Calendars

Even in retirement calendars are big in my life.  I am surprised at how fast the end of 2012 has come, the Christmas break is nearly over.    I have a 2013 wall calender hung under the old one in the kitchen ready to go.  I've gone with monthly photos of porches in various lovely settings for some years.  This year I received a calender of grumpy old lady cartoons.  It made me laugh but I don't think 30 days of viewing it every day is going to do it for me.  I like to be transported out of my life into nature when I look at my calendar so I'm going to move it and shop up another for the kitchen.

I have my new purse calendar at the ready,  I check it every morning to make sure I don't miss some appointment, visit, or errand I needed.  Today I will fill out the 2013 version.  I toss the old one in a drawer.  They are little books journaling my life.  I haven't been able to throw them away for the last 14 years.  I've tried but so far they are so stuffed with good memories (and a few not so good), I can't part with them.  Reading them often makes me laugh or smile.  I see some worry that was really small, a large one we survived, or a list of the grandgirl's favorite colors that year.  I had no trouble tossing all my calendars from work when I retired but these are full of birthdays, car trips, lunch dates with friends, and all the other emphemera that makes up our lives.  There's lists of gifts to purchase, books and films I want to enjoy, as well the size of my tires and my furnace filters, the brand name of some favorite socks.  My attempts at journalling have never been so regular.

I've entered a couple of scheduled appointments and on Jan 5th, the first family birthday of the year and it's the first birthday for a grandchild.  Auspicious to begin with such a celebration.  Keeps in mind what is good in my life.

The snow is up in the hills.  We've got a little freezing fog this morning but no snow here like last year.  Our little town is flat so not much trouble to drive with snow but I'm lazy and don't like spending the time cleaning the snow off and defrosting all the windows.  We are having a little end of December freeze though, 27° F at 6:30am or -3° C.  I'm trying to learn to recognize the Celsius temps.

Every year I try to ignore making resolutions and every year I think "oh, but I should really work on fill in the blanks."  I cleaned out the kitchen cupboards again both in a housekeeping sense and removing the chips, old cans of frosting (which I would eat with a spoon if stressed), and other quasi-food items that would fatten me up some more.  I am happy though that I gained no weight this year, but I would still like to dump the another five pounds.  My pants are too tight again.  And my tops are too big, gravity has taken the extra pounds and migrated them south.  So, I guess some kind of regular walking program is in order.  Ye gods, it's 27° out there.  I'm not walking anywhere but to the car.  So maybe aerobics to a DVD in front of the TV.  I used to have a stationary bike that I rode through the news every evening but even with a cushy gel seat it was a pain in rear. 

Today is my DIL's birthday.  She has become my daughter, I've been so lucky to have her. We are gathering for BBQ rib and chicken dinner at the restaurant of a friend.  Usually she won't accept birthday celebrations until well into January as her birthday is so hard onto Christmas.  So, lulled into complacence I have no gift for her.  It will be a busy day.  Gift to acquire (I have a plan), she has 8 kids she and son have acquired in assorted ways, the possibilities are endless for things like tickets with babysitting, dinner with babysitting, dinner for the kids here away from home and so on.  I also need to go pay my AAA membership, membership to the Senior Center, membership to the Fort Walla Walla Museum, and change out my 2012 purse calendar to the 2013 one. 

How are you wrapping up your year?  Did you make any resolutions?  In spite of my speculation above I have not.  Peace to you all.

Surprise, we're still here, or not such a surprise.  This is one of my favorite days of the year as I know the days will be getting longer from here on out.  I still haven't quite recovered my sleep patterns this fall from the change back to standard time and I think having it get light a little earlier will to help me.  Even if it's only in my mind.   However at my age I am delighted that my eyes pop open in the morning winter or summer.

Some wag on the internet suggested all the power companies turn the power of this morning for 10 minutes just to give everyone a jolt in case they were still waiting for the end of the world.  Ha, with our aging infrastructure it would probably be out for days in places.  Of course the rest of the fallout wouldn't be too entertaining either.

