The Native Iowan

Golly, we be getting short. way, way short. Not much of 2025 left…

A chilled, pleasant morn in my little valley. Kids and dawgs and “moms” still sleeping.

I say “moms” because we have plural mothers under one roof. When the kids ask “can I…” I say “ask a mom”.

Surprisingly cool out. Got down below 18c/ 60f over night. Won’t get too warm today. The sun is out. perfect mowing weather. For such a short, short week, I may just get something done.

Today, today’s Monday, is a strange one. We just had a long weekend filled with noise and confusion. We are heading into another short, short week and a long, long weekend… makes things confusing. Hard to keep track of time and date and tomorrow and all that sorta important adult kinda stuff. A long weekend like we just had, turns us all into children.

So I sit, think of family around the globe. Think of my youthful Cmas holidays. Walk the hallways of my past, collecting discarded thoughts and ideas from forgotten corners of the past…

I recently explained to some young friends of mine that Cmas has never been a “big thing” for me… As the middle of 9kids I had very little time in my life as the favourite, the important one, the one that got all the loot. By the time I was 7years, I had 4 younger siblings. I distinctly recall a conversation with my mother when I was quite small… Sitting on Mom’s lap, she explained the babies got all the loot, I was too old, too big. I fell for it. I let Mom convince me I didnt need to cry and complain when I saw th little ones get cool stuff.

This confused me because my elder siblings appeared to get a fair bit of loot too. They got clothes and shoes and such for school. My young accountant’s mind saw the quantity of presents before I saw the present itself. A wrapped pair of socks was still a present in my young mind.

I learned very early on not to be jealous. I never saw the sense in being upset because of something I did not receive. I never set my expectations too high. I dont really recall being too fussed with wish lists sent to Santa. I was an observer way back then. Watching folks and things and happenings, rather than emoting or being frustrated with what I saw.

I was saying, Cmas was never about the gifting in my mind… I did though really enjoy the food. My Mom was a great cook. Her Cmas season specialties were amazing. Greek Cmas cookies, varieties of chocolates and fudge. The sticky n sweet baklava was my favorite… Damn! I have not thought of Mom’s baklava for ages, and now I have a hankering… may need to whoop a batch up soon…

That was fun. A trip down memory lane and now I’m going to be thinking of baklava all day…

Thanks.

That was fun.

More later