New Year's Eve and I don't have a date!

Guess I'll stay home by myself tonight!

I'm ending the year on a good note - went to the gym after an absence of several weeks.  I feel pretty good.  Had intended to go on from there to Best Buy to pick up a memory card for my Nook, but decided I don't want to go into any stores on New Year's Eve.

I've been watching YouTube videos off and on this morning, mostly music:  I started off with Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire and it reminded me of so much good music from the past.  After a few Johnny Cash tunes, I went on to Appalachian music, and have looked at a lot of clogging videos.  I just love that stuff.   They make me miss the east, from about Virginia and Kentucky south.  I've never cared to be in the deep south however, as I don't like hot weather with high humidity.  Not that I didn't grow up with it and live in it for years.   Being in the Appalachian Mtns. is my idea of heaven.

I think nap time is calling me.  I hate to slep during the day, but my eyes keep closing on me.

I'd like to wish you all a safe New Year's Eve, and a very good year ahead.

I may rethink this!

I'm talking about exercise, specifically yoga.  I mentioned yesterday that I did a very easy and basic yoga pose that should have been perfect for me.   Today my neck is sore and while I don't feel it all the time, a twinge or ache comes on when I least expect it.  Maybe I need to just forget about getting into better shape, and be satisfied with being an old lady!

I can already notice that the daylight is a few minutes longer.  The shorter days don't really bother me except that I don't like driving in the dark, which seems to come on very quickly in the afternoon.  I don't like to drive, period!

I think I've just ruined my chances for dinner.  I've been snacking along with my afternoon beer and I think my appetite is gone.  I don't mind doing that once in a while because I eat so much throughout the morning and for lunch.

I have no plans to celebrate the New Year - I can remember when I always went out with a group to a party on New Year's Eve.  Now I wouldn't even think of it!  Have a safe and sane New Year's Eve,


 

The world is turning too fast!

Did you ever get the feeling you'd just like the days to go by slow and easy as they used to?  It often seems that the only constant thing in my life is change.

Today is Ara's last day in Sacramento, and tomorrow she will fly back to Philadelphia.  It is difficult to say goodbye, but now that I know I will be traveling east this spring, I will probably spend 3 weeks in New York and 1 week in Philly with Ara.  So is makes the goodbyes a little easier, but not much.

I went over to Jeannie's last night to spend some time with Ara, and she got my Nook up and running.  I'm not sure I remember everything she told me, but I guess the best way to learn it is to just start using it.  It does a lot more than just allow you to read books but I'm staying away from the rest of it.  I'll still use my computer as a computer, my jitterbug phone as a phone, and my Nook as a reader for books and magazines!

Speaking of magazines, when I took a load of laundry across the street this morning to dry it, I found that someone had left a stack of Yoga Journals going back to 2002.  I brought six of them back home with me and took a quick look at one of them so far - mostly advertising - but there were some suggested exercises, or "yoga poses".  I actively practiced yoga after my daughter Jeannie was born, and got in the best shape I've ever been in during my lifetime.  I should have kept up with it, but I didn't.  So in the first magazine I looked at were directions for an easy one, the eagle pose.  I was able to do the upper body part of it, but something warned me about the lower body and and trying to balance on one leg, so I only did the part that affects shoulders and arms.  I am sure I'm going to feel some twinges from that simple exercise, but I think I'd like to keep up with the easier of the poses.  I would love to get back some of my balance and flexibility! 

I mostly try to grow old gracefully, but my nature is to want to retain some of my old activity and a bit of hell-raising!  

Christmas Day

Getting together with family is always the best part of Christmas Day, and yesterday was no exception.  The noise level hit the high mark especially during the gift opening by the kids.  In the Secret Santa exchange, I got a Nook (B&N's version of Kindle) which I have been wanting for a long time.  Now I will need to take it to Barnes & Noble to have the saleswoman in charge of that department explain it all to me and load some books for me.    I'm really excited about getting it.

