Archive for the ‘Living Life’ Category
My Grandfather was the one who mowed his yard with a horse. Shown here with 4 generations: my Grandfather, Great Grandmother, and my Great Great Grandmother Baugher holding my mother. Looks like a nice lawn. 1930.
I am committed to taking responsibility for my lawn. As I confronted the truth of my G G G Aunt’s lack of lawn care, though, (pictures posted here and here), I began to question my assumptions … and remember my beginnings as a lawn care professional.
Mom tells me that her family didn’t have a lawn mower when she was a kid. This would have been in the 30s … and she remembers her father cutting the blue grass perhaps 2 or 3 times a summer … with a horse-drawn mower.
Why Do We Have Lawns?
Dr John Falk theorizes that we want lawns because we evolved on the savannas of Africa. Our roots lead us to prefer grassy areas with scattered trees. So why don’t we want monkeys in the trees, I wonder?
Lawns started with European nobility, actually. Louis XIV was the first to have a green lawn; his gardens at Versailles set a standard that the European aristocracy aspired to for centuries.
Lawns were one way that the rich could differentiate themselves from the working class. If you could afford to keep a lawn, that meant you didn’t “have” to cultivate that land to feed your family. You had more land than you needed, so you could just plant grass that you couldn’t even eat! Conspicuous consumption in a pure form, as pointed out to me by Ed Darrell, who writes Millard Fillmore’s Bathtub.
In the New World, it wasn’t until after the Revolutionary War that America’s leaders adopted lawns as well. Washington and Jefferson both had extensive lawns around their houses. Lawns didn’t make it to the common man until suburbs began to be built after the Civil War, according to Virginia Scott Jenkins, author of The Lawn: A History Of An American Obsession.
Once you have a lawn, you have to cut it. In the beginning, that was done with goats, sheep … and serfs. And thus began man’s love affair with the Saturday afternoon ritual of cutting the grass.
Here’s an illustration of the 1965 Craftsman riding mower that I used from elementary through high school. I even earned a dollar now and again.
But … I Live In A Desert!
Lawns aren’t normal in Southern California. Well, they are normal today, but they aren’t native.
California’s native animal species regard lawns as no different from concrete! Native species prefer the shrubs and grasses native to the chaparral climate that my area has.
That’s what they can live in. That’s what they can eat. Imported grass? Not their thing.
My newfound love of native plant species would work very well for a xeriscaping effort in my yard. And wouldn’t I prefer spiny succulents and dried grasses that require almost no water and less care instead of the high maintenance blue fescue grass that will require an incredibly needy 2 hours a month to maintain?
So, what should I do? I could keep the current lawn, meaning I have to buy a lawnmower and all of the wonderful tools necessary to keep a luxurious, soft, inviting green lawn.
Or, I can tear out all of the grass that we had installed 7 years ago and replace it with a native xeriscape that is friendly to both the water supply and the native animals. The downside, unfortunately, is that I’ll need to avoid walking barefoot across the lawn, feeling the grass between my toes.
I’m pretty sure the last time I did that, it was 2005.
More
Pulverized Concepts
mumpsimusthought
The Lawn: A History Of An American Obsession
England’s Old Lawnmower Club
American-Lawns.com
Growing Native
Steaks on the grill, with perfect grill marks, too!
This was not a good day. But, as the Bard said, “All’s well that ends well!”
We had tickets to go see the Bruins play Oregon for first place in the Pac 12 in men’s basketball. Two ranked teams. That ended poorly if you’re a Bruin.
How do you cook a steak perfectly? Take its temperature, and know what it should be for your favorite degree of doneness. (I kill me.)
Velda stayed home so she could cook dinner … we had a wonderful steak dinner planned for the whole family, and she didn’t want to rush her preparation. She was studying how to bake a perfect baked potato while she ate breakfast … and the Lady has some experience baking potatoes. But she was committed to perfection, God love her.
Unfortunately, my Mizzou Tigers were not. They played the hated Florida Gators today, also in men’s basketball. Two ranked teams. That ended poorly if you’re a Tiger. Heck, it started poorly and got worse. It was just plain awful for the Black & Gold.
But dinner was a thing of beauty. Velda studied, and had some wonderful steaks that were a Christmas present from Aunt Sis & Uncle Steve. They sent us Kansas City steaks, which proved to be a couple of grades above anything we can find in California. Velda cooked some bacon-wrapped filets along with some Kansas City strips from Jess & Jim’s Steakhouse.
