Early Christmas

Today, upon entering my computer, I found that behind one of the tabs there was a small gift box with a red ribbon around it, just waiting for me to hit "enter".  I'm a patient person, the type who could, if asked, save my Christmas gifts for next year, but this one was carrying a message:

 "They say to open me now", it whispered.

I'm also pretty much a person who plays by the rules, so I did open it.

Wow.  It's a Christmas greeting from many, many miles away, in a far country where once upon a time I lived. It's from a friend.  It says that I make him laugh, that my blog is awesome, that I master writing. It even says that my internet connection is amusing. (It is! It's a six foot antenna on top of a barren mountain.)  And then it ends in saying that I should remember that I'm just the best.    Just like that.

Really, with that kind of a lovely holiday present, I would not care much if I got the flu for Christmas. Or find coal in my stocking.  Though I've been trying to be good.

I did not make this illustration. I don't know who did. It's just so pretty.

Maybe Santa won't strike me down for sharing it.  Just trying to spread beauty, today.

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It's better, now. Much better.

And it wasn't all that bad to begin with, the day I wrote about in the last entry here. It was just not as perfect as a normal day in this wonderful piece of land we have been given. Or, rather, we paid for it, but somebody made this desert, and they were good to us...

It was a good chunk of the day off the ranch, and in town. It was a bit snowy, and I wanted to get some gas in my car before we got snowed in. The internet was down, and I brought the laptop to mooch on some open channel in town. It was also the last day to pay the property taxes, so I had to go to the bank. (That's part of the downed internet.)

Then all these things were nipping at me:
Line at the bank. Didn't find what I needed at the store. Laptop battery failing miserably. Gas gauge sinking low. Personal needs. Maybe an itch on my back, too, and I couldn't reach it. Nothing went right.

So it wasn't like I got rear-ended or something. But it was not comfortable. I was glad to get home.

Days later I'm looking at my post below, and realize that my writings didn't get posted, nor saved. I'm adding that to the day that was for the most part an emotional blah.

Today is cold and sunny and gorgeous, and I'm looking at the ranch chores as a wonderful gift to me. Thank you, universe.

 The picture is one I took in monsoon season, from the back of the house.  Pretty!

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One of those days.

Holiday parties galore!

It's the time to be merry and happy and jolly, and to get out of the house and shake the cabin fever with the cheerful company of family and friends. It's Christmas party time!

I do like Christmas. Being of Viking ancestry, and for nature's good reason, I like even more the brief celebration of Winter Solstice.  It's called "first day of winter" here, but more importantly, to me, it's the longest night of the year, and then it gets lighter again!   Yeay!   Sure it gets colder, but I can live with that; just give me more of the sunlight!

Meanwhile I'm just trying to find suitable clothes for parties, with cute themes, or without. There seems to be a party most every day of this month. Tomorrow there is a 1920's one. I'll post a picture. Of myself. Maybe.

What I'm trying to say, perhaps, is that there is some pressure, pressure to be cheery, and to be dressed in Santa hats or whatever, and I'm also just trying to keep up with the regular chores and trying not to freeze when I change to party clothes from my grubby but warm ranch wear.