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Monday, December 28, 2009

My Snowbound Oklahoma Christmas

Thanks to those of you who expressed interest in my missing blog! I have added links so anyone interested can purchase my books on line.

Like last year, the Christmas season presented challenges. Jolene's death didn't lay as heavily on my heart, but Mom is now in assisted living ... my son celebrates his faith in the Messiah through Jewish festivals and thus skips Christmas ... so I had to prepare my heart and spirit for a different sort of Christmas celebration.

After the week-long Hannukah celebration with Jaran and his family--can anyone say wonderful?--I was almost welcoming a lowkey Christmas.

I didn't expect to be snowbound! As Tamela Hancock Murray (a co-author of Snowbound Colorado Christmas) said, too bad this wasn't the year we were writing that collection. I could have written from personal experience ...

Snow began falling on Christmas Eve and ended up accumulating 14" in Oklahoma City, the most ever on a single day in this area. Inches of snow pushed against my door (never have I been so thankful for shelter) and snow drifted waist high at the edge of the doorstep. I couldn't get out.

So I stayed home on Christmas Day, baked chocolate cookies, and ate hot dogs and cookies for my Christmas dinner. I had an unopened present ... in my car ... it might as well have been back in Denver.

I had a wonderful morning with the Lord, and enjoyed watching the Librarian movies in the evening. I confess in between I wasted some time in self-pity. Saturday, ditto--especially when we lost power, my son couldn't get here and even the food delivery guys couldn't make it out. (I was getting really tired of hot dogs!)

Yesterday Jaran dug out the path to the car and took me to a convenience store for peanut butter, bread and milk. Never did grilled cheese taste so good! Today I hope to drive myself over to Mom's for a much belated Christmas.

What a Christmas. In retrospect, I suspect I will see the humor of it more than I felt it at the time. What a reminder that Christmas is about God with us, and not about the trappings.

One of my resolutions for 2010: write in this blog, at least once a week.

Thanks to all those who stop by.

7 comments:

Susan Page Davis said...

You got more snow last week than we did in Maine. We were able to get out and enjoy with my sister-in-law, her husband, and my mother-in-law. We spent Christmas Eve happily at home. I hope the rest of your winter is less adventurous!

A J Hawke said...

Hi Darlene,
I can feel for you with the snowbound Christmas. I'm in Dallas and family from Oklahoma City made it here in time to be snowbound for two days. The rest of the family from Witcha Falls waited too long and didn't make it. But the snow was lovely while it covered everything.

Blessings on posting to your blog. I am struggling with getting into the habit of blogging. I would rather write on my stories.

At Thanksgiving I went history hunting with my sister west of Oklahoma City and visited Fort El Reno, just off of Route 66 close to El Reno, OK. It is a fascinating place. Be sure to visit the cementary. We also visited the cementary at Frisco, OK. The town has disappeared but the cementary is still there.

We visted the Enterprise Ranch at the edge of Oklahoma City (West) and saw the area where the Chishom Trail crosses.

Oklahoma is full of interesting history.

Enjoyed your blog and I hope you are able to keep to your 2010 schedule of blogging. I will try to do the same.

Blessings in the new year,
A J Hawke
ajhawke.blogspot.com

Chris Well said...

Wow, sorry to hear you were trapped at home! Hope the rest of the winter out there is less, er, blogworthy.

:)

Patti Shene said...

Darlene, it's good to see you back on the blogging circuit. I have also made a resolution to blog more often.

Sorry about your snowed in Christmas. We didn't get much snow here in CO, but for once I was thankful since we were concerned about our son making it out of NYC and into Co Spgs airport on Christmas Eve. Weather was good and it all worked out well.

Now that he is home safe and sound, I say let it skiff snow for a couple of feet, then settle down to a real storm. HA! I love winter! Hope we get at least one exciting blizzard in 2010 for the record books.

However, as I say that, I do think of the people who have to travel and the ranchers who often lose stock because they just can't get food to the animals. I guess there is a down side to everything, but we sure do need the moisture in our area.

Okay, I've been up all night and probably not making a lot of sense. Time to get to bed!

Janalyn Voigt, escape into creative worlds of fiction. said...

Darlene, thanks for sharing from the heart about your Christmas. Every holiday can't be a "perfect" Hallmark memory. That wouldn't be practical in most of our lives. A lean Christmas helps us look beneath the trappings to the heart of the season.

Blessings to you in the coming year.

Elaine said...

It's interesting. I'm reading the Snowbound Colorado Christmas novellas right now. Haven't yet gotten to the one you've written.

Carla Gade said...

I guess it will be memorable, at least. As Susan said, you got a lot more snow than us. Happy New Year, Darlene!