The Winter Wallop

I love the name of this storm--the Winter Wallop. I mean, that sounds like a snowball-throwing, sled-riding, cocoa-drinking good time. I love the thought of a rollicking winter wallop. Except for one small thing, we're on the coast which means our Winter Wallop is gale-force winds, high tides and rain. We're in Manteo today for a Christmas gathering and a celebration of my Dad's birthday. The kids have been up since the crack of dawn--already begging to open presents. The men are going over to check out the ocean, tides are up, and recover some hidden presents at the cottage. Dad made pancakes for all, and we'll start oysters soon. Yum. So there are some perks to being on the snowless coast although we're still hopeful a few flakes will come our way as the snow shifts to the east. We snuggled up with our coffee this morning and read the pile of old Coastland Times newspapers with such hilarious stories as the Striper tournament when not a single striper was caught. I love a morning with coffee, the weather channel, and newspapers. The last year there was 20" of snow in D.C. Warren Harding was president, bubble gum wasn't yet invented, and the first movie with sound came out. Those are the kind of tidy facts you can learn from the weather channel.

I woke up this morning with my head full of story ideas. I've been working on something new which always seems to send me off in a hundred different directions--great fodder or future projects. Also, I'm reading a hilarious book by Wally Lamb, WISHIN' AND HOPIN'. You must check it out. It's a hilarious glimpse into the life of a fifth grade boy in parochial school in the 1960s. I'm not sure which 'genre' the book is marketed as (and I'd be interested to know), but it's hilarious. It would make a great gift book (especially for a man in his 40s or 50s who will remember many of the references). Interestingly, the young male protagonist's cousin is Annette Funicello, and in one hilarious scene, he has to go to confession and confess his impure thoughts about his cousin. It's a fun read.

Enjoy this lovely holiday season and be safe in this winter week-end weather wallop. If you have snow, put your stats in the comments! As for me, I'm looking forward to the oysters. xoxox