The First Day of Winter

Living in a bubble of my own, I have lost track of a lot of stuff.  Apparently, today is the first day of winter, and it came upon me rather unexpectedly.  In addition, Christmas is only five days away, and I still have a few gifts to get for family members.  Guess I better put myself in gear and take care of what needs to be done.  Next February marks eight years I have been living in Fort Worth.  Located in North Texas, the area is more prone to ice and snow than the more temperate climates of Houston and Victoria, where I lived for most of my life.  Even after these few years of residence in the area, I'm still not accustomed to those times of harsh precipitation.  Thankfully, the previous two winters have been very mild in regard to those two concerns.  People more experienced in that type of weather, along with owning a 4x4 vehicle, have an advantage.  For me, simply the threat of snow and ice causes stress and agitation.  One of my jobs requires weekly traveling.  Maybe this is the reason for such nervousness.  At any rate, I am hoping for another mild winter, at least in dealing with hazardous conditions.  (I welcome and can handle the cold temperatures, but I can live without the hard crunchy stuff.)  We'll see what happens.  Until then, happy first day of winter!

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