Solsticitations (And cookies!)
That's it, the shortest day of the year (or longest for you folks on the other side of the equator.) Even though it's called the "first day of winter" we've been having winter for a while now and tomorrow we start back up the hill toward spring. I think the older name, "Midwinter," is more fitting. More snow expected tonight and tomorrow, and then a huge storm possible on Christmas Eve, according to the weather service. Or at least maybe. Or not. They don't seem to be able to make up their minds what it will be. Rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, or maybe nothing. Talk about hedging your bets.
Went to the Evil Empire of W tonight to get some baking ingredients and stuff to finish preparing for Christmas Eve with Gary's family. We were both overwhelmed by the aura of desperation, guilt, and depression that seemed to fill the store, even with carols blaring and holiday decorations dangling everywhere. Shoppers looked burned out and unhappy, and the staff looked even worse. I had to ask why we continue to put up with this stuff year after year. The huge political and social guilt trip that is laid on each and every one of us if we don't spend every last penny of our credit lines on holiday glitz and gifts that will be forgotten by Boxing Day, or New Year's Day at the latest.
On the other paw, there is some real cheer. A little package in the mail from a friend who lives not too far off, a box of home made cookies. Now that's something I can value, an actual personal effort. We will treasure every crumb. ;D
At work today we had a genuine reference question, too. One that took some research to find the answer. It involved finding the source of a single phrase in an unknown poem by Carl Sandburg. It was a fairly tough one, but I did find it, buried in the middle of the book-length poem about Abraham Lincoln, The People, Yes (published in 1936.) The caller was so pleased she rushed to the library with a plate full of cookies for us. Now that's something that doesn't happen every day and left everyone smiling.
Went to the Evil Empire of W tonight to get some baking ingredients and stuff to finish preparing for Christmas Eve with Gary's family. We were both overwhelmed by the aura of desperation, guilt, and depression that seemed to fill the store, even with carols blaring and holiday decorations dangling everywhere. Shoppers looked burned out and unhappy, and the staff looked even worse. I had to ask why we continue to put up with this stuff year after year. The huge political and social guilt trip that is laid on each and every one of us if we don't spend every last penny of our credit lines on holiday glitz and gifts that will be forgotten by Boxing Day, or New Year's Day at the latest.
On the other paw, there is some real cheer. A little package in the mail from a friend who lives not too far off, a box of home made cookies. Now that's something I can value, an actual personal effort. We will treasure every crumb. ;D
At work today we had a genuine reference question, too. One that took some research to find the answer. It involved finding the source of a single phrase in an unknown poem by Carl Sandburg. It was a fairly tough one, but I did find it, buried in the middle of the book-length poem about Abraham Lincoln, The People, Yes (published in 1936.) The caller was so pleased she rushed to the library with a plate full of cookies for us. Now that's something that doesn't happen every day and left everyone smiling.