Last year, it caught up to us on January 17.
It was early this year.
It’s cold. No, that’s not an adequate description: it’s unbelievably, horrifically, wind chilled to below zero, hyperborean, mythically cold, Mount Everest kill zone cold.
I am not a warm weather person, but this is crazy, insane.
A Holiday Tradition Preserved
I was very disappointed when I read that the Cape Codder’s “Enchanted Christmas” ended last weekend.
The kids and I have enjoyed this low-key event for the past couple of years, but we were all so over-scheduled before Christmas that it was impossible to coordinate.
Yesterday I was in Hyannis running several errands and on impulse, stopped at the hotel to see if their courtyard was still decorated for Christmas.
Indeed it was, and there was a notice of a bonfire that evening.
So, the kids and I got to see the lights and roast marshmallows.
Some time this winter, budget permitting, I may plan an overnight so they can enjoy the wave pool as well.
On the way home, we made a stop at a private home in Sandwich that invites the public to stroll through a large holiday display that they set up in their back yard.
We discovered this last year and were prepared with a donation this time to thank the owners for their generosity.
These are small things and maybe aren’t as significant to the kids as they are to me, but I enjoy them and if nothing else, appreciate that the kids humor me.
Some Nerve
Bonnie’s folks, intrepid ones, host an overnight at a local hotel for five of their grandkids every winter.
The kids enjoy it, there’s a pool and a game room, and it gives them a chance to visit with their cousins.
In past years, the hotel has had special activities for school vacation week, and it’s been packed.
This year, the hotel is almost empty because it changed hands and is undergoing renovation. There is so much scaffolding in the front that you had to use your imagination to figure out which door to use.
Bye Bye, Christmas
The buildup was long but the actual day went by so fast, it hardly seems possible that Christmas is over.
This has been a stressful month, starting with an intense 2 1/2 day testing/evaluation session around work, a week-long out-of-town business trip, snow storms, and several holiday parties.
This is not to mention fitting in shopping, card writing, getting the truck serviced and the usual running around.
Now We Are Sleet
Got back from a biz trip to Atlanta around 10:00 on Friday night.
There was about four inches of snow and hard-packed plow drifts from the prior day.
Another storm was predicted for last night/this morning. It was supposed to rain, so I never finished shoveling the driveway, figuring a good part of the stuff would wash away.
Woke up this morning to another 4-5 inches of – snow.
Now, it is sleeting, and I’m immeasurably grateful that I
a) am not a newspaper delivery person or the holder of tickets to this afternoon’s Patriots/Jets game;
b) completed the weekend’s chores and holiday shopping yesterday;
c) returned from Atlanta in between storms;
d) have electricity, heat and hot water;
e) postponed writing holiday cards until today in lieu of spending some quality time yesterday afternoon with Emme and James;
f) don’t have to drive on ice-encrusted roads to an obligatory family party as do some of my nearest and dearest; and
g) bought a couple of good books yesterday at Border’s.
Christmas Card List: Good News, Bad News
Figuring to get some really nice holiday cards this year, not the usual CVS or Job Lot cheapies, I tallied up the mailing list, a depressing exercise in keeping with the hideousness of this time of year.
As if it weren’t enough to suffer the indignities of unappreciated gifts, ugly Christmas* decorations, sanctimonious politicians braying about creches and menorahs, and the horror of ersatz family gatherings.
First Real Snow
It snowed last night following a very cold day, and even within the Mashpee town limits, there was an appreciable difference between the brief accumulation, heavier around Edgewater, where I’d just changed the flower boxes to winter decor, and almost non-existent around Dixon.
Advice from Your Amygdala
A University of Sydney study published last year suggests that as people age, they become more emotionally stable and better able to control fear.
This is because the medial prefrontal cortext, which controls planning and judgment, gets more active while the amygdala, which processes raw feelings, especially fear, becomes less so.
I guess that means that as we get older, if the amygdala kicks in, there’s probably a very good reason for it.
Showers
My grandkids are now in shower-every-day mode, which means that when I mind them in the evening, I get to listen to arguments not only about eating supper (“I hate stew/chicken fingers/vegetables/etc.”) but about bathing (“Why do I have to go first/(sob)But I want to watch this movie/I had a shower already/You did not!/(kick, punch)/Waa!”)
I’m so worn out with this that I’ve taken to bribing them. I only had a five dollar bill and a dollar in change last night, which led to more turmoil (James and Bob fighting to be first/Bob pushes James into the bathroom door/Waa!) and negotiations from Emmeline, the lawyer:
“I was second. That should be worth more than a dollar! At least two dollars! $2.50 for second! Waa!”
I don’t remember any of this when Peter was a kid, which is possibly a good argument for not having more than one child per cognizant adult.
Once Upon a Mattress
Seized with buyer’s remorse after my recent purchase of a mattress at Macy’s, I stopped in to a Sleepy’s store and got the same model for 20% less with free delivery.
I could have scored an even better deal if I’d purchased the mattress during a 50% off sale when the Red Sox won the World Series.
This whole mattress game – in fact, buying furniture in general – has got to be the biggest retail rip-off there is.
Stores will offer a 21-day exchange policy, during which you can switch the mattress for a different model. Due to state law, they can’t resell the old mattress, but will replace it for $249 (full size) plus delivery plus any delta in retail price.
That tells me that the actual wholesale cost is not $600 or $700 or $1,000, but $249.
In any event, my new mattress arrived yesterday. I’d been warned that it takes up to 2-3 weeks to get accustomed to new bedding, but I found the mattress comfortable right away.
It probably helped that I’d also replaced an old pillow with one specifically designed for people with the same sleep pattern as mine.
I’ve had chronic problems with night time pain in my left arm and “pins and needles” in my right hand for months. These, plus general muscle stiffness in the morning motivated the purchase of the new mattress; I figured all these symptoms were due to a too-stiff and very out of shape old (1994) mattress that was cutting off circulation.
So, I was very happy to wake up with no back or leg pains, but the same recurring numbness in my right hand.
I finally figured out this morning that the latter is due to a flare-up of carpal tunnel – what an idiot!
Still, I’m happy to have new bedding and am certainly pleased with the service I received from Sleepy’s. They arrived as promised, were courteous and pleasant, and most importantly, delivered the model I’d paid for.
Because I was “stuck” in the house for about half of the delivery window, I was also able to finish most of my usual Sunday chores a day early: a bonus.