Summer in December

We were only 6 hours into the first official day of winter when a Winter Storm Warning went into effect this morning.  A wintry mix has been falling since before dawn.  Prompted by the north wind, ice-covered branches are now doing a crackling dance in the darkness outside our home.  So far, the darkness has stayed OUTSIDE our home.  But, as Glen Campbell used to sing when he was a pseudo-Wichita lineman, "if it snows that stretch down south won't ever stand the strain." 

Snow is forecast for tonight.

Even though Old Man Winter wasted no time flexing his muscles, I did find three things today that gave me hope that Spring will come again:

1.  After today, the daylight starts lasting ever so slightly longer each day;

2.  A seed catalog arrived in the mailbox with tantalizing pictures of flowers and vegetables and fruit and berries; and

3.  A documentary on the Beach Boys current "Summer in December" concert tour was on TV.  2013 is the Beach Boys 50th anniversary as a group.   I recorded the concert on AXS TV earlier this month during a "free preview" weekend.  I also recorded Skyfall, the latest James Bond flick.  At the end of Skyfall in the credits it was noted that 50 years had elapsed since 007 first appeared on the scene.  It seems the Energizer bunny is not the only thing that keeps on going and going and going.  I know how James Bond keeps going - five different actors have played the movie role:  Sean Connery (seven movies) (my favorite), George Lazenby (who?)(one movie) , Roger Moore (seven movies) , Timothy Dalton (2 movies), Pierce Brosnan (four movies), and Daniel Craig (two movies so far).

But how do the Beach Boys do it?  I can't say for sure, but the "Summer in December" TV special was sponsored in part by Ageless Male Testosterone treatment. 

When I went with my wife and friends to see Liverpool Legends, a group that impersonates the Beatles, the song they performed that I found most ironic was "When I'm 64".  The Beach Boys song that once resonated with me but doesn't now is "Wouldn't it be nice it we were older? (Then we wouldn't have to wait so long)."  Short answer in 1966 - YES!  Short answer in 2013 - NOOOOOOOO!!!  If the Beach Boys want a hit song today they should write a sequel called "Wouldn't it be nice if we were younger? (Then you wouldn't have to wait until my ageless male kicks in)."

The crowd at the concert spanned the generations, from adolescent cuties to people my age who grew up with the Beach Boys.  On many of the songs, Baby Boomers were inspired to get up and bust a move.  The saying "Dance like no one is watching" may look good on a wall plaque, but I'm guessing some of those adolescent cuties may require therapy to get the image of their grandparents shaking a tailfeather to "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" out of their heads. 

Though it may have been "Summer in December" on AXS TV, the weather around here wasn't cooperating.  "Anyone know how to get ice off of a satellite receiver?" asked a Facebook friend.  Helpful suggestions followed.  My favorite was "Have another beer and maybe a way to deliver a stream of body temperature liquid onto it will come to you".   Our satellite receiver is attached to our deck so that MIGHT work.  If my Facebook friend's is on his ice-covered roof, however, he might soon be paraphrasing Beach Boys songs, like "I'll have no FUN, FUN, FUN cause the ambulance is hauling me away" or "Help me up, Rhonda!"

It's snowing now. 

Better post this before an ice and snow covered limb brings down both our power line and our internet.

Happy First Day of Winter! (Hurry Spring!!)