My New York family is giving me a first class train ticket to come and visit them.  It will be difficult to wait but I don't think travel through the northern midwest is a good idea at this time, so I'll probably go sometime in Spring.  I love the train and it is so much more comfortable (and civil) than any plane trip I've taken in the past few years.  

I was the first to leave the party and had no problem driving home in the dark.  There was more traffic on the road than I thought there would be, but I had no problems and it was nice to just sit down and relax in the peace and quiet.

Today I'm taking Jeannie & family to a Thai restaurant that we love.   After the holidays I will be going on a strict financial diet and quit carrying my credit & debit cards with me.  I was doing so well until the Christmas season.  Also, I've been turning up the gas furnace in the mornings to take the chill off - and the bill for that is going to knock me off my feet!

I hope everyone out there enjoyed the past weekend as much as I did.  I always dread it, but delight in it when Dec. 25th rolls around.

Christmas Eve

It just doesn't seem like Christmas Eve  tonight.   I can't figure out how I lost track of so many days and here it is - tomorrow is Christmas.  I can't say I'm excited about it, but it will be nice to be with my family.  I even have a new dress to wear which I had to hem last night, and I hope I did a decent job of it.  With my eyes it's difficult enough to see, but try to thread a needle!

 As usual, I've had a difficult time getting enough to eat today.  I just can't seem to fill up.  I think it may have something to do with the thyroid medication I'm on, although I'm taking only a minimum dose.

One of my nieces, Katy, got engaged last night and posted a photo of her hand with a huge rock adorning her ring finger!   New love is wonderful!

I wish all of you all the best for the entire holiday season.  I'm going to try to enjoy the noise of the crowd at my daughter's house tomorrow, but it's always difficult to calm down and relax when I come back to my empty house.  I prefer the quiet, but I know the activity and noise is good for me now and then.



 

Dogs and chocolate or corn

I've been reading a lot of dire warnings in the past few days that chocolate or corn can kill a dog who ingests either of these.

I'm no expert but I'd like to offer some anecdotal evidence of my own.

When my kids were small we popped up tons of popcorn and had some of my family over to string the popcorn.  I don't remember the exact number of kids but there were lots of them including my own.  Anyone who has strung popcorn knows how messy it can be, but I figured I would vacuum up all the little bits at the end of the evening.  Everyone had a wonderful time, especially the children.  I suddenly noticed our mongrel dog was inching around the room cleaning all the popcorn bits up for me.  She lived and didn't even feel bad the next day.

As for chocolate, when I lived in Northern Virginia I had a black lab, and anyone knows that labs will eat absolutely anything.  On Christmas Eve I set out last minute little items around the tree, including a package of Hershey Kisses for each person, in their plastic bags and wrapped with Christmas paper.  In the morning all I found was the wrapping paper.  I never found the plastic nor the foil wrappings on the individual kisses.  I also never saw any evidence of it outside, but I could have missed the bright foil wrapping of christmas hershey kisses.  He was never sick or even lethargic - just his normal nosy Labrador self.

So those are my two "things that will kill dogs in an instant" stories.  Maybe if either one of them was a pure-bred dog they may have had more delicate digestive systems.  I also remember when I backpacked about 800 miles of the Appalachian Trail with the black lab.  I kept a journal which I sent to someone who posted it online for me, and my dog Smoky became a trail hero - people sent me packages of treats for him, including beef jerky and other things that wouldn't have made me feel so good.  

So I'd advise keeping popcorn and chocolate away from your dogs during the Christmas season (and at all times), but if you have a lab, all I can say is "Good luck"!

Short post

Most regular readers of my blog know to sit back and relax when I say I'm going to write a short post.  I never seem to know when to stop.

