Poetry for a Christmas Eve Monday

Joyous Noel.  

This is somewhere between narrative prose and unrhymed poetry, and is for the older among us who are still kids at heart.  

Hope you enjoy.

The Stocking

In the beginning

A stocking was left

For Santa to fill

It might have been small, but it grew in the night

Able to take on candies, fruits and toys

And no matter where I left it

It was always on the foot of my bed

First thing Christmas morning

Then came the day Santa stopped leaving the stocking on my bed

The stocking I left was still empty on Christmas morning

But the gifts that filled the stocking before

Were now under the tree

While I was disappointed, I was also proud

For I realized Santa was treating me more like a grownup

And outgrowing the need for such a childish tradition

Years have passed and the family that hung their stockings alongside mine

Have moved on to new families and lives

We speak of Christmases past, of trees and gifts and dinners

Of the joy of being together then

The sadness at the loss of some

And the happiness that is the holiday now

And on the night before Christmas

As I have done every year

A stocking is still left

For Santa to fill

For I never outgrew that childish tradition

And to some, there might seem to be nothing in it come Christmas morning

But for me, it is always filled to the rim

With memories and the joy of the holiday season

                                                                                         © 2018 Lauren Swartzmiller 

I Caved

I’m not a fan of air conditioning.  I prefer fresh air and fans.  Really do.  For all these years, even on the sultriest days and nights, I was adamant about that preference and stuck it out until the cooler days arrived.

Until today, when I caved in.

I got through Friday, but it was in the low 90s and the humidity was still fairly low.  Friday into Saturday was a little difficult in regard to sleep, as it didn’t cool into the low 70s until about 3 AM.  When I got up, I was more wobbly and incoherent than I normally am due to a lack of quality sleep.  It got a little better after coffee.  But, it was okay until only about 8 AM, when the temperature rose into the mid-80s and the humidity was, shall we say, more noticeable.  I got through the day, but when it came time to sleep, it wasn’t happening.  I couldn’t find a cool comfortable spot on the mattress for more than five seconds.  My room was in the mid-80s and the air was thick with humidity.  Quality sleep?  Insert insane laugh here.

After tossing, turning, drifting into microsleep, tossing, turning … well, you get the picture … I’d had enough.  With the temperatures predicted to stay in the 90s and even close to 100°F over at least the next week, I realized there was no way I was going to make it to the end of the week without something happening due to sleep deprivation.  I just got back on the road in May after too many months of no wheels to call my own.  That shouldn’t come to an end just because I stubbornly stuck to my guns about sleep preferences under normal weather conditions. 

“This weather is not normal, Stupid!” whatever side of my brain still has the logic cells in it screamed.  “Do something before we fry like bacon!”  So, I got out of bed, sat down at my computer, went online and ordered an air conditioner from one of the local big box stores.  I picked it up, set it up, and for the first time in three days, my bedroom was blissfully comfortable, and the unit was set at 79°F, too.

So, I took a $0 balance account and kerchunked several hundred dollars onto it.  My excellent credit rating numbers just took a hit as a result.  My electrical bill will likely be noticeably higher as well.  Do I care?  Yeah, I do.  But, the credit rating will recover as the air conditioner gets paid off, and the electrical bill will also get paid.   

But more importantly, I also care about getting enough sleep so I’m not a risk to myself and others.  I’m not as young as I used to be and don’t tolerate the heat as well as I used to.   It was time to change my point of view on the subject and so I did.  As a result, barring power failures (knock wood for not happening), I will sleep more like a rock and wake ready to take on the road and another hot day tomorrow.

As a final note, I mentioned not being able to tolerate the heat as well as I used to.  This is common among older folks, not to mention babies, young children, and pets.  Check on them all.  Make sure they stay hydrated, find them a cool spot if they don’t have them.  We’re all in this together.  Chill out.