When Velda couldn’t get the timer on her smartphone to work, she had to call in emergency tech support to get it going. Michael pressed start. Problem solved.
It was a wonderful dinner.
Steak. Baked potatoes. Fresh Green Beans. The Pioneer Woman’s Buttered Rosemary Rolls (and you will not believe how easy they are to make!). Fresh spring greens salad with homemade vinaigrette dressing. Sautéed mushrooms and Velda’s Gorgonzola Butter on the side for the steaks.
Mmmmmmm.
But the creation was pretty chaotic. Don’t think that wonderful dinners are always a product of a beautiful & magical process. This one was as ugly as the Mizzou game.
Fire! Fire!
Velda followed the directions she read for the perfect baked potato, and coated the potatoes with olive oil. That was great, until she put them in the hot oven, the oil dripped through the grill, hit the bottom of the oven, and filled the house with smoke. Thank goodness we have a whole house fan.
Velda had begun working on the steaks hours earlier. She’d seasoned them with a dry rub. Brought them to room temperature … and then it was time to put the steaks on the grill. In good time, they were rotated from the 12:00 position to the 1:30 position so they would have perfect grill marks. And then it all caught on fire.
Very expensive steaks, a wonderful gift from family … on fire.
I think it was then she yelled at me for taking a picture. And demanded I bring her whiskey outside. Yes, dear. No problem.
Whatever it takes, Velda, whatever it takes.
Christopher did a great job keeping Payton entertained so the rest of the family could get dinner on the table. No steak for Miss P, though!
She barked orders, which I in turn politely relayed as requests to the family. Honest. I was the model of civility and eloquence. And then I told each kid (they are our kids; I don’t care how old they are) what they needed to do to help get the meal on the table.
Brianna had already plated the salads. Alley grabbed the side dishes and got them on the table. Everybody scrambled to get the table ready, got drinks, and got ready. Five minutes later, we sat down to an elegant steak dinner.
Best we’ve had in our home.
Be very clear: Velda is an absolute artist in the kitchen. Sometimes, though, artistic creation is difficult. But, if you work through the process, use your resources and get help when you need it, you will have a wonderful dinner just like we did.
And whiskey just might help. Believe me, after 34 years of marriage, I use my helpful resources, as well.
More
Here’s the recipe for Velda’s Gorgonzola Butter.
Perfect Baked Potato Recipe
Cooking The Perfect Steak
Another perfect dinner from Velda’s kitchen
Here we have a picture of another part of my family, and another rather interesting lawn. The photo is circa 1905, taken near Graham, MO.
The matriarch of the family, front and center, is Lucy Farrow Morgan, who would be my Great Great Great Aunt, AKA Great Great Grandaunt.
Also identified is the man sitting on the left, her son-in-law Philip Daise. I’ll assume that he’s using the lawn ornament as a hat rack, though I have no idea what that is or how it’s working. His wife, Mary Alma Morgan Daise, is sitting center left.
And this lovely family doesn’t seem to care that their “lawn” is rather tall. Perhaps my ancestors are trying to tell me something….
“The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States…” — U.S. Constitution, Article IV, Section 3, clause 2
A few weeks ago, our largest commonwealth voted to begin the process to become a state in the United States of America.
Since then, approving editorials have appeared in Washington, Boston and other US cities.
The White House has declared their support for what would be our 51st state:
“Congress should now study the results closely, and provide the people of Puerto Rico with a clear path forward that lays out the means by which Puerto Ricans themselves can determine their own status.”
So What Happened?
Puerto Rico had an election, and 54% stated they do not support continuing as a US Commonwealth. This is the first time that a majority of Puerto Rican voters have voted against the status quo.
There was a second question, and this is where it gets a bit dicey. 61% chose statehood, 33% chose a semi-autonomous “sovereign free association” and 6% chose outright independence. Oh, and 33% left the 2nd question blank.
Huh?
In this over-heated political stew, everyone points fingers at what they want the results to mean. In this case, 480,000 voters, or roughly 1/3, did not vote on the 2nd question. 61% of the actual voters chose statehood, but if you count those that didn’t vote on this question (but did on the first), then the total of yes votes is less than 50% of those that stood in the voting booths.
Apparently, the pro-commonwealth group (which lost the first question 54% to 46%) told their supporters to leave the 2nd question blank. This strategy allows them to claim a victory through non-participation.
