Christmas 2013
22/12/13 07:42
So that was Thanksgiving. Seems like a long time ago. And now we have Christmas in a mere three days from now. The tree is up; the son is home; the season is more festive than last year at this time; and the stench of the St. Thomas affair is in the rear view mirror. It is good to put things behind you. That is especially true of things that cause pain and misery. But we have all moved on. Evan is presumably on the right track with his studies at school but we'll not know for sure until we get a look at his grades. This is a boy who doesn't even share the invoice that the school gave him for the new semester so I'm not hopeful on the grades issue. This is also a fellow who refuses for whatever reason to ask the school what happened to the $200 that his mother put on his dining card. Evan emphatically states that the money never reached its intended destination and he continues to incur additional charges when using his debit card to purchase his meals much to our chagrin and consternation. And his momma tells me that he talked her ear off when driving back from Boston a few days where he had arrived from taking the train into Boston from Penn Station in NYC. The round trip drive to Pace was killing us being a good 10 hours in total or so and that needed to change. The challenge, of course, was getting him to work through the logistics of going to Grand Central Station, walk across town a good mile or so to Penn Station, and then to catch the Acela train to Boston. So far, so good.
Nancy didn't spend a lot of time talking about our christmas tree and how she spent hours decorating it while I was in Keene for three days this past week but my sense is that she took great pleasure in doing so since she took so little pleasure last year in the wake of the St. Thomas business. It was the year when a sole ornament took its lonely place on our tree and even that was difficult to do. There was just so little enjoyment in the air hereabouts ands it was a wonder indeed that we even had a tree. But our tree this year is luxurious, full, standing erect and tall against the wall, and with an air of hope and resurrection it brings a glimpse of promise to those lucky enough to look upon it. It is a blessed thing as well it should be. Then again, some things never change. Evan stays home when we expect him to go out; he goes out when we expect him to stay in; he is cavorting with god only knows who; and sometimes he comes home at night and sometimes he doesn't. It's hard to say whether he is eating right. When he stopped by the house yesterday before going back out the door, he reeked of cigarettes and his friends waited outside in the driveway while he took his cornstarch and made plans to spend the night away from home. I guess we'll have plenty of time to wonder what will become of him over the coming summer months when he is home from school and working or wanting a job. He does not have a strong work history so we'll see if he starts to remedy that aspect of his life. Lots of things to think about but we'll tray to keep our focus where it should be for the moment. That is to say, on the holiday and it is all about home and family.
There is snow on the ground but it is raining lightly outside with temperatures in the mid thirties. There was talk yesterday that we might have an ice storm but the temperatures are simply not cold enough here on the coast. I may have to get a wood stove going this morning just to take the chill off. I'm hoping to make a nice lasagna today for the family. It will be good for Evan to have leftovers during the week at least early on when we are away at work. I'll probably use a combination of sausage and beef although I think that darn recipe calls for spinach so I will have to see if we have any spinach before I start cooking. Evan likes a nice garlic bread too so I will have to give that some thought.
Seems as things are going ok in the Falls. I have sisters looking for work; sisters who can't work; sisters who work and love what they do; and brothers who cover the same gamut. Money issues are pervasive but not life threatening and issues related to cars never seem to go away. You would think that with a mechanic in the family, related by marriage, that those sorts of things would be lessened in stature. Not so. I get it. If you learn anything as an adult, it is that you can't count on anyone but yourself to get things done right. There are no free lunches; there are no handouts; and life can be unforgiving for those who fail to understand precisely how that works. And for those who least expected it this fine holiday, speaking of brothers and sisters, I hear that there are a couple of iPads under the tree this year. There is a god!
Nancy didn't spend a lot of time talking about our christmas tree and how she spent hours decorating it while I was in Keene for three days this past week but my sense is that she took great pleasure in doing so since she took so little pleasure last year in the wake of the St. Thomas business. It was the year when a sole ornament took its lonely place on our tree and even that was difficult to do. There was just so little enjoyment in the air hereabouts ands it was a wonder indeed that we even had a tree. But our tree this year is luxurious, full, standing erect and tall against the wall, and with an air of hope and resurrection it brings a glimpse of promise to those lucky enough to look upon it. It is a blessed thing as well it should be. Then again, some things never change. Evan stays home when we expect him to go out; he goes out when we expect him to stay in; he is cavorting with god only knows who; and sometimes he comes home at night and sometimes he doesn't. It's hard to say whether he is eating right. When he stopped by the house yesterday before going back out the door, he reeked of cigarettes and his friends waited outside in the driveway while he took his cornstarch and made plans to spend the night away from home. I guess we'll have plenty of time to wonder what will become of him over the coming summer months when he is home from school and working or wanting a job. He does not have a strong work history so we'll see if he starts to remedy that aspect of his life. Lots of things to think about but we'll tray to keep our focus where it should be for the moment. That is to say, on the holiday and it is all about home and family.
There is snow on the ground but it is raining lightly outside with temperatures in the mid thirties. There was talk yesterday that we might have an ice storm but the temperatures are simply not cold enough here on the coast. I may have to get a wood stove going this morning just to take the chill off. I'm hoping to make a nice lasagna today for the family. It will be good for Evan to have leftovers during the week at least early on when we are away at work. I'll probably use a combination of sausage and beef although I think that darn recipe calls for spinach so I will have to see if we have any spinach before I start cooking. Evan likes a nice garlic bread too so I will have to give that some thought.
Seems as things are going ok in the Falls. I have sisters looking for work; sisters who can't work; sisters who work and love what they do; and brothers who cover the same gamut. Money issues are pervasive but not life threatening and issues related to cars never seem to go away. You would think that with a mechanic in the family, related by marriage, that those sorts of things would be lessened in stature. Not so. I get it. If you learn anything as an adult, it is that you can't count on anyone but yourself to get things done right. There are no free lunches; there are no handouts; and life can be unforgiving for those who fail to understand precisely how that works. And for those who least expected it this fine holiday, speaking of brothers and sisters, I hear that there are a couple of iPads under the tree this year. There is a god!