Ara drove me to my appointment this morning to get two CT scans.  It took much less time for the scans than it did to just find our way around that hospital complex.  I realized that we were going to the building where most of my appointments were when I was driving to that location several years ago.   I stopped going there because of the parking garage - it's too dark inside for me to see clearly and I nearly hit someone.  In my defense they walked around my car and cut in front of me, while I was watching traffic coming off a ramp to the right.  That scared me to death!  I have one more test coming up in January and I hope that's it.

We stopped on the way home at a craft brewery that serves excellent food, and I'm still full from the big lunch I had.

If I stop  now I will keep this a short post as was my intention.  Sorry, no real news though.
 

Trying to be a busy bee today!

Since I have to deal with a couple of medical procedures tomorrow morning, I'm trying to get as much done today as I can, and I've tackled laundry!  I have been delaying for some time the washing of summer sheets as well as towels.  Today is the day I'm going to get caught up!  I sure wish I had a dryer here in my house, but eventually I will get one.  I'm lucky to have a washer at home.  I really miss being able to line dry my clothes & towels as the dryer gets to be expensive.  But nothing smells good these days when it's been line dried, and I noticed that since the planes started dropping their poison particles from the skies.  

My brother and his wife (Steve and Nancy) are working on a genealogy project, and when I met them at Denny's earlier this week they handed me a box containing a voice recorder, plus a list of about 36 questions relating to my memories.  I've been alive longer than any of my siblings, so I have a lot to tell and I hope I'm not overdoing it.   

One period of my life I'd rather not talk about though is my teens, up to about 17 or 18 yrs of age.  I had a rough time and have tried to forget all about it.    I have written all my answers down on paper to make it easier to record the memories and not forget something I wanted to say.  Now I'm ready to record, and I will omit most of the question about being 16. 

Many of my siblings loved the house we finally settled in and stayed for years, in a suburb called Silverton.  I detested it, so while they may have wonderful memories of school, church, friends, etc., I have tried to forget all about it.

Every time I have to walk over to the laundry room the sky seems to be more cloudy.  I think we are in for about two days of rain, so I'm glad I'm getting this laundry job done and won't have to worry about it for a while.  I usually only do it every two or three weeks unless I want to wear something that needs laundering. 

It's time to take my last load over to dry, and fold the stuff that is ready to bring home.  I'm going to be plumb worn out when I'm finished!

I may not write anything tomorrow, but maybe I will if the mood strikes me.  Hope you all are close to being ready for the holidays.  I don't think I'm there yet! 

The birthday party

It began around 5pm - 16 girls at the birthday/slumber party.  Steve was there with Liam, and Liam seemed to enjoy himself a lot.  I talked with Donald's Mom a bit and didn't let the noise bother me.  I really enjoyed the day/evening and the cake was heavenly!

Autumn loves ancient Greece and Greek culture, so her cake was made to look like the Parthenon, complete with columns, etc.  It was beautiful and the best tasting chocolate cake I've ever had.  I asked Jeannie to send me some photos of it as I didn't take any, so I might include some pictures from the party in my next post.

I didn't enjoy the drive over to their house at 5pm as it was already getting dark.  Well before I left the party I realized I didn't want to drive home in the dark, so I asked son Steve to drop me by my house when he and Liam went home.  The only thing I have coming up is a chiropractor appointment on Monday, and Ara can take me to that.  As far as I'm concerned I really don't want to drive at least for a while.  My eyes are bothering me and it just doesn't make sense to put myself in the position of driving, at least until the eyesight hopefully clears up and I can feel confident again.  I think one problem is that the traffic has been so heavy and will probably be that way until after the holidays, so I'm just going to hang tight and see how I feel in the future.  I really hate to think of my driving days being over with, and I believe after the holidays it will go back to normal and I can safely drive locally in the mornings after rush hour.   Sometimes I feel that I'm too young to feel this old!

I will write more tomorrow.  Right now I'm so sleepy that I can't think straight, so I'll stop for now.

San Francisco

Jeannie and I left her house at 11am this morning to drive to the San Francisco Airport to pick Ara up.  She usually flies into Sacramento, but the ticket to S.F. was several hundred dollars cheaper.