Countdown to Spring - Yet, Still, But Not Really

It's sometimes been a little hard to remember we're almost at the end of April.  We've had below freezing temperatures for most of this month's nights.  We've had snow, sleet and freezing rain multiple times. Granted, it doesn't stay around long and, as I type this, there is no evidence of that crappy stuff to be seen. 

There is clear evidence that spring has arrived out there.  Grass is greening up.  Leaves are starting to unfold on trees and bushes.  That pussy willow I mentioned in the earlier posts has gone to pollen.  Daffodils, hyacinth, forsythia, etc. are all out there and in various stages of bloom.  Most, if not all, of the migrating birds have returned.  The robins that I wasn't seeing arrived about a week after my last post and I've been seeing them in droves.

Days and nights are (slowly, very slowly) warming up, and the need to crank the heat up inside has faded to the point where I don't fear looking at the electricity bill anymore.  People are starting to shed their winter apparel for lighter articles of clothing.  Kids now regularly play outside, and it's wonderful to see the park not far from me in use again.  Also not far from me is a marina, and boats are being brought in by car or being unwrapped and taken out of storage, and they'll all soon be hitting the water.  It won't matter that it's still at best in the 40s, 50s and 60s.  They'll be out there like the rest of the spring arrivals, defying the elements and enjoying the moment.

This winter has been like the houseguest that doesn't know when to leave.  While it's not unheard of to still have this kind of chillier and more than a bit snowier/icier than usual kind of weather in April in New York, the winter solstice has worn out its welcome and needs to disappear until December like a good little season now.  I'm going to put away my snow shovel and my ice melt as a symbolic gesture and general hint.  Hopefully, Mother Nature will agree it's time for spring to be in control and not make me haul them out again until after December 21st.

Happy Earth Day, everyone.  Go out and honor and respect the planet 24/7/365.

Countdown to Spring – Welcome Aboard the Vernal Equinox

So much as it doesn't feel like it, spring arrived shortly after 12 noon my time.  It's cloudy and windy and feels chilly and raw.  Not very springlike. 

Did I mention we're looking at another Nor'easter?  No?  Well, that's because I'm in denial.  It's spring, after all.  Shouldn't its arrival have put a end to that nonsense?  This one could go several ways for my area.  I'd rather it just go away.

I took a walk up the street and saw crocuses in full bloom.  Now, I know this patch of flowers because I planted them myself many years ago and they've naturalized into a very nice two-foot circle of purple, yellow, cream and white crocuses, in that order.  I saw the dark purple ones today.  In a couple of days, the yellow, cream and light purple ones will open up.  The white ones are always last, opening as the first ones are fading.  I look forward to their arrival.  They have been my proof for over two decades that winter really is leaving.

Still looking for the elusive flock of robins I keep hearing about.  I see birds of the right size, but when I get closer, I realize it's starlings.  Eventually, I'll see one robin, then more.  Of course, it might not be until after April starts, the way things are going.

Then, there are the turkey vultures.  Just as the swallows return to Capistrano in California and the buzzards return to Hinckley in Ohio, the turkey vultures return to roost along the Rondout Creek waterfront of Kingston in New York.  Yeah, they're not the prettiest birdies, but they serve a purpose, and at least they show up.  You hearing me, robins?

And so, we've survived another winter, one that's not ready to exit quickly and quietly.  But exit it will, and we can get on with enjoying warmer, longer days and all the activities that go to the wayside during the winter months.  Get out there and enjoy.

Happy spring, everyone.

Countdown to Spring–The Last Day of Winter

Well, no, it wasn’t my intent to miss my self-imposed deadline of Wednesday last week.  But, stuff happens.  This is better, though.  Traditionally, I’ve taken a walk on the last day of winter and blogged about it in this series before.  Now, that tradition has been continued, with the last entry of the series tomorrow.

The snow is just about gone in my area.  Threatened significant accumulation locally from the Nor’easter last week never happened.  At best, my area got an inch.  There are other areas throughout the Northeast, though, that will still be seeing snow on the ground not just tomorrow, but into April.  They truly have my sympathy.  The warmer temperatures that are coming even before the end of this month will help make it all go away and become a memory fast enough.

