Christmas Decorations

Christmas decorations - a funny thing about them - one day they look soft, beautiful, decorative, and fill the house with color and cheer.

The next day they look like tired clutter that you can't wait to put up away.

I'm still in the color and cheer phase. With so much cloudy weather, I've enjoyed the Christmas tree lights so much.

I am ready to put away all the kitchen stuff (except the mugs) and Daughter is going to help me do this tomorrow as she has to practically crawl under the kitchen sink (oops I said "kitchen sink") to put the stuff up.

But the rest? Well, my Christmas mugs are a lot of snowmen and winter scenes with snow (hint, hint) with few real Santa stuff. I think I'll keep 'em out a few more weeks - or more.

Meanwhile, if you drive by my house, you'll see the lights still twinkling.

Come on by, I'll leave the light(s) on for you.

Slow Down, World

I've been so overwhelmed, I don't know where to start.

Of course, the obvious, is Christmas. Shopping (what little we do), decorating (which is much less than what we used to do), a Christmas tea that Daughter decided she wanted to be the sole decorator for (using my stuff, but it will someday be her stuff, so it doesn't matter), a Christmas solo for me, getting sick and unable to hit notes on said song, thank you God that our piano can be lowered by two steps with a touch of the finger!, doing my part for Christmas dinner (Daughter and I made the dressing, coleslaw, deviled eggs and ice. Well, we didn't make the ice, the refrigerator did), doctor appoints for Mother, doctor appointments for Daughter, my yearly blood work and discovering everything was "wonky".

Wonky, you say? My liver enzymes were high. My triglycerides were WAY high. My ding dang blood sugar was just high enough I may be a diabetic.

Whoa, right there. Doc said he didn't think I was a diabetic, but that something else was causing everything to be off. He was most concerned about my liver. 

So, off I go to have an ultra sound. Which couldn't be scheduled till after one p.m. And I had to fast for at least eight hours. If you ask me, if I was a diabetic that woulda kilt me dead, right there.

Anyway, my liver is fine and dandy, which leads me to suspect that something went awry with my blood. Either my body was pulling a practical joke, the lab mixed my blood with someone else's or I was having a " high " day. Danged if I know.

Now I'm on medicine for my high triglycerides, which I'm not sure I need; and eating semi like a diabetic. Doc said, "Just don't drink soft drinks, eat sweets or pasta." I said I could live with that as long as he didn't mess with my potatoes. He said I could have a potato. 
For my birthday. Crazy guy, my doctor.

Of course, I'm more worried about Daughter. Just say a little prayer that she'll get better. 

She has a solo Sunday, but she doesn't know what she's singing yet. If this were me, I'd be a blubbering idiot, but she's cool about it.

Also, I have been accepted into the "First Families of Gilmer County" by the Genealogy Society. They are in the process of preparing a manuscript for a book about this. I've been scurrying around to find pictures, birth, death, marriage certificates and stories about people I remember to go in this book.

Oh, yeah. There was a book signing, too. Thank you for all who came, and thank you to those who continue to purchase the book. 

My  hope is things will calm down this week. Today was spent digging out from under mess. I have sat down a time or two and contemplated as I looked at our Christmas tree. In this cloudy weather, the lights show beautifully.

And you wondered why I hadn't blogged.

A Bunch of Nuthin'

Between strange diagnoses due to wonky blood work, continuing to take many, many trips with Mother to the doctor and Daughter having a medical issue, and decorating for Christmas, and shopping for Christmas, and having a book signing!, and singing and preparing to sing, you may have noticed I haven't blogged in a few weeks.

You may also have noticed the above is a run on sentence.

Who has time for making more than one sentence?

More later.

BUZZ!

Man, I've been a busy little bee lately.

I've had an interview by the local newspaper (it was very nice, thank you)

I've been on your TEE VEE, which was fun. Although I never got to see me on your tee vee. Whine.

I've been advertising the upcoming book signing like crazy. But don't worry, it's this Thursday, so I'll shut up soon enough.

I've also been encouraging folks to look over my other books, considering purchasing for a gift for Christmas. Books, mine or anyone else's, make a great gift, anytime.

