Christmas this year was mellow. I had gone straight to Erin's place in Chesterton once I got to the area, spent the night there, then had a lovely lunch with her and Ethan before heading down to Carol's place in Crown Point , 30 miles west,where I finally spread my stuff out. I really did overdo the packing again, bringing more clothes than I know I will wear.
I had no desire to shop for anything else once I got here. Now that I was back in"The Region" I wanted to enjoy the end-of-tour and simple relax with the family. It was cold out, and that first night here another 3-4 inches of snow fell. The sky remained a dark grey, greyer in the western sky, and cold. We had a White and cold Christmas.
C'mas Eve I was with Carol at her brother John's house, which is always a blast as the company and food are great. I have grown old with John and Ruth (they are only a few years older than me) and they are also new grandparents. This year Ruth's older brothers John and Roger and their wives were also at the party.
I didn't see Eric until late on C'mas Day when he came over with Erin in one car. He dozed off on the couch all day because he had been working eight straight days. He didn't seem all too excited to see me, and he didn't seem all too enthused with the presents I got him (both which bummed me out a bit but I need to be patient with his as he's been working a lot). Erin seemed busy and preoccupied as well, and easy to irritate, but she told me that Eric is reclusive with everyone and not just me. "Don't take it personal, Mom."
I had no desire to shop for anything else once I got here. Now that I was back in"The Region" I wanted to enjoy the end-of-tour and simple relax with the family. It was cold out, and that first night here another 3-4 inches of snow fell. The sky remained a dark grey, greyer in the western sky, and cold. We had a White and cold Christmas.
C'mas Eve I was with Carol at her brother John's house, which is always a blast as the company and food are great. I have grown old with John and Ruth (they are only a few years older than me) and they are also new grandparents. This year Ruth's older brothers John and Roger and their wives were also at the party.
I didn't see Eric until late on C'mas Day when he came over with Erin in one car. He dozed off on the couch all day because he had been working eight straight days. He didn't seem all too excited to see me, and he didn't seem all too enthused with the presents I got him (both which bummed me out a bit but I need to be patient with his as he's been working a lot). Erin seemed busy and preoccupied as well, and easy to irritate, but she told me that Eric is reclusive with everyone and not just me. "Don't take it personal, Mom."
But when Carol asked me what my kids got me for Christmas, I found myself on the defensive. They got me the usual: nothing. My children have never been giving people and they don't make enough money to afford being spendthrifts, but I know they are used to me showering them with presents. It's a habit I have to break MYSELF out of to avoid being disappointed every Christmas.
It's not the family that bums me out, it's the area. Northwest Indiana, with its many industries, is such a depressing area with its steel mills, air pollution, trashy streets, brown slushy roads and lack of any scenery. People driving through the state on the Indiana Toll road don't even see the pretty dunes because the belching mills and power plants overwhelm the horizon.
Shopping and eating out are past times here. Every time I come here in the winter I get those depressing flashbacks from my teen years here. Oh, how I hated this place back then, with its bigotry, ignorant working masses smoking and drinking their lives away. I felt out of place then, and I still feel out of place today. I feel no shame for having deserted this place years ago.
It's not the family that bums me out, it's the area. Northwest Indiana, with its many industries, is such a depressing area with its steel mills, air pollution, trashy streets, brown slushy roads and lack of any scenery. People driving through the state on the Indiana Toll road don't even see the pretty dunes because the belching mills and power plants overwhelm the horizon.
Shopping and eating out are past times here. Every time I come here in the winter I get those depressing flashbacks from my teen years here. Oh, how I hated this place back then, with its bigotry, ignorant working masses smoking and drinking their lives away. I felt out of place then, and I still feel out of place today. I feel no shame for having deserted this place years ago.
And yet so much of my family is here, I have no option but to return to this place every few years.
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