I opened a Christmas gift.  It's my sister's fault for getting hers sent out so promptly.  Or my six- year old grandgirl's wishes to see what was in those packages.  I can't say no to her sometimes.  Okay it was me.  The package contained a lovely wooden spoon with little birds and vines engraved into it.  We used it to make breakfast, blueberry pancakes.  Then we used it to make lunch.  We had a lovely quiet day.  She stayed overnight with me and we played games, she colored, we watched movies, made hot chocolate, and added some to my coffee for a homemade mocha.

I wish you all peace and love.

I got my Christmas packages mailed away yesterday even though news radio announced this would be the busiest mailing day of the year.  The line was only three other people in the little town next door to us making it quite worth the short six minute drive.  There are some advantages to moving away from a large city.

I put the wreath up on the door, the public announcement.  Got the little fake tree and creche up in the living room, the private view.  Need some more lights somewhere inside.  One of my favorite Christmas things is sitting in the dark with the lights on.

Sent out some Christmas cards for the first time in probably four years.  One remains as I am writing a real letter to put in it.

I missed the annual "ThankMas" family gathering last Saturday here.  Poop! It's a gathering of 30+ people who like to have the holidays in their own home but want to see each other and will travel to between Thanksgiving and Christmas do this.  My DIL stopped by on their way by to check on me and deliver the salad I had made.  I had an allergic reaction to medicine and probably the tape I applied to a small surgery to remove a precancerous growth under my nose.  My whole face swelled up and a large area broke out in weeping blisters.  I am pretty much allergic to everything.  I went for treatment.  No wheezing but my eyes were almost swollen shut.  They fixed me.  Must stick to paper tape, that works.  I went home epi-pen at the ready and slept through the afternoon and early evening Saturday.  The rash was mostly gone along with the swelling.  I then slept until 10am Sunday morning.  By evening I even the normal swelling had gone away. 

My eldest son came over to shower.  His apartment was without water for repairs and he had to go to work.  He thinks I need more lights too.  Gave him a big hug when he left. 

Praying for all in this saddest Christmas time.

 

O' Deer Me

Home, home on the wheat fields where the deer and the cows play on the highway.

I'm home with a cold while the grandgirls are performing in their annual Christmas play.  This is the first one I've missed.  The elder ones do a skit, the younger ones sing.  It's usually pretty charming, especially those little ones who sing, hum, wiggle, or lie down during their number.  It's the end to an uproarious week or many.

My sister Pam has completed her radiation treatments, twice a day for five days.  The last few days have been her first to be able to just relax (if she can) stay in her jammies late, nap, read and play with her bunny and elderly cat.  My love to her and to her hubbie who has been there for her through this.  There are follow-ups of course but she can take some time now to absorb what has happened to her.  It went very fast, decisions being made, things happening before she could think about it, not unlike an accident.

Accidents.  Last week a deer jumped on to my eldest son's car on his way home from work.  He is fine, thank God.  His car runs but is damaged beyond its worth.  He works until dark-thirty and has a 30+ mile commute through the unlit hills and fields of rural SE Washington.  For reasons known only to the deer themselves, they seem to fancy suicidally diving down the hillside cuts through which the highway travels and wreaking havoc to all.  We all watch out but sometimes they just rocket down off a hill and get you.  The passenger side headlight is gone, that side of the hood is dented and the misbegotten deer disappeared, not to a good end I imagine.  The car started right up after he'd let his own shock wear off and he drove home.  He's been driving my van to work.  His father, who has a avocation acquiring all things motorized, cars, boats, lawnmowers, etc., has a genius (not kidding) for finding used cars and produced a much better car for him, older but in better shape than his now mangled Toyota. 

We are all still here, hallelujah!  Hug your loved ones, and may you all stay safe.