Merry Christmas!
I tried to get my family to reconsider the tradition of getting up at six to open stockings, but they won out. And it was fine and wonderful and great, as it always is. I received some nice pens and dried fruit and candy and socks, which are some of the Finer Things in life. My mom has pneumonia and Hannah is trying to not get it, and the high was 8 degrees Fahrenheit today, but no snow, which are some of the Fouler Things in life. All in all, a very happy Christmas, and we are sitting around enjoying gifts and games (I beat my dad at Squabble, Rach) and new CDs and each other.
When I get back to Chattanooga, you are all invited to come watch a movie at my place, because my dad gave me some surround-sound speakers - yay!
I also need to note that the stretch of Hwy 52 that you drive on to get from I-75 in Kentucky to where the Lapishes live is one of the prettiest little pieces of rural highway you could wish for. When I traveled west on it last Saturday at 10ish PM, there were no city lights, but the sky was cloudy and simultaneously bright with stars and moon. Bright enough to make the sparsely vegetated hills bordering the road stand out starkly against the light - very eerie, and beautiful. I almost drove off the road several times because it took my breath away. At one point I almost pulled over to see if Elves would pass, going West with a sad song.
And then travelling back on Wednesday, it was one of those drearily livid days, where the loveliness of the earth is in its bleakness. Every now and then a strong ray of sunlight would come out of nowhere and bring out a tall naked birch in its silver skin as it stood against a background of nondescript reddish-brown hardwoods. It made me want to cry.
Posted by tuggy at 12.25.04 21:40