Okay, so not to rub it in (much) to those who are still hip-deep in the white stuff, I was out on my snow-free and dry deck Sunday in my bare feet.  I figured it was going to be cold, but I wasn’t going to be out there that long, so it wouldn’t be so bad.  I have to say, the deck was actually warm and pleasant under foot.  Although the air temperature was only in the mid-30s, the angle of the sun is now high enough that its rays more directly hit the deck.  It felt great.  I can’t wait for that to happen on a regular basis.

On my other walks, I wasn’t seeing much in the way of spring flowers trying to even send out their leaves.  The only ones I was seeing were planted near houses, where escaping heat coupled with reflected sun’s warmth were bringing them up faster.   But today, I finally saw something I’d been waiting for.  There’s a patch of daffodils that somehow got started between a utility pole and a grate over a rainwater runoff.  They’ve been there for years.  They, too, have been slow to show signs of life.  But finally, I got to see them.  They’re only about an inch high and barely noticeable peaking out from under the leaf litter of autumn, but there they were, those yellow (soon to be green) shoots.  About time, guys.

All the trees and bushes have buds on them, even the ones that won’t be sending out leaves for a while yet.  The maples have been especially noticeable, as they’ve been sending up that sap that the syrup makers covet for a while.  The sap has been feeding tips of branches which have been showing signs of waking for weeks.  The heck with the maple syrup, much as I love it.  Just show me some unfurling leaves!

So many of the migrating bird species are back now, although I still haven’t seen any other robins than the one I mentioned in an earlier post.  People keep telling me they’re out there.  I’m usually about two weeks behind everybody else in my first (live) robin sighting, but even today, looking for them in the places I always see them in the spring  – nothing.  In their place, however, were lots of other birds singing out their territory claims and even a few making nests.  Yup, more than one bird with fluff or twigs in their beak heading for those places they’ve designated home to their spring-borne families.  Now, there’s a sign of renewal if ever there was one.

As I returned from my walk, I looked out the door to my little balcony and saw the last vestige of snow from the igloo I created to keep my perishables from spoiling during our 12-hour power outage during Nor’easter #2.  It’s just a football-sized patch of snow now that will likely be gone by the weekend, assuming I don’t take a shovel to it. 

Hmm, I might have to do that tomorrow.  Sort of a ritual to end the winter season.  It’s been a long one – can you tell?

Only 1 day until Spring.

Countdown to Spring–Roarin’ All the Way

There’s a saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  March doesn’t always live up to that saying to its fullest potential, but this year, well …
In last week’s post, I remarked that Punxsutawney Phil was wrong in the prediction of there being six more weeks of winter.  With all the warm weather and quickly disappearing snow we were having, I couldn’t help but make the remark.  Never taunt the ground hog.

On March 2, after a day of 50-degree weather, but mostly cloudy skies and strangely increasing winds, we had a classic Nor’easter storm develop.  We were fortunate in that we had only a little bit of very soggy snow mixed in with rain.  North and west of the Mid-Hudson Valley, though, got slammed with 2-3 feet of snow.  The ski resorts were thrilled, I’m sure.  The rest of us, not so much.  Power outages were rampant with the high winds taking down branches and trees across power lines.  We were fortunate in that we only lost power for one hour.  As I type this, there are people who are just getting their power back on from last week’s storm and a few that still don’t have it.

Today brings another Nor’easter, only this time, my area won’t get off as easy in terms of the precipitation.  There was disagreement among the forecasting groups about last week’s storm as to what type of precipitation we were going to get.  Not this time.  Although they were differing slightly on the totals, they were all saying snow.  We presently have about 6” of very, very heavy snow.  Yes, this is the snow we used to make snowballs and snowmen out of when I was younger – solid, packable stuff.  You don’t want to shovel it, but you do want to play with it.  I’ll be doing the former tomorrow, taking my time with it clearing my deck and walkway.  I’m a fat, 60+ woman who doesn’t want to end up a winter statistic because she did too much too fast with this hefty, crappy white stuff, aka “heart attack” snow.

