white christmas

12.28.98

We spent the last several days in North Idaho at Viv's parents' house. It was cold. Republicans were everywhere. But in spite of the harsh climate we forged ahead and ended up having a pretty good time.

I could say a lot more, of course, but I'm reminded of that scene in the movie "Harvey" where James Stewart is talking about having to make the choice between being very very clever or very very pleasant. He opted for pleasant, and in this instance that seems to be the way for me to go too.

We made a lot of visits to the flora and fauna of the region, and made a few stops to an area where bald eagles are nesting. In a cove on the north end of Lake Coeur d'Alene, where winds whip across the water, we found oodles of them, soaring over the whitecaps and the trees, looking for salmon. They are powerfully majestic birds, and it's impossible to watch them and not consider their symbolism and how we've cultivated it as Americans, and how yawning the gulf is between the freedom the birds live out and the compromises we muddle through to find our own versions of it. Very simply, when you see an eagle you want to be an eagle.

We would have spent all day at the lake had the temperature not been 30 degrees below zero. It's beautiful country up there, to be sure, but I'm not the sort of person who wants to live in a place where the simple act of going outside means certain death if you haven't got the right equipment.

When we first arrived in Idaho, there was a slight dusting of snow, just some white in the grass. We hoped there'd be some good snowfall sometime during our stay because Amy had never seen the stuff before, other than what was brought into her kindergarten playground via pickup truck a couple of years ago.

Finally, on the last three days of our visit, it came. The mercury climbed to a sizzling 5 above and we dressed her until she was nearly immobile. We threw snowballs and goofed and fell into the white fluff until we were exhausted.

We did some shopping too, had some lunches out, and saw a movie. And I missed writing so much it hurt.

This entry is short, I know, but 'tis the season of generosity and gratitude.

And, unlike eagles, the angels of my better nature have no talons.

Moving on.

Today's Music:

"Tomorrow Belongs To Me" -- CABARET: ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK RECORDING

Wisdom of the Day:

"How very hard it is to be a Christian."

- Robert Browning