Christmas trimmings...

[fajrdrako]

So much snow.

I went to a brunch at my friend Lynne's place. Most of the people there were Lynne's friends and neighbours - strangers to me, but lovely people. Lisa and her family were there. And Lynne's mother, whom I last saw, I think, in 1974, when I visited Lynne in Dartmouth NS. She remembered me well, and remembered details of my visit. Much more than I did!

The food was amazing. We started with orange juice in champagne. Then there were croissants (with and without chocolate filling), blueberry pancakes with real maple syrup, two kinds of muffins, Quiche Lorraine and vegetarian quiche, sausages, mixed fruit, scrambled eggs, trifle, a half dozen kinds of cookies... and no doubt more that I'm forgetting. And I was in a quandary. See, Lynne is my personal trainer. How much did I dare to eat under her eagle eye?

So: It snowed and it snowed and it snowed. Lisa and David got me home safely, all other plans were cancelled, and I decided to put up my Christmas decorations, which I keep in my locker. But I locker is over-full, and I discovered that the shelving, no doubt overburdened by too many comic books (which are very heavy in quantity), had tilted over on top of other boxes. I decided to clear things out. I got rid of books, old videotapes, all sorts of odds and ends.... and even my Christmas tree, which I decided was irrelevant, not to mention old enough to be getting tatty.

So once again I decorated the harp, hanging gold beads where the strings are, putting an angel atop the dragon. I'm not sure of the symbology there - angels trump dragons? It it was St. Michael I'd think that was it, but this is clearly a Christmas angel, not St. Michael.

Then I wrapped presents. Many, many, many presents. And then more presents. And I'm not through yet, though I think I've done most of them.

Christmas is an exhausting business.

But fun, though. Definitely fun.

Comments

[chatona.livejournal.com]

*steals MORE of your snow* It's even cold enough now that it'll keep over here *bounces* *steals some more*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Take all you want! Believe me, we have plenty!

Here's a pic (http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=c9143d58-efa4-4aec-bde0-cd14efb96be1&k=80244).

I talk about Slow Decay and quote if here (http://fajrdrako.livejournal.com/663123.html).

Ah, right,found it - after a pleasant search, I found my major comments on Another Life here (http://fajrdrako.livejournal.com/610172.html).

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

(Even though my mission today seems to have evolved into making you laugh...) departing from that to wonder, did I lend you any of those books/videotapes that were eventually cluttering up your storage locker and which I should have remembered long before now and already have taken back off your hands? Oopsie. Well, if so, I'll find them again, or they'll find me!

Six foot snowdrift. Whoa. Yes, I also remember such things from childhood: it did snow more then, actually, at least here -- the weather was in a cool phase -- and rare was the winter without at least three or four good, thick, lasting snows. But nothing like Ottawa, I am sure. An interesting thing, to voluntarily keep living in a place that will have six-foot snowdrifts.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

As far as I know, I don't have any of your video-tapes. I either gave them back long ago, or you said to keep 'em - and if I'm forgetting anything there, just remind me. I have (I think) three of your DVDs: Oz, The Producers, and One Night at McCool's. Am I forgetting more there? Shall I mail them back to you? I'm still enjoying having them, so no problem with shelf space.

The snow reminds me of when I was a kid - not that it was over my head then as it is now, because that would have been easy, but the snowbanks towered over the heads of my parents. And my father was about 6'2". The sidewalks have all become like paths in a labyrinth with knee-high walls, and exit junctions at the driveways.

Getting on and off buses is interesting becuase there are breaks in the snowbanks at bus stops, but you mostly can't use the back door.

I find that people are mostly pretty calm about this. You can't control the weather, so they sit back and cope. I like to think that people are getting very fit, with all this shovelling happening.

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

I very much enjoy the ideas of snow-walled paths in a labyrinth, and gaps at the bus stop for the bus's front door but not its back door, and people staying so reasonably calm about it all. It makes a soothing background hum in my head just to think about it. Maybe this is one of the reasons why I like winter so much?... natural zen environment.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

If I keep on walking this winter, I should be in really good shape.

We might as well be calm, stuck in a sardine can with strangers. If there are kids on board, they aren't always very calm. Last night, there was a drunk. People were politely tolerant.

Public transit is, in my opinion, one of the true markers of civilization, along with live theatre, public libraries, fresh fruit, and talented street musicians.