Awake to bright sunshine. It’s no
warmer but the bright light makes the almost winter day feel better.
Found my stack of Christmas CDs
(they were hiding during the moves of boxes and stacks of papers), so I guess I
have to start listening to those old familiar tunes again.
A cup of coffee and the “Sunday
Morning” show got me warmed up with lap blankets and layers.
Sting gave his feeling of the
season by describing winter as a time of reflection and the ghost of the past.
Melancholy, one might say.
Christmas always has been about
getting the family together, group meals, good spirits, decorating and
presenting gifts.
And this year will be a little
tougher than most.
Feed the yard and notice how much
snow has dropped off the branches. Strapping on a backpack and grabbing the
sunglasses to block the glare, I squeeze through the gate to follow the tire
tracks from the Virginia Power truck that brought power last night.
I really don’t need to get out, but
I do need exercise, so I do need to go out.
The ice is deceptive, so I tread
slowly. My mind wanders to thoughts of falling down and breaking something or
getting hit by a falling branch or run over by a swerving 4x4 thinking they can
race down the street with less traffic.
To guys trying to dig their cars
out, I bid greetings and salutations. No children or dogs at play this morning,
but I see a lot more traffic.
At the crossroads, I decide to make
the full adventure to the grocery store. I walk on the snowy sidewalk semi
packed by previous explorers rather than the street, stopping now and then to
rest and enjoy the postcard visions.
I was surprised the real Sunday
church, the grocery store, was not as crowded as I had imagined. As I wandered
through the aisles of bread, sandwich meat, sliced cheese, soup (what was I
thinking? They are heavy), beer (of course) and birdseed (I’m stuck with
providing the critter crewe after 30 years, the puff up cardinal reminded me
this morning).
Checking out and packing my
backpack, I think about Rusty’s blog on the demise of Ukrop’s to a Dutch
organization. Though I don’t shop at Ukrop’s, whose name is an icon in
Richmond, there has been much discussion about what the family and its brand
has done for this town. Yes, they branded their family name to some events
around the town while creating many grocery stores with neatly costumed workers
and a reputation for customer service. Ukrop’s made as much out of Richmond as
it gave, but in this community it was a religion. You may be a Baptist or
Catholic, but they all shopped at the Ukrop’s church, which stood apart by not
selling alcohol and closed on Sunday. It was a sign of prestige to have your
recycling stuffed in Ukrop’s paper bags. So the name “Ukrop’s” became a
religion, but now it is passing. To Rusty’s statement, “People eat on Sunday..”
is true, but there was a time when ALL grocery stores (and any outlet for
alcohol) was closed on Sunday. Families prepared and stored up in anticipation
of bad weather and holidays. Does that mean in today’s fast paced world, we
cannot prepare for the future, but must have everything immediately ready for
us at any time or place?
I leave the church “Kroger” and
start my trudge home without my trusty bike to be my pack mule. One step in
front of the other brings me home.
A couple of roast beef; Swiss
cheese and horseradish sandwiches and football fill the afternoon before I feed
the yard again and load up the trash area in hopes they arrive tomorrow.
With frosted fingers, I settle in
to watch more football with carrots and popcorn. And as the sun sets and the
temperature in the living room drops to 43 degrees, I will stop writing and
prepare for an extra blanket tonight.
Tomorrow will have sunshine and
more shuffling through boxes. I hope the trash guys come.
1 comment:
again, nice!
Post a Comment