always the optimist

SNOW DOG....She loves it out there.




TABLE FOR FOUR....no waiting.


In E's last post, she said that we were expecting some snow and we were hoping for a snow day. Wish granted. 7 inches. I am a huge optimist about snow days. Every time we have a forecast that includes 3+ inches of snow or some icy conditions, I believe it may happen. E, on the other hand, can hear a blizzard forecast and still say, "We're going to school." Drives me crazy. So, I ignore her and go to the store and get some food. I check the weather every 2 minutes. I sleep lightly through the night listening for the snow plows and wondering what it's doing outside. Then, the phone rings...I give E a huge grin and throw my arms in the air in victory...Snow Day!!! We spent much of the day reading and staring out the windows as the snow fell at up to an inch an hour. In the early afternoon, we fired up the snowblower and cleaned up the sidewalks and driveway. It was a great day...forced relaxation. You can't drive anywhere. No one is moving. The world is silent. I love it.

Speaking of love...I think I look for it more during this time of year...Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, New Year (new start)...whatever you believe.

1. I was in line at the store tonight. A woman and her 20ish son were in line behind me and an old guy walks up with his purchase and loudly wishes everyone in earshot (that was quite a way in his tone of voice) a Merry Christmas. A few moments later he was talking to the woman about the busy-ness of the store and season. She asked if he was in a hurry and offered to let him go ahead of her. He was very happy and proceeded to push past me and go to the head of the line to wait for the clerk. After he was past us, the woman tapped me on the shoulder and apologized. I assured her it was completely okay. I thought it was a very nice gesture on her part to let him go. I also thought it was ironic that this old cooter was wishing everyone a Merry Christmas but was really in a hurry.

Footnote: Old cooter is not meant to be disrespectful. I worked in nursing homes for years and love the old folks. He really was a cooter in a "worked hard his whole life and now buying Nutcracker ballet" sort of way.

2. I got a phone call from a friend I haven't talked to in a couple years. We used to work together and I taught her daughter. My friend called to congratulate us on the baby. I hadn't told her we were trying or even contemplating it, but I included it in a holiday card to her. When I returned her call, she said she had had a horrible year of family illness and death and was just so grateful to hear something good. We talked for an hour, catching up on our lives. She invited the three of us for a visit this summer. When we worked together, I didn't even share with her that I was gay, but she has always been in my corner. I love that kind of friend. The "I will take you for who you are and what you share with me and cheer you on the whole way" friend.

3. My sweet E. She always makes me laugh and knows I need chicken and potatoes when I don't feel good. She can lay around the house with me all day doing nothing in particular and miss me the next day when we go back to work. She will mischievously put her dirty socks on my pillow and grin until I threaten her with endless tickling. She will suffer through small cramps and ill-fitting clothes to wake up in the morning with "Look how much I grew overnight!"...and she's right. She knows when my kids at school are driving me nuts and will quietly empty the dishwasher while I unwind. She is smart as a whip and rarely forgets anything...a real bonus for me who forgets everything. She soothes my soul and recharges my battery. I love her madly.

4. Our baby whose kick I got to feel a few days ago.

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