brain muck

So, that photo order I was mucking around with the other day. I want to make a little album for each grandchild so I put together an order for about 100 pictures. I had some in a folder on my laptop and some in a folder on my big computer. Yeah. I thought I was smart because I found a coupon code for 60% off. Yeah, great deal. Then I apparently ordered the same pictures twice. Once to be delivered by mail and once to be picked up at Walgreen's. I didn't discover it until it was too late to cancel because they print those things at the speed of light. Crap.

I managed to order pictures from the wedding without similar calamity.

I am not particularly distressed by all the famous people who have died in 2016. Folks are acting like they should send the remaining famous people who are not dead yet to the cave to protect them from the Grim Reaper for the next three days. That shit doesn't stop, you know. People will continue to die in 2017.

My mom sent us a gift card for Christmas and we have been salivating about what to buy. I like to cook, we like to eat, so a new stockpot (in between the sizes I already have), a fancy soup ladle, two soup cookbooks, and a couple of soup mugs have been purchased. I figure it might motivate some cooking that doesn't involve sugar and butter.

I went through some old cookbooks last night and made a list of other recipes to try. My husband is not a fan of vegetables and I can sneak a parsnip into a soup once in a while but I have to be careful or he doesn't trust me. We talked on Christmas Eve about where people get their food aversions and everybody has them. Some have more than others. We have Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern who will eat a live, beating cobra heart on one end of that spectrum and my former husband who won't eat anything cooked on a grill touched by an onion on the other end. Diversity in the human population.

I went swimming twice this week and it was very nice to move around in a space that wasn't the kitchen. The sun came pouring through the southern facing windows and made me feel like I was in the tropics. Too bad I had to go out to a 30mph wind and subzero temps. Haha.

Most of my week consisted of extreme inertia. There were a couple days I barely moved, slept for hours, and consumed only cookies. It was bad. I think maybe when a holiday whacks you like that, it's time to do something differently. I'm not sure I want to spend a week shopping and cooking and cleaning prior to a holiday only to do it again after the holiday. This is my own doing, I realize. People offer to help and I say no, I'll handle it. ( Danger: control freak alert.)

you have no events scheduled today Mon Dec 26, 2016

Achieved my goal of complete inertia yesterday. I put on my leopard pajamas in the morning and I didn't get dressed all day. I didn't do one dish. I took out zero garbage bags. I did no exercise and I ate not one morsel of healthy food. Utter decadence and debauchery.

I'm doing better today. I have the sink full of dishes, the garbage has gone out, and I have a plan to go to the gym and the pool. When I come home, stoked up on that good exercise, I'll deal with the sweets that are languishing in the porch.

I've started the transition to 2017. I worked on an order for photo prints this morning. It's painstaking and confusing work. And so easy to be distracted. I have, for the most part, abandoned any hope of having pictures organized, like a lot of other things I have abandoned organization of: addresses, music, stuff. You just look for it when you need it. It's easier that way.

One thing that got my attention this morning was pictures of the sky. I have a few favorites for your morning perusal. Here's hoping you are still in your pajamas, drinking coffee, staring out the window. The sky is amazing.

Oh, the title of this post is from the message I got from Google this morning. I love it when that happens. You have no events scheduled for today. Here's to that, my friends.

dog kerchief

Mom gave me a sewing machine a few years ago. Of course, it languished like a lot of my hobby supplies do. Gus needed a new Christmas bandana so, not being able to find anything already made, I bought fabric. The kiss of death. I get all set up to sew. The squares are cut and ironed. Discover no needle. Friend Marie comes to the rescue and tapes a package of universal machine needles to her office window. I set up again only to find that apparently, in thirty years, I have forgotten the sewing machine basics. So, the evening of December 23rd, I spent several hours hand stitching the hems of Gus's bandanas. Not too many dogs are treated this well. He just had half of my ham sandwich and he's taking a nap on the couch. Merry Christmas, Gus.

brief notes = all I can do today

I'm in my fuzzy leopard pajamas, a gift from my friend Karen in NJ. 😇 My goal is to do as little as possible today. So far, so good.

