It gets dark so early this time of year, it’s barely 3:00 and the shadows are already lengthening. Especially on overcast days like today, when there are no shadows. It’s almost time to turn the lights on! Or, better yet, plug in the Christmas tree.
Gotta love the holiday season!
And it’s definitely beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Friday I hauled our harvest decorations to the storage unit, swapping them out for our Christmas bins; Saturday morning, we decorated the apartment. Right about the time we got the tree all decked out, it began snowing. Big, fat flakes that quickly covered the ground. The snow did not let up until after dark, which made the tree lighting ceremony and Festival of Lights Parade in downtown Rapid City especially festive. Between the ice skaters, Santa Claus, holiday lights, and falling snow, it looked like a scene straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. We couldn’t have scripted things any better.
It was a tad cold, especially with a brisk wind blowing, but we spent a lot of time warm and cozy inside Firehouse Brewing and, later, the Wobbly Bobby Tap Room. There’s nothing like hot artichoke dip to take off the chill. That, and a few Manhattan cocktails.
The parade was pretty impressive, I might add. There were about 90 floats, and it took a solid hour for them all to roll on by.
By the time the snow finally tapered off we had a couple of inches on the ground. Not a huge amount, but it’s stuck around for several days thanks to below-freezing daytime highs. Today is the exception; it managed to get up to 54 degrees. But the weather is turning colder again this weekend, and there’s a potent winter storm system that is going to hit somewhere on the Plains. The track is still uncertain at this point. We could potentially see a lot of snow, so we’re keeping an eye on the forecast because we are planning a weekend getaway to Pierre, the state capital, to see this. A little snow wouldn’t be too big of a deal – my only concern is a lot of snow (and wind). There are 191 miles of freeway between Rapid City and Pierre, and navigating that stretch during a blizzard would not be fun. We have until tomorrow to cancel our reservation without losing the deposit, so hopefully we’ll have a better idea of what’s going to happen by then. If not, well, I guess we’ll go – and be prepared for an adventure.
In other news, we have really been getting our money’s worth out of Netflix lately. We have a very basic cable package in order to save $$$, and I was mourning the loss of a bunch of favorite shows because we don’t get AMC, Discovery Channel, A&E, Bravo, Food Network, truTV, etc. But we have offset those losses with “Ozark” and “The Haunting of Hill House” and “The Ranch” and “The Final Table.” Add in Hulu, and campy-but-good classic sitcom fare like “Perfect Strangers” and “Blossom,” and we haven’t been lacking in things to watch.
Gotta run – darkness is descending. Wish us luck this weekend!
Mark My Words 
The parade looks like it was fun, but so very chilly
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I believe you have summed it up perfectly!
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90 floats? That’s more than a Disney parade! Looks like a lot of fun. Your photos almost make the snow look pretty . . . almost!
Good luck with the drive. Honestly, that’s what I hate most about the weather; when it ruins plans. And I would not survive without Bravo. I’m bingeing on Below Deck right now.
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They just kept coming and coming. Which was great except for the fact that my fingers were frozen. And yes, I was wearing gloves.
What is “Below Deck”?
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Only the best show ever! 😂 It’s about a charter yacht crew. Rich folks rent yachts for a few days and the crew takes them to Caribbean islands, but mostly it’s about the crew (deck hands, stewards, chef, captain). I’m learning all sorts of stuff I never knew, like what a Bosun is! I just started season 3 and they are currently showing season 6. There’s also a Mediterranean version. Addicting!
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OK, that sounds pretty addictive. Too bad I’m still one Bravo channel short of having Bravo!
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Wow, Perfect Strangers…. I would love to see that again. But a part of me fears it won’t be as good as I remember. Kind of like, never meet your heroes–never rewatch childhood favorites. I hope that’s not your experience!
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In the words of Balki, “don’t be ridiculous.” I was a big fan of the show and at least through the first six episodes it’s every bit as funny as I remember!
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Awesome! I may need to look for it. I think my husband is unfamiliar with it. I mean, come on. He also doesn’t know the Fresh Prince theme song. I only found that out recently. I was like, um, grounds for annulment much? The man needs to be schooled.
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Annulment is too kind for somebody of that caliber. I’d consider flogging him too.
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Mark, I know what you mean about the early light this time of year. I was in New York City yesterday, and by 3 PM it was almost completely dark. But I have to admit, I like this time change because I’m more of a night person. I actually enjoy shorter days and longer nights. But that’s because I’m really a vampire. HA!
Your tree is gorgeous! On Thanksgiving Day I put up mine too. It’s tiny tree, but oh-so cute and cozy.
You pictures (and slideshow) of the snow are stunning! I love how everything looks covered in that white stuff. It makes is feel even more Christmassy. We got some early snow too, but not like you.
Can you believe it’s almost December?!? Christmas is right around the corner. Being in NYC yesterday felt magically because of all the decorations!
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Normally I would say I cannot believe it’s nearly December, but given our weather lately, yeah. Feels just like December! 🙂
I’ve always thought NYC this time of year would be stunning. One of these days! For now, I’ll just live vicariously through you.
Have a great weekend!
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