It's been mostly raining for two weeks. I'm very grateful it's not ice though snow would be prettier, the relatively high temps are a gift here. Less traffic troubles, fewer frozen critters (including us) and the winter sniffles hold back (until something incubates).

I also miss the blue sky but I've been in an aeroplane and I know it's a sunny day up there.

We have around 20 days left in the solar year and it's not surprising that the ambience is darker. It kind of makes the holiday lights more welcome.

I'm a nut for colored lights and I even have a set of bubble lights mounted all year. I flip 'em on every so often. They're getting old (hmmmmmm) and it takes a while for them to heat up enough to bubble, but they still work.(hmmmm)

Had a rotten time for a few days - everybody cycles. My best trick is to wait for the uptick and "don't believe what I'm thinking." It's sometimes a little hard to not take yourself seriously but much easier when it hurts. Duh.

It's just an energy and I'm not self-tricked into thinking the subject matter revolving in my head (any stressfull situation) is the actual problem to be "solved". As awful as it can feel - it always eventually gets better and it feels kind of "New Day Dawn" when it begins to clear and all the good stuff again becomes apparent. sheesh.

Now that we know that "things not going right" is the rule we can laugh a bit more. **

Thanksgiving Day was grand and nowhere near plan.
Actually the plan was "noplan" - to take it as it comes and if nothing else showed - dinner out at Fat Buddies (they have come thru in a fine fattening traditional way in prevous years.)

I rarely sleep in late, especially when the early a.m. planets & stars are busy. Got up at the usual time - 6:00a & checked the sky show. (I think i'm tracking an outbound comet. I'll be sure when it moves) then went back in and snoozed. Best of both.

Up again at 7:30 and trying to get Macy's Parade on-line. Many tries - but no cigar. Best prospect told me my service provider didn't have the needed cable service ??!! ( doesn't matter - no parade)

So instead, I cranked up my new last year's colorized copy of Miracle on 34th St. and ran it twice - once while humming up breakfast and once again with Maureen O'Hara's commentary. A totally sweet movie.

You might guess, if you didn't already know, that I love movies. Got it from mom who, as a little girl, had free run at the great marble palaces in NYC. I loved her showing me her scrapbook when I was a kid.

I have a few colorized versions of some B&W classics, Casablanca, Arsenic & Old Lace & Miracle on 34th.

I'm sure there's someone, who for the sake of conversation, would argue against colorizing but I love how it reveals details you just don't get in shades of gray. You can see green plants and what's on the shelf in the background or different colors in the clothing,

For example, the whole background on the main stage set in Arsenic & Old Lace is a blue dutch tile fireplace - I never noticed before seeing it in color.

OK, Back on the Thanksgiving Day story track.

I hung out at the house, worked on my Christmas set for guitar (it gets easier each year) and sat on deck for a cup o tea and a nice long critter break. The yardbirds like it when I sit out - it discourages the very fat squirrels from hogging the sunflower seed.


My local deer are nuts about "Nuggets". They're the exact size of fruity pebbles (I bet the same brand machine makes them) and they smell fruity too.

I lay a pan of them across the same spot of ground on my uper drive twice a day. They catch on real fast. I sometimes see as many as 8 at once. Think there's about a dozen - Gorgeous critters.

I received some lovley holiday texts from my dearest friends. Ahhhh the "new age".

One message reminded me I was expected at the family feast. I kind of knew I was but some stupid inner rule (I'm working on dumping them) said I had to wait for an invite.

More texts and a wonderful rare extended full 'o' laughs call to my brother Mike in Fla. He's doing great and renewed his 10 yearly promise to visit. It might happen upcoming year - you never know.

The gathering I was invited to (my proxy family - been with them most holidays since 1985 - my 1st year up here) was to begin at 2p. So I cleaned up and got set to pickup a case o my hosts favorite brew and head out to see my new proxy grandbaby Alora. Yeah!

Alas und alack. Not to be. (sorry Hamlet).

Been having car troubles the last month. I have some good guys working on them and I thought we had the big problem solved after the second ignition coil on cylinder #3 (1st one was a bad part from the factory, argh).

She was again starting on the key (rather than pumping the pedal) and I bought new tires all around (overdue) to celebrate & a new batt (also overdue), oil change, a wash & vac - the works - should have made her very happy.

Well, that afternoon she wouldn't crank again. Almost drained the new batt trying. OK - I decided to wait a bit and try again. I admit there was a flash of gut frustration but then remembering the rule ** I had to laugh.

Nothing else to do but handle the situation and it was pretty funny as it popped my plans like a soapbubble.

Finally got the car going by fiddling with the gas pedal (indicating a fuel distribution problem?). Bravely shut the car right off and tried a second start. Bingo! like new. WTF?

As I got rolling on to the pavement she kept pulling hard left. My brand new left front tire was flat. It's Thanksgiving Day and no repair available. I ain't going nowhere. Now it's getting hilarious.

I called my proxy son. He offered to come out with a tire plug and get me going. I should have been smart enough to say yes - would have had feast & tire fixed but my dumbass rule said I couldn't disrupt the goings on.

Obviously a self esteem issue - arrgh - so easy to see in retro. so I said. "Call me when it's over and we can get it going, thanx."

Then I had the bright idea - I'll just get it inflated and show up to party & fete & get my tire plugged without causing a ripple out there.

I totally ruined what was left of the tire driving on the rim. When I got to pumping air in - it came out just as fast. Me and the car limped home and called other friends just to talk.

After that break, I took off the corpse and mounted the little rubber donut they give you for an emergency spare. It went flat too. Har! No arrgh - I'm still laughing at the whole sitcom. (a part of me watching all this, is slightly amazed I'm not freaking out!)

Alright, another movie, a beer and soon a call from my boy. He came out wth a totally delicious plate of Holiday Food. Sooo good, sooo country, sooo family, I could taste the love in every fattening bite. (I'm pretty scrawny so I can indulge with relative impunity.)

Bless them all. They missed me. It felt grand & sad simultaneously - Good to be alive.

I endured a little well-deserved chastisement. Yes, If I had taken the sincere & loving offer all would have been much better. But I didn't and that's OK and lets get things fixed. So he took my tire and brought back a new one the next day.

And I kind of learned to let my rules take a back seat to obvious apparent love.
Hope it sticks. What strange critters we are.

Happy Holidays to All
I might get one more missal out before the Year's End.

Big Big Love to All!!