I have had multiple cups of coffee, many lefses with Hope butter, some Chex mix, and a ham sandwich.

It rained freezing ice pellets for a little bit, then it switched to rain. The wind comes and goes.

We have watched brave souls walking down the street like penguins. Don't go out if you don't have to go. That would be like for a scheduled heart transplant or something. A quart of milk...live without it for today.

I spent an hour on Thriftbooks ordering the remaining Ian Rankin books that I don't have and a couple other mysteries by Scottish authors. I have three maps of Scotland coming so I'll know what's going on over there. Have you ever looked at some of their place names?

We had some birds and squirrels in the front yard but they even got smart and retreated to the warm and dry.

I can feel a long read and a nap calling me.

the day before christmas

Ella is sleeping on the couch, I'm writing on my blog, and Regis is perusing the jail roster. Happy holidays.

I'll just say this about the jail roster. Not all, but some of those folks look like they could be identified before they even commit a crime. I suppose that sounds like what they do in third world banana republics but really, a symbol for the white supremacists on your t-shirt in your mug shot?

We had Zuppa Toscana and fresh bread for dinner last night before making fruitcake. We'll put the orange glaze on it this morning. Then we'll make the peanut butter cup dessert that is sure to please some members of the family, but not me. It has several ingredients I cannot abide: Cool Whip, instant pudding, box brownies. It sounds like chemical soup to me.

Our weather forecast for the next five days is ominous. It includes snow today, rain and freezing rain on Sunday, an accumulation of ice, and high winds. I will be in the cave.

I'm looking at the details for the Women's March Minnesota which is the OFFICIAL Women's March Minnesota event. On January 21st 2017 thousands of people will march in solidarity with those marching in Washington D.C. I wish I had the courage to go.

I have a few more holiday things to do today. When Ella wakes up, we'll venture out to do a few errands and maybe stop at the cafe for a pancake and hot chocolate. My friend Marie saved the day with sewing machine needles so we'll stop to pick those up. I bought material to make Gus some holiday bandanas and the time is here. It's now or never.

I am trying to think of a present for Regis that he hasn't bought himself in the last three weeks but I am coming up empty. Is this a man thing?

I think I hear Ella stirring so I better get dressed and get moving. There is much to do and a nap to be taken later.

lost, then found

Over the years, I have purged my Christmas decorations several times. Usually at the end of the season, I decide I'm done with something and out it goes. Years later, I look at a photograph and wonder what happened to this or that. Sometimes I go hunting and I find it.

Eight years ago, we had a small fire in the living room involving a pregnant daughter-in-law, a votive candle, and tissue paper. It was scary, so for years, I didn't use votive candles. Seemed like a wise thing to do with small children in the house anyway.

Yesterday I decided that the votive candles can come back into the decor. I rounded them up and have a plan to buy some scented candles today. Along the way, I discovered other things that had been stashed away for some reason or other.

Some things I never find.

My other thought is this. For the first 30 some years of my life, my mom kept Christmas for my family. Even after my brothers and I were married and started having families of our own, we traveled to the farm for Christmas. There were so many sweet traditions: cutting a tree in the woods, Belgian cookies, standing over the floor furnace in the morning, Christmas stockings, Grandma Elsie's gingerbread cookies, popcorn balls.

Over the years, as our families grew, we started keeping Christmas in our own homes. I've done that for thirty some years now, making some new traditions, keeping some of the old. Making lefse on a Saturday in November, baking gingerbread cookies and decorating them around the dining room table, Dad's favorite meatball recipe, Aunt Vi's Norwegian flatbread.