To further confuse, the pro-statehood Governor lost his bid for re-election. His pro-commonwealth opponent won, making it unlikely that the state will move forward with its statehood request any time soon.
Puerto Rico would become our second island state, but the first state where most discourse is in Spanish.
What’s Next?
The US Constitution is very clear: the US Congress has 100% control of the process. And, if a simple majority of our Senators and Representatives vote for Puerto Rican statehood next month, then they are a state. Immedidately. That is not expected, of course. Historically, Congress has passed “enabling legislation” that has shown previous territories desiring admission into the Union what the correct next steps should be. They can put any strictures they wish on the process.
- Utah petitioned Congress for 50 years before they were finally admitted as a state. Their enabling legislation specified that polygamy must be outlawed in their state constitution before they could be admitted.
- The Dakotas, Montana and Washington didn’t have to wait that long, but their enabling legislation did specify that grazing contracts on public lands could be for no longer than 5 years — soon amended to ten years — when the four states were admitted.
- Oklahoma was told that it would be admitted, but only as a combination of two territories: the Indian territory of Sequoyah and the rest of what became the unified state of Oklahoma. The petitioning territory of Sequoyah was not to be admitted alone as a state.
What will Puerto Rico face if enabling legislation is passed?
- They’ll probably be directed to convene a constitutional convention to create the new state’s government (and remember, their new Governor is against the entire process).
- Congress might require a provision that English be the only official language (currently, Spanish and English are sanctioned).
- Puerto Rico will lose the ability they have as a commonwealth to send their own teams to the Olympic games.
- They will for the first time have to pay … income tax.
As a wise man once said, be careful what you wish for.
More//
What is it about old people? Why must curmudgeons scare young people off their lawn?
Don’t know, don’t care. I am one. Get off my lawn.
Back in the day, we bought a house that didn’t even HAVE a lawn. People that don’t do the work call it “sweat equity.” Velda called it a “hobby.”
The ground was so hard a rototiller wouldn’t scratch it. We had to go get the industrial strength, self-propelled, so-big-you-need-a-cart-to-transport-it monster to beat the ground into submission.
Hobby, indeed.
But with the help of a couple of friends, we got several hundred square feet of turf installed. We had a lawn; people didn’t have to get off of it … but I was young then. I actually hired people to get ON the lawn. Luis the gardener took care of the lawn at that house, and he followed us to our current lawn. He was followed by Jin the gardener, and that’s where the story takes a turn.
I got old.
So now, I’m going to fire the gardener and take back responsibility for my yard.
I’m old, so now I’m a gardener.
So Get Off My Lawn!
More
New York Times on the Greek Island of Ikaria where people garden
UK Yahoo on why old people garden
Gardening for seniors
I own 3 cameras. None of them are perfect for every shot.
Cellphone
I have a 2-year old smartphone, an HTC Thunderbolt. It shoots 8 megapixel images. Unfortunately, as you’ll quickly find when you examine the differences between cameras, one megapixel isn’t necessarily like another.
The images taken by cellphones have improved, but they are still inferior to a quality point & shoot or a good SLR. Cellphones are OK for close images in a well-lit environment … such as the classic self-portrait taken in front of a mirror. Want to take a picture of your buddies for Facebook? Perfect.
Want to shoot a vacation picture for printing in a photo book? That won’t work so well.
Here’s a photo review that shows you some examples. Unfortunately, there’s just nothing to be done to improve a cellphone photo taken in a challenging environment.
This Smartphone photo shot at LA Live would have been great if the proper equipment could have been used. Shot with a Smartphone? Not even worth posting to Facebook.
Point & Shoot
My 4-year-old point & shoot camera is a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W90. It’s about the same size as the cellphone … still easy to slip into a pocket or purse. With a 2 gig memory stick, I can take 246 pictures, that are also 8 megapixel images. It’s got a 3x zoom, which gives you much more flexibility than most cellphones (though some do “electronic” zooms — they don’t actually move lenses to have an actual zoom). The quality of the pix are much better than a cellphone, though they are still soft around the edges. Here’s a review that found their test camera had a slightly misaligned lens.
Well, what do you expect for $150? A typical point & shoot will take better pictures than a cellphone … but the pictures will still be limited. Here’s a sampling:
A point & shoot’s zoom is handy for focusing attention on a distant object … such as the superstructure of Mighty Mo, in Pearl Harbor.
