Debbie

I couldn't get out of work fast enough today... not because of my job, but because I had something big to look forward to... dinner with the one and only Debbie!
If I have not said it before... I must say it now... she is beautiful.
I love getting to spend time with her... talking, getting caught up... and sharing some laughs...
She is AMAZING!

'Tis the season...

I truly enjoyed having this weekend to myself... to do things here at my apartment to get ready for Christmas.  Yesterday after getting home, walking the beach, and getting groceries, I went Christmas shopping... and got a lot of what I wanted.  This morning I got up and did some more shopping and am very close to being done... me? Almost done, before December 1.  Yup.  Crazy!  I do have some details to finish on a couple of gifts and need to get some things for my nephews... but so close! So after shopping... I did some other crazy things... I wrapped presents!  YIKES!  And it didn't stop there.  

I wanted to decorate, more... and I did something I haven't done since 2007... I opened up my boxes of Christmas decorations... not just the new stuff I have been buying, in some ways to avoid unpacking the memories and sentimentality along with the decorations... 

So.. here's what I got done today... I have more to do... what is not shown in the pictures are the messy boxes in the middle of the floor... but things are shaping up... 

Here is the Santa paddle Mom painted... above the ceramic tree she made years and years ago... I think this may be the one she had done for my grandmother, but I could be wrong... it could be the one she used... I think Sis has the other...but not sure... 

This is the bookshelf in my living room... Of course most things accent the painting!  

This is the landing of my stairs... Mom's Santa slate... I admit, opening it, looking at it, holding it... brought tears to my eyes... I miss her, every day... and bringing out so many of the things she has painted, makes me miss her even more.... but missing her, as I said to a friend today, is a good thing... because it means that we had a relationship that was an integral part of my life... and it was... is... to be honest... while she isn't here... so much of her is still around... and I still cherish my bond with her...

The hutch... this is not done yet... but it's at least presentable... oops... didn't crop well enough.. you can see some of the mess/boxes I was unpacking!  Don't look! 

These are the shelves... I think finished... or close to it... 

I do want to point out.. that none of my decorations are gifts... that is a conscious decision on my part... while I have enjoyed shopping for people this year... it really is not about gifts... at least materialistic...  

Here is one of the Christmas bulbs hanging from my banister... 

Here is the rest of the banister... the lighting is a little funny... I used a flash... but you get the idea... there is some teal tinsel wrapped in around the lights... teal seems to be a theme of my holiday decorating this year... (Tree skirt is teal... the beads I will hang on the tree are teal.....)  

And as I was decorating, the cats were not too far away.  ... Sheldon settled in on the steps... looks like he is waiting to order a beer at a bar... such an odd cat... but the most affectionate you may come across!   

Oh... Almost forgot.  This ornament... is on the shelves... I picked it up in honor of Jill... who has a thing for owls... who, who, who did I mention? Jill!  

A close up of the ceramic tree...  

My real tree... on my back porch... I will get help putting it in its stand... hopefully by the end of the week!  

Another close up... of another of Mom's Santas... I didn't realize, until I was unpacking... I have acquired three of these... not sure I will put them all out... but... I am sure I could find places for them.  

Oh yeah... and then there is the girl who is still in contemplation mode, about doing 100 days in a row of activity... and lost track of the day... until about 7:30 pm when she realized she had been doing a lot and had not walked... so... she went outside... walked, in well lit areas, for a half an hour... it was cold.  I hate the cold.  But the moon was out, along with some stars... and it was peaceful.  I am trying to embrace the cold this year... even bought myself a Christmas present... snow shoes... yup... gonna be active this winter... even if it means freezing... though it has been hard to warm up since getting back inside.. brrrrr...

Ahh... went through the pictures on my phone tonight... hadn't done that in a while... and this was a pic I took yesterday, using my phone... and there is something about it that I like... so, thought I would share.  

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the weeks leading up to the winter holidays... 

Thanksgiving part 2

So I am home.... and just uploaded pics to my computer and decided to share.. No big epiphanies... just pictures... 

This first picture isn't a great picture, but it is something that I see every time I go 'home' to visit.  Maine is the pine tree state and as I drive north the highway is lined with pine trees... greenery... except for a few places.  One of these places is a small patch of white birch trees that separate the north and southbound lanes... it is beautiful... and when I get to those birches, I know I am close to home... 

