Things Have Actually Gotten Done!

I've been kept pretty busy for the last dozen hours, but at least I've gotten some things done that I won't need to deal with later. I'm hoping to arrange some time out of the house to do some shopping, though this is the worst time of year for that. But stuff is wearing out on its own schedule, and needs to be replaced, Xmas crowds or not.

The rain has gone, for now, and all night, each time I went out, I saw the naked twinkling of stars, and heard the persistent hooting of owls. They wanted me to keep them company, but I had no time. Maybe tomorrow night. Sleep, now, on the sheet that has developed a big hole in it.

Oddness

December's laid-back crescent moon was ornamenting the pine branches this evening. It was more pleasant to view than were the ever-increasing Xmas lights that now make the block resemble a shopping mall display. The house at the north end has acquired six more lighted canes, these in white rather than red, and a bush has been festooned with blinking bulbs to match those on the nearby tree. I think the neighborhood may have a holiday-obsessed madman on its hands. If he continues to add lights, the coming nights will blaze ever brighter, until the stars are obscured and even the moon made pale. Thus far, his rooftop remains free of decoration, but I expect a lurid plastic Santa with sleigh and reindeer to appear at any time. The oddest thing is that the house is occupied by a childless couple in late youth or early middle age. Perhaps this abundance of electric cheer is compensation for deprivation earlier in their lives, or maybe they have decided to adopt the Pacific Gas and Electric Company as a surrogate child, and lavish it with the gift of ruinous utility bills for themselves.

I find much of the behavior this holiday induces inexplicable.