Change of Plans

The storm raged, the wet wood wouldn't catch in the stove and the house was freezing, I'd sent out the word that our Christmas would be postponed.  I was set up perfectly for a day of wallowing in self-pity.

Down in the barn, I changed the routine in that Sheila and Inga had been spooked by my neighbor's yowling cat the day before and had not been milked.  Instead of letting them all out at once and waiting for the girls to come back one at a time, they stayed confined until I'd finished each one until only Inga and Tessie were left in the big room.  Those two got into a fight, bashing each other into the walls hard enough to shake the barn.  Since Tessie, with her unicorn horn, brings a knife to a fistfight, they had to be separated while Ruth was on the stand.

Slogging through mud and rain and soaked to the skin by the time I got back to the house, all I could think of was Eloise, the little girl who lived at The Plaza Hotel.  I wanted a doorman.  I wanted room service.  I wanted a thermostat!  Oh, poor pitiful me.

Finally the fire was blazing and barn coat and bibbies were hung on chairs to drip dry in front of the stove and I settled in to concentrate on bemoaning my fate.  Interrupted by the doorbell, there was my friend Tom who had driven all the way out from town to bring a plate of stollen (he makes the best stollen ever) and his cheerful smile.  His visit certainly ratcheted up my spirits.  A warm hug will do that every time.

I did try to recover my down-spiraling mood, but it wasn't the same.  As I have found at other times in my life, it is too darned depressing to stay depressed.  It came to me that, much as I would have liked to believe, this wasn't all about me.  My Kids were also deprived of their family Christmas and were as disappointed as I.  Speaking with all of them throughout the day, I found that Clay and Susan were sick and wouldn't have been able to come.  When the purpose is to be all together, that alone would have put a damper on the festivities.  We hadn't cancelled Christmas, only postponed it.  From there on, it was easy to count the many, many blessings of my life.

Gearing up in dry, warm bibbies and coat to put the kids to bed, I found my watch cap was still soaked.  (Note to self:  put all wet clothing in front of the stove when it's raining.)

After a short hiatus, the storm has struck again this morning, wind howling and rain beating.  Change of plans today; no pity party.  It all comes down to "take what you get and be glad that you got it."  I am really a very happy woman with all the riches of family and friends.  (But no thermostat.)