But on a positive note, in my walks of yesterday and today, I saw the red ends of tree branches that weren’t there last week.  Those trees are just itching to send out leaves.  I saw crocus, daffodil and snowdrop leaves coming up through grass and debris, all signs of flowers to follow in the not too distant future.  The pussy willow I pass everyday is just about in full furriness.  Well, today, those fuzzies are a little soggy, but they’ll recover.  I’m seeing more and more migrating birds return, although I haven’t seen any other robins than the one I mentioned last time.  Maybe they headed south again to places where the ground isn’t white.  With the migrators, there are more spring songs being heard, songs which will still be heard tomorrow as my area starts to shovel out from what we all hope is the last reminder of this winter season. 

The lion that brought in March will soon be tamed, and the happy playful lamb that signals March’s end will be here soon enough.

Only 13 days until spring.

Countdown to Spring – Finishing February on a Warm Note

When I got home this evening just before 5 PM, I looked at the temperature and it was 54°F.  It reached the high 50s today.  Granted it wasn’t as balmy, pleasant and very wrong temperature-wise as the 75°F we hit last Wednesday, but it was welcomed nonetheless.  Tomorrow will also be in the 50s, then we’ll drop back into the 40s for Friday, when we’re predicted to have snow again.  Sort of like last Friday.  It’s a bit of a roller coaster, but I’m kind of liking the ride, especially when the snow melts away so quickly.

The migratory birds are starting to show up.  Some are expected now, but some are early.  Sadly, my first robin sighting was a dead one on my walk home this evening.  It was likely struck by a car.  However, I was told that there are flocks of them in the area, alive and well, which makes me happy.  Lots of territorial singing by the birds now.  It’s one the signs of spring that I always enjoy, especially at first light in the morning.  A quick note on that – loving the slowly lengthening daylight hours.

Trees and bushes are definitely getting ready to send out leaves to greet the day.  But except for my favorite pussy willow, which has slowed a little in putting on its fur coats, I’m still just seeing buds.  Bigger than before, of course, but still just buds.  End of February would be way to early for anything like leaves and blooms in anything but greenhouses here in New York, crocuses and snowdrops aside.  Too many unpleasant snow and ice surprises can happen right into early April.

However, as a final note, I feel the need to say one thing.  I know it’s premature to do this, given that there’s still three weeks until Spring. 

But, HEY, (Punxsutawney) PHIL, YOU WERE WRONG!

Only 20 days until Spring.

Countdown to Spring – This is More Like It

After a week of staring at the walls and ceiling of my apartment and feeling like a barking seal with an energy crisis living at the equator (translation – coughing, fatigue and fever), I am finally past it and am looking forward to the next few days or gorgeous and, may I add, warm weather.  Warm, as in 60s, possibly even 70.  Yeah, I know, I know, it’s too early, it’s not going to last.  Whatever.  It beats -7°F, doesn’t it?

Our little clipper storm Saturday into Sunday which was supposed to bring 1-3” of snow brought us about 4” locally.  It wasn’t supposed to start until 9 PM, but by 7 PM when I looked out, we already had an inch of snow on the ground, dashing my hopes of a dusting that I could easily sweep away.  Sunday morning, out came the shovel and in about three trips, I had cleared my deck and walkway and then my parking space out to the road.  I didn’t do a great job because it was already sunny and above freezing.  Let solar heating be your friend.  It was, too.  By the end of the day, all shoveled areas were down to bare ground.

It’s been in the 40s during the day the last few days and most of the snow is gone.  Yesterday, it was in the 60s.  It hadn’t melted all the way yet, but it was an 9:1 mix of bare ground to snow instead of 50:50.  By the end of today, well, I won’t even care if it’s not gone.  I’m just going to enjoy those warm southwest breezes.