I used to think nothing of driving to S.F., to the extent of parking the car downtown somewhere and walking around.  That was then and now was now, and crowds and large cities nearly make me ill.  My camera has been terrible lately, but I did get two photos while crossing the Bay Bridge.  (Click on photos to enlarge).

There are certainly better views of S.F., but these were the best I could shoot through my side window.   We didn't have to wait long at the airport and Ara's plane came in on time.  Driving home the traffic out of the airport was so heavy that the GPS gave us an alternate route through the city.  It was interesting, but I won't feel bad if I never do it again.  There was a time when I thought San Francisco and Washington, D.C. were the two most beautiful cities in the U.S.  I still think they are special, but population explosion and traffic in both places have ruined them for me.  Maybe it's just my age though, because my kids seem to have no problem with it.

Another of my all-time favorite U.S. cities is New York, although I haven't driven there since the early 1960's.  Times have certainly changed.

I am really worn out - got back to my house around 7pm this evening, which made it a much longer day than I'm used to.  I'll be back out tomorrow to attend Autumn's 11th birthday party at her house in the afternoon - another drive home in the dark.  I dropped Jeannie and Ara off at Autumn's basketball tournament this evening and had to drive the rest of the way by myself, in the dark.  Most of the traffic was coming towards me which meant headlights in my eyes.  You can't imagine how good it felt to walk into my house this evening, and I'm hitting the sack early!

While I was at Jeannie's house this morning I took a photo of her Christmas tree.  I'll show it along with a pic that I took several days ago before they had finished decorating it.  The yellow/golden cast behind the tree in one of the pics is due to the golden colored shades on the bay window.  I did the best I could - I was no great photographer in my better days, and now the best I can do is "point and shoot".

 I'm going to fall into bed soon.  I've had a great day and wore myself out.

Beautiful sunset

The sunset this evening was the best ever, and I went outside to take photos.  I think my camera needs some changes to the settings but I wouldn't have a clue, so I just rarely use the camera any more.  All of the strikingly beautiful colors - especially the reds - were so muted as to be worthless.  So I have no photo to post.

I am looking forward to visitors tomorrow morning - Megan is bringing Quinn by for a little while after she drops Liam off to school.  I've tried to clean the place up a bit, mainly putting things away.

I'm getting excited about seeing Ara on Friday afternoon.  I hope her travel goes well.  You can never tell this time of year.

I was taking a much needed nap when the doorbell woke me up.  It was the UPS driver with a package delivery.  It was very nice of him to wait until I got to the door and took the package.  I've seen several youtube videos the past week showing people blatantly stealing packages off front porches.     

I just heard either fireworks or shots from a distance.   Hope they were fireworks - the pretty kind.

I have been unable to stop eating today, from the time I got up this morning.  I don't know why my appetite has increased this much, but when I've eaten my meal I start rummaging around for sweets and salty snacks.   By this time of day I feel pretty stuffed.

I haven't heard any more noises outside, so I will sleep the sleep of the righteous tonight!  Except for having to get up every two hours!

 

Days are flying by!

I haven't finished my Christmas shopping, although I think I have taken care of most of the grandchildren.   I mailed off the NY kids' gifts yesterday.

Ara will be arriving soon, and Jeannie and I will drive my car to San Francisco to get her.   This morning I went to Les Schwab to have the tires and brakes checked.  Everything was good - they aired up the tires and rotated them and did a few other small jobs, and the bill was Zero!  I don't think I've had to pay them in a long time - when you buy the tires there (and maybe even if you don't) they will check and air them for you, plus rotate them.  I probably should get an oil change before we make that long drive.  I never get to the point where an oil change is due, mileage-wise, because I don't drive many miles.  I definitely need to clean all the windows right before we go.  

