White Thanksgiving

 

     I used to live in South Carolina; Charleston, to be exact. Beautiful city. Summa' the homes have the taste of Old-World Southern Mansion to 'em. I really liked it there, but I've liked pretty much everywhere I've ever lived. We lived there 'bout a year; maybe a little longer. Until I moved to South Dakota, Charleston was the closest thing to feelin' like home, to me. Dunno' why.

     I recall the year I was in seventh grade. From the get-go, there were surprises. I had lived previously in Maine, where snow was just  a way of life; kinda' like the Dakotas. In Maine, the snow could be ten feet deep an' life went on like always. Stores opened, kids went to school, business din't really change all that much.

     Things are different in South Carolina. In fact, I woke up one mornin', shortly before Thanksgiving an' was thrilled to see snow on the ground. I was a kid; that's what kids do. Everything was covered in that thin layer of white that, in some places, might almost seem like frost. The locals seemed to think it had snowed durin' the night. A full quarter-inch of snow had been recorded at the weather bureau.

     7:00 in the mornin' an' there was a knock on the door. Our next door neighbor was wrapped tightly in her robe, hair still showin' pillow-friendly signs an' teeth chattering. Even before we could invite her in, Mrs. LeBeau was talkin' a mile a minute. The panic in her voice was unmistakable. She din't know what to do. Should she send her son to school or keep him home? It was snowing, after all.

     I recall the difficulty that my mama had in keeping a straight face. She was a veteran driver in ALL circumstances. It took her awhile to realize that the locals were not used to driving on slippery roads. While she tried to calm our neighbor, she casually turned the radio on to listen to the weather report. Before long, we heard the news that would be the final word in calming Mrs. LeBeau; all schools would be closed until further notice, due to unsafe driving conditions. That was Monday, before Thanksgiving. It snowed again, that night an' the next. I sure wasn't complainin'; I was a kid an' school was out, unexpectedly.

     We din't hafta' return to school until the Monday following Thanksgiving. Only time I ever recall havin' a full week off for Thanksgiving. Truth be told, it was a sorry time for a vacation; we din't even have enough snow to build a miniature snowman. Sure makes me glad that I live where I do; where snow falls for real.

     Let's hope we all get a week's vacation for Thanksgiving, this year, but not for the same reason. Otherwise, we might never dig outta' the snow.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

     Until the next time, keep a hug on.

 ~ Yaya

On The Eighth Day of Christmas

     Imagination!  What a wonderful invention imagination is.  You know, if I were going to invent something, I think that's what I would go with.  Why, with imagination, one can go places where pure logic just won't take you.  Aren't we lucky as humans to have been blessed with the ability to imagine ourselves creative?  Did you know that a Bumble Bee cannot fly?  Its true.  The Bumble Bee's body is much too large for his tiny little wings to carry him.  Fortunately, no one has apparently spoiled the fun by informing the clever Bumble Bee, so he flies, anyway.

     We are like that.  Humans have the wonderful ability to see things for what they can be, not necessarily for what they are.  Take, for instance, logs.  Let's say you have three log pieces of different widths, but close to the same size.  Paint each of those three log pieces white.  Let dry.  Then, on the bottom one, use a softened blue color to paint the effect of snow.  Paint a black spot, as if it were coal, right in the center.

  For the next, slightly smaller log, paint something akin to the neck and hanging scarf and another chunk of coal.  The smallest log, being the head, will have a hat and a face.  Use your imagination and give your snowman a totally unique personality.

     I don't know who made this, but someone gave me a gift years ago that I adore.  I hope its okay to post a picture, as it was not made by me.  Mine are done with three different-sized round boxes and I believe they were a product of one of the candy manufacturers.

As you can see in the pictures, the last process is to stack your snowman so he looks properly put together.  Can't you just see how charming this would look under the Christmas tree?

Keep a hug on.