My exciting plans for the occasion include an outside fireplace that is loaded to burn but the fire hearth is currently covered with heavy plastic to minimize moisture dripping down through the chimney cap. That plan is tentative based on conditions. Plan “B” is a good book, a couple pints of either Baltika or Zywiec Porter, some music and a heater going in Crusty’s Cave. Actually both plans are very similar other than location. . . .but I can remember when this wouldn’t have been the case. Some being better, some being similar but not alone and some being worse, much worse. Sherry’s uncle John Hart always threw big New Years family parties. Uniformly they included a poker game that went on till no one could keep their eyes open, sometimes well into the following day. There wasn’t much money involved USUALLY. I’d usually be found sleeping on any available softer than the floor surface long before the game halted. I’m not an expert poker player but enjoyed playing added to the fact I wasn’t funded like most of the others nor had I had the preceding day off like most of the others. The most memorable such occasion is memorable by out lack of attendance. Sherry was really looking forward to it as we’d been stuck working our business long hours and stuck in a REALLY small (160 houses) eastern Iowa farm town. It started snowing in the early afternoon so I loaded up survival supplies including shovel, blankets and food. Getting out to the car even was very risky with a 30’ hill down to the car or up about 40’ to the truck. I selected the car as it was already loaded, front wheel drive and gassed up. We, Sherry, her young (at the time)son Adam and me and set off. The town had three roads accessing the burg, one had a long uphill pull with no room to get a run at, the other went entirely the wrong direction and the third as our only hope. I knew it was very iffy but I had to try because Sherry was so very looking forward to it. !/2 a mile into the trip I knew we had only three options-stop and try to turn around or plan on a long walk back home or thirdly spending the night and likely a lot of the following day in a car buried in the snow. After getting stuck a couple times and barely getting free I announced “We’re going to have to miss the party.” This was not welcomed but any of us but it was becoming obvious. The snow was drifting to heights over the hood and even without the drifting it was well over a foot deep. Sherry never complained, ever, never nagged, ever. You can think that’s just the way I feel because of missing her and remembering her but you’re more than welcome to ask anyone who knew her. That didn’t help me at the time because I was supposed to be able to handle things like snow storms and vehicle issues and such things in my mind and wanted to in my heart. I KNEW how disappointed she was. That was one of the worst and it was long as we were snowed in several days – Probably played a thousand games of Backgammon huddled under a blank around the table hoping the propane wasn’t going to run out.
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