DECEMBER SCENES

Enough already!!! Snow and cold day after day. I love Michigan and the changing seasons, but hey - you get cold or snow, not cold and snow!!!! And not every day. It is supposed to clear up for any holidays and only precipitate on the grassy areas. Snow blowers are pulled out on occasion and winter sports are confined to gentle hills and open fields. There's a reason I settled in Lansing. Surrounded by rivers is supposed to protect us from tornadoes and the hot air over the Capital is supposed to protect us from the excesses of winter weather. The politicians need a good controversy to keep the heat on. Lame ducks apparently produce no gas....

Deer are being massacred every day as they forage for food or lick leftovers from bird feeders. The car/deer war is providing overwhelming casualties, much business for the body shops and the deer are losing! Hard to find deer organ donors.

The bird condo we are running on the back porch is seeing its usual varied supply of desperate renters who scramble for position on the narrow ledges of the bird feeder. We finally had to scatter some on the bench so the 6 pair of cardinals could catch the largess tossed by their bigger bluer brothers who hog the feeder. The doves have basically given up and are scarfing anything anywhere. Though their sheer bulk afford them the best positions, the crazy chickadees are completely fearless. Meanwhile the resident hawks just hang tight and pick their meal at their leisure.

Amidst all the frenzy of Christmas and end of the year projects, I found myself contemplating fairness and the lack thereof. As I curse the inconvenience of the weather and the work that I do, I saw a man today who struggled to move his wheelchair through a store. His legs shriveled up and useless. I saw the smile on his face as he excused himself for asking others to make way so he could maneuver his chair among us. Not a person complained or was less than accommodating. Hopefully we all felt "but for the grace of God that could be me".

Reminded me of my Grandfather who through the ravages of arthritis lost the use of his legs before he was 40. Though I never saw him standing, I always thought he could and I never questioned that he could not do everything everyone else did. He was smart and funny and he took us to places who never realized they should have to accommodate him. They found a way or he explained how they could. He never made me think that he was handicapped. He just moved differently.