and what a lovely time was had. I wanted to purchase seed packets to pop into the Christmas cards for gardening friends. The usual spot I always found them had other things on display. A lady came over to see if she could help and when I told her what I was looking for, she showed Gregg a place on the other side of the center. He disappeared for a couple of minutes, and I pottered around while waiting for him to come back. That’s him on the left just before he follows the nice lady. I really can’t say enough about the staff here. In all the years we have been coming, all have been super friendly and helpful.
I asked Bear if he would like to come home with me, but as often happens, he said no. He was far too busy greeting people and offering them refreshments. The deer below gave me the same answer. Ah well, there were other things to occupy my line of sight.
The raccoon was as interested as I was as he poked his head through a hole in the wall.
Hmmm.....he said. I know....I said.
Trinkets...I said.
How I love trinkets, like a moth to the flame...but I have more control than the moth as I left the flame and went on to look at other things.
Still rabbiting on here…hmmm....shiny objects. What am I, a jackdaw? Not really but how I love browsing around shiny, glittery things.
I went through one of the double doors into the greenhouse and had a browse around there too.
You can see what drew my attention this time. I also like rusty animals…
and while getting in touch with my inner child even further, decided to look at fairy things.
Not buying anything but seed packets, just browsing today!
I wonder if Santa is visiting later?
So, with seed packets in hand thanks to my dear other half, it was time to leave. We had passed turtle on our way in.
We made our way to our drive-thru and ordered a coffee. They were offering their snowman cookies and one actually did make its way home with me. I ate it while drinking my coffee and writing Christmas Cards. I'm late sending them as always. Maybe next year I will be earlier! But then again, snowmen may fly!
With thanks once again to my family, friends and blogging friends. Here's this week's catch up and happenings. As you can see by the weather forecast it is chillier, as expected now that we are in December. We have had a very mild November fortunately.
I have put updates on the knee as you have been asking for and very much appreciative of your concern. This is a good way of letting you know what’s going on as sometimes when passed around, it naturally gets changed a smidgeon and takes on a life of its own, so I give you the horse’s mouth, so to speak.
Monday - 11/25/24: Today I went shopping for sneakers for the winter. We drove over to a department store and headed for the shoe area. I didn’t have any success and am still looking.
Two ladies at different times, customers, heard Gregg and I chatting. Both were very nice. One of them was heading to Europe over the holidays she told me. It was a Christmas market vacation she said, and she needed a good pair of comfortable walking shoes. Sounds wonderful I said.
She had heard us discussing what kind of sneakers I was looking for, color, size and no white band around the sole please. I like them completely black, very plain. Though at a later point I would have taken anything that fit. I found the photo below online and smiled because I said to myself those are cute. I would wear those if I could find a comfortable fit and they were the only ones I could find. I don't mind going back to childhood for the cause. Trudging in snow, however, would do them in!
Talking about fit, my knee was pitching one, so I sat on a seat at the end of an aisle rubbing away. Gregg disappeared to take a look for me. He is a gem! The lady who had talked to me about her holiday, must have noticed and taken note, as she came around the corner with a box of sneakers which were exactly what I was looking for. How sweet was that? I badly wanted them to fit as she had been so kind but unfortunately, they did not. My foot on the same side as my bad knee is swollen and no matter how hard I tried, one shoe fit but it was way too tight, and the other did not fit at all. There were no bigger sizes.
I didn’t realize this would be an issue before I left the house. When I shop I normally look for a half to one size up with an extra wide fit. I don't have the tiniest feet truth be told. Anyhow, I didn’t want to buy anything after that. I will have to wait a while longer. My ratty, tatty old sneakers will have to do for the time being, but I am not sure I can wear them either at the moment. Before I left the house, I decided to put on some “been-everywhere-in-these-things” slip-ons. They are a light beige color, definitely a summer shoe with soft leather and more like a ballet slipper, but at least I could get them on my feet. They wouldn’t be good in the height of winter though. I have a couple of pairs of dress shoes tucked away in boxes upstairs, not exactly the kind I can wear in bad weather either.