Distant focus points and inadequate lighting totally overwhelm a point & shoot’s capability. The flash can throw 10′ at best; it was of no use in this lava tube.
A beautiful sunlit day, and you’ll get wonderful snapshots with a point & shoot. The focus on the edges is noticably softer (at least when you enlarge the photo!), but the photo is great for most purposes.
Nikon D7000
I love my Nikon, which is a good consumer grade DSLR (digital single lens reflex, which means you actually look through the viewfinder to see through the lens). Most of the photography on this blog was taken with the D7000.
This camera will accept two SD chips simultaneously, so you can shoot hundreds of photographs without changing storage media. You can also vary the quality of the image … so if you choose to shoot low quality images (WHY???), you can get more on each chip. I shoot the highest quality in both RAW and .jpg formats, and still can shoot 600+ images with my 2x 16 gigabyte chips.
That’ll get me through any day of shooting I’ve done so far!
I principally use 3 lenses … each of which cost more than most point & shoot cameras. The cost of my gear means I’m unlikely to leave it in the trunk of the car; I carry it in to restaurants and shops. Call me paranoid.
The bulk of the gear is also a challenge. The camera + lenses + bags weighs pounds, not ounces. When I’m hiking, I’m also constantly changing the lens on the camera body to get the “perfect” shot, which adds to the time needed to use this more complex photo rig. On the other hand, I’m able to get photographs that are clearer than anything I could get with a point & shoot.
This picture of my in-laws was shot in their backyard last summer. The depth of field and brilliant colors are just outstanding!
Add a tripod, a flash and any other extraneous gear, and you’re simply not able to travel easily. You travel heavy with a DSLR … but the results can be wonderful.
This shot of our mantle was done from a tripod and remote shutter release. Even the vibration of your hand hitting the button can add shake to the camera; it becomes more noticeable in low light photography.
I’ve found that the camera simply isn’t allowed in some venues. Sporting venues like the Rose Bowl and Staples Center won’t allow you to take your DSLR into events, so you are restricted to smartphones or point & shoots unless you are a working journalist. Same goes with most trade shows, unless you have an approved media sticker on your gear. No sticker? Security is trained to turn you away.
The Camera In My Hand
So which camera do I use? The D7000 when I can carry it. I sometimes have to be “encouraged” to get it out by Velda, who makes sure I avail myself of every opportunity to capture every expression of our lovely granddaughter.
And that’s a good thing.
But it is a commitment. Carrying a small point & shoot is much simpler, and the photos will work if you’re looking for a snapshot … and not shooting more than 10′ from the lens. Push beyond that limit, and you will find the results will not always be good. You’ll always have your smartphone close at hand (right?), but if you intend to use your photos anywhere but Facebook, I believe you’ll be disappointed.
It’s just like everything else: if you want the best results, you have to do the work.
Five Tips For Better Pictures
1. Think about your pictures before you leave the house. Make sure you are carrying the camera (and other gear) that you are most comfortable using to capture the scenes you’ll see that day.
2. Always use a stable platform to hold the camera – any camera. If you’re not using a tripod or monopod, then make a tripod with your body: hold your elbows in tight, and hold the camera up to your nose. Stop breathing when you shoot so the camera won’t be moving when you press the shutter release.
3. Think about the background of your shots. In focus? Out of focus? With a landmark in the shot, or with a plain background? Planning makes for better pictures.
4. Take multiple shots. You’re not burning film, you’re just rearranging electrons. Make sure you get enough copies so you won’t be disappointed with blinking eyes or photobombing passersby.
5. Set up the best shot, and then ask a stranger to push the button so you can be in the picture. Family & friends want to see you, too!
Love big ideas. Lov’em.
Big ideas require big efforts to achieve them. Check.
Big ideas require lots of time for prep and execution. Check.
Big ideas are extremely gratifying: they are worth the effort and time.
You with me?
I’ve accomplished a few big ideas in my day … I’ve written about losing weight to go backpacking with my boys at Philmont. I’ve written about the 2012 plan. The latest big idea is completing the family photo scrapbooks for each of our four families … and that project will be DONE by December 31.
And I do know one more thing about big ideas … when they’re done, I need another one. I have no time to live in the past. I can only focus on what’s in front of me.
So, what comes next?
- Woodworking … like the projects I didn’t get done for Christmas?
- Re-doing the downstairs ceilings … because the cottage cheese has got to go?
- Landscaping, because I have a growing hatred of wax leaf privets? (love it when puns happen organically) (sometimes I kill me)
- Getting ready for marathon # 9?
