Paint and Snow

 I was disappointed in awakening this morning to a light snow after being promised a bigger one! But, I'll take what I can get! There is just something so magical about snow! 

Last night, before the snow started, Shirley and I joined a bunch of the residents here at the Commons for a paint and sip. No wine.... just sparkling cider! Guess they don't want us old ladies to party too much. hehe. 

I'll tell you, those little teeny tiny pots of paint were hard to open, hard to use and my white one was nearly empty. I guess I just paint better at home with what

 I am familiar with. But, we both enjoyed it a lot. 

I just couldn't resist posting this what with the college football championship and the NFL super bowl just around the corner.

A Lost Shoe!

                      My ghost Mabel is at it again !

 (when I can't find things, I blame it on a ghost that I have named Mabel)

January 1st I was sitting in my recliner waiting on my nieces to arrive and I slipped my shoes off. Man, I hate to wear shoes in the house! The Roomba was making a last minute attempt to vacumn the floor. 

The nieces arrive, we visit a bit and then head out for lunch. I start to slip my shoes on and there is only one sitting by my chair. A quick search... nothing... so I put on another pair and we have a nice lunch.

Here it is over a week later and I still have not found that shoe!

Both recliners have been turned over... no shoe. I ran my cane all under the couch and it didn't drag out anything...I've even looked in other rooms. That shoe has to be somewhere! My guess is, the Roomba pushed it in a hidden spot and then left it there. 

Shirley promises me she'll do a more indepth search when she is here Friday.

I'll let you know where we find it! .... if Mabel hasn't flown off into the night with it under her wing. 

                        My orchid is blooming again! 

and my crazy Christmas cactus has buds on it. Will share that when they open up. 

Y'all have a good one! 

A Milestone!

                       Yesterday I hit a milestone!

picture made in 2023 on my birthday

I celebrated my 91st birthday and I think that was quite an accomplishment! 

It was cold, rainy, sleety, snowy...

no way was I getting out in that so I stayed home, all by my lonesome, and had a great day!

Had lots of phone calls, text messages, facebook greetings and I even got a hug or two. 

Oh, I won't forget the beautiful flowers my granddaughter's family sent. She knows I love pink and carnations! 

I thought about my precious mother, newly widowed, giving birth to me and not a cent to her name. No plans for the future. All that had been linked to Daddy, who was now gone. It must have been a frightening time for her.

My Mom and Dad

But, we made it and just fine, I might add. And, here I am 91 years later! Gee whiz! So many blessings over the years, so many heartaches, too, but I love my life. 

I spent the day in reflection, in meditation, in looking forward....

End of Year Fun

 Okay, Ladies. I have no idea where to even begin! What a month December was. Full of family, fun, food and trips to the dentist. Can I lump all that together? I just did anyway. hehe.

The area where my abcess was is still touchy. I've been back to the dentist for a couple of fillings, go next Wednesday for the followup on the root canal...

Oh, heck, all of this is so boring....

So, I move on to more interesting stuff.

The day after Christmas my baby Susan (isn't it odd that we call them baby no matter how old they get!!) and her son, Tighe, who is my youngest grandchild, drove in from New York for a few days visit.  He is 17. I just loved every minute of it. 

We ate too much, lounged too much, visited a lot, slept too little, reminisced about old times, watched movies, played scrabble. Visited other family members, too. And, too soon, it was time for them to head home. 

I had one day to pull my act together, then two nieces and a nephew in law arrived for an afternoon visit. Hadn't seen them in quite some time so we had a good visit.

And, I kid you not. As much as I loved all the activities and visiting and such, the minute my nieces walked out the door I curled up in my recliner, covered myself with a soft blankie and watched tv til it was time to go to bed. Man, I was spent! 

I've had such little time to check in with all of you. I am going to be catching up in the days to come. I am sure there are lots of wonderful Christmas stories on your blogs that you've shared. 

                          Here's to a wonderful New Year!

Merry Christmas Eve

 

                    Hello and Merry Christmas Eve

We had our family get-together here in Virginia on Sunday. This year we had games after our lunch meal, which was wonderful. Brisket done by my grandson and the yummiest mashed potatoes I ever ate, green beans, deviled eggs etc. And, we topped it off with cheesecake. Not the traditional meal we have had at Christmas time but a great new way to do things.

The best game that we played was this one: Shirley and John rolled a commercial sized box of saran wrap into a big ball and put little prizes all inside the wrapping. We took turns unwrapping it ... before our gamekeeper rolled a double with dice. And, we wore kitchen mitts! So, that was fun. 

Shirley wanted a picture of all her grandchildren so they lined up on the couch. After their picture was made, I walked over and just piled in on top of them. That was fun! and unexpected.

Even their dog, Dusty got into the Christmas spirit. Here he is, outside... wishing someone would let him in.

Now, on to what else has been going on!

You know I had a root canal done a week and a half ago. It was adjacent to a bridge I had in my mouth. So, a couple days ago I felt that bridge start to wiggle just a bit. Hadn't had that feeling since I lost my teeth when I was six or seven.

I was having trouble sleeping Sunday night. Got up at 2:30, put my trash outside my door for early pick-up.

At 3 a.m. All of a sudden that bridge just falls right out of place and is lying on my tongue! 

Suppose I had been asleep!

Would I have swallowed it?

Anyway, I spent Monday afternoon getting that bridge glued back into place.

I swear. I think if I wasn't in the dentist office I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

Tomorrow (Christmas day) Shirley, John and I will drive over to the Eastern Shore to spend some time with Brittany's family. Lunch is 'make your own sub'. Totally different again. 

And, my one and only son was here for Thanksgiving so he elected to stay in Alabama for Christmas. Alone! That kills me. But, it was his choice. It is a long, hard trip and would especially be during the holiday. I have to look at it as perhaps saving him from a bad accident or something. 

My youngest daughter, Susan, and my youngest grandchild, Tighe, will be arriving the day after Christmas for a visit. Can't wait for that. Praying for safe travels for them! 

                                                                                              Merry Christmas, Everyone

The Past, The Present, The Future.

 For several years now I have been interested in 'self-help' books on how to improve myself and my life. I was so taken by many quotes from all these books so I started handwriting them into a notebook. And, I started adding my own 'quotes' (thoughts of mine on different subjects, as well).

I often pick up that notebook, read a few pages, just to reset, get my focus back in line with what I want out of life and I find it very calming. I do use some of those quotes in my blog and instagram posts. 

Several months ago I read 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho. I wondered at great length about this quote: "Because I don't live in either my past or my future, I'm interested only in the present."

I got to thinking of what it might mean. How do we not live in the past? That's where our footsteps have already taken us. I don't see living in the future for we know not whether we will have a future. The past, though, is where our memories are (good and bad) and those events shaped us into who we are today.

                                     What are your thoughts on this?