Thoughts Upon a Rainy New England Afternoon, December 28, 2023

Things to Be Grateful For: A List

1. A Christmas Day invite for lunch/supper from Patti Aliventi on December 25
2. A care package from Florida
3. Texting/typing gloves for cold climate sent by Peggy Jensen Cai
4. Help in getting settled in from Marc and Patti Aliventi
5. Snow boots that are on their way to Madison from Juan Carlos Hernandez
6. Messages of support on Instagram from my cousins Maria Clara and Margarita Cajiao, who live in Bogota, Colombia

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Speaking of Bogota, the weather up here in New Hampshire is not Christmas-like. It’s reminiscent of the climate in Colombia’s capital, which I last visited exactly 30 years ago.

We didn’t have snow – which I am not emotionally prepared for right now – but today is a cold (41°F/5°C) day, and there’s a persistent light rain outside.

It wasn’t raining an hour ago, but UPS delivered the aforementioned care package from Florida late this morning when it was, so the cardboard was damp when I brought it in the house. Thankfully the contents were dry. Had I not retrieved the box when I did, though, everything inside save for the stuff in plastic packaging would have been waterlogged.

Naturally, the skies above are grey and gloomy, and the ground outside is both slick with moisture and on an incline, so no going outside for me today.