Sunday with Friends

Sunday was a rather mild day for December. The day started by meeting friends for lunch in downtown Frederick at Five Guys. Five Guys is a hamburger chain started in the Washington DC that is slowly spreading across the country with great burgers and fries.

After lunch we went and saw a movie. It was the first movie I have seen in a theater since August when I picked up my stepson. We saw "The Spirit" which the Washington Post gave a pretty bad review of, so I wasn't expecting much. With the warning, the movie came up better than expectations.

After the movie we travelled to Washington, DC where we toured the National Cathedral. It was comforting that the Cathedral was Episcopalian which made it have a warm, feeling of home. The building was neat to explore, with the prayer rooms, the chapels, several tombs, and a display of Nativity Scenes from around the world. It was great to see the small scenes crafted from different materials.

We moved from the Cathedral to China Town, where we took in a meal of handmade noodles in a small Chinese Restaurant. It was neat to see the noodle make working his craft, very similar to the bakers in the old pizzerias. After dinner we called it a day and returned home.

A Real Christmas Act

Christmas is a time of giving. In Christian theology it marks the birth of Jesus Christ and as the story plays out God gave his only son for mankind. The wise men also brought gifts for the baby Jesus. Other Holiday's around this time also are characterized by gift giving. Late December is also a time when some people give to charities before the end of the year so they can get the tax deduction.

Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat gave a house to a lady who was going through a rough time according to the AP. Here is a link to the story on Fox Sports. I appreciate a story like this since I am a sports fan. I'm tired of hearing about players griping about money, getting arrested, or shooting themselves in the leg (which doesn't help an athletes career). Many athletes do give a lot back to the community and charities.

However, the unselfish act Dwyane Wade is a reminder of what Christmas is all about. Dwyane heard about a "woman whose nephew accidentally burned down her home — and ruined all the family's possessions ." "Wade presented Dawn Smith with the ultimate Christmas gift on Wednesday — the keys to a new home, along with some furnishings, clothing and gifts to make sure her family has a joyous holiday."

Yes Dwyane is blessed to have the money to do such an act. Others are blessed to have the money but don't take actions like Mr. Wade. Dwyane Wade is blessed in his attitude. Wade summed it up "It's not about what you're going to receive — it's what you can give to others from what you've received." There is a Christmas thought. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful Holiday.

The Night Before Christmas...

The night before Christmas is here. Winter has let go the bitter grip it had been holding the past two days. Besides some harmless sleet, the ice predicted last night pretty much avoided me. Perhaps the trees kind of blocked some of it. My parents are visiting. The tree is up. My daughter enjoyed playing with the tinsel and Christmas balls on the tree.

My workday is half over. Hopefully, I'll be able to leave on time. I'm off tomorrow and will come in on Friday to work some overtime. No big plans, just hoping to enjoy the Holiday with family and friends. My co-worker is tracking Santa and hopefully I will be home before he arrives. ..

Cold Monday

It was a toasty 12 degrees this morning, with a wind chill somewhere below 0. The forecast high for today is 22 and windy. Just a little chilly..Tonight it is suppose to go into the single digits, before it rains in one of Mother Natures or Old Man Winters sudden mood swings. 50's are predicted later in the week.

Oh well Saturday night into Sundays ice storm really wasn't that bad. No worse than a heavy frost. I wore more layers when I volunteered in the warehouse on Saturday, and it wasn't as cold as it was a month ago. Though working there this weekend, I felt out of shape and older. The Holiday orders really wore me out. But it is rewarding even makes getting up at 4:30 on Saturday morning worthwhile.

Alive at 65

No not me! I'm not 65, but Keith Richards turned 65 yesterday. Happy belated Birthday to Keith. Most of his life has been spent as a guitarist and occasional singer for one of the most successful rock and roll bands of all time the Rolling Stones.

It will give me a great excuse to put the Stones in the CD player, the DVD player, and listen to a lot of Rolling Stones over the weekend.

The Quiet Blog

The blog has been pretty quiet lately. Work, the holidays, my wife being ill, and trying to keep peace in the house hold has cut down on my online time. One PC up, and three people wanting to use it kind of limits the time. There is also the baby, who at 20 months can climb over the child gate and requires much more time to keep her out of trouble(or keep me out of trouble.)

I'm still writing. I'm still reading. I still have that habit of starting a book, putting it down and starting another. Still working. Haven't really been into the Holiday spirit this year. More concerned with paying the bills, what kind of winter weather are we having now, how long will more care making weird noises last, and the list goes on and on, like an incomplete Honey-do list.

However, I keep going. Same to keep things in the balance some how or some way.

Cold December:First snow, barely

December's here. So far it has been pretty cold early with an overcast most days. Sunday, we had our first snow. Not much. A dusting of the roads and the unraked leaves. Funny, how more of the snow stuck on the roads than anywhere else. Sure we had flurries before but they hadn't stuck around.

Sunday was made even colder by the power going off. Several hours, maybe a stretch but a good three hours. Turned my house pretty cold in a hurry. The electric heaters can't run without power. With no heat, nothing warms the sub freezing air as it seeps into the house. The house starts to act as a refrigerator as the cold air flows below and over the house.

So, much for a shower. So, much for heading out.