Friday, December 14, 2007

A Christmas Miracle?


Dudes. I have strawberries in December.

I mean had strawberries in December.

Before it became the bone-chillingest cold outside in the last four days and froze my lawn. But last Sunday I had strawberries in December and I will tell you that there is just nothing like going out to the garden, with my big barrel of raked leaves to cover the sleeping garden and finding that WHA? half a dozen strawberries had set mysteriously on the forgotten plants and OMG ripened right there.

And, by some other miracle (not sure if this was the Christmas kind or what) it was actually semi-warm at that moment and right where I was standing with the strawberries so I was able to pick about five strawberries right from the garden and eat them while they were still warm from the sun.

Seriously, I stepped into a summer time machine right there in my yard. For those few moments I was wearing my flip-flops instead of boots, shorts instead of jeans, a tank top instead of a, well, I was not having to wear a sweatshirt and a jacket and my cowl and some gloves over it. Whatever, I live in my wife-beaters year round, so I guess that's no indication of season. WHATEVER - for one minute I had my summer back.

AND I LOVE SUMMER.

It was a very happy time back then less than a week ago because I wasn't having to look in disbelief at my car's outdoor temp gauge because it was saying crazy things like "37 degrees" and worse "34 degrees" and then the worst so far, "28 degrees".

I would just like to take this time to advise the Universe, the Weather and Everything that this is "Sunny California" and I would like to see the warmth that "Sunny" implies make a reappearance even if it must means that the temperature stays above 40 degrees so that I don't die a frozen rigid burrito in my bed, thank you, that is all.

Yesyesyes, I realize that there are scary places in this country and, perhaps, round the world, right now that have crazier, colder, more miserable weather than this weeny "woe is me it's 30 degrees out and why is this sun so blindingly bright" weather I'm bitching about, but I don't live in those places and now you know why. I'm something of a cold weather wimp when I'm not wrapped carefully in my snowboarding best and up to my hips in powder because snow that I can ride is really the only thing that makes it OK for the temps to drop quite so low. And I will tell you that there is no snow (too bad my frozen lawn is extra flat and small) here in San Jose, CA and that means that seeing anything below 40 degrees on my car thermometer is unacceptable.

But for one shining (and also warm) moment last weekend I witnessed the Christmas Miracle of a handful of warm strawberries picked fresh from my garden. Two-fold Christmas Miracle, in fact, since, in addition to the out of season strawberriness, I'm just some random Jew broad that doesn't have Christmas anyway so the miraculousness was just that much more astounding.

Whatever, I'll take warm strawberries in December however I can get them.

5 comments:

  1. wow, i enjoyed reading that... now it's out to the arctic where I will snow blow the driveway for the 3rd time today.
    harumph!
    i've got crazy assy holiday lights pictures to send you. but i've been sneaking past my neighbor at all times of the day to get the VERY best picture of the display. Hope to send tomorrow. cheers.

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  2. Did Bubba fight you for the strawberries? Or did he hear about them after the fact? :-)

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  3. I wonder if I could afford to move back to California?

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  4. Hooli - I'm not sure this will make you feel better but my lawn has been frozen for three mornings in a row now. Not exactly snow blower weather, but...meanwhile, photos please!

    Eliz - :)

    Lera - Sadly, no. He knows better. He stood there and watched as I ate them all without asking if he wanted any.

    Steven - If you live in a house as small as ours, perhaps.

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