12/19/07

Five days before Christmas Eve, and I haven’t purchased a single thing for my daughter, Maria, or my wife, Kashmir. I did manage to chop down a Douglas fir that I had transplanted a few different times over the past six years here in the forested privacy of my home in northern Michigan. The Douglas fir is now slowly drying out in our living room, giving up it’s last gasp as a tree and definitely “going into the light”. At it’s base is planted a large copper kettle from the 1800’s yore, and partially cocked against the wall behind it, three gnarled signatures of old cedar roots of trees- distinctly shaped as walking sticks purchased at a chainsaw carving roadside attraction, perched off highway 2 in northern Minnesota. Highway 2 hugs lake Superior and lends to travelers a winding tree scaped itinerary from the straights of Mackinac to Duluth, Minnesota.

Some anecdotal asides:

There is a foot and a half of ice crusted snow dropped off by a winter storm a few days ago.

A baseball cap sometimes hides a lot more than hair… a moment of forgiveness, that the eyes behind the hat, beg the viewer to take a pass on what they may have thought they saw, and briefly forget what they indeed are viewing… (how Palinesque of me).

Some Lamentations:

Let’s see…

• No X-Mas Presents under the tree-
• No future work from Nov 23 to Jan 20
• 4 payments behind on house
• trying to sell tools to get to Texas
• Credit app to Texas apt declined because of X’s left over bill in Detroit
• FIA benefits
• Had to call new employer for money to get to Texas
• Had to ask my wife to co-sign on an apt rental- I have owned two houses and have basically created 90 percent of the total income for myself and family, but—– I still don’t qualify to move into a home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• NOW I AM PISSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!