It’s difficult to avoid this time of year, everyone cooped up, and those who aren’t are frantically preparing for ‘a day.’ Fuck it, I say ..in as polite a manner as necessary. I also get this other feeling like ...you don’t celebrate ‘my day,’ I don’t celebrate yours..

My mother had left me a Solstice message, that among other things, my niece just had her car stolen. Without full coverage insurance, she’s at a total loss, including breast pumping equipment for her baby.. I thought - this fake cheer, goodwill & happiness is BS..

You’re not totality alone, though it may appear that way by quantity. I long ago stopped attending any ‘holiday gathering’ I could get out of. But I had 23 acres in the deep woods to play with, and had apparently done a good enough job as primary caregiver for my children that they weren’t too F-ed up when returning from ‘the other side’s’ spend fest.

Bout the only thing that kept me sane at the in-laws extravaganza was sneaking off to get stoned with a brother in law. His idea, and stuff, but it worked! Left us about as dumbed down as our surroundings Shit, get your hands on something like that. Seems most use alcohol to numb the madness, but preferably, if there wasn’t a damn storm going on - I’d volunteer to ‘hike to the store’ to fetch whatever anyone wanted or needed - just to get the hell out of there!

My immediate family was great, and I really miss them.. Other than one sister who insists on competing with the masses, the rest could hardly care less. And, most stayed around home. I could also trek off to hang out with my Father and Brother at the Oregon Coast; brother had two hundred+ acres to play on and dad lives just blocks from the ocean. I’d spent many a ‘holy day’ hiking vacant beaches!

Get into nature, or as close as you safely can to it. It’s real! Gulls soaring, waves crashing and sand blowing real -- or, finches flitting between cover in the bushes along a city sidewalk.. If trapped, there’s all kinds of ‘everyday’ info and adventures online. Podcasts that still think it’s summer, binge-watching series, youtube videos of your favorite places, audio books … I’m finally ‘listening to’ the actual book, “To Kill A Mockingbird,” read by Sissy Spacek!

And I’ll often think.. this shit blows by as fast as summer, so just let it