The other lady who turned up ten minutes later while I was looking at my third box of shoes dear found for me, told me that I would really like this brand. Hers were very comfortable and she felt like she was wearing slippers. She pointed to her feet and yes, that's what she was wearing. She stayed to chat for a few minutes, and left to find a seat so that she could try on her own shoes.
After trying my best to fit my feet into these, it soon became apparent there would be no joy in Shoeville that day. I took a photo of the box with the details. I will sort it out sometime but I am leery of getting anything else online. I had already sent away for one pair, only to have to send them back.
Good news is I got some sunshine and exercise, met two very nice, very kind ladies, and I will keep on searching. I also thanked my dear other half for all his help. I think this is the first time he has been in the lady’s section of the shoe department, at least in years.
On the way home we were passing the fire station and saw a big crane outside. They had only recently erected a very tall cell phone tower, and curiosity being what it is...
we took a closer look from their parking lot. It was fascinating to see…
and yes, I take pictures of everything.
Tuesday - 11/26/24: Gregg went out early to have a bagel at Manhattan Bagel Shop, and then drove to Wegman’s. I was still asleep and I barely remember him leaving. The next thing was he was yelling up the stairs to say he was home. That was a quick trip! I slept later than I usually do.
Breakfast: Weetabix with a small banana, a tablespoon each of chopped dates and pumpkin seeds, and I added 6 pecan halves, because they were right there, and I was putting the green bean casserole together for Thanksgiving. Besides my fizzy water I also had a cup of black coffee not long after.
Lunch which turned into a snack, was a bowl of our favorite popcorn, because breakfast was actually closer to noon by the time I got round to it.
Dinner: Toasted cheese and tomato soup. I didn’t feel like anything else.
I sat myself down at the kitchen table and peeled and cubed a pot of potatoes for the sweet potato casserole on Thanksgiving. I plan to cook them tomorrow and partially put it together.
More ornaments were put on the tree throughout the day. I began doing that yesterday. It is starting to look pretty. I dropped one of my ornaments and it broke. Fortunately, not one of the sentimental ones but it was a Snoopy and Woodstock that I like and bought a couple of years back. The crazy glue will be out after Thanksgiving. I should have known better as I was tired. It was time to quit and go to bed. I figured if I don’t get to putting everything on the tree before the 28th, that will be okay. More bird ornaments will take wing before Christmas. Tomorrow we are going to be busy with other things.
Wednesday - 11/27/24: the darlings are coming early tomorrow morning, about 10:30-ish. We will try to get our meal on the table by 11:00 (a good brunch time). They will spend a few hours with us and then off to daughter-in-law’s family later in the afternoon. We will enjoy their company on our low-key day, and not traveling far these days anyhow. It’s been fun getting things prepared early.
Evening: we spent the day pre-preparing dishes so there will be no rushing tomorrow. I don’t have many ornaments to put on the tree as through the day I have literally been putting up to five on each pass, and only have a few more left. All projects done at a tortoise pace. Lovely says this particular tortoise. The hare is on holiday elsewhere.
Fluffy Kitty surprised us earlier and appeared at the window again. Those smart birds and squirrels left and I thought perhaps a hawk was nearby. I peered up into the trees and around the deck rails to check. And no sooner had I done that, then she appeared looking in the window staring straight at Gregg sitting on the sofa. He is not a cat person but he recognizes she is a beautiful cat, and she doesn't recognize him as a non-cat person. She appears fascinated with him.
Fluffy Kitty stayed for a while at the window, still staring at Gregg, and then for a few more minutes sat at the top of the steps, and then she was gone. I originally wondered if she was a stray, but she is so clean and healthy looking. I truly don’t think so. She looks like someone is taking very good care of her.
Yes, I really do think the blue-eyed one goes home after a wander around. It is hard to take a peek to see if she has a collar as there is so much fur. I will continue to check the neighbor app for lost kitties, just in case. So far she fits none of the photos published.
I haven't seen another cat around here in literally years. We see and hear more dogs. Fluffy Kitty had been gone half an hour when Wren turned up, and then slowly the other birds and squirrels resumed their positions.
