It’s the holiday season, one of those times when time seems to condense, rather than stretch. There always seems to be another time-related crisis: running late to a party, not getting the shopping done in time for the gifts to arrive from points afar, forgetting to send a certain card until it’s too late.

That’s the month of December in a nutshell.

I’d like to be more organized. The great purge I spoke of last week is in a holding pattern, though the stuff really needs to be out of the house and to the charity drop-off before we leave for Connecticut next week. So there’s something to do, right? And the time? Not there. But I’ll manage.

And then there’s the needed overhaul of my road bike. Right now, there are things amiss (derailleur hanger that needs replacement, winter tires to install, chain and cogs to clean, frame to wash), and I’d like to have that worked out before Saturday morning. Dunno if it will happen – time, y’know.

And what of gift prep? I have lots of gifts that are still missing components, most of which are things that I need to do with that “time” stuff that I grouse about.

Hmm. Perhaps I need to actually go out and do this stuff, rather than type things here? Will that possibly reclaim some time? Probably not.

Perhaps I just needed to vent a bit.

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Now, about those trees:

DC in the winter is really one of my favorite scenes – not when it’s almost 70F/19C like today, but when it’s cold and crisp. The sky turns a deep blue, and the stark, gray lines of tree limbs reach up in lovely contrast. Holiday decorations of red, green, silver and gold provide further contrast, as do red brick buildings and brightly-colored row houses in the neighborhoods that embrace unique color schemes. There are steam clouds that rise from natural sources (streams) and unnatural ones (sewer grates). Occasional birds happen by, all puffed up to deal with the cold.

It’s lovely.

The only thing it could use: a coating of snow. But that would just freak out the weak-ass Washingtonians who think they live in the tropics (only in the summer, folks).

* * * * *

And finally, my mind’s eye has been tricked by many things, of late. I think it all ties back to the time bit, because I have an incredible knack for misplacing things during this rushed holiday season. Sure, I track ’em down in the end, but it’s still causing a lot of those “I could have sworn that was….” moments.

If somebody were to bottle time that could be used without penalty, I’d be a top fan at this time of year: for getting things done, for extending the lovely seasonal appearance, and to remember where I put all those things!