"All I Want for Christmas is July"

                In case you have friends and acquaintances that still persist in NOT believing a fairly drastic climate change is and has been going on, tell them this: December 22, 2013 it was 70 degrees in New York City. A temperature that was equal to or higher than any major city in America including the south and the west. In fact while New Yorkers walked around in tee-shirts, flip flops and shorts Dallas was 30 degrees on the same day. What explains such an anomaly? In fact it was the hottest Dec.22 ever recorded in NYC.

                No big deal in the short run. Cold here, warm there, you say potato; I say patato. But what does climate change bode for the future? How weird is this all going to get? Will summer and winter change months? Will every city have to brace for either a warm winter or a cold summer? Are all the reliable givens about weather off the table? Tornadoes on Long Island, super storms, and arctic storms; it seems anything is possible on any day. It’s really only been what 15 years that we've noticed significant changes. It started slowly, a freak storm here or super-hot spell there but now every year is wild and woolly.

                I lived 55 years without ever hearing about a tsunami happening somewhere in the world but in the last 10 years there have been 3 major tsunami’s I know of. When I was a teen (I know, I know) I could go outside and basically tell you what month of the year it was or at least be off only by a few weeks. Today I can’t tell you anything about what month it is. It went from a high of 28 degrees last Wednesday to 70 degrees in 3 days. It sure is interesting.

                Oh well, all part of the experience of living in the 21^st century. I wonder if a hundred years from now there will be no seasons. It will be like the Presidents Birthdays in February, just pick days close to the target day so’s not to miss your 3 day weekend. Just rearrange the calendar irrespective of seasons or weather. If that happens they can have Christmas in June and barbecue in December. I woke up this morning and it was 18 degrees!

By the way, from The Bailey Post:

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

"The Last Leaf "

                It’s an odd subject to write about, leaves on a tree, in mid-December. Coming back from my teaching gig in the Bronx on Wednesday I was struck by seeing these leaves still on this tree. Leaves fall in droves, scads of them in October and November. By December the cold nights and time have stripped the trees bare. We've had maybe eight or nine nights cold enough to kill the leaves and there shouldn't be any leaves left on the trees by now. Not mid-December! But these leaves refuse to go; they’ve declined nature’s invitation, natures call.

                I thought why these leaves, these reluctant stragglers? What do these leaves have that countless thousands other leaves didn’t have? I wonder which leaf will be the last one, refusing to accept winter and defeat. If leaves could talk, what would these leaves say to us? Probably something about being stubborn, doing things their own way, not following the crowd, not being a lemming. Maybe they would tell us how much they like being a leaf. They like the view.  They like their place on the tree.

                When it gets down to the last couple of leaves, I’ll wander over to the tree across the street from my apartment, and silently congratulate them on  their courageous fight. for being the toughest, most resilient of leaves.

                I want to be one of the last leafs on my human tree too. Let’s face it, its fall for me, but I’m not volunteering to be one of the first to go. There will be no lack of taking care of myself so that my early descent would be assured. No! I’m going to hang on as long as I can.  No leaf lasts forever the trick is to try and be the last leaf on the tree. I know accidents happen, a bird lands on a limb and dislodges a leaf, a gale wind blows up and dislodges the leaves not strong enough or caught napping but if you are lucky enough to avoid misfortune why not stick around? Be you as long as you can be you, I say. Beside I also like the view up here, I like my place on the tree. I'm shooting to be the last leaf left.