We prepared several dishes and jig-sawed them into the refrigerator. I want to set the table before bed and we will have gotten 90 percent of the work done
Earlier I had taken the cranberry sauce out of the freezer and as it was thawed out, I said we should give it a taste test. Gregg put a scoop of cool whip on his and declared it dessert. I have to say it was excellent but I told him no cool whip will be put next to the turkey tomorrow.
(I know this is late in the day now, but I just found the following. The vet would be the one to check this with.)
It looks an interesting list for every day, all year round, though it has been a lot of years since we had a dog. Dog parents, I apologize if I am sharing something you already know. If I ever find one for cats I will share that too.
Thanksgiving - Thursday - 11/28/24: Our son and daughter-in-law left an hour ago, and we had a fun time. We sat down for our meal at 12 noon. Getting most of the dishes made ahead was just perfect. Gregg said it only took us until we reached our 70s to figure this out.
The meal was put on the kitchen table for everyone to help themselves, and all enjoyed their choices.
Our menu:
Turkey Breast and Gravy
Sweet Potato Casserole
Roasted Rosemary Potatoes
Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms
Green Bean Casserole
Corn Pudding
Cranberry Sauce
Dinner Rolls
and for dessert:
Pumpkin Pie
Cherry Pie
Vanilla Ice Cream
We made extra dishes to suit everyone’s taste. We certainly don’t need to cook anything for a few days. I suggested we cut everything down to half the size while planning. We made small but hearty portions and there are still leftovers.
Our son had seen a movie called The Blitz a few days ago and asked me questions about my parents during that time. I told them both of what I remember Mum telling me, some stories son had heard before, others not. My Dad never really talked to his daughters about his experiences overseas, but he had told Mum and she passed them onto me, and now I have passed them onto our son. It felt good talking about his family history from my side. My parents passed away by the time he was 13. He knows quite a lot of his paternal grandparents.
Father-in-Law and Daughter-in-law got into a conversation about fountain pens, which they both like using. Gregg has a collection and he showed D-in-L one he had bought recently and gave her a sheet of his special writing paper to tried it out. This is what she did and of course I had to take a photo for posterity.
The hours went by far too quickly and it was time for them to go to their second Thanksgiving meal at her parents. We are very grateful that they share their company with all of us. It certainly makes for a very special Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to reading all about yours.
Something I also feel is very important to add, I would like to thank our farmers and farm workers for bringing the food to our table. And a shoutout to the truckers who complete the circle, and everyone else in between. A big thank you from our family to you and yours.
I found this poem online by Jimmy Osbourne.
For the rest of the day we relaxed, not doing much other than talking, reading and seeing what other family members and friends had been up to over here and across the pond. A lot of distance between us all but another reason to be thankful, is today’s technology that keeps us all connected. The day went quickly and now after I finish today’s journal, it’s time to put the lights out at 11.09 p.m.
Friday, 11-29-24 - 3:05 p.m: Breakfast was a banana and later Gregg popped up to the bagel shop to get his usual. He then stops by the coffee shop to pick up my latte. This is not a daily thing but enough for me to enjoy it as a treat. I may have mentioned before that he never developed a liking for coffee. He told the baristas once and when they found out that these coffees were for his wife, his standing went up a notch. As soon as he steps through the door there's a "Hi Gregg!" The people behind the counter chat to him and he enjoys the conversation. He asks how their Thanksgiving went. They are genuinely only too happy to answer, and chat back and forth for a few minutes. Then he leaves with his order and brings my coffee home. I joked that I will never be able to give them up now even if I wanted to. A friendly bunch!
Another quick story about these people, one time he saw someone he knows from the shop, sitting in his car with the window open. He said hi how goes things as he walked by, not wanted to interrupt the young man eating his lunch. It was a wrap cut into two halves. He insisted sharing with Gregg, passing one half out of the window, saying you must try this, it's delicious. He would not take no for an answer as he sincerely wanted him to try this food from a new restaurant in the area that friends of his had just opened. Gregg knows no strangers, he enjoyed his unexpected lunch and it saved him a trip to the bagel shop.
Lunch: leftovers from yesterday.