I was up this morning around 4am, and before getting back in bed I always look out my window to see what stars or planets are visible.  This morning I saw two planes doing the chemtrail thing.   It infuriates me to see that going on as I don't think it's good to try to control the weather in any way, and especially by spraying poisons.   And do they think nobody knows if they spray during the night?

I need to take a load of laundry to the dryers across the street.  I bought myself a set of flannel sheets a few days ago, and I should put them on my bed before spring comes!  These are the old fashioned cotton flannel kind.  I really prefer cotton, although it gets more difficult to find any that hasn't been treated to make it soft & silky.    I don't need soft and silky,  I need warm!



 

On a roll!

Of course what is "on a roll" to me would be just another day to most folks.  I started with the gym so I couldn't make up any excuses to skip it if I waited.   I then drove to Grocery Warehouse, which I don't go to very often because it is so difficult to get through the traffic and into the parking lot.  At least it is for me, who always chooses the easiest way rather than the most direct or quickest!

I didn't buy much, and pushed the cart around with Christmas wrapping paper in it, but after I checked out I realized someone must have removed it from my cart.  Strange.  I was in a good mood and realized I was actually humming along to "Joy to the World"!  I don't even care for Christmas music - traditional and certainly not the newer stuff, but nothing was going to spoil my mood today.  I had a really nice person to talk to in line with me, and I was soon on my way home.  I decided not to get in any more Friday traffic and will go to the dollar store for Christmas wrapping paper, early some morning.

One impulse item I bought was a box of 6 White Castle hamburgers.  What a treat it was when I lived in Cincinnati to get a big pack of them right off the griddle.  We never called them "sliders" and I was an adult and visiting a cousin in Chicago before I ever heard that term.  We went to White Castle and  ordered "White Castles".  I ate 4 of them for lunch today - being that I haven't had any for so long I'd say they were good, but nothing like walking into White Castle and getting them just off the griddle.

Another Cincinnati favorite is Skyline chili.  Years ago when I was very young, there was nothing like a trip to "the chili parlor" to get chili spaghetti.  You could also order it with beans, onions, and cheese, or also called a "5-way".  There were a lot of Greek immigrants in Cincinnati when I was young, and they owned the chili parlors.  The chili is totally different than any other kind - nothing at all like southwestern style - but it is a style all it's own.   The Greeks are gone from the chili business now and other new chili places have cropped up, but to me the old Skyline and Empress were the best.  You could also get a "coney island" which is a smaller than regular size hot dog, on a steamed bun, and covered with chili and whatever else you liked - beans, onions, cheese.  Oh so good, and there are still a lot of Skyline restaurants in the area.  I doubt I'll ever go back to Cincinnati but I'll always miss some of the food that I grew up with. 

Enough reminiscing about food.  I think I mentioned that my appetite has really increased.  I weighed myself at the gym today and was up another pound!    There may be a time when I'll have to cut back on the intake, but right now I'm loving it, including the weight gain.

I hope you all enjoy the weekend, and watch out for the traffic if you decide to go out.  I still have Christmas shopping to do, probably not on the weekend however.  I don't know where all the presents are going to go when we are at Jeannie's on Christmas Eve.  There will be the Secret Santa gifts for the adults, and of course, all the kids presents from everyone.  The tree Jeannie bought at Apple Hill last week is a bit larger than she realized.  They have a huge formal living room and the tree take up half the room!  I can't wait to see it decorated.  I'll try to remember to take a photo of it.

Best day yet!

I haven't felt this good in a long time, although I sort of crapped out in the afternoon.   I managed several errands this morning followed by a walk at the gym.  I walked yesterday and had some irritating leg cramps in the early morning.  I just now reached in the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer, then put it back.  If I'm going to get leg cramps from walking the beer would only make them worse.  I stretch out after any kind of exercise, but I guess at my age I can't avoid some pain.  As they say, "no pain, no gain".