A part of me still wants the Christmas of dreams. Everyone in one place, everyone clean and starched and wearing matching pinafores, everyone happy, everything made from scratch, homemade place cards for the table. Most of me knows that isn't possible or likely. As my friend Joanne and I have talked about so much in the past two weeks, life happens and all of a sudden, you have to be satisfied with less than the dream holiday. What matters most are the important parts, and sometimes the important parts aren't the same from year to year.

I'm pretty sure I never properly thanked my mother enough for the way she kept our family Christmas. When you're a kid, and even a young adult, it seems easy. Shopping for all those kids, wrapping and hiding presents, decorating the house, and still doing all the normal things. I know I didn't appreciate it enough. Today I know how much work it is. Thank you, Mom. I appreciate it more than you can ever know.

Today, I'll make a fruitcake with Ella. I'll buy scented candles and I'll get out the Christmas dishes. We'll watch The Nutcracker tonight and maybe if we aren't too tired, the Jim Carrey version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Tomorrow, we'll make the favorite meatball recipe and we'll start organizing for the family gathering on Saturday.

We won't be in matching pinafores but we'll have good food and we'll laugh. Maybe we'll play Yahtzee and go for walks. We'll keep a good Christmas. And I can thank my mom for teaching me how to do that.

long and winding road

The sky was beautiful yesterday morning as I went to the gym for my weekly workout with Gunnar. 

I took my friend, Joanne, to the Mayo Clinic for a procedure. She was having anesthesia so couldn't drive home although me driving in the blowing snow and dark could not have been much of an improvement. Haha! Regis said it earned me a plenary indulgence and got me a few years out of purgatory. Joanne insists she owes me but I said no, now God can cross off a couple of shitty things I did in 1978. We're good.

We only had a minor bumper bender at an icy intersection. No damage and no whiplash. That's my statistic.

I am on my way to HyVee for the last of the holiday groceries. Sigh. I looked at the ad this morning and realized I could buy all of this prepared: mashed potatoes in a plastic bag, gravy in a jar, frozen rolls, a turkey thing in a little aluminum tin, brownies in a box.

I have people coming over to help with cookies tonight so I better get the table cleaned off. No nap for me today. Boo.

butt chilling cold with pictures

 

My dad used to say it was colder than a well digger's ass. I found a good explanation for the phrase on this blog: http://dreamsteep.com/writing/humor/237-the-well-diggers-ass.html

Yesterday, I had plans. I wrote about them here and I am sorry (sort of) to report that most of them went unachieved. I know that isn't a word according to the squiggly line folks but it works here.

I went out and assisted with the snow clean up at 10 o'clock, after my morning nap. I talked to my mom on the phone. I took a bath and got dressed. That was the extent of my productivity.

I took another nap, I read my book (Commonwealth by Ann Patchett), I made a cheese and cracker plate for dinner. That's it.

I forgot I went to the Coop to get a few cookie baking supplies but I might have just skipped that because it didn't motivate me one iota. Ella has a mind to make fruitcake, a recipe she found in a cookbook. She texted me this recipe and I asked about a couple things at the Coop...no luck...but I am determined to make it since she found the recipe.

We'll find that stuff at the HyVee. I'm sure I've seen those little tubs of candied fruit in toxic colors. Ella is too young to have heard the stories and jokes about fruitcake.

 This is what it's come to on this cold and dark December morning. Regis and I are sitting in our flannel pajamas and slippers, finding apps on the iPad to amuse Woodrow.

And in other technology news, Regis is having a conversation with his brother in Pennsylvania. Larry is telling Regis about something called Easy Pass that you stick on your windshield and it sucks money out of your account for tolls. He wondered what we called those in Minnesota. Wahaha. To my knowledge, which is not extensive, there is one toll road in the whole state.

I swear I am getting up to bake cookies today. I told Regis there will be a small offering made to the cookie gods (what we can eat) and the rest will be saved until Christmas Eve. Honest.

dark, cold, and windy

Our storm pretty much fizzled out which leaves me cheated like a lot of things in the current world. Woody and I have assumed the Saturday position. We are refusing to fully open our eyes and we are not moving from the light.

