Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Snow Shovels and Silly Hats


Today is the first time this winter that I had to shovel snow. The first big snow storm came back in the first week of November, but I was only one week post-op from my knee replacement surgery, so Diane got the honor of clearing the decks—and the walkway, and the parking area, and the driveway. I suppose it was poetic justice, in a way: Di always said that shoveling snow didn't bother her because she would grab a cup of coffee, stand by the window and watch me do it. But I know she never meant it. She would be out there with me but we only had one shovel. This winter, I was the one watching from the window, feeling guilty not to be out there, sipping hot coffee. We even got a second shovel for those togetherness moments to come. Then it got mild and no one had to shovel snow. Until today. The knee is on the mend beautifully; my doctor was so pleased with my progress in building mobility that he signed off on me for a year. I felt up to the task and though Diane volunteered to do it for me, or to help, I insisted I could do it myself. Partly that's the man thing—it's my job, dear. More, it's because Diane is still busily building one more silly hat for Christmas. You see, Diane this year was appointed—appointed herself, actually—minister of silly hats. As is our tradition, we give presents to the children who think of us as Oma and Opa on Saint Nicholas Day. This year Di made all the gifts, and all were hats. Some were not so silly, ski masks or beanies with sports emblems, for example. But most were wonderfully enchanting animals riding on top of or taking a bite out of young appreciative heads. After Saint Nicholas Day there were still more to make, even one or two to travel with us to Holland next month, so I decided without much consideration that her time would be better spent working on that while I shoveled the snow. It is good to see the snow. After that long mild spell, we will have a white Christmas after all, filled with panda bears, hungry sharks, mischievous raccoons, shaggy dogs, quacking ducks, fanciful dragons, green tree frogs and pink flamingos. Myself, I rarely wear a hat except when I'm shoveling snow, and when I do I look like a gnome.

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