Wintertime In Dublintown

 Winter in Central Iowa in the 1950's was exciting. As a youngster I didn't have to shovel my own walk but I could walk around town and do the walks of others for money. The first winter of the year meant the possibility of no school. Regardless, we'd put on our courdery pants and tuck the cuffs into our black galoshes, buckle 'em up, and romp around town. Do they even sell galoshes, anymore?

Yesterday the first snowfall hit Dublin, Ohio. We'd had some snow a few weeks ago but it melted in two days. Our snow began yesterday morning as flurries then around two o'clock it came fluttering to earth with each flake the size of quarters. It was pretty. Wrong, I forgot it's the 21st Century. It was awesome.

Last evening I took Charlie out for a walk. We drove to the back of Muirfield Village and walked the paths. Two mothers were there pulling their toddlers on sleds. I congratulated them on being wonderful moms. Hey, there's nothing like giving a compliment. Anyway, it was snowing and I peered at the streetlights as the snow came down as a backdrop. At that instant two deer appeared, digging into the ground for roots. Charlie spied them and took off running. The deer, in turn, ran. I don't know why. Did they think this 20 lb. piece of fluff was going to rip them to shreds? Charlie is one of those wonderful protectors of man who will bark at anything moving then put on the brakes if they appear to be a threat. He's a lot like me in that he has an alligator mouth and a hummingbird butt. 

This morning Chaz and I were out on the walkpath again. The pathways were relatively free of ice and snow but still treacherous. I was wearing my radio headset listening to Glenn Beck who had on as his guest the Rev. Franklin Graham. Graham was asked if he was disappointed in the results of the election. The Reverend responded with, "No, I'm thankful we had him for four years to do all the things he promised." Isn't that nice; making lemonade out of lemons. So, I convinced my self to become more positive. It was magically, at this very moment, Charlie walked onto the snow covered grass and did his thing. Without snow it can be tedious picking up the mess out of the grass. But with snow it was retrieved quite easily. That's when I realized Dr.Graham was correct. It doesn't matter if it's a president of BM. We have to look on the bright side.

Speaking of Bill Murray--------I know but I'm taking literary privilege here. Last night I watched the classic film starring Murray titled Scrooged. We all know it's a take off on the classic, A Christmas Story, but done in a hilarious way. I believe, and I may be wrong, that when people think of Murray Saturday Night Live pops into their mind. That's too bad. Murray is an actor of many talents. He's funny and almost addictive in his acting be it from the film Stripes or Groundhog day but two of my most favorite of his films are of a serious nature; Lost in Translation co-starring Scarlett Johansson and St. Vincent. If you've never seen the latter you should. It's heart warming and teaches life lessons(Summary:A young boy whose parents have just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic war veteran who lives next door.

 Enough preaching on my part. Watch his films and I don't mean the goofy ones. Besides, what else of a positive nature can one do when stuck in the house due to four inches of snow?

So, here I sit in Dublin, Ohio looking out of my man cave window with the snow coating the branches. It's more than pretty and reminds me of the old days as a kid growing up in Boone. Hah! Tricked you didn't I? There is nothing that will compare to being a kid again.