Dinner: leftovers from yesterday.
Son called and we had a half-hour chat. From our house they went over to his in-laws as I mentioned. Lovely people and he always enjoys their company. After a five-hour break from having a meal with us, they sat down to their second yummy Thanksgiving Dinner of the day.
Gregg went over to CostCo earlier. It was on the quiet side even with the big sales going on today. We absolutely do not need any more food in this house, and he bought mainly paper products.
Our evening was spent quietly. Reading for him and and blogging for me. We didn’t turn the TV on at all, not even to watch football.
Saturday, 11-30-24: this photo popped up on my iPad, with a message saying that it was taken a year ago today. An ornament that is already on the tree, a polar bear holding a bird as he takes a selfie. Below you can just make the top of a Noah's Ark ornament. That must be in another box as I didn't find it in this one.
The sun is shining. In fact, it is going to be a good week but cold, next Wednesday being the highest with 48 deg. F. The good news is that my knee has felt a lot better since last Monday. I took over-the-counter pain medication during Thanksgiving which helped a lot. I am a little leery of taking even milder pain pills, so I stopped those too and I will see how it goes.
Ask me what we had to eat today? Leftovers!
Gregg went out to fill the bird feeders and replenish the water in the fountain. I heard a tap on the window, looked up and saw him holding a circle of ice that had formed in the bird fountain. It was so pretty with the sunlight shining through the ice, and I reached for my cell phone. When he said he was going to throw his new 'frisbee', I said "Hold on, I'll take a video." Here it is.
It is sometimes the little things in life that make us laugh, and Gregg and I are always laughing at ourselves in various situations. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.
The birds and squirrels now have a fresh supply of water and seed.
We ran a few errands and found ourselves driving by Lowe’s Hardware. They had the decorations out, greenery and an inflated Grinch with Rudolph I think it is supposed to be.
He is not going to make it to our house.
Coming through the neighborhood there was at least one Santa, along with Snoopy. In between them the snowman that was in Frozen. I am probably one of the few who didn’t see the movie, except for small excerpts on TV. I do know his name is Olaf. We have no inflated decorations but they are popping up all over the neighborhood.
I also saw the sign of a company who puts up the lights for you and took a photo. I said to Gregg you never know. He gave me a side-eye smile and to myself, we are both getting up there for standing on ladders to put lights up. I've been banned from them! We don't bother with lights usually. One of Brad's school friends years ago once said we were that dark house up on the hill. I remember being rather sensitive about it, replying that there were candles in each window and a wreathe on the door. I don’t think we will get them done this year either, why start a trend now? I popped the picture of the sign in our community folder just in case. Maybe next year?
Sunday, 12-1-24: son came over shortly after 8:00 a.m., after dropping our daughter-in-law off at work, which is about half an hour from us. We have his company until 12.30 p.m. today. Breakfast was a latte and a lemon-poppyseed muffin, thanks to son who stopped off at our coffee shop before coming here. An hour later his dad cooks bacon, eggs and toast. I didn’t have any because of eating the muffin earlier. We took selfies before he left.
3.47 p.m: Football is on the TV, showing the highlights of various games. I am starting a new jigsaw puzzle. All is quiet at the bird feeder. It is 41 degrees F. right now.
Our dinner today was steak, Brussels sprouts and grilled onions, courtesy of the man of the house who decided we finally needed more food. 99% of Thanksgiving leftovers have been taken care of. I put two containers of sweet potato casserole in the freezer.
We are finding out that we did such a good job of cleaning up over the last few days, that neither of us can find things we need. Two baking sheets have totally disappeared, my vitamins, and several other items. Gregg found the following link on Instagram and we both had a good chuckle. This says a lot! Next year we have decided we are making a list with items tidied away and where we tidied them away too. If we tucked them into a corner in the garage, it could be months. Our garage is like a black hole.
I am finishing off with a collection of ornaments. I downloaded a new collage app and had fun playing. This one allows you to move frames around with your finger. Practice makes perfect, I hope!