I have hopes that I will do a painting of this area... my version of course... and wanted a picture to use when that time comes... so I pulled over to take a few pics... 

This picture... I posted yesterday... or at least a similar one... it really reflects the serenity of the lake... I am so glad to be able to have this spot as a place I can return to... where my family meets... 

It really is something else... 

This slate is hung on the lakeside of the house.  It's one that Dad brought with him... one that Mom painted... I like that it is there... like that it says 'our' home... I feel like Dad feels like the house at the lake is his house.. home... and I like that.  

While there, as I mentioned yesterday, we got to enjoy the company of Jacey's cats, kittens I should say... They are really cute.  

Dad has always been a cat person... growing up we had a cat that was very loyal to Dad... Whenever Dad is around my cats he plays with them.. and has even been known to crawl on the floor to engage them... Jacey's kitten's bring out that grin in him... which I love... happiness & joy... I have thought a cat would be good company for Dad, at the lake, while Betty works, but... he insists that he does not want one... I would never get a pet for someone unless I was sure that they wanted it...but I do think he would love it... except in the summer when he is in his camper up north... which is a valid point... but... look at that face! 

Speaking of faces... look at Jacey's!  She is a self proclaimed crazy cat lady.  I love it!  She is enjoying their company and is a great kitty mom.  

While up there... I made an effort to go for walks... as I contemplate doing another 100 days of activity in a row... today, made for day 3... a long way to go if I want to get to 100.  But... have to start somewhere.  

The first morning I walked towards the lake, down some roads I had not been on... and it was so foggy... couldn't even see the lake.  

As I was walking I saw this... what I assume is moss of some kind... though it looks more like algae.  Thought it was cool...

The same 'moss'was on this tree...

It was just cold enough that there was a bit of frost... I took some pics of some iced over puddles, but they didn't come out... this is the only pic of the frost that was decent... I like how the frost articulates the lines on the leaves...

This... isn't necessarily a great picture, but I wanted to post it because it has my Aunt Donna in it... the lovely lady on the far right... I have mentioned her here and want to talk about she and her sister...

Her sister is my Aunt Sharon... (Sorry it is not a great pic of you Aunt Sharon, I took very few pictures!)  She is the lovely lady at the far end of the table.  

Donna and Sharon have taken over the big job of organizing our family gathering.  They get together the day before to arrange the tables and chairs, and get plates and napkins... it is a lot of work.  The responsibility falls on them because they are the local ones... and while I know they enjoy the gathering, I am also sure it is exhausting for them.  They are amazing ladies!  Please know how much we appreciate it, Ladies!!! 

I couldn't put a picture of Dad, his sisters, and not include a picture of his brother... so here is my uncle....

His reputation precedes him...In the picture with him, is one of my second cousins (in law)... she is in the army, stationed with her husband  (My second cousin) in Alaska. This was her first Thanksgiving with our crew and she had heard all about Uncle Wayne's legendary ice cream.  She was first to help him open it for all to enjoy!  

Here are a couple more pics from the walk I did the next day... this time I went away from the lake.. up hill... a long long hill... 

And another of the kitties... I am so glad she has two, to keep each other company...

I came home today... and it was pretty nice out... so I decided to head to the beach... where it was windier and colder than I anticipated...

This picture... below... shows how hard the wind was blowing...

There were a couple of ladies braving the cold water and wind to catch some waves... maybe something for my nephews to do sometime....

I had such a good visit... and am glad to be home...

Life is good... 

I have much to be thankful for... 

Thanksgiving

I left my place around 9:00 Wednesday morning to head north for Thanksgiving.  Originally I had planned on coming up Tuesday night right after work, but it was a pretty intense couple of days at work and I was in need of some down time and also needed to make pumpkin rolls for Thanksgiving.  So I stayed put, and I enjoyed it.  There may have been some Christmas music playing as I was baking... as well as a great conversation with Rico, some texting with Michael, and some facebooking with Jill... didn't I just say I had some down time? There was a lot going on for a while, but things settled and I did have a relaxing night at home.  I got up the next morning at a decent hour and got things packed up and hit the road.  Typically when I travel I feel like I have to get from point A to point B without any other plans... but I was feeling pretty relaxed and decided to take my time.  I stopped at Pier One and looked around, but didn't buy anything except a stand that I will use to display the Santa Slate Mom painted... I got to the lake around 12:15 pm and enjoyed visiting with Dad and Jacey for a while.  Betty was at one of her final radiation treatments and it wasn't long before Dad left to go to a doctor's appointment, leaving Jacey and I to ourselves.  I am really lucky that I am getting the chance to know her more and more.  She is a very smart person who cares so much for her family.  It is nice to chat with her.  I also got to meet her new babies: Octavius and Tuesday.  They are very cute kittens. 