I've been awake since 4 o'clock and have, by myself, consumed a pot of coffee. The pot calls that ten cups but I call bullshit. That's like those wine servings the doctor used to ask about. Four ounces? When was the last time anyone drank a four-ounce serving of wine?

Mostly my wakefulness is due to my lack of concern regarding Christmas. I realized last night that it is next Saturday. Uh oh. 

I turned the shopping over to Regis so thankfully, that part is done, little of it that we do. But, nothing is wrapped. The two batches of cookies that I made last week have mostly been eaten for breakfast. I have opened the cards we have received but I haven't given much of a thought to sending one. I would say the major clues here are: over-consumption of caffeine, reliance on simple carbohydrates for energy, and resistance to movement beyond the leopard chair.

The news of the world is bleak, my friends.

I went outside to sweep off the bird feeders. In my slippers. Now my feet are freezing and my slippers are wet. Inauspicious beginning to the day.

I found the little snowman that clips over a light on the tree. Betty, I bought him at the Christmas shop in Madison Lake years ago. We loved that little shop.

A bright spot on a dark day. Santas on the tree and the lights that are on all the time. Woody has not been bothering the tree so I am not afraid to put the more fragile ornaments up. I realize this could backfire.

My  friend, Molly, made me this little bag decorated with an otter and a dragonfly, filled with handmade potpourri from trees in her yard, and stones that symbolize strength and  transformation. I hung it on the tree.

So, there you go. The news of the world is bleak but there are bright spots. 

I think I'll make some cookies today. I'll need breakfast tomorrow, after all.

funny story about junk

Regis has to see a urologist periodically. His December appointment was cancelled and I had been nagging him gently to reschedule. I was taking a bath the other day and I heard him on the phone. 

Who I thought he called and what I thought he said: (Dr. James, Urologist) This is Regis and I need to make an appointment to have my junk serviced.

Who he really called and what he really said: (Skrove Auto Repair) This is Regis and I need to make an appointment to have my truck serviced.

Betty, I bet you liked this one!

my december observations

1. Going to stores this time of year can be a miserable experience. I went to Target yesterday and there was one cart left. I moved toward it at the same time another woman was approaching it from the other side. We locked eyes and it was like a scene from Gunfight at the OK Corral. I advanced, right hand out reaching for the cart. She did the same. I finally gave in and walked away.
2. The mob scenes in grocery stores in November and December make me wonder if people eat the other ten months of the year. Seriously, they can hardly keep the shelves stocked and people are grabbing the Pillsbury pie crust like they'll never see another one.
3. Gingerbread cookies and coffee are good for breakfast when it's 13 below zero. 
4. Yarn on sale is like a drug. I bought three giant skeins of yarn which is enough to make leg warmers for a hundred people. 
5. Even the squirrels are avoiding the cold and dark days. I haven't seen them since the snow and sub-zero temps hit. I put an extra chunk of suet in the feeder yesterday because we all need extra fat when it's this cold. See #3.
6. Ever notice how some people seem to enjoy dropping emotional bombs on you? They walk away dusting off their hands and saying to themselves, "There." It's no surprise there are so many assholes in power around the world. They're everywhere.
7. I almost got frostbite on my face yesterday carrying three 12-packs of Scott tissue to the car. We don't like to run out and it was on sale. See #2.
8. There's something about the crowds and the loud music that makes me buy stuff I might never need. Carts are the work of the devil.
9. Our dog needs seasonal scarves which means I have to get the sewing machine out to hem the pieces of Santa fabric I bought yesterday. I know. Really, I do.
10. We sold our old snowblower (Thanks, Tiffany!) to a guy who also has a golden doodle named Gus. What are the chances.

weather forecast

I'm busy perusing weather forecasts this morning. There is a winter storm watch for Friday afternoon into Saturday and because Friday is my one day to work this month, I want to know if I might get out of school early. That's pretty funny.