I started decorating earlier, two weeks before Thanksgiving for the family room tree, and a week for the one we put in the front room. I asked my dear other half and my dear son to bring them up from the basement. It was nice to have them done for Thanksgiving and they made the day even more special.
We replaced real trees with artificial ones when son left home to set up on his own. Every year before that when he was young, I loved going out in the cold, fresh air, often buying them from the local tree farm and watching father and son cut one down. The smell of pine wafting through the house was always a treat. However, when son left, it seemed the right time to go in another direction.
My mother would be smiling. She loved Christmas. We always looked forward to her homemade eggnog (and her lovingly made Christmas cakes, and fruitcakes were wonderful). Every Christmas she would put a spot of Cream Sherry on top of each glass of eggnog, and use a wooden toothpick to give it a decorative swirl. Funny the things you remember. She was very big on tradition and it always looked pretty and tasted delicious. Of course, we children were not allowed even a spot of sherry, but all our visitors, from family to friends who were like family, always enjoyed a glass along with a slice of cake.
My sister and I helped Mum decorate each Christmas. This consisted of hanging glass globes on a small tree, with little slivers of silver paper ‘icicles’. The tree was enormous in our eyes, a Charlie Brown tree we would call it now. Kids don't see the size of a tree do they? We helped by blowing up colorful balloons which she hung from the ceiling, along with criss-crossed paper garlands, all attached with thumb tacks. When she accidentally popped a balloon, we would scream and giggle with delight. We used our child-power to blow up as many balloons as were needed. Quite a few popped every Christmas. Occasionally we would be sitting quietly and one would pop, but that was fun too and there were lots of spares at the ready.
Another tradition was to watch television and listen to services filmed at one of the famous cathedrals. It was always joyful to listen to those age-old Christmas Carols sung by Harry Secombe, always accompanied by the boys’ choir. He was a Welshman, quite famous and well known in Great Britain. Among his many talents he had an exceptional voice which we heard at those Christmas Services. He was a favorite of my Dad, who could also sing beautifully and play the piano. We had a lot of sing-songs growing up, and it is because of him that I not only developed my love of wildlife, but of opera too. He knew the words to many and it was my job to turn the pages of music as he played and sang. Back in those days we were still creating our own entertainment.
We decorated our home on Christmas Eve. Not sure if that was a general tradition or just our familys, but it was all taken down on 12th Night without fail. There is a lovely website that you can read here if you’re curious or want a refresher on how these traditions started.
As mentioned at the beginning of my post, the tree I share today is the one in our family room. For the first time ever I picked a theme, which seemed appropriate with all the activity that has been going on outside. I have a lot of bird ornaments, or angels, snowmen, Santa’s and others, all holding birds. There are also a few butterflies. With the angels, birds and butterflies, the theme is definitely to do with wings. I have a few to share today. Others will be shared later. They may be familiar as they have appeared during the lifetime of this blog. I like to take photos every year. It makes a good inventory for me as I see what I forgot and what still might be in a box somewhere.
If you click on the label "Christmas” at the bottom of this post, you'll see other years, new and old, along with all the activities. “Christmas Ornaments” will be for the most part, only of those, with the occasional addition if they are part of a theme. Some may be familiar because of a particular company making several of them.
I have collected ornaments for 40 plus years. I started in earnest when our son was born, starting with his First Christmas ornament. Getting a couple here and a couple there added up. I said to my dear other half, maybe it is time to stop collecting them now, and he quickly replied nope, you keep going. I do believe he enjoys seeing them as much as I do. Many have great sentimental value, many were gifts from Loved Ones who are no longer with us but lovingly remembered as we put their ornaments on the tree.
These are a few of the birds recently purchased in the collage below. Mother Nature holding the leafy birdbath was found in the summer. The birds are the kind that attach to a branch with a clip. You will recognize Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal, top left and bottom, Mourning Dove middle left, Catbird top right, then the Blue Jay and Tufted Titmouse. All have been visitors to our garden at one time or another. I will share more ornaments as the month progresses.
I would love to know about your own traditions at this time of year, if you would like to share.
I appreciate very much you staying with me while I take another trip down memory lane. I seem to be doing that more and more on my blog lately.