As the afternoon passed the sun began setting and the lake was absolutely beautiful.  It is so peaceful here. 

On Thanksgiving day morning I got up early to go for a walk.  When I had left my place and gotten on the highway I realized pretty quickly that I had forgotten my sneakers and made myself go back for them.  I wanted to do some walking while I was here... it was a nice walk, only went about 1.5 miles, but it was nice to be out in the fresh air... a bit chilly, but nice.  I took some pics, which I will post later.  The pics here are from my phone.

This is a pic of Betty and Dad working together in the kitchen.  I enjoy watching them together.  They are a good fit.  Again I am thankful. 

They were working together to prepare some food for two Thanksgivings... Dad and I would be going to our annual gathering and Betty and Jacey would be going to theirs... I respect that they love spending time together at the holidays but also recognize the importance and value of each other's traditions...
There were 27 people at our gathering yesterday, a pretty small crowd... but what I liked was that I knew, by face, each person...without relying on the name tags we wear each year.  It was nice.  I feel really lucky that the people in my family still value this time and carry on this tradition.  More on that when I am able to post more pictures.  Also hope I remember to write about stopping at my grandmother's house and bringing a few of her things home with me...

Last night was pretty low key and this morning when I woke up, once again, I headed out for a walk.  I went in a different direction... and ended up going up a pretty steep long hill...it was a good workout.  i am contemplating another 100 days of being active... today would be day two in a row... tomorrow will be day three...

 

As the day progressed, Jacey, who loves Christmas, wrapped her presents...yes she is finished with her shopping! And she then wanted to decorate.  She and Betty are so cute... they were Christmas-ing up the joint as Dad and I were kind of each doing our own things... but when it came time to decorating the tree, we all pitched in... Dad thinks that the rest of us bought our singing voices on sale, at Walmart... I think that was his way of saying that our talent is a good deal!!!  Right Dad?

Here's the final product:

 

I admit... it makes me excited to get my tree up... Gonna wait a bit longer... but I am looking forward to it.  Then... I met up with Jill, yes Jill, I am certain it was JILL, and her family, for dinner at a local Chinese place.  I realized on my way there are three Chinese restaurants here... almost as many as the pizza places... all that in a town that has maybe 5 traffic lights... but... I suppose the good news, is that the economy is supporting it.  It was nice to see Jill and her family.  After dinner I gave her a couple of things that my mom had painted... she had mentioned to me once that she didn't have anything that Mom had painted and she wanted something... I remember thinking it was a nice thing for her to say... but didn't realize until yesterday when she sent me a picture of a set pf pilgrims my mom had painted that her mom had bought years ago... and said her mom was going to give them to her... I knew that Dad had a few pieces of slate that Mom had painted, and had planned on choosing one of those for her, but as I was talking about it Betty mentioned there were a few other things around... including a set of wooden bunnies that Mom did... one of her most detailed items... and since I already have a set, Sis had a set at one time, and there are others nearby, and because it was a boy rabbit and a girl rabbit... and jill has one son and one daughter, I thought it was perfect!  So before even seeing them... I told Jill i had something that I wanted her to have, something that Mom painted, and she got emotional, and I think was afraid I was giving her something from my collection.. and didn't want to take something, a part of mom,  away from me... but Jill, I hope you know... that by giving those bunnies to you... knowing how much you appreciate them, because they are done by Mom.... it brings her, in a way, closer to me... Mom loved to be able to use her talents to make things that people loved and appreciated... and when I was looking for gifts for people she would let me choose from some of her crafts... I didn't think to take a picture of them before giving them to Jill... so Jill, if you get a chance, take a picture for me!  Jill, you know I love ya, and I am so glad that you have something Mom made.  

Oh... thought I would share this... my fortune cookie:

As my dad would say: 

'Nuff Said...