A White Christmas

Look at my Tires!

Now look at your tires.

Now look at my tires again.

Now look at your tires.

Now look outside.

I’m not riding a horse. I’m writing a blog.

Wish you were me?

Probably not, if you are a regular reader of this blog. But far too many people have it far worse off than I as my wife and I work through our own difficulties. Many have been struck by tragedy this holiday season, even today, and I am sure many prayers are going out to them.

Snow tires in this season of white may prevent tragedies small or large for yourselves also. I have heard they are required by law in Germany.  Alois…?

We will be strapped financially for many months to come. My weight is going up as it does every Winter and I just don’t know how I will be able to swing getting a trainer. The good news is any workout starts burning abdominal fat right away, or so the radio told me… That reminds me to get out of my rocking chair and sit on the exercise ball as the seemingly insignificant efforts at staying balanced work your core continuously.

Yes our difficulties are small here in the United States even in this financial disaster that not only my family but all of us are facing. Still I would have to put myself easily in the top 10% in the world financially.

Where is that one person who could say, if the idea ever came to their mind, that they are the number one worst off person in existence here on this earth? Where is that person who could say no one has it worse off than they? My money would be on North Korea.

Merry Christmas. Peace on Earth and Goodwill Towards All Men.

Tis the Season

As the days grow short and the year comes to an end I got a few bucks together and treated our peach tree with a pump sprayer. Really the only way you should treat something as large as a tree. Fortunately the weather was warm enough this late in the season. I hope I didn’t poison myself getting a bit of blow back in my face. The wind just swirls there in the back corner of our yard. Afterwards I clearly labeled the sprayer as it should be dedicated to a single product. You don’t want to mix potentially dangerous chemicals.

The holiday season is truly the most wondrous time of the year. Thanksgiving was followed by the failure of the alternator on our vehicle. After replacing that we were hit with two large financial responsibilities, not to mention Misao’s Christmas shopping binge. At least that is almost complete.

On the heals of meeting those financial demands with $0.26 available in the bank and $18 in my pocket our furnace stopped working. Fortunately my brother has a ‘Furnace Guy’ and we didn’t need any money upfront for that.

This past weekend my mother called us very early in the morning and we rushed over to take her to the emergency room. The doctor said she has a touch of pneumonia. I am not sure if that is the same as a pinch of the plague or perhaps a smidgen of shingles.

That night on the way out to our sales route we blew a front tire and I couldn’t get the spare to drop from underneath; frozen in rust. Thank goodness for AAA. Decided to get four snow tires on a line of credit. I also need to get the suspension repaired.

But I have completely recovered from my surgery. I had several masses removed, all part of my weight loss program. The bills started coming in with the first Christmas cards.

It looks like the prospect of purchasing a trainer this Winter is getting slimmer by the day. I’ll just have to rely on the gym if I can get there. I am having trouble adjusting the brakes on my road bike, they drag. We do exercise a bit in the evenings, usually while watching TV and I can always walk the energy crazed furry thing that torments me all day long called ‘Ike’; AKA our dog.

He doesn’t approve of my characterization.

The weather has been favorable for Winter bike riding but my days have been too hectic. We have hit a record for consecutive days without snow and it grows each day. Having bought snow tires this year the probability that we will have a snowless Winter has increased dramatically. I would say I am dreaming of a white Christmas but I would just be called a racist.

It was a few years back when we were coming home in a bit of a snow storm and a gust of wind swept our van perpendicular to the road. My wife screamed and shuddered as a calmly spun the steering wheel into the spin then back the other way as we swung in the other direction. repeating the process twice more, bringing our vehicle under my complete control I continued on down the expressway never giving it a second thought as Misao hyper-ventilated in tiny screeches. Clearly I did not need to buy snow tires but such displays of my steely nerve and unmatched skill and talent in most everything I do I consider extremely vain and unbecoming.

Funny because it is all true. I have to struggle to keep myself from rolling on the floor in laughter as I proof read my post. I am grateful to be rid of those pesky skin tags and for the spirit and wonder of the season.

Merry Christmas!