poltr1 | Snowbound, Day 4.......

Here it is....day 4 of the Great While Exile. These are the days I'm happy to not be employed. Otherwise I'd have to fight through the weather and traffic.

I still have all the important utilities -- water, electricity, cable TV, and telephone. (There are no gas lines on the property.) My wife's aunt in Columbus lost her electricity. And with the bitter cold, and that it's not good for her grandparents to be out in such weather, the holiday dinner gathering there has been cancelled.

The plowing contractor has done the street, but I'm not sure about the parking lots. I haven't been outside long enough to find out. I got stuck in the parking lot on Wednesday evening trying to get in. I have a jug of cat litter ready and waiting to go into the car the next time I'm in.

As I may have mentioned, these are the times I miss my cross-country skis, which are still in storage in my parents' garage, and they're 400 miles away. If I were younger, I'd be out sledding on the mounds of snow created by the plows. Or in my snowsuit making snow-angels. And if I had a snowmobile or a 4x4, I'd probably be making a little bit of pocket money making grocery runs for people.

Snow brings out the kid in me. Yes, I hate shoveling the stuff, especially if there's ice. But the days and nights are brighter, which really helps my SAD.

browngirl, I got your cake in yesterday's mail. Thank you! It's yummy!

As for the loot, I got three DVDs -- Spider-Man 2, Young Frankenstein, and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban. (I'll have to gout and buy Shrek 2. :( ) The Wife got the super-deluxe-mondo-geekazoid version of "The Return of the King", a gift certificate to Godiva, a stuffed groundhog from the Punxsutawney Phil online gift shop, and the movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". The Girl made out like a bandit -- she got lots of toys and a few DVDs. But as we predicted, she was more interested in watching her new DVDs than opening gifts.

This is the day to be with family, either by blood, friendship, or love. Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays to all of you!