I’ve been putting a lot of miles on my feet this week, and feeling very healthy doing it. In a stroke of genius timing, i’ve chosen the coldest week so far all year during which to make my attempt at a more european/manhattan lifestyle, and i keep running into obstacles – like where are all the delis and street vendors? What are all these people eating? Also, our public transit really is awful, and that’s not just my bitterness about the monorail talking. Without the bus tunnel’s modicum of sanity, moving around downtown is hideous and not worth the trouble, even when the alternative is trudging through the wind and drizzle. And has Seattle always been so full of hills?

Part of all this footwork has been trips up and down the hill to harborview, visiting my friend John. He was in a motorcycle accident (vs. a car) on wednesday, but i didn’t hear until i returned to work monday. I’ve been making a visit or two every day, and a good deal of my idle thoughts during the day involve racking my brain for things i can do that would be of help to either him, or his mother Jill, who i’ve been spending equally as much time with this week – and who officially adopted me as her fourth child this morning. :) He was in rough shape – broken bones up the left side, internal organ damage, concussion – but is recovering well already. He had regained his dexterity in at least one hand yesterday, so i’ve got a stack of car, ski and computer magazines in my bag today if he feels up for that. I’m waiting for the green light from Leslie the cute nursing student before i make a trip to starbucks for him.

In an effort to fortify my holiday cheer against all that’s wrong in the world – bright, 21-year-old guys getting struck down in intersections; exciting job offers that find every excuse to be delayed – i spent last nite listening to House Arrest and erecting my green plastic expression of seasonal joy and showering it with glitz and baubles. Somehow – i’m blaming the grinch – my tree’s stand disappeared since last year, so i took Danielle’s suggestion monday and fashioned a sturdy replacement out of some pvc pipe, a terra cotta pot and quick-set concrete. My tree is much less tippy and significantly more pet-proof now, so if i had any pets that would be really good news. Unlike rabbits, door dings and credit card offers which seem to multiply when you’re not looking, my tinsel seems to dwindle with each passing year and looking at that picture i’m thinking this may be the year i need to adopt some more. I started some shopping before tgiving so there are even a few wrapped gifts under there, and the whole thing looks very festive, despite the scantily-draped silver garland.

From the snippet of tv news i caught in the waiting room yesterday, all this icy gloom in the city has been translating into winter wonderland in the mountains, and if it continues i might have a chance to make use of that ski pass very soon, which would give me one more reason to be “decking the halls” this week.

Eric returned from his week in Japan yesterday with tons of great stories… and he brought me back some toys! A car! That makes noise! :)

Walking up to Harborview to visit my friend John. This city has too many steep hills!

Back in Seattle, behind the wheel of my own vehicle, headed home. Roads were great, weekend was great & it’ll be great to be home.

On the sofa in Mom and Dad’s living room, lappy keeping my knees warm and hot spiced wine on the side table. The Folks and Tim & Carol are shouting at the football players on television as the hometown team slides around on an icy field. As I’m less than interested in montana college football, i’m enjoying a moment of “iPod solitude”, a phrase i’m coining right now (take note of that, you scouts from Webster’s) to describe the effective isolation possible even in noisy, crowded places with a pair of white headphones (or any other color, really). I’m also attempting to caption and publish all those photos from Manhattan last month. I’ve concluded that i need some easy, portable way of taking notes about pictures as i take them, so i don’t need to spend so much time remembering and researching in order to properly label them days/weeks/months later, as that really is the primary hold-up in my process.

It’s been a great thanksgiving weekend, visiting with all the extended family that i don’t see nearly enough. We set up chairs for 33 people yesterday – and several more who are too young to need their own chair – and feasted on two turkeys, a ham, and a mountain of side dishes until everyone was nearly (but not quite) too full for dessert. Mom was in a thousand different places at once all afternoon, and despite her claims that it was all a bit stressful she projected an organized calm and everything was hot and delicious and ready on time. The joy and laughter echoed in the high ceiling’s peaks into the evening, until everyone but us 6 houseguests made their way home, and i was repeatedly struck with how supportive, compassionate and welcoming this family is. From the first sister-in-law to marry into the family to the latest young cousin’s groom, from the great-grandmother of the entire group to the newest second cousin, everyone is loved, enjoyed and appreciated by all. Grudges are not held, loyalties – though tested – are never discarded, and through everything that befalls them the family sticks together. I know that all families share a bond of life and love that keeps them close, but my Dad’s 10 brothers and sisters and their individual clans make up the type of extended family that sometimes seems to only exist in mafia movies or feel-good holiday stories. They support each others’ businesses and hobbies: half a dozen women purchased jewelry from Mom last night, insisting on paying more than her family-discount price. They pass possessions around between each other freely: all the dirt bikes i drove as a kid were lent from an older cousin, and passed to a younger one after me; the heater in Dad’s garage that kept us warm all evening came from his brother Dan’s shop; Uncle Dick saw the disassembled ‘67 Triumph TR6 in the garage and offered to bring his extra parts to help with Dad’s retirement project. They jump to each other’s aid: when Kevin called with transmission problems every mind present starting working at a solution, and keys were in hands ready to drive 40 miles to do whatever was necessary.

Anytime i feel a little jaded about the world, about people caring about one other, about marriages staying together and families living in peace, a weekend with my extended family is remedy for that and then some, and i will head back to Seattle tomorrow morning feeling rested and well-fed and knowing that no amount of distance could outreach the safety net that i’m so lucky to have, ready to catch me  if  when i tumble from life’s trapeze.