Whether it's the thyroid meds I'm taking or something else, my appetite has grown by leaps and bounds.  I seem to be always hungry.   My weight is about 123 now, so I wouldn't mind up to another 7 pounds, maybe even more than that.

The weather has been chilly, but when I get in the sun it feels quite warm.

The Sacramento County Animal Shelter has a lot more dogs than usual, so I decided to look and see what they had.  The first two were German Shepherds - the most attractive being the male but he weighed in the 80#+ range.  The female was in the 60's and looked like she was more of a mix.  Page after page were lists and photos of pit bulls.  Most of them looked extremely sweet, but with all the old people in my neighborhood, especially those with very small yappy dogs, I wouldn't want to think of the complaints I'd get.  There was a dachshund or two but nothing I was truly interested in.  I go through this about 2 or 3 times a year when I wish I had a doggie friend.  Fortunately I snap back to my senses pretty quickly.  I think a 45-pounder would be as small as I'd want to go, but I just don't need an animal to care for.  If I lived in a house with a fenced yard, then I would definitely want a dog.

One of my nieces recently moved from NYC to Los Angeles.  I have no idea where in L.A. she is, but those fires look frightening.   She is originally from Sacramento, so she's a California girl at heart.  I think I wouldn't mind New York State at all, but not the City.  Actually it's probably too cold for me anywhere in NY now.  I've been away from the East for too long and I think their winters are going to be worse for a few years. 

I've rambled on for long enough now, so I will go sit in my easy chair and put my feet up, and take my glass of water along with me although I wish it was a beer!

Waiting for the B-12 to kick in

I got my B-12 shot this morning and went from the clinic directly to the gym.  I haven't been to the gym for several weeks, and I really need to get back on track.  It will be difficult working around medical appoints that seem to be compounding, as well as the Christmas holidays.  I really do want to make a strong effort to keep moving as well as doing the upper body training.

I was up fairly early this morning and can feel the drowsiness creeping up.  I'm going to try to work through it and not take a nap.  After a month of the thyroid medicine and the B-12, I find I need much less sleep, which I'm very happy about.

I wrote to one of my senators about an issue that is important to me, and received a reply that is a big insult to my intelligence.  So I tried to reply to that reply, and got nowhere.  I guess you have only one shot to get a point across to your congressperson, and they have the last word.  I could probably figure out a fix for it but I don't even care enough to try.  This happened to be one of the senators I might vote to re-elect, but not now.  What a worthless bunch they all are!  (Well, most of them anyway.)

I just had a nice long telephone conversation with Ara.  She will be coming back to Sacramento for Autie's birthday in about two weeks and will be here for Christmas, and I am so anxious to see her again. 

I am able to open the front door for a short while with just the screen door letting in some "fresh" air.  I put that in quotes because it doesn't smell very fresh when you are actually outdoors in it.  I feel like I'm being cheated out of enjoying the outdoors as I once did, but the odor from whatever they spray is really bad.  It begins to dissipate about now, but I am not taking any chances with being any more exposed than I am. 

I ate so much for lunch today that I wonder if I'll be hungry at all by dinner time.   I'll probably make a skimpy supper and let it go at that.  

We've crossed the midweek line and now will be heading into the weekend!  I really think time is speeding up!

 

Memories of Ireland

The wind is blowing hard today which reminds me of when I lived in Ireland.  Of course, the gales I experienced there were much stronger!  Living at the end of a peninsula with the sea on 3 sides made it certain that the wind blew 24/7.  I always seemed to gain energy during the ever-present gales, but these days I often feel depressed when the wind is so strong.  Knowing that everything one experiences depends on the state of mind, I decided that today I will gain energy from this wind blowing - forget being depressed over it! 

Having the heat available in the mornings makes it seem warmer all day long.  I have it set pretty low but heard it recycle on several times during the night, so I know it was cold.  I really want to get back to walking at the gym every day, and think I will try to start on Wednesday after I get my 2nd B-12 shot.  I am so hopeful that it will make me feel even better.  I'm feeling fairly good now but the motivation to do something is still lacking.  That may be a case of just plain laziness!

