FIRST DAY OF WINTER WANDERINGS (published 12-1-2019)

Introduction

Well, howdy, y’all! The reason for the title will become evident later. Please keep reading!

I missed a point in my most recent post regarding 11/21/2019, the anniversary of Papaw Ferrell’s passing in 1970. On Monday, 11/21/2016, I arranged the purchase of my new-to-me 2006 Nissan Frontier. On Friday, 11/25/2016—the day after Thanksgiving and my mother's birthday in 1932—Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I bought my truck. I liked the timing of it.

Wanderings (“Life, Such As It Was”)

Thanksgiving, Thursday, 11/28/2019: My youngest brother, his wife, and their two daughters came down here for Thanksgiving dinner. They arrived a couple of hours before we ate at noon. (Noon, by the way, is the scriptural time to eat Thanksgiving dinner. Grace extends to 1 PM, but not later!) We had a fine time together! They left a little after 3 PM. Then, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I drove, separately again as usual, to her paternal aunt’s home for the Beckner-Gordon Thanksgiving supper. (If it’s Thanksgiving supper, the scriptural mealtime is 6 PM. Grace allows 5 or 7 PM.) We sat down to eat at 5 PM. I left a bit earlier to get home, feed Molly (our “old puppy”) her supper, and get her inside for the evening. We had a good time. By the way, I helped “cat-dog” act like a real dog out in the yard for a while! Thanksgiving would have been the best day for hiking. My “bionic” body, however, did not feel its oats. I didn't hike.

Friday, 11/29/2019: On this cloudy day, I drove to the homeplace for the first visit since last summer. I did what I needed to do. After about two hours, I drove home by way of Main Street. Now, that was a great day! My youngest brother was burning leaves in his yard, so we missed each other. At about 7 PM, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and Molly were both fast asleep on the couch. My wife was worn out from the holiday cooking and activities. Molly was just worn out. So, what did I do? Enjoy the photograph below!

Saturday, 11/30/2019: Granny Ferrell was born on this day in 1982. The overnight rain ended by early morning. The next rain came at 2:30 PM. It continued for the rest of the day and into the night. Before the afternoon rain, I did the usual hauling off of trash and getting gas for my truck.

At the trash dumpster, I was behind a Vietnam veteran and his granddaughter. I got out, walked up to him, looked him in the eye, shook his hand, and said, “Thank you!” The veteran replied, “You're welcome.” Afterward, we man-hugged each other. A tear welled up in my eyes as I walked back to my truck.

Afterward, I joined Mrs. Appalachian Irishman for a visit with her folks, five cats, and one “cat-dog.” (Don’t ask! It’s usually three cats and the “cat-dog.”) Being who I am, I had to place a Band-Aid on my “favorite” sister-in-law’s car. It had sustained an injury on 11/18/2019. The photograph is below!

After I arrived home, being hungry, I opened and ate a can of Vienna sausages! I had three cans. Now, I’m down to only two. Give me a couple of years, and I may finish off the other two cans!

Sunday, December 1: The rain ended, and the sun came out. The wind started blowing. Today is the first day of meteorological winter! Meteorologists say that astronomical winter begins on 12/21/2019. That is the winter solstice, not the first day of winter!

Well, my next-to-youngest brother was supposed to have arrived here 37 minutes ago, as I type this sentence. I guess I will stop writing for now to call him and find out why he’s not here yet. He’s probably on “Ferrell time,” you see.

Conclusion

On this first day of winter, I decided to wander around by writing this article. Today's weather was not conducive for wandering around in the woods.

Tomorrow resumes the regular workweek. Perhaps, I will be able to hike House Mountain for the 162nd time on December 7, Pearl Harbor Day. Pearl Harbor Day, 12/7/2016, was the first time, since the 3/29/2016 wreck that almost killed me, that I drove up to the homeplace in my new-to-me truck. I must endure another workweek first before I can take that hike. The wreck, by the way, was due to an 18-year-old, uninsured female, who failed to yield to my right-of-way.

For now, I’m 10-10 on the side! Having conversed with my next-to-youngest brother by phone, I understood that he would arrive later this afternoon and have supper with us.