The Most Happiest Season of All

'Tis the holiday season! Those of you who are back in the Midwest and East know this because you are beginning to have SNOW! That four letter word that gets dirtier the longer it hangs around. I hate snow, especially when it has been around for a while and it turns black from exhaust and blowing dust. But, it does highlight the season and it is pretty when it first falls.

My last winter in Illinois was one I will never forget. We lived at Lake Iroquois near Loda, Il. We did not live ON the lake, but rather BY the lake. This distinction was necessary when we went to sell the house. A house On the lake gets about 100 thousand dollars more than one by or near the lake. Anyway, it snowed so much one night, that we could not find the cars in the driveway of our house the next day. Everytime the snow would melt, another storm would come through.

One time my son and I went out and shoveled the pure white stuff off our driveway which was about 50 feet long and 25 feet wide. As we were nearing the end of the job at the bottom of the driveway, the snow plow came through and covered it back in! So, we spent another 20 minutes digging out what we had just thrown out. If i find the pictures of my attire, I will post them here. The temperature was in the low single digits, so I was dressed for warmth, not fashion.

Those types of days all my life drove me finally out of Illinois where I lived for 50 some odd years. (There were 3 glorious years in Southeastern Iowa.) Now I have to wonder not when we will get snow (We Won't!) but rather what pair of shorts and sandles to put on. This isn't hard, though, I only have two pairs of sandles, but a shitload of shorts and t-shirts. I think you can guess what is on my Christmas list...

Houses here do not have to worry about the snow, but they do have to worry about if someone is going to steal their blowup lawn decorations. Arizona must be the blow-up lawn decorations capital of world! People put these inflatable things on their roofs, their lawns, and I even saw one on a car the other day! Imagine my surprise when I was sitting at the stoplight and Rudolph went by on top of a car! His nose lit and everything! Folks put out Halloween blowups, Christmas blowups, Fourth of July Blowups... I'm waiting to see the blowup of Christ on Cross at Easter! Or, maybe they will have an empty cave!

One thing I have always said about living out here when people ask why I moved. "It's hard to shovel sunshine."

Doughnut