Winter and Home Fires

No, not home FRIES, that's something altogether different. Delicious, but different.

A new semester starts today, and we'll have to see what it brings. (By the way, I always get a kick out of saying that and having the person I'm talking to hesitate and then ask, "So where do you take classes?" Hee-hee - I'm on the other side of the desk, Drake! But thanks.)

Winter seems to have settled in here; well, our kind of winter. It's not Minnesota where, in the memorable words of a lighting designer I once knew, you "have to open your fridge to heat your house" in winter. But it's cold enough to make it reasonable to ignite the gas logs and there's a chance of snow later in the week. This excites me - we don't get much snow; usually just some nasty freezing rain or sleet. I like snow. Snow's pretty and soft and doesn't cause power outages, so it's a lot easier to stay at home, since small Southern towns only sort of have snowplows and WAY too many people think they can drive in snow (and no one, repeat no one, can drive in sleet and ice. Shame to dent up that Hummer proving that fact).

The other night, I was due at some friends' house to attend the annual Christmas Tree Burn - what began as a modest event has snowballed (smirk!) into a massive bonfire involving literally hundreds of dried-out Christmas trees. This year was going to be much smaller - another side effect of the ongoing drought - but I didn't make it at all, due to other obligations here. So I had my own version involving a metal firepit and one of those pre-packaged, guaranteed-to-burn fire logs. Just me and some contemplation about where I've been, where I am and where it looks as if I'm heading.

I highly recommend it.