I don't like stormy weather.

The trip this morning to my Senior Fitness group was easy. I had been listening to a police monitor which had indicated the roads were setting up and getting slippery. I don’t like ice, but since most of the trouble seemed to be well inland, I ventured out. I assured Gator Wife I’d call when I got there. There was no trouble at all as the roads were bare and there was no precipitation.

The session went as usual in this kind of weather. My back, hip, bones, and joints all let me know they weren’t happy, but I didn’t take the easy way out and completed my routine. I called GW to let her know I was heading home. She warned me of many accidents and, indeed, people arriving for their physical therapy indicated the roads outside Portland were getting very slippery. I headed home and again found the travel to be rather easy, although the Scarborough Connector to I-295 was a parking lot. I was coming the other way so didn’t have a problem.

The weather forecast this morning makes it a good thing to be retired. Although I did go out this morning, now that I’m home I can stay here in the “warmth” and comfort of my home through the predicted very bad storm heading into our area. Later on today, the rains, some snow, some mixed precipitation, and some ice will be heading into Maine.

I know Gator Daughter made it to her work place this morning without any difficulty, but she’ll be heading home this afternoon in the teeth of the beginning of overnight storm. Both GD and Gator Wife will be expected to head out into what forecasters say could be very icy conditions in the morning. GW only has a mile and a half to drive but the youngster will have some treacherous travel that includes a bridge, the Interstate, and Portland’s hills.

I’ll be sitting here very anxiously awaiting their confirming calls of safe arrival.

This season is really flying by. I’m sure you realize that Christmas is just two weeks from today. I think we have completed what shopping we’re going to do this year. GD and we were discussing what we were going to do for Christmas this year and came to the conclusion that all through the year we simply get whatever we need. So we’ve decided that since that takes place and the economy isn’t the strongest we’ve ever seen that we’ll keep our giving very simple this year.

I do have a son who lives on the West Coast, but it is very hard knowing what he and his family out there needs so we’ll send them a check and hope they can get something they all need. Last year, we understand, our cash present helped them take a little vacation, and that was good.

The state’s civil engineers have called for major spending on roads and bridges giving Maine a grade of C- on the conditions of the state’s infrastructure. Legislators say they’re hoping President-elect Obama will make good on his promise to stimulate the economy by helping to fund infrastructure construction. Reporters in Maine don’t do any investigative reporting so in those stories about the need for road and bridge funding, we never are told of where all that bonded money from the last several years has gone.

I’m not suggesting it hasn’t gone to construction; I simply don’t know where it did go. I don’t listen very often, but a Portland radio/TV talk show host has said in the past that he was going to monitor how that money was used. He may have kept his listeners up to date in the many hours I haven’t listened, but I haven’t heard any reports from him.

I hope you and your families and friends stay warm and safe during this stormy couple of days.

GiM