 SNOW IS POSSIBLE FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. * TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 8 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. * WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 30 MPH COULD CAUSE PATCHY BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. * PLAN ON DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS... INCLUDING DURING THE EVENING COMMUTE ON FRIDAY. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT COLD AIR AND THE WIND WILL COMBINE TO CREATE LOW WIND CHILLS. FROST BITE AND HYPOTHERMIA CAN OCCUR IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN. MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND GLOVES. A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW... SLEET OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS. 

I know you might perceive that as a sign of laziness but it isn't only that. There is something exciting about winter storms...anticipating the storm, waiting and preparing, watching the weather channels, getting home in the snow. It's a nice change.

There is a huge moon sinking slowly behind the neighbor's house. It's a super moon but it hasn't caused any change in my energy level yet.

8 a.m.

7:30 a.m.

dusk and baking

I suffer with the lack of light. As the daylight gets shorter this time of year, I pull out strings of lights, candles, lamps, and anything I can find to add to my daily lumens. The time around dusk, 4 o'clock, is the worst.

Woodrow is not a fan either, as you can see. He has decided he likes to perch on top of the red cabinet by the door, amidst the Christmas decor. He is giving Regis the stink eye, of which he is a master, for taking his picture.

I like to go into the kitchen to bake about 3 o'clock. That way, dusk passes and I don't notice so much.  Wine did the same thing. Sigh. Yesterday, I made gingerbread cookies and chai tea cookies. That's my Grandma Elsie's rolling pin. I made some of the cookies round and put white frosting with colored sprinkles on them. I remember the Christmas before she died, finding her in the kitchen, packing up boxes of gingerbread cookies to send to friends and family in other states.

I'm making beer cheese soup today. Soup. Sticks to your bones on these cold days. The last few days we had beef and barley.

Betty, check this out in the Smithsonian: Feeling Down? Scientists Say Cooking and Baking Could Help You Feel Better It could explain our bursts of creativity in the winter. 

Cooking or baking has become a common cure for stress or feeling down, but there might actually be some science to why small creative tasks might make people feel better. According to a new study, a little creativity each day can go a long way towards happiness and satisfaction in the bustle of daily life.

Betty's Christmas House

The moon is full this morning but it's too cold to stand out there and take a picture so take my word for it. I see that tomorrow, we'll have another giant super moon. I read this in the most reliable of purveyors of science news, earthables.

On Wednesday, December 14, 2016, there will be a rare, giant super moon in the transitional sign of Gemini. It will illuminate the long, dark, almost winter nights, as well as create a cosmic shift in energy.

Anything rare that causes a shift in my energy, I'm all for. I am skeptical, though, as we seem to have these rare moons pretty frequently. Hey, this could be some of that fake news.

Stay warm today, my friends. I'm going to yoga and then finishing my grocery list for tomorrow. I need more baking supplies. 

first, a crabby rant...then santa

Regis and I were asked a few weeks ago if we would play Mr. and Mrs. Santa at a community event. At first, Regis said no, then he got busy and assembled his costume. Just a few days before the event, we were informed that we weren't traditional enough and asked if we would we be willing to change the costumes. Uh, no. Philly Dad said no. I thought it was rude and the whole thing left a bad taste and we didn't see how we could do it and maintain the cheerful countenance of the Santas. So, bullshit on that.

I do like Santa pictures. These are a couple of oldies. The one on the left is from 2012 and the one on the right is from the dedication of Highway 169, in 20009 or 20010. Not sure.

Peter took Zoey to see Santa this weekend. I have a picture of Peter with Santa when he was about four. Think I'll scan it. Scanning, there is a lost art. Haha!

