Long Night

Gainesville

Yes it is. The one winter marker everyone on the planet shares, whether they know it or not. I first realized it 35 years ago. Since then, it seems the number of others who realize it grows smaller every year.

Murky overcast day, no glimpse of the sun or where it set. We were singularly blessed at FBR to have a perfect southwest vista across a vast prairie, where the sun would drop framed by trees dripping with Spanish moss. A huge fireplace set in a wall of native stone facing the SW window. We hung home-made banners over the yule log, melted cheese, and hosted legendary, infamous celebrations.

That was in another world. In this one, nobody celebrates the solstice, but planet Earth still circles its star, and reaches the same point at a predictable night. It made me smile today to see that reruns of Calvin and Hobbes featured the disgruntled, snow-capped aliens protesting about the miserable planet he'd sold them in exchange for a homework assignment.

Good going with your cards, Mom. I spent too much time trying to update my list, and prune it down to a reasonable number. Long overdue, but prompted by my error thinking I had 56 cards when I really only have 45. You are lamenting only getting a max of 3 per day? We have a grand total of 3 so far! Last year we sent out 60. Go figure.

Several paragraphs have been written, then deleted, and just as well. The best thing to do at this point, just after midnight, would be to take a shower and go to bed. Sounds like a plan.