Winter

I like when it gets dark outside earlier, everyone else I hear complains that it’s depressing because they get up when it’s dark and come home in darkness. I don’t “see” the problem with that.

I like and dislike snow: I like snow because it looks cool and I don’t have to drive in it but it is annoying to walk in. My cane functions best on pavement or other hard surfaces and its use is limited in grass and snow. I still use it and it does help somewhat but not as much as on hard surfaces. As I’ve said, the cane I have now has a roller tip but even when it didn’t, the most utility was gained from tapping it on one side of you then the other. If there is more than a coating of snow on the ground, it becomes harder or nearly impossible to use the cane properly. For instance, you cannot feel if you are wandering off into grass; I did this more than once when I was walking between buildings in college and had to retrace some steps. When all is covered in white, everything looks the same and when landmarks are covered in white, it makes that much more of a challenge. So, to summarize, I like snow except when I’m walking any distance in it.

I like Christmas lights too; houses look neat when lit. Mostly, I can only see the lights, not the other decorations, unless those decorations at a house we’re driving by are relatively large and lit or play music. If the car windows are down I might be able to locate the decoration playing music. To me, Christmas lights seen from the car kind of run together; they don’t look like a solid line to me but neither can I see individual lights.

We put the tree downstairs, in our finished basement and we have a platform for it. The tree is put in a stand on the platform and since it’s a live tree, it must be watered everyday. To my recollection none of our dogs have ever watered the tree, I think Barkley took a drink out of the stand once, but that’s it. We put lights and ornaments on the tree. My father puts the lights on and this always reminds me of the 12 pains of Christmas. There is a line in the song about putting up the lights and then in one of the refrains he says, “Why the hell are they blinking”. This is hilarious, since my father doesn’t like blinkers but there are always a few. Fake snow and houses are put on the platform. Mark and I each have a train that encircles the tree.

I will post a comment response entry on Saturday.