It looks as though Santa has already been here. 

December 17, 2012 – Monday

25 degrees

Pentoga Road

Why is it on the days when Sargie doesn’t have to work and we could sleep in, it seems both of us are out of bed much earlier than need be? Yet on those when she’s opening in the Vision Center, we’d like to slumber the day away?

I was just thinking… remember those times as a child that you awoke on a Saturday or holiday morning and initially, thought you’d have to get up for school? Then, suddenly, you’d remember it was Saturday and be able to sleep in?

I recall the feeling of unmitigated happiness and joy as I snuggled back into the sheets and closed my eyes.

Now in my retirement years, I suppose I could do that each and every morning if I wanted. Every kid’s slumber fantasy come true… sleep late; and yet, I pop out of bed every morning bright and early as if I didn’t know any better. The summers are the worse… four or five AM, sometimes earlier. The winters are a bit better, usually five or six. On a sleepy morning during the weekends, I might laze until seven.

How’s the old saying go, “It’s too bad God wastes youth on the young.” Amen.

Sunday was a lazy day for me. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about Sargie. The poor girl wrapped presents the entire day.

I started my morning with a walk. It was slushy and warm and before arriving back home, I was plodding along in a steady rain.

Some person, much braver than me, ventured out onto the lake and tried his luck ice fishing. With open water once again appearing in one of the larger local lakes, I don’t believe I’d have trusted the ice. I wonder if he caught anything?

The rest of the day was spent watching football and cheering the Packers onto victory over the Chicago Bears to win the division title. Other than a field goal kicker who is in the slump from hell, we looked pretty good. I think our Super Bowl odds are improving weekly.

I ate like a pig all day. Actually, I didn’t eat; I grazed. Sargie has more will power. I’ll place my feet on the scales after the first of the year when I begin my annual after-the-holidays diet that lasts well into the spring. It’s a yearly thing I’ve been doing for a long time and by May, I’m generally back to my summer weight.

And then there was no small amount of time spent corresponding with some of the students in my classes, several who have waited until the last minute to complete their work. I could write on and on about that particular frustrating aspect of distance teaching, but it wouldn’t be professional. I’ll simply say that it’s frustrating. Final grades are due into the university by noon on Wednesday. I love the majority of the munchkins, but it’s time they go home and I turn out the lights and lock the door of my classroom until next semester.

I’m not sure what today will bring. I need to do a load or two of laundry and clean the living room. There’s the annual Christmas letter to work on and no doubt, there’ll be a panic-stricken student who just awakened from his coma and will be asking about assignments that should have been submitted last October. There are several more ermine boxes to set out, a walk to take, and the list goes on and on. Ah, a man’s work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road…

Ice that was firm a few days ago has now turned dangerous and soft delaying the beginning of ice fishing.