Odds and Ends for a Winter's Day

Photo by Nicolai1971 from PxHere

For many Americans Christmas is over. The decorations have come down, the beautiful lights are turned off for another year and life returns to a sort of boring sameness for many.

While down in Maryland I experienced this first hand, Tuttle seemed to be straining at the bit to take down the tree, turn off the lights, and, ya know, get back to "normal." (As Uncle Skip is wont to say, whatever that term means.)

I couldn't fault the lad, I mean it is his house, we were just visiting. Also the grandsons needed room to play with the many new toys they received along with the old favorites. The front of Tuttle's and The Nuke's domicile is what they call a sun room. I will sometimes call it the porch, but properly speaking that's adjacent to the sun room.

In the sun room.
OAFS Photo

No, the boys didn't play with that EV indoors, it was made clear to them that that was most definitely an "outdoor toy." They understood, well Roberto did, Finnegan is at an age where he just goes with the flow.

A while back the topic of "Grandpa Man" was discussed. I did some searching around the web, seems there isn't a big call for action figures representing overweight elderly bald chaps. Well, a colleague at work suggested that a certain Captain Underpants would fit the bill as a stand in for Grandpa Man.

Roberto with Grandpa Man (aka Captain Underpants)
OAFS Photo

I should confess at this point that the original Grandpa Man, er, Captain Underpants still resides at Chez Sarge. (I am the original Grandpa Man!) The day we headed south we were about 40 miles down the road when it struck me ...

YHS: Where is Grandpa Man? Did you pack him?

TMH: No, I thought you did.

Neither of us checked the manifest to ascertain if Grandpa Man had actually boarded. He had not. While I blame myself (a little) for this mishap, The Missus Herself and her need to "put things away" must shoulder the majority of the burden for Grandpa Man missing movement.¹

I had left him on the dining room table which, as you must know, isn't where he "belonged." So he was put away where I wouldn't see him during the pack out. Yes, I'm still a bit miffed about that. But we managed to recover.

A quick call to The Nuke and she went to Amazon to get another. He was successfully delivered on Christmas Eve. Crisis averted. I mean I told Roberto that he would get Grandpa Man for Christmas.

And so he did.

I'm still in the doldrums with this bloody cold but slept rather better Thursday night. I'll give it until Monday before I seek professional medical opinions. Going to the doctor is a right pain in the keister these days.

So I'm laying low, watching the weather as it looks as if we shall be getting some snow on Sunday. Lovely.

The weather boffins say it's the first "significant" snow of the season (we had maybe a wet dusting back in late November/early December, so they had to add the word "significant.")

It's the normal forecast for this area, could be a "covering" (which could be two to four inches) or more. Up to twenty inches is one figure I heard.

But living on the coast the weather will do odd things, many storm tracks will push somewhat inland, where it's colder, and dump more snow, whereas along the coast we will occasionally just get rain. Rain does not normally have to be shoveled, just don't tell this guy ...

But yeah, what leaves are left are brown, it's rather chilly and to tell the truth, these kind of days always take me back to this song.

And before you jump up on the soap box for a rant about California, to me it ain't the place which is a mess, it's the people who made it that way. Gorram politicians can't be trusted, can't be relied upon to do anything other than line their own pockets. Yes, there are exceptions, I know one personally, but for the most part, if the politicians are around, hide your wallets!

I leave you with this ...

(Source)

There is hope, do not despair.

¹ Article 87 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ): Any person subject to this chapter who through neglect or design misses the movement of a ship, aircraft, or unit with which he is required in the course of duty to move shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.