I did manage a little walking at the end of flu/flu-like things.  Looking up at trees, I am seeing more and more buds at the tips of all the branches.  The pussy willow I walk by to go to the post office is really starting to come to life, with catkins (really, that's what they're called) now starting to peek out from just about every branch.  I have a running permission from the owner to clip a few branches every year.  That'll be coming up soon.

On a sad note, a critter – likely a squirrel – squeezed through the holes of the milk-crate type container that I had protecting my planter with crocuses in it, moved the leaf mulch and had a late winter snack of crocus root and sprout salad on at least half of them.  I suspect squirrel because of the debris pattern they left outside the container and yet still left the container in place.  Ladies and Gentlemen, a round of applause for Houdini the Squirrel!

Only 27 days until Spring.

Countdown to Spring – Melt, Baby, Melt

So, let’s see.  As I was writing last week’s entry, the snow was just starting to come down.  When it got to about 3-4”, I went outside and shoveled my deck and walkway.  Oh, look, it’s light and fluffy.  Not too bad.  About two more inches fell, then the temperature went up and it went from light and fluffy to sogged and glazed over snow.  What had been an easy job of clearing it away turned into a cardio workout at the end of it all. 

I normally appreciate the prettiness of ice coating all the tree branches, especially at night.  But at this stage of winter, it was enjoyed for maybe five minutes, then I just wanted it to go with the snow.

Over this past weekend, a lot of that wintery precipitation disappeared with above-freezing temperatures and a whole lot of rain.  There’s still snow out there, but enough of it’s gone now that it’s about a 50:50 mix of white to greens and browns. 

The forecast for my area for today and tomorrow is near to above 50°F, followed by a return to 30s, then 40s, then 50s, then 30s again.  It’s a little uneven, temperature-wise, blamed on anything you chose to blame it on in the moment.  But with temperatures remaining above freezing during the day at least, and no forecast for any precipitation but rain showers for the next ten days, maybe all these wet, white crystalline structures hanging around will go bye-bye and we’ll head into March with bare ground.

Then, it’ll likely snow again.  That’s winter for you.

In a final note, I am on the downside of what may have been either the flu or a flu-like illness.  Sore throat, body aches, chills, fatigue, and a decent chunk of fever on top of sneezes, sniffles and barking like a seal.  Definitely not a cold.  I normally don’t get sick during the winter, but this year was an exception.  Just another reason for not liking this winter season anymore, eh?

Only 34 days until Spring

On Going Into Work Sick

I am presently home from work due to what is either the flu or a flu-like illness.  Am I going to go out of my way to find out which one it is?  Seriously?  It doesn’t matter.

What matters, at least to me, is that I broke one of my own cardinal rules yesterday.  I went into work with a fever.  I knew I was running a slight fever the night before and deliberately did not check my temperature in the morning because I knew we were short-staffed.  By the time I got home yesterday, my slight fever of 99.4°F had turned into 100.8°F.  I felt miserable and was starting to sound pleasant on the phone.  No, really.  When my voice initially gets affected by some upper respiratory tract thing, it takes on this really nice quality that I can’t recreate when I’m feeling better. 

I digress.  I’m here to discuss going in to work sick because, well, gee, they’re already down staff and they need you there.  Plus you don’t get paid if you’re not there.  No, no one said that to me except me.  Sometimes, the little voice at the back of my brain is not speaking from a place of logic and reason.

What you’re doing when you go in sick is subject those around you to what you have.  Colds and flus are passed in the air and in contact with things you are in contact with (phones, equipment, etc.).  People can sluice down every square inch of the place with disinfectant during and after your sick person is there and it still will not prevent it from potentially being passed to other workers and even the general public.

Because I recognized the risk of infection in even my earliest days of employment, I never, ever went into work with a temperature above 98.6°F.  Yes, people grumbled when they were inconvenienced by my absence, but they got over it.  I also encouraged similar behavior in my fellow employees.  Was I listened to?  Of course not.  I can’t tell you how many times people came in sick anyway.

