Tis the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature is stirring.
Except for my dog, who's asked me politely like seven times to please go to bed.
Okay it's 2 am, just finished my gifts, I am so full of Irish Cream and Joyce's Christmas Eve feast, I think I can be canned and put on the shelf till next year.
I can hear my dad snoring upstairs.
I left the tree on for me, while I type this. Mainly because this is my childhood home and lately something’s have taken a bit longer to savor than others.
Is there a star or an angel on top of your tree?
I just made pillow cases for newlyweds.
Okay, I'll have to go backwards here in the chain of events, because today I saw Jess. And she looked beautiful, and oh how I hate that Jess of mine. She's gorgeous isn't she? Then I saw Derian, and she made my heart patter too.
Pattering, that's what you do when you drive across countless mountain ranges to see family. And it's not about best behavior anymore I just like being here.
Mom can make herself laugh until she cries, which makes everyone else really happy.
Dad, I know, has spent every moment he can in the basement tying flies, which makes me happy.
Maggie, is ravishing, and I love her old confident sway, in her new york threads.
Beth is off getting a tan, can you believe she's missing all this?
I drove across the west with Matt, and yes I did have to buy snow chains in Taos. No amount of my Native Colorado Snow Skill would coax my truck up that hill. Three inches of packed, snow so slide we did. Have you ever seen a dog worry? It's funny but I only decided after the fourth time sliding back down the hill, pleading to who? the truck? or my own stupidity, please please please DO NOT slide into the ditch. to finally roll into a gas station to ask for chains.
Chains are hot.
I love chains.
Do you know with chains you can make Mean-Snow-Machine out of a lil' empty 2x4 pickup truck? mmmmm go Truck! The local Lloyd stuffed himself, Friday ambitions, the long neck bottles of beer at the bar and all, under the rear wheel of my truck. You gotta make sure the open end of the chain faces out he warned, only about seven times, I love this I love men who love to explain things to me in the gentlest, most precise way they can. Oh how Lloyd made my evening.I assured him each time, that I would never do such a thing, as to position the open end of my chains towards my GoodYears, for fear of puncturing the steal belted beauties.He looked at me a little, maybe it was the aggressive cowgirl bandanna holding back the flattened wad of hair, or the giant carhart coat that matched the truck and the dog inside.
*poof*
Lloyd had mentioned he'd already been out with the boys.
Lloyd was a local.
He had a handle bar mustache, and wore a big fleece jacket, which suggested, he wasn't much of a skier. Lloyd drove a pick up truck too, that's about as much as we had in common, because when I mentioned, oh I am a carpenter too, well, I may as well have told him I like to get drunk at pubs and pick up women too! Either way, I felt stupid for telling him, because I should have just stoked the
mighty chivalry fire, it just seemed more his old fashioned speed. Sorry Lloyd. I shook his hand when he was finished and thanked him sincerely. Then to my surprise he turned my hand over and kissed it. I think this was the part where I was supposed to curtsy, and get back into my wagon, and drive my mule team over Donner Pass.
So I did.
Up at Matt's house.It began to snow just as soon as I placed the first log on the fire. No this isn't a cheesy Christmas Story, it really did. Little flakes, which as I could see had happened recently before, there was a six foot snow drift in front of the kitchen window. The snow was all I needed, I stepped outside, and took a walk with the dogs. I really like it here. When I am here I wonder why I go any place else. I love my chains, the fire place, stinging cold nose, and sleeping under 5 blankets.
You can't be cold, Franz said.
Of course I'm not!
It's an angel.
That's what's on the tree.
Goodnight tree

and I wanted you to know, that I've been talking to strangers.