I love big ideas … but sometimes it is disappointing that I can’t live without one or more of them in front of me!
It was a year of completion. It was a year of beginnings. And, thankfully, a year of celebration. Here was the Mowry’s 2012:
UCLA’s Dinner with 12 Strangers
The first domestic crisis of the year happened on January 1. Velda’s breadmaker jumped off the kitchen counter, ending its service to the Mowry home. Pizza lovers and homemade bread lovers everywhere were saddened … but here we are now in December, the sourdough starter is once again growing, and wonderful bread is again coming out of the oven. Still no new breadmaker, though!
In February, Velda hosted Dinner for 12 Strangers. It’s a wonderful event that UCLA coordinates worldwide. You sign up, specify what kind of strangers you want to invite to dinner (Velda asked for students in the health services field), and then UCLA sent them to us! We had a pizza night, and a good time was had. We ended the evening with Velda receiving some great swag: an apron from UCLA! We all did the 8-clap (UCLA’s signature cheer), and the students took away some of the best homemade pizza – and Mowry Cookbooks! – to remember us by.
Another project we started in February was the clean up of our north slope. Several years ago we had planted a California pepper tree there … and that was a mistake. These trees are good SoCal trees, but they have many surface roots, and we planted the tree on the slope, within a couple of feet of the ornamental block wall we share with our uphill neighbor. Years later, the roots broke the wall … which meant the wall had to be rebuilt, and the tree had to go. I then took the slope back to bare dirt, and then tried to make it pretty with new bushes. It worked! Here are the before and after pictures.
March 5 was when preparation for the newest Mowry shifted into high gear. It was Payton’s baby shower! We hosted lots of family & friends at our favorite neighborhood restaurant, Bella Cucina, Alley’s sister Lyndsey made a surprise appearance with her two kids. A good time was had by all! My contribution to our new granddaughter was a cradle. Velda created a quilt & bumper set. You might say we were a bit excited to welcome Payton to the family!
We have a wind chime on our front step that hummingbirds like to build nests on top of. It’s happened two years in a row, so it must be some kind of special wind chime. March 12 was the day of the first flight for the two new birds. Here are a couple of pix from that day.
Two fledglings, almost ready to leave the nest.
That first step….
The first flight
Payton Elizabeth Mowry joined our family early on April 14. Words can’t express how our hearts have swelled because of that young lady. I could post a few hundred photos, right?
And the celebration part of this year got going immediately!
May 12 was the official conclusion of our 2012 plan. This plan started in 1997 when Velda returned to college to get her Bachelor’s. Fifteen years later, Velda, Christopher, Michael and Lauren all had their degrees:
- Velda got her BS in Nursing at Cal State Northridge, and then her MS in Nursing from UCLA
- Christopher got his BA in Psychology from Cal State LA
- Michael got his BS in Mechanical Engineering from UCLA. He’s almost finished with his MS in Engineering from USC
- Lauren got her BA in Psychology from Sonoma State
And the celebration continued! After attending Lauren’s graduation, Velda and I stayed in Napa to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary. Then we pulled a U-Haul south to move Lauren out of her apartment and back home to SoCal. We are empty nesters no more!
After marking the conclusion of the 2012 plan, it was time for a new beginning. This blog launched on June 22. We quickly explored how to make a Perfect Margarita. I still don’t think I’m done with that project, but the family sure has enjoyed the process (well, except for Lauren, who decided tequila was not for her).
The blog grew in several directions, including my sharing lots of photography. Now, almost 6 months later, MowryJournal.com has generated over 6,000 views and attracted over 100 followers. Thank you all for reading the thoughts of both MrsMowry and myself, and for sharing your thoughts and comments as well. I can’t wait to see where the blog goes next!
Velda and I had a great summer vacation, meeting my sister and brother-in-law in Aspen for a long weekend. We survived the heat spell, took a train ride in Leadville, and had a wonderful time with family. From Denver, we began a driving vacation, visiting Velda’s first cousin, Evelyn Hepler. The cousins had never met, and we were able to spend a wonderful afternoon scanning pictures and getting to know Evelyn and her family! We then spent several days driving across Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. We visited family, enjoying our time that proved to be much too short. Isn’t that always the case?
This rainy, cloudy day didn’t have a lot of great pictures, but when the gray cleared, I did get this one of the Colorado sky!
