I love a Parade

The Mrs. Pirate and myself made it to the annual light parade in Salem tonight. Unlike the parades in the past it wasn't raining or snowing. It was cold as hell but beautiful. We had asked the kids if they wanted to go tonight but being teenagers why would they want to something normal people do.

I asked Mrs. Pirate if this is what it is like getting older. Still doing the things we thought the kids liked when they were little, without them. She laughed and thought I had a point.

I found myself volunteering the whole afternoon at a middle school for a basketball tournament and we didn't have any kids involved with any of the teams. In fact, I didn't see any kid or parent I knew. I just took a book I am reading, "The Shadow of the Wind", by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and minded my own busines and made sure no half- crazy parent beat the shit out of a referee. No incidents to report, just one heck of great book.

I sit at the laptop pounding out a post and rethinking something else I'm writing as Mrs. Pirate watches Christmas movies that we use to watch with the kids. The kids are all spending the night with someone else except for Jock. He is always in his room with a buddy or two "gaming", coming up for air and food every hour on the hour.

My blogger buddy Margaret Stargazer made a post on her blog about "neighborhood light wars" (my words) and it got me to thinking about the whole Chrsitmas decorating routine. Our neighborhood is bascally many families of similar wealth (or lack of it) kids all roughly the same age, but there are those who go completely out of their heads when it comes to the required voltage that is needed to express their reason for the season. I think it is kind of funny and in some ways neat. One neighbor has a ten foot "Snow globe" with Frosty and a few of his frozen buds standing in snow smiling out at the neighborhood. To top off the effect there is snow blowing around the inside of the globe. Gawdy but cool.

The Pirate lair went with replicas of the old type of bulbs. No fake icicles or anything special. We decided we wanted to look like the family in "A Christmas Story" so we went with the basics minus the leg lamp.

Thanks to all for the kind words of encouragement regarding my last post. I am strong and know God is in my corner but it always feels more assuring when others throw in their moral, spiritual and down right loving support.

Tonight I was standing watching the parade go by. Locally made floats, old muscle cars and motor bikes all decorated with lights, high school marching bands, local businesses being advertised, and a few local politicians march by and over heard a young man complaining to his mother about having to do this. Being the nosey Pirate that I am, I turned around and asked him if he'd like a better view? Then told him to always remember he can one day torture his own kids with this parade. And for a bonus always remember a parade is the only form of entertainment that I know of that is free. Little is asked of you but some of your time and an applaud or two.

Peace....