| Busy, Busy, Busy |
I got an anvil for Christmas. I must have been bad. Let me start from the beginning.
There is only 8 of us involved in the gift exchange. One of those people is my niece so you get something simple from the Christmas store they set up at school. I got a thing with flashy lights, a whistle and ... well I need to see the other functions but I think the lights was the important part of it.
We limit the amount we spend to a small amount and then off we go getting gifts for each other. One of the gifts I asked for was a vice. I have never had one of those and it could come in handy so many times. Well what I ended up with was a combination vice/anvil. That is cool, I could use something I could hit with a hammer and not damage it. Just think, if I am having a real bad day I could even take it out on the anvil.
Another gift I got was something I was planning on getting my parents before plans changed. See I put together this list and not a very good list at that. Certainly nothing Manny worthy. But the list was never intended to be my wish list for Christmas. I had placed items I wanted to get others on there too including the gift for my parents. I intended to separate the list but my Sister intercepted the list before I could make a real wish list and ... well that is how my parents bought me a gift for them.
The dinner was nice but boy did we make to much. We were eating leftovers for 5 days. Yikes. Anyway before I knew it Christmas was over.
Besides visiting and helping out with computer I ended up attending most a basketball tournament. The team my niece plays on finished second. They could have won but they have their favorite first string that starts every game. Usually the first and second strings all play about the same amount of time but they tend to not play any of the second string players much if they are playing against a good team as there is a big difference in ability between the two strings. If they would only work with everyone and mix up the strings a little they would be in much better shape. Instead they ended up with one very tired first string that just ran out of steam. It did not help that they went into overtime too. Oh well, second place is pretty good.
I finally came home on New Years Eve or was that Old Years Night. I need to remember that term, I like it. Anyway I had 4 inches of snow to shovel which did not go to bad but ... but what I was worried about was what was on it’s way. They were predicting a storm that could produce between 11 and 18 inches of snow. So far we have got about 8 or 9 inches or so but I shoveled the snow at 2:00 am which made it a lot easier to do the remainder in the morning. I got out the snow blower to tackle the disaster that was in the street at the foot of my drive. There was 12 inches of snow and slush that I was not sure if I could drive through. So with the snow blower and a bit of muscle I got all that up from my double drive.
I figured it was time to play so when I got a call from someone I work with that they were at a local bar watching the bowl games I decided to join them. Several beers later, many wings and a bit of water I was on my way back home having seen several bowl games including University of Michigan winning the Cotton Bowl, an equestrian jumper event, an outdoor NHL hockey game, basketball, Tyra Banks ... you name it, there was almost everything on. As a matter of fact I think I saw a brief glimpse of someone shooting J.R. from Dalas, a show from the 70s but I could be mistaken.
So there you have it, a long, boring and little late account of the past few days. The good news, for me at least, is the snow was only about 8 to 9 inches and it was all light. We might see 1 to 3 inches more but that is nothing. Yea, I survived the storm. I almost can not wait to go back to work so I can get a break and take it easy once again. Well you know what I mean.
Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,
its white flag waving over everything,
the landscape vanished,
not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness,
and beyond these windows
the government buildings smothered,
schools and libraries buried, the post office lost
under the noiseless drift,
the paths of trains softly blocked,
the world fallen under this falling.
In a while I will put on some boots
and step out like someone walking in water,
and the dog will porpoise through the drifts,
and I will shake a laden branch,
sending a cold shower down on us both.
But for now I am a willing prisoner in this house,
a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow.
I will make a pot of tea
and listen to the plastic radio on the counter,
as glad as anyone to hear the news
that the Kiddie Corner School is closed,
the Ding-Dong School, closed,
the All Aboard Children's School, closed,
the Hi-Ho Nursery School, closed,
along with -- some will be delighted to hear --
the Toadstool School, the Little School,
Little Sparrows Nursery School,
Little Stars Pre-School, Peas-and-Carrots Day School,
the Tom Thumb Child Center, all closed,
and -- clap your hands -- the Peanuts Play School.
So this is where the children hide all day,
These are the nests where they letter and draw,
where they put on their bright miniature jackets,
all darting and climbing and sliding,
all but the few girls whispering by the fence.
And now I am listening hard
in the grandiose silence of the snow,
trying to hear what those three girls are plotting,
what riot is afoot,
which small queen is about to be brought down.
–Billy Collins - Snow Day
There is only 8 of us involved in the gift exchange. One of those people is my niece so you get something simple from the Christmas store they set up at school. I got a thing with flashy lights, a whistle and ... well I need to see the other functions but I think the lights was the important part of it.
We limit the amount we spend to a small amount and then off we go getting gifts for each other. One of the gifts I asked for was a vice. I have never had one of those and it could come in handy so many times. Well what I ended up with was a combination vice/anvil. That is cool, I could use something I could hit with a hammer and not damage it. Just think, if I am having a real bad day I could even take it out on the anvil.
Another gift I got was something I was planning on getting my parents before plans changed. See I put together this list and not a very good list at that. Certainly nothing Manny worthy. But the list was never intended to be my wish list for Christmas. I had placed items I wanted to get others on there too including the gift for my parents. I intended to separate the list but my Sister intercepted the list before I could make a real wish list and ... well that is how my parents bought me a gift for them.
The dinner was nice but boy did we make to much. We were eating leftovers for 5 days. Yikes. Anyway before I knew it Christmas was over.
