Children in our area were thrilled, dressed in their warmest and took to the hills with an assortment of boxes, trash can lids ,boogie boards and intertubes for sliding down with gleeful abandon.
For our family it meant Mermaid left early. Before she could get caught in states which are not equipped to deal with ice and snow on the roads or interstates. I can't complain about her willing assumption of adult responsibilities. I shouldn't complain about the weather, but really, I would have been happier had it showed up a day later.
I am already thinking of this as Mermaid's "Three S Christmas"
Silk.
Steel.
Snow.
Some years Blowfish and I make a joint decision on what we will give Mermaid for Christmas.
Some years we each do our own thing. This year we did the individual thing. In many ways the contrast of the presents selected for her by doting parents is so very ... Mermaid.
Silk is the first "S".
MamaFishy gave her beautiful new "Modern-Traditional" lamps with chrome shafts and charcoal silk shades.
They are beautiful, hard to find and just perfect for Mermaid's blend of what she calls her own styling of the
" new modern traditional". We spent most of a day this fall searching for the right lamps and never found any which met all her criteria. And, did I mention she lives in a barn? Literally a barn, with an attached apartment.
She has zero difficulty in maintaining her style preferences in any environment. I love that self certainty.
Steel is the second "S"
Blowfish gave her a loaded tool box and a drill.
In one of her recent moves her drill motor suffered a burn out and some of her tools were lost.
Now she has an electric drill, a wide assortment of wrenches, ratchets, drivers, measurers, levels, hammers and a multitude of things which cut. He even bought tools in Kentucky Blue colors. Except for the drill which
At one point I took a picture of her sitting by the fireplace with elegant lamps on the right , a drill in her hand, a tool bag on her left, a smile on her face and that long, long Mermaid hair cascading down her body. A study of contrasts which are part of one amazing whole.
After I took that photo I smiled back at the memory of Mermaid getting off a plane carrying a backpack, wearing jeans, a tee , Ariats , a messy pony tail and no makeup. A few hours later she reached into the backpack pulled out a tiny handful of black fabric and a pair of stilettos with silver heels. Seconds later she was standing before me in a fabulous little black dress, 5 inches taller and full of wow! The contrast from generic youth/adult to OMG was stunning. The effortlessness of the transformation was amazing. Her absolute comfort with the metamorphosis ..... a delight.
Snow is the third "S"
Snow came and Mermaid left.
Too early, but then, she did arrive safely so I am grateful.
If there is a fourth "S" it would be Smiles.
We smiled a lot, laughed a lot, enjoyed the blessing of family, a lot.
It was a lovely Christmas .
I hope yours was too.