No one, I repeat, NO ONE is indispensable.  If you take a day off, if you take a vacation, what do you think happens when you’re not there?  Answer, things continue.  People take up the slack and things continue.  Depending on the size of the business, yes, your normal contribution will likely be missed, but they’ll make do without you.  Any place that crumbles when people are absent needs an overhaul.

This flu season has been particularly brutal.  Those who say it’s because the flu shot was ineffectual aren’t seeing the real issue.  We need to work to prevent the spread.  Certainly, handwashing and proper cleaning/disinfecting play a huge part.  But, another important part of that is setting some ground rules with regard to coming to work under less than perfect health conditions.  Whether those rules are made by the employer or by self, they need to be adhered to. 

I forgot that yesterday.  That will not happen again. 

Countdown to Spring – The Weekly Version

Yes, it’s true.  Mercifully, I am going to a once a week posting on this topic.  Just in case you might have thought I was showing mercy only to the readers, it’s also a kindness for me as well.  The daily writing of things related to counting down to spring is a discipline that was always difficult and is more so this year with changes in schedule, etc.  Perhaps for 2019, I’ll go back to the daily posts from Groundhog’s Day to the actual first day of spring.  We’ll see.

Speaking of Groundhog’s Day, dear old Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on February 2nd.  Stupid woodchuck.  Doesn’t Phil realize we need the hope of an early spring this year?  I know it really hasn’t been any longer, colder, or snowier than what is considered normal for my area, but it sure felt/feels like it.

There are signs of hope that better weather days are ahead.  The daylight hours are getting longer, the sun coming a little sooner over the horizon and disappearing for the day just a bit later.  Warmer?  Well, no, not really, and we won’t even discuss that polar cold snap that quadrupled my electricity/heating bill last month.  However, if you’re a weather nerd like I am, you’ve noticed a long-range forecasting trend of warming up just a little faster than it was doing back in late December and a decent chunk of January.  It’s not staying obscenely cold for as long is what I’m saying.

Seed catalogs are arriving.  I don’t get as many as I used to because I don’t order that much anymore.  Many of the seed companies post their catalog online for the less frequent customers like myself to peruse.  But, there’s just something about that paper catalog, slowly turning pages and sighing heavily over pictures of fruits, vegetables and flowers which never, ever look that great in your garden that does a winter-weary heart good.  It also fuels my spring fever.  Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.

I walk quite a bit more than I used to in years past.  As a result, I’m seeing the changes in trees and bushes that start this time of year.  There’s slow-growing evidence of life returning even now.  One of the first I noticed was the pussy willow I walk by every day to go to the post office.  I thought I was seeing things at first.  Nope – little fuzzy buds have emerged on the branches.  No, we’re not talking pussy willows coming into bloom – okay, fur – anytime in the next 2-3 weeks.  It’s just that there’s a reawakening going on and it’s pretty much on schedule.

So, whether you want to believe the ground hog/woodchuck/whistling pig/ whatever you call them or not, spring is coming and will be here on March 20th at 12:15 PM EDT.  It may not necessarily look or feel like it on the day.  Many times, it’s exactly like the winter season left behind the day before.  But, eventually, it always happens.

Of course, that doesn’t mean we have to be patient about it.

Only 41 days until Spring.

Happy New Year

Oh, gee, have we reached the new year?  Time flies.

Didn't write the third part of my "Moving Out and On" series, but I'm sure no one minded.  Haven't written anything since September and I'm sure few noticed.

I had a year of abrupt change and adapting to new situations.  Not calling it a bad year, as these changes were required on multiple levels.  But, my muse got tired of waiting as my writing, poetry, etc., took a back seat and the self-inflicted creative stifling (read writer's block) took over. 

But, the dust has pretty much settled on all things new in my life, and  I'm fairly sure things will be getting better here as a result. 

No self-applied pressure to achieve here – no, not much.

Yo, Muse – hit the time-clock.