves and the sun disappearing into the water, but the background noise is what really made me smile. A conversation with a couple we met over the rhythm of the waves followed by strolling musicians who stopped to play “Island in the Sun”. That piece put me right back on that beach and I could almost taste the salt water on my lips again, a very happy memory.

After the venture down memory lane I shut the TV off and immersed myself in a Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett for a few hours, again settling myself in the tropics. I think this is the first Christmas I did not go somewhere or do something and it was nice. No stressful drive, no family feuds, no eating too much, just me and my critters and a quiet day to ourselves.

After today I would suggest to people to take a holiday off from the family and running and stay home to rest, sometimes that is a present in itself.

Just as a puppy can be more of a challenge than a gift, so too can the holidays.
- John Clayton

Senseless Snow

I have, as so many others, been spending a lot of time removing snow the last few days. When you don’t have a plow, getting rid of it can be hard work, even with a snow blower. My arms are sore from shoveling; I wonder why people around here don’t look more like Popeye in the winter.

The holidays are approaching and everyone is busy preparing, except me. I don’t decorate because my cats would tear it back down, I know this from experience. We go elsewhere on Christmas day so no need to make a big dinner. I wonder when Christmas started to become more of a headache to me than a celebration. I perhaps have become a bit of a Scrooge and would just rather say “bah humbug” and forget the whole thing.

It could be that hubby is working every day and every one else is busy and maybe I am a bit lonely and depressed. I am at a stand still in my life, unemployed and not sure where to turn next, basically feeling kind of useless.

I am still trying college. I came up with enough money for one class and am applying for the rest, keeping my fingers crossed. For the government pushing education on everyone they sure don’t make it affordable. Seems if they wanted people to get a higher education they would drop the cost of it. But then again, how many things does the government do that makes no sense?

I am off to count the inches of snow before I have to shovel again.