It's raining again. The earth seems to be completely inundated with water, like a sponge floating in a bathtub.

I had several things that I wanted to get done this week, but the weather has proved to be less than cooperative. With what feels like bitter cold after the 50s and 60s we have been enjoying and rain, snow and whatever else you can think of, working outside has nearly been a lost cause.

My few feeble attempts at hunting have also come to naught, the first bringing me home with little more than a runny nose and wet shotgun to clean, oil and dry. Even so, that trip turned out better than my second attempt, which didn't even happen.

My bow and arrows, my shotgun and rifle, even my trusty old hunting knife, all gather dust in the corner of the bedroom where I keep them out of the reach of little hands. No matter, there are plenty of days left and there would just about have to be better weather ahead, at least from the hunting perspective.

By Friday night, the rain had changed over to snow and I sat quietly in the living room with the window blinds all the way open. I turned off the lights and the television and turned on the little gas fireplace. There is something really wrong with gas fireplaces, in my opinion. I have had one for some time, but it lacks the warmth of the real thing. There's no noise and, instead of the fresh outdoor smell of burning hickory, oak and maple, I get the whiff of propane and a bill stuffed inside my storm door every month or so. At least it seems to be safe and dependable, which is more than I can say for my woodcutting experience.

Outside I could hear the wind whistling around whatever obstructions it came to, including the roof of the house. Every once in a while I could hear one of those mysterious outdoor bumps or bangs, but none loud enough to really concern me.

The snow is very fine and doesn't seem to be amounting to much, like a shower of little ice crystals swept about by the wind.

Through the window, the outside dusk-to-dawn light is helping to illuminate the little white specks as they whirl around, doing the snow dance.

In a way, the quiet evening was helping me prepare for a hectic Saturday filled with travel, people, demands and appointments.

I am almost out of honey this year, the bees didn't get very much done. They were too busy trying to keep up with their own needs to take care of mine. The wet weather has led many local honey producers to deal with a shortage of profit and even emptier cupboards. I suppose I will try to find someone here in the area with a quart or two for sale. Maybe the more experienced beekeepers had a better year than the amateurs like myself.

I had just enough left in a quart jar to put a few tablespoons in a cup of herbal tea. Herbal tea goes good with honey and cookies, in my humble opinion. The fireplace is optional.

I almost put on some cheesy Christmas music, but thought better of it. I can wait on that for at least another three or four weeks. After all, every time I go to the really big store I get to hear more than my fair share of that stuff.

In between the pseudo-cheerful songs and the ridiculous dancing Santa nestled in amongst the forest of fake trees, I tried to find a glimpse of the meaning of the season. A child gazing at the long aisles full of toys of nearly every description, the look of joy on the face of a shopper who found just the right gift, the look of disgust on the face of the checkout person as they gaze down the long line of now-tired shoppers with their check cards in hand.

At least I found what I needed and escaped most of the mad rush, buying little more than moth balls and mouse poison for my storage building and a few items for my dining enjoyment. I also picked up a birthday gift.

I generally fail to find much I want to see in the really big store. Sometimes as I walk through the aisles and watch the people's faces, it feels like I almost know them. A man with red-rimmed eyes walks sullenly behind a heavy-set woman with a cart filled with food; a lonely-looking woman in her late 20s with unkempt hair and a cotton dress pushes a cart with only a few items inside and a small boy in the sitting area; a group of young Hispanic men chatter as they pass through quickly; a young couple in their teens walks around and around the store without really buying anything, apparently looking for other youngsters to chat with. All have their own little worlds, some happy, some sad. Sometimes a familiar emerges from the crowd, but it's usually a blur of faces passing amidst a sea of humanity. I can feel the press of so many people in one place, even before I try to return to my pickup without getting run over by a distracted teen with a hat like a toboggan over his eyes and his radio blasting something all bass notes without words.

Saturday morning comes and passes much too quickly, much as it always seems to do. One moment I was rolling over to see the clock, which then said 6:23, the next I was heading out the door to go to the parade. People were milling about, though fewer than normal in the arctic chill of the day. I felt sorry for the people on the floats. They had to be freezing.

Afterwards I went to my niece's first birthday party. We bought her a brightly colored bear with a picture on its chest. I feel sure she liked it almost as much as the other seven brightly colored bears she opened.

I also had to meet with some folks from my church about building a giant Bible. They think I can do it. I just hope they are right. By Saturday afternoon, I was happy to put on my coveralls and go out in the wind and do some repairs at the place in the woods. I would rather hear the steady thump of a hammer or whir of a drill than all of the hustle and bustle of a really big store on a weekend night any day. I would rather stand out in the cold with the frosty air fogging my breath than inside with masses of holiday shoppers. I guess there is something to be said for both, but there are times when my mind says, "No more people today." We all need a little time away from the sea of other people's faces. I feel blessed to have a place to go get it when I need it most.

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