I woke early this morning. it was about ten to five. I had set my alarm early so I could get a start on the day before everyone in the house was up and about. Saturday was going to be a busy day and I wanted to get a few things on my agenda accomplished; it is much more difficult to work on my agenda when they are three other agendas about! Also, I prefer the peaceful solitude of the morning to write and get organized.
Last night when I pulled into the driveway, Beth and Olivia were decorating the tree in the front yard, Ivy was staked on her tether, and I was on the phone finishing a call from my drive home. Decorating the tree is one of Beth’s holiday traditions – it is a beautiful tree when lit and lights up the front yard. It is especially beautiful after a snowfall when the yard is a pristine white and snow was forecast for late Friday night and into Saturday. It had been a long day at the end of a long week and I was looking forward to an easy Friday night and hopefully early to bed. It didn’t happen. I pitched in and helped but not before providing holiday music for the decorating from the truck and my iPod to add a bit more atmosphere. It was pleasant and we added several strands of lights. It reminded me of walking through Oakbrook Mall, an area outdoor mall, on a cool snowy night or visiting Brookfield Zoo for Zoo lights with the Christmas music in the air. It was really nice. We got the tree decorated and prepared for the coming snow: I checked the snow blower and William volunteered to start it, it started up right away. There is nothing worse than having a snow blower that does not work, especially when it has snowed. We put away boxes and decorations that we were not going to use and got the garage ready for snow and winter. After it was all done we discovered that I had run down the battery to the truck, and it was dead. We got it jump started and running before we shut down for the night.
Originally, the idea was to watch football. Beth’s alma mater, Miami University, was playing for MAC championship against NIU which is where I earned my teaching degree. I had joked earlier in the week it was going to be a family feud, but my only real care in college football is Texas A&M and to be honest, it is difficult to keep up with them this far away. We had completely forgotten about the game and came inside for the final quarter and a last minute Miami win. Miami will play in a bowl game and I suspect NIU will get an invitation as well, but to a lesser bowl. Nonetheless, it was an exciting end to a busy week.
It has been almost a week since my last post and it had been a busy week. The kids went back to school Monday knowing that Christmas break lay ahead, with only three weeks until break; it seemed exciting. Winter, at least meteorological winter, began on December 1st and snow was forecast for the weekend. There was an excitement in the school on Friday about the coming weekend as well as the closeness of the holiday. We were all glad when the bell rang to end the day and I dismissed the students. Somehow the five days we had screamed by and counted as we moved through the week.
When the alarm rang this morning and I got up, the snowplow was headed down the hill and I dressed warmly knowing that Ivy would be confused and excited about what lay outside the door. She had never seen snow before and I was not really certain what lay ahead for me and getting her to go potty. Once we were outside, she sniffed at everything trying to find a suitable place to go. It took a while, but she eventually found a place in the ivy to go potty. Ironically, that is how she got her name. Since winter has begun, it has been her favorite place to stop first thing in the morning. It took time, but we eventually came inside and she lay down and I got to get to work.
The kids are up and behind me in the basement and I need to get going. Today is gonna be a great day – even if it is not my agenda. The day counts as long as I make it meaningful and move forward; Making the Day Count on the first snowy day of the winter.