This is not my favorite.
However, there is one
excellent thing about the year’s finale, and that is not New Year’s Eve. While I
appreciated things like seeing Phish countdown 1998 into 1999, kicking off with
Prince’s song of the same name, I’m well past going out bar hopping like I did
in the early and mid-1990s while stationed in England. Frankly, I’ve threatened
to fall asleep on Ryan Seacrest every year, but I never do. Maybe this can be
the first year. Then again…
No, December is for
cookies, trees, presents, lights, and all things Christmas, and for this, I
look forward to the final happy family bash of the year for its style and
memories.
To put it simply, I love
decorating for Christmas, and I really like seeing how my wife functions with
her Perfect Ornament Placement Disorder to make our 3 (yes, 3) artificial trees
beautiful (allergies, costs, and waste led us this route). I also love going
places that are decorated, whether the old Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania, I grew
up in, or Longwood Gardens or just walking down the main street of Ephrata,
Pennsylvania, which is all done up in lights and wreaths. Additionally, I love
celebrating Christmas, and I really love looking forward to Christmas even if I
won’t be getting a Death Star (maybe just Star Wars Battleship). And finally, I
love being with family for Christmas, and I love it even more knowing that my 3-year
old godson Big D will be thrilled opening his presents, especially since we got
him a Giga Ball, which will hands-down be the best present he gets that isn’t a
John Deere riding tractor.
Seeing
the Giga Ball makes me wish I was less than 150 pounds so I could jump inside
of it, too!
However,
for all I love of Christmas, I don’t like the cold – at all. I’ve gotten more
used to it over time, but I don’t like the wind. I don’t like the rosy-red
cheeks and ears, and I really don’t like digging out from blizzards though I do
like the sight of falling snow and peaceful winter scenes. Nevertheless, we’re
talking about getting a snow blower to make things a little easier on us this
year. This is a serious concern with my left arm and leg Parkinson’s issues and
my Lyme lethargy.
Nevertheless, for all
that is my dread of winter, I do like frozen waterfalls, and I really like
taking pictures of them. Prior to my diagnosis, but after my symptoms, I did
Ricketts Glen in winter twice. The first time was from the top. The second time
was from the bottom. It was that good. I also did Glen Onoko in winter, which was
an amazing site.
Right now, I’m dreaming
and hoping to be able to do that this year, but it really depends on a few
things. Number one is that the Polar Vortex (registered trademark) hits and
grinds the gears of the beautiful waterfalls of Pennsylvania and New York to a
stop. For frozen waterfalls, I’d take this, but I really don’t like the oil
bill that comes with it. Thus, on second thought…
So if it’s coming, then bring
it on. To do this, we will also need some snow to get things really winter
hiking festive. I don’t want so much that I sink balls deep into slush like I
did at Ludlowville Falls a few years ago pushing out to the waterfall cave and
the hoarfrost on the ceiling, but enough that the pictures look good. A solid 4
inches will be nice.
I’ve got the gear to do
it safely with my symptoms. Oh yes, I’ve got the crampons, Micro Spikes, ice
axe, rope, under layers of clothing, over layers of clothing, and the heart,
but what I don’t know is where I stand with my Lyme disease lethargy and future
treatment plan. See, in the treatment of that, the question is will I have an
IV in me for a month because if I do, that would suck for the only good part of
winter.
Sure,
there are paths like at Taughannock in Ithaca where it’s possible to just walk
in and enjoy, but Lucifer’s Falls would be a don’t risk it with the potential
for balance falls. Now, I wouldn’t care about a fall on the ice or snow if I
didn’t have a needle in my arm for a month, but with one. Oh, hell now. Rickett’s
Glen would also be a really don’t risk it proposition, so I should just stop
thinking about that altogether and instead watch videos of descents into
Horseshoe Canyon to live out my World Petroglyph Tour visit in August.
Simply put, if the worst
case scenario happens (IV), I might just want to confine myself to flat paths
looking at frozen lakes, which will make for a much longer winter. Then again,
maybe I should just watch Youtube videos of other people’s journeys since I won’t
be having any of my own.
Even
if it means getting better, I’m not looking forward to that at all since the
change of seasons plays havoc with my mind. Unless I have dreams to look
forward to, it can be a long winter. Perhaps I can do the reading and writing,
but the claustrophobia and confinement of being indoors is also not my favorite.
Hence,
I need some good luck to either get some quick mega IV doses via needle out with some big ol' horse pills for a month. Heck, I’ll take the 2 together even, but I’d prefer not
to have a 4-week IV adventure. Personally, seeing as I’m willing to do a spinal
tap, no questions asked, I think that’s a fair trade. While I’ll do whatever I have
to do because a stoic must believe that the universe is always right and I must
accept my role and play it the best I can, let’s just say this won’t make me a
happy camper.
As
is, for those of you who don’t know, my Parkinson’s makes my tremors shake
extra fast. It also seems to bring out a lot of extra muscle twitching on my
left side. Lately, my left arm has been bouncing to the beat of an imaginary
drum at a techno club. While Eminem says that “nobody listens to techno,” it
seems like my arm and leg still do. That, too, is not my favorite.
So
here I sit, dreaming about winter hiking, contemplating my movement and balance
through the winter world to come, and I’m not sure if I should even be tempting
myself with this. Like Jim Lovell, I could easily lose the moon on this one,
but something tells me that there’s good things to come. I’ve been working on
my karma and saying positive. I’m believing in the good things to come.
For
this, I’m Ricketts Glen in winter dreaming, pushing through the obstacles while
I still can because it’s what I need to do. For visions of glory, wouldn’t you
(no matter what’s holding you back)?
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