Gus is so photogenic. Regis took this photo of him on one of their walks. He was voted best looking dog on Facebook by Dan Urlick who does the show Bike Rides on KMSU so he's practically a celebrity.

This is a spiderweb in our kitchen window. Regis rousted me out of bed this morning when it was still 7 degrees to see it covered with frost. It was more beautiful than this in the light from the back porch. Proof, once again, that it does not pay to clean too well.

I have a pile of recipes I am trying to work up the gumption to peruse. Not bake, just peruse. I have a yen to make gingerbread cookies this afternoon. I have had my nap, I have had my coffee, and there's no reason why I can't move my lazy self into the kitchen.

Betty called from Texas this morning to see how we were faring. I said winter hit us with a slam dunk. No gradual decline in temps this year, my friends. Just an almighty drop into the single digits accompanied by double digit snowfalls. It was just in time to rescue me from the depths of despair. I hate a winter with no snow, only gray skies, brown trees, and monochromatic landscape. Blah.

Betty told me she was going to learn how to access Facebook so she could keep up on our comings and goings. I said I have eliminated so much from FB because of all the things (and people) who irritate me that it is only a skimpy shadow of its former self. Haha. It's really quite therapeutic.

I turned the Christmas shopping list over to Regis this year. He has done a good job and packages are arriving daily. This is a skill he has kept well hidden from me over the years. Like cooking.

snow and the surgeon general

Gus and I were delighted with the snow we found this morning. I put on boots and mittens and went out to feed the birds. As you can see, there is about ten inches of fluffy stuff piled vertically on everything. I wanted to take some pictures before the sun and the wind had a chance to disturb it. It's peaceful and bright out there this morning!

Regis and I were both awake in the middle of the night. Forces in the universe my doctor used to say. We intended to go to a movie this afternoon but I think we'll pass, considering the snow and our sleep disturbances.

I spent some time poking around the Surgeon General's report on addiction this morning. It's very interesting but very long, almost 500 pages. I considered printing it so I could highlight and file it in a binder (because that's what I do) but I didn't. I thought the key findings [https://addiction.surgeongeneral.gov/key-findings] were more informative than the summary if you aren't inclined to read the whole thing. I would recommend reading at least some of it. Most people have information about addiction that's almost a hundred years old and it doesn't hurt to be updated now and then, my friends. In fashion and in information.

I wonder who agent orange has appointed to be the surgeon general. Sarah Palin? I saw a funny meme on Facebook (which I am still mostly boycotting) about her but I can't find it now. Maybe it was a tweet. I don't do that either. I am busily eliminating social media from my life. As Emily says, we are devolving.

Ah, the hum of snow blowers.

best day ever

Ella at the Nutcracker 2016

Selfie

Ella and I went to see the Nutcracker today. It was a snowy day but we managed to have lunch at Pappageorge, we saw the Nutcracker, we had a cookie during intermission, and we stopped at Mom & Pop's Ice Cream on the way home. Can't beat that for a day.

I tried to edit that selfie so I didn't look like such a bag of wrinkles but I only made it worse. Truth in advertising.

I'm moving through the list of versions of Scrooge. I added a couple this year, but the Albert Finney musical version is still one of my favorites.

1. Scrooge (1935, Sir Seymour Hicks)
2. A Christmas Carol (1938, Reginald Owen)
3. A Christmas Carol (1951, Alastair Sim)
4. A Christmas Carol (1954, Fredric March)
5. A Christmas Carol (1962, Mr. Magoo)
6. A Christmas Carol (1972, Albert Finney)
7. A Christmas Carol (1984, George C. Scott)
8. A Christmas Carol (1999, Patrick Stewart)

Yeah, that's all for today. My brain is weary.

baking and shopping

I spent the day in the kitchen yesterday. I made homemade Amish bread, a beef roast for commercials, and a gingerbread cake. A good way to spend a cold and windy day.

