The long cold week

Hi neighbors. It is the day after Christmas! Are you already getting up early in the morning to sneak the batteries out of all those noisy children's toys?

Are you hoping the monsters, mutants or aliens will go ahead and take over the planet if that is what it will take to end the video game?

Have you decided that the school band really should be the only place for electronic drum sets, guitars and keyboards?

Can you look your daughter in the eyes when she uses a karaoke machine and tell her she really does sound like a real rock star?

How are you doing with those left-overs? Is it casserole time yet?

Count to 10, take a deep breath and grab a cup of coffee, a piece of that pecan pie and hide in a quiet corner for a while to read the newspaper.

This is the week between two major holidays. A virtual no-mans land time span.

It is the week we regret stuffing ourselves this weekend and anticipate a different indulgence for next weekend.

It is the time to clean up all that wrapping paper, bows and tinsel that the pets and toddlers have drug off to some of the strangest hideyholes in the house. Now you have to dig out those pop-up table decorations with old men and babies.

You barely get all the Christmas decorated plates out of the dishwasher and discover it's time to change out the Santa mugs for New Year's champagne glasses.

Give yourself this one week vacation from guilt and hold off on those New Year's resolutions till Dec. 31.

By the way, this is a unique Dec. 31. Take a stroll outside next Friday night and see the full moon. Nothing special about another full moon you say. There is when it is the second full moon of the month.

The first full moon in December was on the 2nd. That makes the full moon on the 31st a "Blue Moon."

Having two full moons in one calendar month has been called a "Blue Moon" since 1946. An older meaning, dating back to 1819, was used to label the third full moon in a season which has four.

Although there is actually nothing happening ON the moon, there have been occasions when the moon has appeared to be blue. When dust from a major volcanic eruption or smoke from large forest fires are thrown high up into the Earth's atmosphere it can react with the moon's light and the human eye to make the moon appear blue.

The expression "Once in a Blue Moon" dates back about 150 years. "Blue Moon" however, dates back to the time of Shakespeare.

If you are a baby boomer, you may remember the song "Blue Moon" which had nothing to do with atmospheric conditions, calendars or almanacs.

It is an odd event. A single year can have two blue moons only four or five times in a century. It must be really odd to have one appear on the last day of any given year.

I think this blue moon can be taken as a sign of something or other. I'm convinced there is a cult some where that will agree. Maybe we should do something special. Put on silly hats, use noise makers and horns to celebrate. Oh, wait, most of us will be doing all that Dec. 31 any way.

I've heard that a full moon can lead to an increase in petty crimes. I wonder if a blue moon full moon will increase or decrease those statistics. Better keep our doors locked and turn on the alarms, just to be sure we don't spend New Year's Day filling out police reports on stolen property.

Of course, I have also heard New Year's Eve can lead to an increase in crimes of all ranks. No need for that! There is too much to celebrate to overindulge in celebration.

Let's all have a good time without having to do time for it.

This will be my last column of 2009! I wonder how long it will take me to get used to writing 2010.

How long will it me to come up with some "keepers" for New Year's resolutions? Guess I'd better have another cup of coffee or two and ponder that.

Until the next time friends remember, full moon, blue moon, New Year's Eve, there is never a good enough reason or excuse for driving drunk. Don't let a friend drive drunk, and don't get into the car with anyone who is drunk. Call a cab!