(The Arlington Methodist Tree at home in Culpeper with cheery lights).

It is 72 degrees and quite unseasonable for the first day of Winter at Refuge Farm. I feel merry enough, but quite disconnected from the season. Was just last weekend I was chipping ice off the porch, concerned I might slip and rocket off onto the snow-covered lawn?

The farm invites unusual thinking, magical perhaps. It is connected to something larger than the farm. Smaller than cyberspace, for example, though with the advantage of being real. It is quite different from the uncontrolled chaos back up north.

When I arose- late- I heard there was a severe t-storm alert for the region until ten this morning. I marvel at the miracle of technology- I called up Accuweather on the iPad while still flat on my back and saw some black nasties on the horizon for the County, and wondered if Mattski was going to be by early to pick up the tractor as we had agreed.

The Russians had come over for dinner after I announced my arrival with two double clangs of the ship’s bell mounted on the deck. They brought a packet of Bambi sausages that Andrew from Croftburn Farm whipped up after opening the deer season, and we bemoaned the low light that prevented Mattski from getting a clear shot at Bambi #2 for the season. Can’t just blaze away and risk not getting the animal clean.

I commented that it was just as well to keep the animals on the property and give them another year to get bigger. We were sitting at the table out on the deck, and marveled as the softness of the evening, and the mournful distant moan of the freight train passing through little Winston to the south.

We agreed to rendezvous in the morning and fire up the tractor and see if it actually can cut grass. Mattski’s side pasture is way overdue for cutting, but he didn’t want to knock it down before deer season. He mentioned that his hive was surviving the season, and more surprisingly, the bees are out and collecting something- strange they are able to find anything on the first day of winter.

The black nasties arrived as advertised and I heard the roar of the tractor die in the pasture next door as Mattski took cover from the storm. The bottom of the steel-wool clouds looked close enough to touch as they swept over the farmhouse and dumped rain that drummed on the tin roof.

Life is sure different here. The Internet froze and died, and I had a marvelous moment of disconnection, which permitted other analogue activity. First, I went through the duffle bag of clothes that contained a jumble of shirts from years-past:

(Clockwise, from top left: Coronado, CA, mesh lacrosse jersey; Elmwood Grill half-sleeve; Big Pink pool shirt, 2013; Arlington County logo shirt 2004; FOSIC PAC Fowl “The chicken knows” commemoration T, 1982; Detroit VS Everybody sweatshirt, 1973-2013).

It was my version of a parlor game to pass the time. Instead of puzzling over shirts, Old Jim would have used the time to work on one of the gifts he gave himself for Christmas: the 1,500 piece jig-saw puzzles with which he occupies the afternoon hours before Willow opens for the evening.

Instead, once I had sorted the shirts chronologically, I concentrated on trying to simplify life for our elected fools. I know how hard it must be to generate those monster omnibus slabs of legislation, the ones with so many pages and provisions that it makes the poor dear’s heads spin. Maybe if we just shortened everything up and made them simple, and then we could just change them around whenever we feel like it.

It would enhance flexibility and responsiveness, wouldn’t you think?

I found a one-size-fits-all-approach to law making that would make everything simple. It would fit all the varieties of wild ideas in Washington. Just insert words and originators as you see fit:

A Plan to Help Middle Class Families and Kids by (______):

The (__________) Plan represents a major restructuring of the (______) economy based on total (___________) of the country. (______) stated goal for it was “…the organization of (_______) on the basis of modern, advanced technology, on (__________) which will provide a link between town and country, will put an end to the division between town and country, will make it possible to raise the level of culture in the countryside and to overcome, even in the most remote corners of land, backwardness, ignorance, poverty, disease, and barbarism.”

Insert whatever happens to come to mind. Works perfectly. Doesn’t matter what the subject- this is all supposed to help the middle-class and the children.

In fact, I can imagine a bunch of them standing behind me here at the computer, mutely signaling their approval.

I will improvise the rest of the day here at the farm in that precise manner, firmly committed to the elimination of backwardness, ignorance, poverty, disease and above all, the scourge of barbarism.

And maybe enjoy a nice fire, some carols on the radio and another Internet outage.

Who knows what good ideas we might have?

Happy holidays!

(Seasonal Shirt Selfie too appropriate not to wear.)

Copyright 2013 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com
Twitter: @jayare303