A few quick observations before Regis comes home and we trot to Mankato to do some errands. I loathe shopping this time of year, you know that. I'd rather be baking and napping.

We have to do some drug store shopping because I am particular about a few of the products we use. Ugh. Coupons and digital sales and things I hate.

I want to buy some fake greens to put in my big flower pots. This entails a trip to MenRNerds. Ugh.

I spotted a coat at a thrift store the other day and I resisted but now it's calling my name. I will go right to it and if it's gone, that's the message.

We had a light coating of snow this morning. I'm not sure how it managed to stick to the ground with the gale force winds we have had.

I figured out my Christmas Eve menu yesterday then discovered it is almost exactly the same as the menu last year. Is that ok? Will I have a mystery diner who might critique my lack of variety?

I turned the shopping list (quite short) over the Regis. I was stymied by a list of things I could not identify without help from google. I am hopelessly out of it when it comes to current toys.

I figured out the phone/photo thing. I have a button that says LIVE and that means that the photo is turned into a tiny video. What the...

Some days I feel like I am turning into a crank. Say it isn't so.

a merit badge

If I were still a drinking person, I would have driven right to the bar at the end of yesterday. I had my oncology appointments (4 years) in the afternoon so I went early to Mankato to buy some groceries, do a few errands, and have a relaxing cup of coffee. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Every little thing that could get messed up and under a guy's skin, did.

Except the big thing, no sign of disease. That was wonderful and for that I am grateful. No sign of disease.

Blood numbers all back in line.

It took forever, or what seemed like forever. I didn't get impatient, even when they had to poke me multiple times to find a vein. I smiled. I was patient. For this, a merit badge.

I came home in the darkening of early dusk, the icy wind moving me quickly from car to cozy house. 

my dog sits on the couch

One of the reasons we have pets is that they're funny. Yesterday, we were having coffee in the living room when we look over and Gus is perched on the edge of the couch. Like a person. He looked a bit nonplussed that we laughed at him. (I always wanted to use that word in a sentence. Nonplussed: surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react.)

I think I just saw blue sky and a few snow flakes. That would be a welcome relief from the constant gray we have had. You can hardly tell the difference between day and night. It just gets darker gray.

looming spectre

I just put these words into google because I do that sometimes to find a good image for something I intend to write. I thought I would find...well, you know. A spectre. I swear to God, the first row contained an image of the impending president, agent orange. What kind of algorithm caused that hilarity? (Damn this center alignment.)

I have my six-month oncology check-up this afternoon. I don't get as nervous about them as I used to because they're nice people at the clinic, everything has been fine, so far, and I forget to be nervous until the day. But, there is always the looming spectre. The reminders of people who have been confident and then got caught in the snare. There is the looming spectre. My friend, Mary, whose little yellow bird sits in my kitchen window. Mary was going along just fine until her PET scan lit up like a Christmas tree. Her words. Mary died last week. That shit doesn't go away.

It's cold and windy and gray, but I am putting on my armor and going out into the world. The grocery store on Senior Day and the Oncology Center. What better ways to exercise bravery, my friends.

P.S. Hello to my friend Karen in NJ. Sending love and hugs and sunshine (if we had any to spare!) and light. 

sunday early

We went to see Hank and Rita last night. On the way home, the sky was spitting icy pellets that threatened to turn to snow. I woke up several times in the night to pull back the curtain, hoping for it, but this morning, it's still brown. Sigh. The forecast for the next ten days is cloudy, partly cloudy, repeat.

I woke up early this morning and watched the 1935 version of Scrooge. Get a load of the guy's pants. Overall, I liked it but I like almost all of the versions of Scrooge. Somehow, in my collection, I am missing the Albert Finney one which is my favorite. Regis just ordered it, and Elf, for me. What would we do without Amazon? Probably a lot less impulse shopping.

I read an article this week about baking as an antidote for gloomy weather. That could explain the double batch of chocolate chip cookies and the two loaves of Amish bread. I have had to dole out a lot of calories this week. They can't say I didn't warn them.

