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You can check out our Christmas and New Years photos here.
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More Snow Stuff
I mentioned in an earlier post about the blizzard we got not even a week ago. Strangely, all the snow is almost gone now due to the warm temperatures and rain. But it wasn’t but four or five days ago we had snow on the ground like this, and that was all from one storm!
Oh, I also saw Maura Manning at my gig last night. Maura and I went to high school together, and she moved to Australia, became a high school English teacher, and got married. She’s here visiting, and her folks were telling her Aussie husband that we get snow like that all the time! While it’s not unusual for us to have that much snow on the ground, it is unusual to get it all at once. And, the howling wind made it quite a storm. It truly has been years since we had a storm like that.
Photo credit: Jason Philbrook from f64.nu.
To Jesus on His Birthday
I’ve been publishing this every Christmas eve day for years. I hope you’ll remember to keep the true spirit of Christmas, and not be like those described herein.
“For this your mother sweated in the cold,
For this you bled upon the bitter tree:
A yard of tinsel ribbon bought and sold;
A paper wreath; a day at home for me.
The merry bells ring out, the people kneel;
Up goes the man of God before the crowd;
With voice of honey and with eyes of steel
He drones your humble gospel to the proud.
Nobody listens. Less than the wind that blows
Are all your words to us you died to save.
O Prince of Peace! O Sharon’s dewy Rose!
How mute you lie within your vaulted grave.
The stone the angel rolled away with tears
Is back upon your mouth these thousand years.”
Edna St. Vincent Millay
The Good Samaritan and the Blizzard
By the time I got home from my gig Sunday night, it was nigh on 10:30. The snow in my driveway was higher than the hood of my car. (Those of you in Cali can read about the storm here.) I proceeded to shovel, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was never going to shovel a hole big enough to get my car in. It was snowing too fast, and blowing too hard. And, if the plow truck came by again, he’d probably just fill in all my hard work.
As I was working, a guy came by in a plow truck. I waved him down. “Would you mind making a hole for me just big enough to get my car in?” He agreed. About four swipes with his plow truck, and I had a place to park. I went back up to him, and said “Do you have a card?” He said “I’ve got one in here someplace.” I said “I’ll gladly send you some money for your time.” He said “Forget about it Bill. Have a good evening.”
Dear Mr. Samaritan; I don’t know who you were. I didn’t recognize you, and I didn’t recognize the company name on your landscaping truck. But the money you didn’t take from me on Sunday found it’s way to a Salvation Army kettle. Thank you for your kindness. It is sincerely appreciated.
Shot On the Spot
Amber tagged me to play Shot On The Spot. I was supposed to take a picture of myself. I wasn’t supposed to edit it in any way. Here’s how it came out:
After I took that shot, though, I was better able to figure out the camera holding angle and what not. Photo #2 came out better, I think.
I’m supposed to tag five people to play along. Play along if you want. If you don’t, no worries. The following people rarely, if ever, post their photos online. Maybe now is the time for Pastor Dave, Jim, Amy, Susan, and Aunt Ginny.