A Winter's Solstice

Some of us write

Some of us dream
Some of us sing
Some of us see  through the flash
  of a camera's lens.

Some of us view
  the sun rise
Some of us marvel
 at the sun set
Some of us listen to the chirps
 and clucks in nature's songs.
Some of us listen to winds whistling
 the changing of seasons.


Some of us greet each day with a
  sun salutation.

Some of us bow our heads in
  Thanksgiving for another day.
Some of us count our blessings in the
  love of friends,
  the beauty of God, and
  the nurturing of our family.

Some answer, "I do."

Ice Cream for Birthdays

Ice Cream is perhaps the single most deliciously satisfying food  available most anywhere within walking distance in the Midwest.  When I coached high school girls golf in Oklahoma I could always find the golf course and after 18 holes of competitive golf I could sniff out  a Braums or Dairy Queen without a map or GPS.  So, yes, ice cream soothes the soul ever so sweetly.  Black Friday found the Watt family celebrating in Madison, Wisconsin in an ice cream store filled with colorful containers of pinks, oranges, turquoise,  and green ice cream, along with a few traditional flavors such as Moose Tracks and Rocky Road.  

Isaac loves his colorful ice cream.

Jack's big birthday weekend with his sons was a delicious celebration for all of us.  In our attempt to practice for retirement we slept late, at least till 7am, and took it easy gathering ourselves for the day.  A long walk through the tree laden streets of Madison with Isaac, Ann, Mike, Matt, gave us an excuse to take a second walk up Midvale to a corner shopping area where we first enjoyed pizza and followed it up with ice cream, of course.  

Matt, Jack, Mike

To top off a big birthday our evening was spent enjoying the lights of downtown Madison with the capital building lite up like a white castle.  The restaurant was called "Grazzing" or maybe that just what we did?  After our sons tugged and pulled then "picked up the tab" we walked again.  This was a lazy walk around the square peeking in windows and bundling ourselves against the cool winter breezes and thinking about retirement in another short year of our lives.  What will it feel like?

If it hadn't been for Alleen and Albert Watt delivering a tiny bundled little boy into this world on Thanksgiving Day 1946  this birthday celebration during Thanksgiving with Papa Jack, his sons and grandson, Isaac, would not have happened, and six happy people wouldn't have been eating ice cream and making more memories.  So a thank you to all of our parents for giving us this life.