November 7 – “A Taste of Winter”

Well, OK, then.  It is very cold here on Gilligan’s Island.  Weather Bug indicated that it was forty-eight degrees when I turned on the computer this morning.  Just to give you some perspective, any time the temperature reaches below sixty here in the tropics, we pull out the winter coats, so below fifty is icy as far as we are concerned.  The dead of winter.  Freezing.  Chilly.  Bitter.  Glacial.  And of course this is the day I have water therapy to go to first thing.  That’s what I was looking for.  A chance to get wet and then walk around in the cold.  Great.

Nathan also brought Cailyn over for us to take her to school.  He got called in for some overtime.  And she knew it was cold.  Told me right off that today was the first day of winter.  I had to agree.  She noticed what I was wearing and queried, “DadDad, why are you wearing socks with your sandals?”  A valid question, I suppose.  One I had no trouble answering, either.  “Because it’s cold outside.”  For some reason that didn’t seem to satisfy her.  She just looked at me and shook her head as if I was a lost cause.  So, wait.  Are you not supposed to wear socks with sandals?  Is that a fashion faux pas?  Well, here’s a news flash.  Fashion and I have never been particularly close friends.  All those requirements about matching shades of color and stripes and plaids and flowers.  It’s all too much to worry about.  Non-essential information.  Doesn’t matter to me what it looks like.  I don’t have to look at it anyway.  Besides, my toes were warm.  Now that was an important consideration. 

I said nothing to Cailyn to dampen her enthusiasm about the exciting discovery she made yesterday.  We were driving home after school and she announced, “Look, DadDad.  I found one of the bones in my nose.”  Interesting mental pictures flooded my mind.  Was her nose bleeding?  No, it couldn’t be that.  She was totally calm, and even chuckling a bit.  Did she find a random souvenir on the school ground that she was making scientific observations about?  Perhaps.  Or was she maybe pranking me somehow, and I was totally clueless about the possible outcomes?  Certainly probable.  Cautiously, I peered into the rear view mirror to see if I could detect a clue as to where that statement was coming from.  I had to lean over a bit to see behind the head rest, but finally there she was.  Calm.  Cool.  Collected.  With a finger stuck up her nose.  Uh-huh.  There it was.  I must say, I have discovered that bone in my nose a time or two as well.  But you gotta be careful.  Sometimes lurking near the bone is some sticky, gooey, sometimes slimy stuff.  It can easily get caught on your finger as you pull it out.  But don’t worry.  If it does, it can be a lot of fun to chew on.  Lasts a long time.  Not much flavor, though ….

Psalms 118:24 says, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Father, thank you for this taste of winter.  Cold enough for us, though.  Amen.