I plan to take it easy today.  I have a morning medical appointment tomorrow, and I want to go to bed a little earlier this evening and be rested up for it.  

Cutting down a Christmas tree

We spent a lot of time just looking for the right tree.  My daughter is very picky about what she wants, so we ended up spending about 4 hrs in two different tree farms.  The first one had some nice trees but they were growing "willy-nilly" and some were too close together.  You could tell they were just growing rather than planted where they could thrive.  It was a large farm (and also had the lowest prices) so it took up a lot of time just searching the acreage before deciding to go elsewhere.  

Most other farms charge way higher prices, but we found one that was priced about midway between our first farm and all the others.  What a difference it was - you could tell the care the owners took to make sure each tree had its own space to grow.  It didn't take Jeannie too long to find the tree she wanted.  Everyone was really tired and the kids were hungry, but as I told them all "If Jeannie ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!"  

We had gone up to Apple Hill which is maybe 40 or 50 miles up towards Lake Tahoe.  Coming back down the hill we were laughing counting the number of cars and trucks bearing christmas trees on the top or in the truck beds.  

When they dropped me off at home Donald insisted he would light the furnace for me.  I tried to insist he could do it another time as the kids were hungry and cranky, but he got it lit on the first try.  I must say my house was so much more comfortable this morning.  I don't set the thermostat very high, but it's enough to take off the chill.  I will supplement during the day with a space heater, when I need it. 

I think they plan to go to Costco today (which will be very crowded) and asked if I'd like to go.  I really don't need anything as I was there just a couple of days ago, but I think I will join them just for the company.  I need alone time to "re-charge my batteries", but I love being with people at other times, and don't want to miss an opportunity.

 

Trip to Costco

I was surprised to find that mid-day on Friday wasn't more crowded, but the weekend shoppers will make up for that.  I had a good trip and also a couple of laughs.  There seemed to be quite a few moms with young children, which of course can provide entertainment just watching them.  One mom was badgered by her son and daughter to go look in the toy section.  The girl was trying to get mom to say "yes", but her older brother cut right to the chase when he told his sister, "Just say 'Bye Mom' "  I laughed out loud and the mom and I both enjoyed the scene.

I got some great items although I put a few things back on the shelf because the quantities were just too much for one person.  It was fine when Ara lived here as I could always split large quantities with her.  I miss her for many reasons!  

I was  shocked to hear that an earthquake happened in Dover, DE yesterday.  I texted Ara who was in her car at the time and didn't feel it.  I have a niece who lives in Dover with her husband, but evidently she was preoccupied enough with a project that she didn't feel the quake.  While quakes are much more frequent on the west coast, I can remember when the Washington Monument was shut down for a few years while they repaired damage from an earthquake.  It seems in these days that anything is possible.

I may go with Jeannie & her family to cut down a Christmas tree tomorrow.  They are also planning to go to Costco, which means a really long day as they take a while to shop for the family.  Steve & Meg cut their tree last weekend - in the same place Bill & I took the kids to get our tree when we lived here in the 1980's.   Jeannie  & Donald will probably go to the same place.  I haven't set up a tree in years and have no interest in it to be honest.  And I wouldn't ever have an artificial tree - that's just a personal preference of mine, not that there is anything wrong with an artificial one.  At least you aren't still finding pine needles in July, but hey, that's part of the fun on it and the memories come flooding back of the beautiful tree. 

I am happy to say that today I'm feeling great, and have a huge sense of well-being.  It's been a long time coming, and I hope it lasts through my dreaded visit to the oncology dept. this next Tuesday.  I'm trying to look at it as being similar to my visit to the DMV last week - everything turned out to be perfect.  Have a wonderful weekend, and be careful if you have to drive anywhere.  I'm sure between now and the holidays the crowds will get worse and some tempers will get worse also.