Christmas is Coming!!

Christmas brings lots of good things! 

Well, Mother Nature brought us a white Christmas and then some.  My little city had 6" dumped on us last weekend.  And I loved it!! 

 I'm so happy that I now have a really nice neighbor.  I shoveled his walk and mine in the morning, then he shoveled both at lunch.  Well, it was still snowing, so I shoveled both in the afternoon and then he shoveled for the last time around supper.  Lots of snow and lots of shoveling, but it's so beautiful...and it is Ohio after all.  We're sort of used to this.


Maggie loves the snow even more than I do.  So we spent most of these snow days playing Frisbee outside until I get so cold I can't stay out anymore.

I know she's covered in lots of hair, but for crying out loud, you'd think she'd get cold sometime...hahaha
The only thing that will bring her in willingly is when she gets snow balls stuck in her toes and the pads of her feet. 



Christmas Spirit at Work

I saw something last week that warmed my heart.  Something I haven't been able to stop thinking of.  I was in a line of bumper to bumper cars in the mall area...lots of Christmas shoppers.  Traffic wasn't traveling very fast.
  

This was a weekday and the roads were packed with cars.  Anyway, we were stopped at a light and I was in the inside lane.  I noticed an elderly man on the side of the road by the curb.  He was sitting in an old lawn chair in the snow with a sign.  I couldn't read the sign except for the word "food". 

We had been stopped at a light and when the traffic  started moving again, a truck in the curb lane stopped, holding up all the cars behind him, and waited as the man struggled to get out of the chair.  With a cane to help him, he hobbled over to the truck and I saw the person in the truck hand him some money, oblivious to the traffic he was holding up.  As he slowly moved his truck forward, the car behind him stopped and did the same thing.  My lane was moving but I could see this happening in my rear view mirror.  My chest filled with so much emotion...I wish I could have been in the curb lane...or thought to just get out of my car and give him something to help. 

I see this on TV, homeless people in the big cities, and I understand how great the need is.  And I know our little town has homeless people but they're not out in the open where we're reminded every day that our community isn't doing enough.  This elderly gentleman and the good Samaritans who were compelled to help has stuck with me.  I hope the next time, I'll be in a position to help too.  It was truly Christmas spirit at work and it warmed my heart.

But I live in Ohio...

Within just a matter of days, our temps rose, the snow melted and it began to rain...and rain...and rain.  More than 3" of rain fell in one day, which for most people wouldn't mean much.  But for those of us around the Blanchard River...it means another, yes another, flood.  So as I type this, I'm waiting to hear how many roads are closed, how far over the banks the river has gone, how high will it be when it finally crests overnight tonight, and most important to me personally...I keep listening for my sump pump to kick back on.
This is a picture of our little town a few years back after a devastating flood.  Looking at this, maybe you can understand why the locals get a little antsy whenever a major rain is forecast...especially when there's 5" of snow to melt and run into the river too. 

And next week, temps in the 20's?  That can only mean freezing flood waters.  But then I live in NW Ohio, I'm sort of used to it...sigh.



Quotes of the Day:

A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water. - Carl Reiner

Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn't come from a store. - Dr. Seuss

 

Weather forecast for tonight: Dark. Continued dark overnight, with widely scattered light by morning. ~ George Carlin