Am I Getting the Christmas Spirit?

 Monday, Dec. 9:
I will say it - "I don't even like Christmas"!  I haven't liked it for years.  This year my daughter is determined to get me involved in the festivities as much as possible.  She decided our Christmas Day celebrations will be at my house.  She took me shopping for a Christmas tree yesterday, and I spent $30 at the Dollar Tree store buying decorations - that is 30 items!

So we put the tree up this evening - she and my two  grandaughters  came over and did most of the work.  Except for the fact that I'm worried Rocky will probably pull the whole thing over on himself, I have to admit that everything looks festive and pretty, and I'm happy with it. 

While shopping yesterday I bought a little leprechaun, which Rocky was sure was a toy intended for him.  He was pretty disappointed when it was set on the fireplace mantle tonight.  He has been so excited this evening, with three of his favorite people being here and the buzz of things happening.  I am trying to overcome a slight sense of dread of disaster which he is capable of bringing about. 

I think if you click on a picture it should enlarge a bit.

There was a break in the rain for most of today.  It's amazing how a few days of rain brings back the green in the yard - mostly weeds, I'm afraid.  I should hire someone to do yard work for me, but after the expenses of the Christmas season it will take me a while to get back to normal with finances.

Tuesday, Dec. 10:
After being up late last night I find the morning swept past by me and now it's the middle of the afternoon.  I'm not sure how I finally got a couple of photos to download, and even though they aren't the quality I would like, I'm including them.

A break in the rain

Today has been a relativcely dry day but there is still water all around.  I think a terrific rain and wind storm is expected tonight and over the weekend, but I'm not sure what parts of Northern California will be affected.

 I put a Duraflame log in the fireplace and am enjoying watching the flames.  I bought a box of 6 logs and this is the third one I've used.  The first two had a very strong chemical smell while burning, but this one doesn't seem to have an odor at all.  I hope the rest of them will be normal.  I enjoy watching the flames even though there is no heat from them.  I've always loved a cozy wood fire but this is easier to start as well as to clean up after.  And I don't have to worry about sparks going up the chimney and flying about.  I bought myself a fireplace set, with a poker, brush, and shovel, so I'm all set.

Rocky has been getting on my nerves lately.  He wanted to go out at about 3am the past two nights, and that totally disrupts my sleep and it's hard to get back to sleep.  When he jumps down from the bed I have to wake up and be aware of what he's doing as he still chews things, including my comforter which is now missing probably a quarter of its stuffing.

I don't know what to do about a Christmas tree.  Last year Jeannie decided I needed a tree, after a number of years of no longer putting one up at Christmas.  She bought me a very tiny tree - probably about 10-12" high, with a strand of lights on it.  I planned to use that this year but am wondering if I should just go ahead and get a small live tree.  Because of the weather the past few years the trees, both cut and living, are not the same quality as in years past, but I might break down and buy a small cut tree.  Then I have to spend money on lights and ornaments, because I will be having everyone at my house for the Christmas gift exchange on the 25th.  Life sure doesn't get any easier over the years.

I hope you are all enjoying December.  There is a lot of anticipation and joy associated with the holidays - I just don't feel it any more.

 

Down to the Wire!

It's hard for me to believe we've reached December, and I don't know how 2019 went by so fast.  I guess I can expect 2020 to shoot by even faster, and that trend will continue the older I get.

Rocky turned 18 months old this past week but shows no signs of maturity yet!  I love his puppy nature except when I'm not in the mood for it.

I skipped Thanksgiving this year, and really wish I could skip Christmas.  My daughter has talked me into holding the Christmas Day celebrations at my house, and to be truthful I don't have the room - we counted a possibility of 26+ people.  The thought of where I'm going to put them all is scary.  I'm not going to buy a Christmas tree and won't be swayed on that matter.  Last Christmas Jeannie decided I needed a reminder of the holiday so she gave me a tiny little artificial tree with a strand of lights on it.  That is going to be my Christmas tree this year, come hell or high water!  Can you imagine the havoc Rocky could wreak with a large tree loaded with lights and ornaments.  I've been there and done that.

I can remember Christmases past, where we had to wrap a couple of beer cases to set on top of an end table, and the tree went on top of those.  The tip nearly reached the ceiling, but all the lights and decorations were out of reach of whatever dog we had at the time.  I'm not going back to that, although I wish I could recover some of the Christmas spirit I had in those days.

 We are having some cold and rainy weather now and the rain will be with us for a while,.  You can  imagine the state of my garden .  Weeds and grass tower over the vegetable plants.

