Work is all said and done. At Western we are released from our obligations, at least this year, on Friday December 21st. Then to save money and give employees time to celebrate the holidays the University just closes down until the day after New Years. It’s a benefit that doesn’t really get a lot of play until you are in the thick of it and then realize just how fortunate you are to have something that nice that you can take advantage of.

So, for the next gaggle of days there isn’t work to be done. So I can concentrate on being at home and resting and relaxing, which naturally means that I’m going to be a jungle-gym for affectionate felines. It’s not that bad either. 🙂 One thing that I have discovered is that I’ve got bad addresses for lots of my family, so if you don’t get a Christmas card, it’s not because I’m daft or ignorant, it’s because I had a bad address and sent the card willy-nilly off into the ether, and they’ll probably eventually come back undeliverable. I don’t know whether to just edit them and send them back out when they start coming in with good addresses or just do my best to the family that moved next year. We spent about $50 in stamps, money well spent I think because we love sending out Christmas cards every year, except for the gaggle of returns that flood back around the 27th and 28th. If you are online, I’ll try to reach you and let you know that next year our list will be better.

Amongst all the cards we get, the cute ones, the beautiful ones, and the sappy ones there are a few loaded with pictures of my adorable and beautiful family scattered all about. Specifically I received the card from Steven and Lacy, and in it is a picture of Peyton. I treasure these pictures and I keep them in places where I will always see them and think about all of these beautiful wonderful children that grace our family. On the fridge in our kitchen, the heart of our house we have Peyton’s baby pictures as well as Xander and Jackson. On my phone I have Odin and Leif, Aiden, Ashton, and Ethan. It warms my heart to see them all, I just wish the distance wasn’t so very profound between us all.

Winter has come to the lower part of Michigan, at least in terms of violent winds, proper temperatures, and the appropriate precipitation, finally. The ground is still way too warm for any snow to accumulate but the grass doesn’t mind holding a record of what little fell in the previous night. I’m holding out hope that we have a white Christmas instead of a brown or green one. It may not be that the weather is really that damaged after all, but one thing I can say beyond a doubt is that the seasons are shifting. Winter is coming late and staying way into where Spring should arrive, and then Summer comes in a hurry and lasts far too long itself. It’s like the entire seasonal dial is off by about fifteen to twenty degrees of rotation. My fear is that it just gets worse, or even more disastrous, that we miss Spring and Fall altogether and it just becomes a battle between Winter and Summer. Only time will tell, so we’ll have to wait and see, perhaps there will be a saving grace that the environment can play to help keep us safe, even from ourselves.