I'll Wish It Early

 Tomorrow may be busy, or not. If it is, I might not have time to wish everyone that visits my blog a Merry Christmas. So, I'll with it now. 

Merry Christmas to all, and though it may not be important, our forecast is for a high temperature in the seventies, heavy fog in the night, and mostly safe travelling conditions. I'll take it. It doesn't feel like the right kind of weather, but is much better than a few decades ago, when everything froze during an Arctic front, even cities had low water pressure - if any - and my ex-sister-in-law's dinner was ruined, when the thawing pipes caused the ceiling to cave in.

And if you've been bad, this is what to expect:

Remembering Part of My Past

I travel often down a highway I worked on in the early eighties. At that time, I was working on different parts of the project. Mostly I worked with the field survey crew by driving grade stakes and holding the grade rod. That, helping place driveway culverts being changed to help with drainage, and to change the profile of the ditch, which was being moved to accommodate the paving widening. 

When working with the culverts, I was considered a "pipe-layer", which is a craft description according to TxDot wage standards. That meant I would keep the cut grade for the excavator, fine grade the bottom of the trench, guide the pipe into the trench, and insure the pipe spigot belled into the downstream pipe. Since it was concrete pipe, I made sure the mastic, which we called Ram-Neck, was placed correctly and sealed the joint. 

It was hard work; mostly because our operator had bad eyesight, and couldn't complete the fine grading as required. That meant either filling too deep of a cut, or cutting too much of the hard, dry clay to achieve final grade. We eventually complained enough to have him changed out, but that was after too many days of brutal labor in the hot Summer sun. 

One afternoon, we working in front of a house that I admired. It was an old house, probably built in the forties, and well kept. The yard was enclosed by a chain link fence, the yard was mowed, and the biggest mimosa tree I've ever seen was in the back yard. Covered in pink blooms, the canopy was as wide as the house. 

While working, and old woman came outside carrying a TV tray, with a pitcher of lemonade, homemade cookies, and glasses. She told us we should have some refreshments, which we relished. We took our break, continued working, and were soon down the highway on a different driveway. She eventually retrieved her things, and we were soon far away from that location. 

It took me awhile to find the old house. It's now behind a fence grown over, the house is showing its age, and it's obvious the old woman has now passed. The charm it once had is gone, and whoever now owns it doesn't understand the amount of work required for it to reach its former condition. It's a little sad to see how it now is, but I can still remember how beautiful it was one Summer day decades ago.

How Do You Stop Fecklessness?

Although there is a substantial amount of deliberate efforts to destroy the U.S. way of life, I see more fecklessness that intent. Although some might be offended, it doesn't remove the fact that too many people are ignorant, falsely believing they're educated. and are in important positions wielding power they don't deserve. I have no solution. You can't fix stupid, and stupid is rampant. 

Things That Wake Me Up

I awoke at 2:00 am with my hip hurting. It happens occasionally, and I know why. Falling asleep on my left side can cause my right hip to hurt, which usually just requires adjusting, and sleeping on my back...but not tonight. I couldn't get comfortable, so I got out of bed and fixed a cup of coffee.  

I went out on the porch to see the stars, but there were no stars to be seen. The fog is thick at the ground, and the only thing to see is the waning crescent of the moon. Looking at it made me smile. The best description is the Cheshire Cat. Nothing to be seen, except the grin. 

So, I'll walk around awhile, wait for the pain to subside, maybe watch some television, or surf the internet. Eventually, I'll get more comfortable, and hopefully, go back to bed to sleep some more. If not, I'll wait a few hours, make breakfast, check the mouse traps in the well house, and piddle. I have some projects, with none being critical. That allows a tremendous amount of procrastination. 

Things you Forget

Yesterday, while minding my own business, and without any warning, a bee stung me on the forehead. I was wearing a cap, and something felt strange on my forehead, so I reached to feel what it was, felt something, and was instantly stung. I never saw what stung me. 

How did I know it was a bee? The stinger was still there, when I looked in the mirror. A tug with some tweezers released the barbs, and the last action of a bee was revealed. 

I've been stung many times. When I was young, the result was some alarming swelling, and a trip to the doctor when a sting on my leg left red streaks. Of all the stings, I've luckily never been stung by a hornet. From what I know, the pain is much worse, and the after-effects more severe.

This one was a little different, since I've never been stung on the forehead. After the initial burning sting, the pain was more than I've ever felt, and I can only describe as the same as being hit with a heavy object. For a few minutes, I wondered if I needed to go to an emergency room, but the pain lessened enough to ease my alarm.

I took an antihistamine, let it go to work, and took about a three hour nap. When I awoke, the ache was mostly gone, but still there enough to know I'd been stung. 

This morning, the site is still a little red, and swollen. The ache is gone, and it will probably start itching before it finally heals. I'll have to be more wary. Bees are hungry this time of the year, and can be bothersome.