Sorry if I sound like Debbie Downer today.  I should probably pour myself a glass of wine and chill out!  Am I the only person for whom holidays have lost their lustre?   Let me know how you cope with this time of year.

What is falling from the sky

I walked out to get the mail and was hit by something wet falling from the sky.  RAIN!!!  I haven't tried to figure out how many months since we've had rain and I'm glad to see it even if it is pretty cold.

The interstates through the Sierras have already been closed at the higher elevations, and I'm glad no one I know is trying to travel across the mountains.   I wouldn't want to be on any roads over the holiday.  I'm so glad I was able to have the family reunion earlier in November when the weather was really nice.

I wonder what will happen in my garden with the cold rain - I'm sure the moisture will be welcome, and the plants are all cool weathr plants, but I don't know about cold weather.  I don't think it will get down anywhere near freezing yet. 

I've been looking forward to having a fire in my fireplace most every evening, and bought a big box of Duraflame logs for this purpose.  I don't want to use real wood logs as I know they send sparks up the chimney, and with Sacramento not having rain for the past 9 or 10 months, I wouldn't dare attempt it.  I have used Duraflame logs for years and this is the first time I have noticed a strong chemical smell emanating from them during the entire time they are burning.  If anyone knows of a brand that doesn't emit a chemical odor, I would like to know of it. 

I'm not yet back into the habit of blogging, but I'll get used to it I hope.  Finding a topic to blog about when I'm mostly stuck at home with Rocky doesn't make it any easier to write about what's happening with me.   I did get to shop at Costco over the weekend, and I was astounded at the rise in prices!  In many cases where two boxes, cans, bottles, etc. were always packed together they are now split and you get one item for the price you once paid for two.   With the coffee beans, I noticed the packages are smaller.  I'm sure it will get worse over time.  Hang in there, folks!

That's all for now.  I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Day.

Back to Normal Part 2

Here I am again, and I hope I can find some photos to publish.  I think there must be thousands of them taken!

In addition to Straw Hat, we also spent time at my favorite craft brewery, Thin Line.  Joe (my youngest) cooked Cincinnati Chili with all the trimmings, and they let us set up a table for all the food.  I'm sorry to say I barely ate anything at Straw Hat and nothing at Thin Line.  I think I was calm on the outside, but inside I was a nervous wreck.  I don't know why, but this was a big undertaking for me and I couldn't just relax and enjoy it as much as I would have if someone else was running the show.  Actually, I had nothing to do with Thin Line this time  - my kids all arranged it.

I am so grateful to Bill & Wilma, my oldest brother (3 yrs younger than me) and sister-in-law.  The more I age the more I cherish the opportunity to spend some time with my siblings and their families.  Bill & Wilma were the perfect house guests, and didn't seem to mind Rocky.  Their oldest daughter, Julie, had a lab who they tell me never had a quiet moment until the day she died at 13!

I'm going to search for more photos - I think most of them came to me in emails.  I hope I can publish them maybe this weekend.

 

Back to (Somewhat) Normal

Things have been quiet for the past couple of days, and I've had time to reflect on the previous week.  I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to get all my siblings together. My youngest brother and his wife were vacationing in England and didn't return in time to join us at Straw Hat, but they did spend the day with us and that was good.  They brought their puppy with them, and Ara had her puppy as well, so Rocky enjoyed the reunion as much as I did!

I'm having difficulty with Blogger and can't figure out what they have changed.   I can't seem to be able to write anything after this photo, so I might just publish this and start Part 2 of today's blog.

This photo is in black & white, and taken at Straw Hat.  Sibs & spouses.

Things are moving along!

I just got a text from my brother - they just landed in Sacramento and are waiting for a gate to open.  I'm relieved their flights went well and on time.

Another brother & his family who are staying at Jeannie's house, arrived on Sunday afternoon.  They walked over yesterday and visited, so I got to spend some time with them.  Unfortunately, my house cleaners were here so we had to sit out on the deck, which is kind of cluttered with gardening tools and supplies.

Speaking of gardening, I'm pretty much ready for the season to end.  That said, I have a number of vegetables that are growing well and should be producing in about 2 weeks or so.  Keeping the grass pulled in the second bed is driving me nuts!  I can only lean over for a few minutes and then have to stop.  I'm afraid if I get down on the ground I won't be able to easily get back up, so I just lean over to pull the grass & weeds.

If I had thought about it this morning I would have given Rocky a Benadryl tablet to calm him down.  He's going to love two new people to greet!

So long for now.