Holiday Musings

That I am sitting here in a thunderstorm the day after Christmas would seem odd to me except that it's actually been a pretty odd holiday season all the way around..By that I mean unlike any from my past.   There was no Christmas party this year, due to the infirmity of the hostess.  I did not decorate,  unless you count turning on the electric candles in the window which I never took down from last year.  Plug them in and poof -- decorated!

Christmas itself was nice, however.  I   "Face Timed" it with my daughter in Chicago and her boyfriend, an exercise in online holiday-ing which, for about two hours, felt like the real thing.  Getting to that point, however, nearly cost me my grasp on reality. I was so frustrated by getting the iPad to operate properly that I almost lost my ability to breathe.  I thought for while there that I'd need to breathe into a paper bag just to regain my equanimity.   With the help of Ron M., via phone, who suggested I make sure my WiFi router was turned on (it wasn't) and a few tweaks by daughter and boyfriend,  it worked like a charm.

Ron M. and I had decided the day before that he would seek out one of those pre-made holiday dinners that are offered by local grocery stores (turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, the basics) but when he started calling around to order one, he found that they were sold out long ago.   Hmm.... this caused a little problem.  I first decided to just forget about food altogether.  Ron could eat at his house and I'd throw something together here for myself.   However, my guilt took over and I told Ron not to worry, that I would craft a meal out of what I had in my (quite bare) fridge and pantry.  As a result, I believe that our Christmas dinner was a few notches below those being offered at the local homeless shelter.   At least the shelter offered meat!  Our dinner consisted of acorn squash and creamed peas and potatoes.   A veritable vegetarian feast!  In fact, it was good, although I still hope that the shelter did better.

Two days before Christmas, we decided to take a ride on Route 66 and look for some interesting and festive photo ops for this blog.  We started driving east, then west with little success.   Nevertheless, here are a few things we saw. These are not great photos, but they represent what we observed.

Three new storefronts, all made from rescued buildings.  It's always nice to note that tearing down the old and replacing it with the new isn't necessarily the best way.  In fact, it rarely is.  These restorations give 11th St. (Route 66) a new feeling, and yet they are also a breath of the past.

 Here's a mew mural on the side of an old building.  I am not sure what it advertises, if anything, but it adds color and eye appeal to the surroundings.

 Over on Southwest Blvd. (Route 66 across the river on the other side of  Tulsa) it appears that a new mural is being painted at the Route 66 Village.  It will accompany  the beautiful Frisco train, and the oil derrick. all symbols of the old Mother Road.

A couple of years ago, the Goodwill erected a new sign in the "googie" tradition, honoring Route 66.  This year, another one went up on  the other end of the property.  We couldn't be more delighted that Goodwill chose to  honor Route 66 twice in this way!

This is not a hill.  This is not a mountain.  This is the middle of Tulsa, just as a big, heavy pink and gray cloud rolls in.   The foreboding density of the cloud reminds us of the major storm that is predicted to arrive here the day after Christmas.  And speaking of storms, we do send our best regards to our neighbors to the south who experienced devastation by tornadoes on Christmas Day.  Our thoughts are with you.
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P.S. Here is my daughter Sarah and her boyfriend John on Christmas morning, via Face Time.  Sorry, I couldn't resist putting this up here despite  the quality.  The reflection of my camera seems to have taken over John's face.   Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!.