In August, we did a family getaway to San Diego. We stayed at a waterfront hotel and visited SeaWorld for the first time in many years. We had a great dinner in Old Town, found a wonderful tequila store and had fun with the family, celebrating the conclusion of the 2012 plan. All had sacrificed to help family members achieve our big goal, and it was time for Velda & I to say thanks.
And the celebration continued!
Velda and I continue in our same jobs: she’s with Kaiser Continuing Care, as she has been for several years. I continue to work from home for Smarts Broadcast Services, which is a radio software company based in Emmetsburg, IA. I’ve been their Director of Marketing since 2011. Life is good!
Each of our kids found more challenge in their professional lives this year. Here’s a quick summary:
Christopher still works for LA County as a Recreation Supervisor, though he’s just transferred from supervising the 12 natural areas in the northern part of the county, including Devil’s Punch Bowl, back to a park he’s worked at before: Placerita Canyon Park.
Alley continues to work for the city of Palmdale. They work a 4-day workweek, which helps with the childcare juggling that she and Christopher are doing.
Michael changed jobs this year, and now works for Crane Aerospace & Electronics in Burbank. He’s currently involved in the design of fuel pump parts for aircraft engines.
Brianna has finished her teaching certificate, and is currently substitute teaching. She hopes to find a permanent position next fall teaching junior high music & English.
Eric continues to grow his company, finding both new customers and expanding the business from his current aerospace industry clients. He and his brother Bobby are doing a great job managing the family business.
Lauren has smoothly transitioned back to Santa Clarita, and is now working for Sunshine Daycare, which is affiliated with many of the elementary schools here in Santa Clarita. After starting with a group of second graders, she’s now taken charge of the third graders. She’s loving the challenge!
The end of the year was filled with my push towards completing the Hepler family photo scrapbook, which I’ve written about a few times (and will again!). This book chronicles the family of Harry Baptiste Hepler and Marguerite Clark, and their 25 grandchildren. The book has grown to 207 pages, and I am both pleased as punch that it is done, and anxious to get it printed and in the mail – which should be done by New Year’s Eve! This book marks the end of a 5-year project (you see, this is a year of completion). The project began with the Mowry family in 2007, then continued with the Shull family, also 2007, the Chucalo family in 2011 and now the Hepler family. I now have many family tree loose ends to tie up, but I’m very happy that our genealogical photo collection is digitally stored, backed up … and 220 gigs of data. That’s been a journey, let me assure you.
Christmas promises to be very special this year, with a new member of the family to spoil, and cousins from Missouri and Illinois coming out to enjoy a few days of SoCal sunshine. A highlight event will be the whole gaggle of us going to see the Missouri Tigers men’s basketball team take on the UCLA Bruins at the new Pauley Pavillion. I went to Missouri (class of 1978), but my money definitely went to UCLA … so I’m a little conflicted about which team to root for.
Only a little. Go Tigers!
So, just as the title suggested, 2012 has been — and still is! — a wonderful year. Happy Holidays to all, and here’s to an even more exciting 2013!
The family had a November photo shoot at Vasquez Rocks, and the Southern California weather was not its normal sunny self. We had great fun doing the shoot, and came out only slightly moist.
The Mowry farm, circa 1955
We lived about a quarter mile away from Grandma & Grandpa’s house. And we had to go there on Christmas Eve. I was probably 4 years old.
Didn’t my parents know I had more important things to do on Christmas Eve?
At our house, Santa delivered the presents on Christmas Eve, and we opened them after dinner. Santa had a lot of homes to visit, and we were one of the lucky early deliveries. That’s just the way it was.
But this day, THIS DAY, we had to go to Grandma’s house. That was not my plan. I wanted to be alert for when Santa came to our house. I had just figured it out, you see, that if I just stayed alert, I would get to see Santa bring me my model train. I could meet Santa in my house.
Alert. Vigilant. That’s me.
So we were at Grandma’s, but I spent the whole visit looking out of her bedroom window, keeping an eye on our house so I would see when Santa got there.
Alert. Vigilant. That’s me.
All day, I stared out that window. Hours and hours of tedium.
And when we got back home, wouldn’t you know it, Santa had already delivered my toy train, which was sitting in the middle of the living room. Which was great … but why didn’t I see Santa? I was watching! I was really watching! Santa, how did I miss you?
Merry Christmas!
Yes, Santa drinks Coca-Cola. Well, maybe Diet Coke today … just like me!
