chaotic christmas card!

season's greetings!

it's balls cold outside, so the youngsters haven't been raising their usual hell. i mean, that's okay, but sometimes we miss them. good news, though: the maybe-gang sign sharpied on the sidewalk in front of the door is still there.

from 203, the cannon is frozen. i watched it freeze over the course of a few days, starting at the edges then working toward the center. there is a tiny little space where you can still see water trying to flow through. the migrating birds must think it's cold, too, but they are still hanging out down there.

the Cow is looking lonely, except for when they light the outdoor bonfire for smokers and people who enjoy pain. i mean, no judgement: but i've seen people out there while i walk by in a frozen huff. they love cuddling on the wooden benches and reminiscing about what it's like during the warmer months, when it doesn't require body armor of down and wool to survive. inside, the Cow serves warm drinks with booze, which is great if you love a hot toddy (Mirm says they're nasty, i've yet to take her up on that).

last week was the first BIG snow. by "big," i mean, there were few drifts to bust with our door, pushing to get outside and just leave our apartment building. our fearless Ms. W busted the first drift to leave an hour before us, which (sadly) didn't do much for the rest of us when we exited the building. snow, wind, swirling snow, drifts = wonderful commute on foot to the emergency parking lot a few blocks away. we felt like explorers in a foreign world, i think. and that was beautiful in itself. Meredith missed it, as she was smart and stayed the night up in mpls.

we're about to scatter for the holidays, but inside the walls, it has been a nice lead-up to winter break. we've enjoyed holiday film festival 2009 in various northfield apartments, including the films "home alone," "home alone 2," "love actually," "christmas vacation," "family stone," and, "miracle," though i'm not sure the latter counts (but, uhh, it's set during the WINTER olympics of 1980, if that counts).

so, while our humble group of friends busts drifts, braves commutes, and enjoys various area events (st. olaf christmas festival, the tiny's hot dog nativity scene, northfield's winter walk [!!!!]), we give thanks for this little family. it's sweet when you bring together a tenneseean, wyomingite, georgian, and minnesotan, and don't set fire to anything. well, unless you forget how the oven works... (too soon?)

xoxo for 2010,

MM

[PS. see pic: tiny's outdoor nativity scene, with its changing alternates to the holy child. look closely, it's current-events-related. courtesy lauren melcher, observer extraordinaire.]