Of Ice cicles and Jack Frost~~~

Yes Darklings!

Icecicles!!!  I thought that was something you'd find in the mountains in winter but there they were hanging from the back eaves of my back porch.

It seems there was some run off of sorts, and then we had a deep freeze and voila! Icecicles!  I had to wake Sis and Doyle to show them, and then I looked into the garden and there was deep frost over everything, like a frozen white blanket.

I have no idea if any of the plants, even the protected ones are damaged or killed by the frost, but there it was.

Poor Belladonna and Wiener Dog they did NOT want to go down to the patio and do their business,  we had to gently persuade them and then quickly warm up their paws, and we had their heavy coats on them too. 

But looking at the frost and everything I was reminded of that line from that song "...Jack Frost nipping at your nose..." 

So Sis and I were out in the back garden looking at things and then we looked up and saw a white frosting of frost on the roofs, almost like a very thin layer of snow that one would see in Christmas cards.  The front yard also had a coating of frost as well, in a strange way we were enjoying it, as cold as it is, it does feel like a Christmas should. 

Eventually the sun will melt it off and it's wetness will go (I hope) into the ground.  Doyle finally called us in to get warm with coffee and just as I was walking up the back stairs to the kitchen one of the ice ciles fell off with a serious sounding "thunk!"  Belladonna and Wiener Dog had to check it out, the looks on their faces..."What is this cold wet hard thing??  It smells strange.  Why are our humans so excited about it?"  Then Wiener Dog solved the matter by raising his back leg and marked it in his own male doggy way and Belladonna seemed to approve and they both trotted into the warm kitchen looking for their breakfast as far as they were concerned the situation was under control and food was on their collective mind.

Dogs and little children seem to know the situation best.

I have today off, which is good so I can make plans for the Christmas Party, we know what we are going to have, and the date is set, invites have been sent out with the suggestion of Victorian Dress. 

Mostly I'm just making sure everything that will be needed is in place and also to see if there is anything else that needs to be added.  I've made arrangements for my cleaning service to come in the day before for a quick brush up.

We are going to have Coralline again this weekend starting on Friday, my Brother and Sister-in-law are going to send the Boys over to my Sister-in-Laws mother's house so they can do the Christmas Shopping for the children's gifts.  Mine is already done, the advantage of being able to go to work and have good stores to shop in nearby, and mail order, although I had to hide them in the upstairs storage room with the door locked so they won't find it.

One thing I started years ago, but I also got permission from my Boss was to have packages delivered to where I work, that way it avoided the possible front porch theivery that has been happening especially lately.  It is something I do suggest to all you Darklings if you do mail order and to let the mail room know about it as well or whomever receives mail or materials from Fed Ex, UPS or DHL or other couriers.  It does save headaches and heartaches.

Christmas is both an exciting and quiet time of year, exciting if you are a child or a harrassed parent, and quiet if you live alone and family is far away.   It is what one makes of it, but it should never be a sad time.  I know a couple that are about my age, maybe just a little older.  They had no children, and each were only children themselves (that is their parents did not have other children),  they met, both sets of parents had passed away so they were alone, they both worked, have a nice modest house, but the Holidays when they were first married was hard on them until they resolved to not have the holidays be a lonely time for them.

They looked for seasonal events to enjoy which perked their spirits up, looked into things to do and eventually joined several organizations that were into historical and period events and preservation, they told me they had to look outside of themselves and their personal lives, to reach out, by doing that they found that the holidays did not have to be a lonely time.  But I asked them "What do you do on the actual Holiday?"  Meaning Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years.  

And they told me "We start the Day with the exception of 4th of July, with Church, we go to a service to help put us into the proper mood,  being Catholic we will do with Easter and Christmas several services,  There is a late night Easter vigil mass that we attend, and then the next day Easter Sunday we attend the daytime mass as well,  we know of several places that have breakfast, and we have already made reservations for Easter Dinner too, but the Missus also has desert waiting at home.  Depending upon the weather we go for a walk at one of the formal gardens and enjoy the blooms to revive our spirits.   And then in the evening with desert we'll watch a film that has religious meaning,  last time it was "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"  a fun film.

For 4th of July, that is picnic time, but we dash early to see a 4th of July parade, we have our chairs and such and coffee and donuts, and it can be chilly in the morning so a blanket,  then a picnic on the beach followed by a tour at one of the historic military sites or we may reverse that depending upon time.  Dinner is always out at one of the nicer places. 

Thanksgiving (he told me) well that is very speical, we decorate the house with little things for Fall and then we volunteer at one of the charitible Food Kitchens and help out,  as a matter of fact we do it on a regualr basis but on Thanksgiving we make sure we're there.  Then later we have our dinner and watch "Miracle on 34th Street".   The days following we go all out to decorate the outside for Christmas, our neighbors son helps us.

And during the Christmas season we'll over the the years we've come across various events to attend the organizations we're members of offer speical events, but on Christmas Eve we attend Midnight Mass and then the following Morning a morning Mass, and once again we volunteer at the Food Kitchen, we're never alone.  
There are little things we do, Toys for Tots, Dickens Faire, and then the October fests and Harvest Festivals, all kinds of little things. 

But New Years, we'll that is speical for us as well New Years Eve if there is a Dance on the USS Hornet we attend that in period attire, and welcome the new year in,  The following Day we go to morning Mass, we have breakfast out and we have made reservations for dinner, again depending upon the weather we see what might be open to see, sometimes its a speical event at a museum, or something.  But we alway keep ourselves busy and do things so we are always never alone, even helping out at charity events.  We're older now so we do have to pace ourselves but even though we don't have family or children, sometimes the world needs folks like us to just be there."

I was surprised by their sense of purpose but then I could see what it is that they are doing,  to never look inward but always outward.

Later Darklings