Besides visiting and helping out with computer I ended up attending most a basketball tournament. The team my niece plays on finished second. They could have won but they have their favorite first string that starts every game. Usually the first and second strings all play about the same amount of time but they tend to not play any of the second string players much if they are playing against a good team as there is a big difference in ability between the two strings. If they would only work with everyone and mix up the strings a little they would be in much better shape. Instead they ended up with one very tired first string that just ran out of steam. It did not help that they went into overtime too. Oh well, second place is pretty good.
I finally came home on New Years Eve or was that Old Years Night. I need to remember that term, I like it. Anyway I had 4 inches of snow to shovel which did not go to bad but ... but what I was worried about was what was on it’s way. They were predicting a storm that could produce between 11 and 18 inches of snow. So far we have got about 8 or 9 inches or so but I shoveled the snow at 2:00 am which made it a lot easier to do the remainder in the morning. I got out the snow blower to tackle the disaster that was in the street at the foot of my drive. There was 12 inches of snow and slush that I was not sure if I could drive through. So with the snow blower and a bit of muscle I got all that up from my double drive.
I figured it was time to play so when I got a call from someone I work with that they were at a local bar watching the bowl games I decided to join them. Several beers later, many wings and a bit of water I was on my way back home having seen several bowl games including University of Michigan winning the Cotton Bowl, an equestrian jumper event, an outdoor NHL hockey game, basketball, Tyra Banks ... you name it, there was almost everything on. As a matter of fact I think I saw a brief glimpse of someone shooting J.R. from Dalas, a show from the 70s but I could be mistaken.
So there you have it, a long, boring and little late account of the past few days. The good news, for me at least, is the snow was only about 8 to 9 inches and it was all light. We might see 1 to 3 inches more but that is nothing. Yea, I survived the storm. I almost can not wait to go back to work so I can get a break and take it easy once again. Well you know what I mean.
Today we woke up to a revolution of snow,
its white flag waving over everything,
the landscape vanished,
not a single mouse to punctuate the blankness,
and beyond these windows
the government buildings smothered,
schools and libraries buried, the post office lost
under the noiseless drift,
the paths of trains softly blocked,
the world fallen under this falling.
In a while I will put on some boots
and step out like someone walking in water,
and the dog will porpoise through the drifts,
and I will shake a laden branch,
sending a cold shower down on us both.
But for now I am a willing prisoner in this house,
a sympathizer with the anarchic cause of snow.
I will make a pot of tea
and listen to the plastic radio on the counter,
as glad as anyone to hear the news
that the Kiddie Corner School is closed,
the Ding-Dong School, closed,
the All Aboard Children's School, closed,
the Hi-Ho Nursery School, closed,
along with -- some will be delighted to hear --
the Toadstool School, the Little School,
Little Sparrows Nursery School,
Little Stars Pre-School, Peas-and-Carrots Day School,
the Tom Thumb Child Center, all closed,
and -- clap your hands -- the Peanuts Play School.
So this is where the children hide all day,
These are the nests where they letter and draw,
where they put on their bright miniature jackets,
all darting and climbing and sliding,
all but the few girls whispering by the fence.
And now I am listening hard
in the grandiose silence of the snow,
trying to hear what those three girls are plotting,
what riot is afoot,
which small queen is about to be brought down.
–Billy Collins - Snow Day
Posted by barman at 5:37 AM::
an anvil eh? and here i thought you had gone all wile e coyote on me and were after that roadrunner. well have fun with it.
love that song or poem at the end too.
happy snow day.
The roadrunner thing would be so fun. Just think, you could have done that ZIP line thingy you did and not have gotten hurt. But alas that was not included with the present.
I loved the poem to. It was not perfect as most of us did not have a snow day but otherwise I thought it would be fun to share. That would have really fit in back when I was in school.
That snow came with a bit of vengeance. I'm glad it's done for a while. I'm not sure where I would put more without having a front end loader.
You didn't say what the gift was that your parents got you that you wanted to get them.
All a great time except for the snow. I hope the bar was Hooters. They have excellent wings.
Jenn you are so right. For my Mom's birthday we chipped in and bought her a digital camera. Since they are not super technical I thought it might be nice to get them a little printer to print pictures for her. What she got me was supplies to make more prints. They are just about to run out of supplies. What we got them instead was a computer to replace a very old PC. They love to play their simple PC games together. Oh and I hear you about the snow. I look forward to the warm temperatures and rain to get rid of some of the snow.
Tony the bar was not Hooters. While Hooters does have mighty fine wings and some really cold bears and the scenery is nice too ... wait, why didn't I go to Hooters? Anyway this other bar is nearer home and really does have some of the best wings in the area, even better than Hooters. But why did I pass up Hooters? I best talk to the two yahoos to see about changing venues next time.
Busy you were, but it sounds as if it was fun being so busy!
Hi, Nice blog. May the new year flood your home with happiness,your heart with love, your life with fulfillment, your soul with strength, your body with good health,your mind with wisdom...and your computer with lots of ram !
Hi, Barman.
I've been pretty sick, so I'm playing catch-up here at your blog.
I think the thing your niece got you sounds WAY cool. Flashing lights AND a whistle? Score!
I, too, am enjoying your Snow Day Tune. I especially like the part about making a pot of tea. I am steeping some peppermint tea as we speak, in hopes that it helps my tummy to feel better.
Glad you're back!
xoxo
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