I moved the mostly rotten pumpkins from the front step yesterday because nothing says a festive welcome like a rotten pumpkin and a dirty litter box. The pumpkins went to the compost pile in the back yard where the squirrels have discovered them. The squirrels climb right inside and continue consuming...something. Seeds? Next year, we'll have a bumper crop of pumpkins and peanuts in the neighborhood.

My sort of dour and grumpy gratitude list.

1.  At least it isn't windy.
2. I have new slippers so my feet are warm.
3. I got a surprise check in the mail for $100 yesterday.
4. The smell of fake balsam is wafting through the air.
5. I'm taking two seven-year old boys to a holiday festival this afternoon at MSU.

What winter feels like some days.

lights moving in the dark

For a good part of the afternoon, I have been watching my neighbor dutifully drag ladders and tubs of holiday lights around his yard. He balances delicately on the top step of the ladder to string lights from treetop to fence post to shrubbery. It's almost dark now, at 4:40, so I have lost sight of him, but the strings of lights keep moving. I trust he is at the end of the string.

I took a short video of it from my front window before the UPS truck blocked my view, but in the way of electronics, I can only post it from my phone to Facebook. It doesn't seem to want to go anywhere else.

The weatherman said partly sunny today but I didn't see the sun. Not even once. Regis is on his way home from work and I know he will want to take the dog for a walk but I am resistant. Maybe if I just sit here in the chair, with my cup of just poured coffee and my keyboard clicking away, he won't notice.

I had a dream last night that I had developed an inactivity calendar. Each day, I would write something I didn't do. Did not go for a walk. Did not do the dishes. Did not do the laundry. I did a google search this morning, convinced that someone else must have had this idea previously. Nope. I think I could market this to the inert folks of the world.

I'm trying to send an email to a person about the photo club meeting that we tried to attend last night but couldn't because it wasn't where it should have been. The email came back with the message that in order to avoid a deluge of spam, this person requires that I fill out a form to prove I am not a robot. I failed the robot challenge three times before I did a Lewis Black.

Isn't there a better way?

We came home after this ill-fated trip to Mankato, made popcorn, and watched a comedy special with Michael Che. The end.

34 degrees, wet, and windy

I'm tucked up in my chair, flannel head to toe, warm socks, blanket. Electric fireplace is sending out a nice glow and a bunch of BTUs. My coffee is hot and the tree lights are on. I can hear Regis rummaging around in the other room, getting ready for a walk. In the dark. I think I will pass. Actually, I don't think the wild horses have been invented that could drag me out there this morning.

Woodrow just made his first ascent of the Christmas tree. I think he was trying to make it to the windowsill because he made a turn halfway up and landed there. He doesn't like his world disturbed, I will say that, but we moved his favorite red chair yesterday and he has adjusted. He took a nap in it last night while we watched Star Trek.

I started a paragraph about things that irritate me this morning, but I deleted it. Here is my gratitude list instead.

1. Great night's sleep. No scary dreams, no long periods of being awake, no sore hips.
2. Bread baking. I tried an Amish bread recipe last night. Crust is a little tough but it makes great toast. Toast is my universal standard for goodness.
3. My fake Christmas tree smells like real balsam. The magic of science.
4. A date with a friend involving coffee and thrift stores. 

The picture at the top is one I took of Woodrow last night with my phone. Somehow, it turned into a little video. The magic of Apple, I suppose. The fire moves and Woody's eyes appear. It's creepy.

I still have a very low tolerance for all things controversial or unpleasant. A very low tolerance for bullshit of all kinds. That's all I will say about that.

I had Regis drag the tree out of the basement yesterday and I went to the store to buy some more lights because that's easier than trying to find and untangle the ones I bought last year. Eventually, I will find them and probably hang those on the tree, too. A guy can't have too many lights this time of year.