This is one gloomy Christmas Eve

[Cleita]

here on the California Central Coast. It's two days after the earthquake. It has been drizzling all day and the sky is a lead gray.
Of course we have nice weather here most of the time so we shouldn't complain.

The aftershocks from the quake have been mild so there has been no more property damage or injuries. Everyone is sweeping up the mess and getting on with the holidays. Fortunately this county is pretty rural so there wasn't as much major damage as would have happened in places like San Francisco and Los Angeles.

These are the times that a fireplace would be nice. Well, I just wanted to wish everyone at DU a very Merry Christmas and hope you have a nice holiday with family and friends.

[Triana]

1. It's none too cheery on the lEast Cost either...

...but at least no earthquakes or LAX 'terra'lerts! X-mas just depresses me anyway...but Humbug and Happy HoHo to everyone, anyway. I'll just crawl back under the bed now...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. Love ya Cleita

You're gonna have more fun on NY Eve...I garontee!

[Malva Zebrina]

3. Well thanks so much Cleita

we are here by ourselves also, in this bleak and abandoned coast of Maine in the winter, and it is unbelievably warm for the coast of Maine also. This is very unusual--there is fine mist coming down right now. It was near fifty today. My two children are thousands of miles away and one has been pre-occupied with an in law that has been sick in intensive care unit for a week and not doing well at all. So the time is being taken up with all sorts of support activities. That is not bad because that is how I raised my children to begin with.

Tommorrow we wiil have a candlelight dinner--and have been invited for coffee at a neighbor's house. This is truly appreciated--the warmth of friends.

We are really quite looking forward to the days getting longer--and think this celebration marks the end of the long dark days here in the frozen north. LOL

Merry Christmas

[grasswire]

5. I wish I could see...

....a picture of your bleak and abandoned Maine coast. Is there a web cam nearby?

[Malva Zebrina]

13. I have looked and looked for a web cam

I know there is one in Kennebunkport ( you know "the" Kennebunkport where Bush goes for his birthday and the like), but I could not find it again on the web. There is a cam on that bridge, that much I know because I have logged on to it before. But I could not find it now :shrug:

I am mid coast in an area on a peninsula that goes north to south where many of the inhabitants are wealthy summer inhabitants that come up from Massachusetts and further south. Some from New Jersey and some even from Kentucky!

In the winter,though, after they all leave, it is so very quiet and ateh most beautiful-there are also acres and acres of forest here that is not developed-the harbor which contains a fleet of about twenty lobster boats and a co-op fishing dock, is so still at times and even in stormy weather it is quite safe and calm-they should be soon starting to trap shrimp here, which is dependant upon the water temperatures-I walked this morning in the breaking dawn, at 6:30 am waiting for the pink sunrise to color the harbor and the lobster boats, --had my camera, but no picture. Not good enough :-( Love it here. Fast being bought up and paved over though. And that is a little disconcerting to one who actually enjoys the somewhat isolated areas of the coast. Won't be so for long, I suspect.

[Iverson]

4. hey, you

In Michigan it's rainy and gray, and I've never even met you, and I'm telling you to be of good cheer. Merry Christmas! The weather doth not a Christmas make.

:toast:

[MotorCityMan]

14. Yes, the lovely Michigan weather

We have pretty much have nothing but grey, overcast skies from about October until April.

[Generic Other]

6. Beautiful gray rainy day in Washington State

Just don't eat the meat...

[Lars39]

7. A little rainy here

in TN, too. Glad to hear you were OK after the earthquake.
Merry Christmas, Cleita! Have some 'nog on me! :toast:

[burythehatchet]

15. Where in TN are you?

I work in Cleveland


:hi:

[caledesi]

8. I can't wait for this year to end; It;s been the worst!

Well, after my husband was laid off from a job after 18 years and it took him 9 months to fine a job! I mean a JOB! Yeah, $8.50/hr. Temp to "maybe perm" Nice, huh?

Meanwhile, I am in the process of being diagnosed w/ MS. It's been a difficult year to say the least.

Glad when it's over

[maxanne]

9. Merry Christmas to you, Cleita

It's cold and rainy here in NH. Under all the water is treacherous ice. I had to wade through about 3 inches of water to get from the driveway to my door. Blech.

I hope you didn't suffer any damage in the quake. Boy, those are scary. I only experienced one, but it was plenty. :scared:

There was an unexpected death in my family yesterday - so this isn't a good time for some of the people I love most. We'll be having a very low key holiday.

[Piperay]

10. I like gray days

for some reason they cheer me up, guess I am just weird. :freak: I can use the cheer up because outside of the weather here (I'm in Calif. too) the holiday is sucking big time for me. :-(

[Lindsay]

11. Love from me

to all of you who are having a less than glorious holiday.

At least we've got each other!

[KoKo]

12. Thinking about you here in NC, Cleita......It's not easy out there. But,

sending you cheer where you can find it....and although it's "slim pickin's" so many of us understand.

:-)'s and wishes that things will get better, but if not, there are folks here, who send cheer..and maybe the "cheer" will go all over on the breezes to all of our fellow DU'ers everywhere.