Between now and the book signing on Thursday afternoon, stands 3 doctor appointments. So, I guess you won't be hearing from me for a few days.

But come on by and look and see. You might buy a book - or two.

WHAT: book signing for "Bensy and Me"
WHEN: 12/8/2016 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Dalton State College, Ellijay Campus
WHY: Because, that's why.

Pass the Mush, Please

So, guess what happens the evening before Thanksgiving?

My crown falls out.

Yup.

I've had a world of trouble with this darn thing, as y'all know.

But Thanksgiving Eve? Really?

I call my dentist's office and of course they are all at home whipping up feasts that they can eat with all their teeth staying right where they belong.

But there is an emergency number for the dentist on call.

After a failed attempt at using the "Temp Dent" junk to make it stay on, I call that number.

I'll have to give that dentist credit. He answered on the second ring. Good old on call dentist.

"No, no!" He exclaimed when I told him I'd tried the temp dent. "Clean that stuff out as quickly as possible. Go to the drug store and buy some denture adhesive. Read the directions. It should work." Then he went into a somewhat dizzying explanation of how to put the crown back on. I didn't bother to tell him I'd already put it back on a zillion times. "I think you can do it!" He exclaimed. (He was very cheerleader like). "I can't see you because I'm on my way out of town."

Um, the on call dentist is leaving? What if I get hit in the mouth with a frozen turkey? Who ya gonna call? Mouth busters?

Anyway, Husband ran to the grocery store (to pick up the turkey, by the way) and got me some good old denture adhesive.

By cracky.

As of this writing, the crown is still in. My permanent crown has arrived at the dentist and if I can hang in there for three more days until my appointment, surely, surely, surely, the new crown will stay on.

I mean, what are the odds that it won't?

Don't answer that. I'd really rather not know. 

The Gift of Thankfulness

Yawns

Oh, pardon me.

Speaking of yawning, one of the things I'm thankful for are naps pretty much when I please. Okay, on some days. But being retired does have that advantage when you have a day at home. The rush, rush, rush, to get things done on  your off time disappears to a large extent after retirement.

I'm talking about thankfulness today because tomorrow I will be a wee bit too busy to blog and on Thursday I'll be even busier cooking, eating, cleaning up and sitting by the fire playing cards and games to blog. And I figure most of you who are American will be too busy to read.

So, things I'm thankful for after the Christ, family, friends, pets, home, etc.:

For these four pieces of tape on my back that helped me to get a little of my life return to normal. And to the gal who wouldn't take "there's nothing you can do but take meds" for an answer. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Anna!

Yesterday I went over to mourn, once again, more poor tomatoes that were still green on the vine. I would have petted them, but I was afraid it would knock them off the vine, and I'm hopeful for a blush to appear. I know, I know. Ain't gonna happen. But as I glanced down at my feet, I saw a tomato peeking out from the leaves. It was nestled there, almost completely covered up! And it had a blush!  Tah-da! One more mater for the season that will ripen to fullness and goodness. It has turned even more on my counter, scooched in amongst it's brethren that are further along. Thankful!

I'm thankful for that big old buck I wrote about a few days ago that I got to see close up. 

I'm thankful for the kits I saw (fox) playing in the high grass. 

I'm thankful for the baby raccoons I saw up in the tree, still young enough to be curious to stop and look at us when we stopped the car to peer at them.

I'm thankful for the long fall we've had, the big moon it brought, the beautiful sunsets the fires brought, and the cold snap that made my Japanese Maple look on fire, itself. 

I'm thankful for the mama fox we fed a few year back, and thankful that we got to watch her go from sickly looking to fat with a shiny coat. 

I'm thankful for the strutting tom turkey and his hens.

 I'm thankful for the mama bob white quail pretending she was hurt by the side of the road so her babies could go running into the brush safely. 

I'm thankful for the grouse we saw crossing our road like they owned the place.

I'm thankful to watch blue birds nest and raise those squawking babies. I'm thankful that the red tailed hawk can't get to them, but I'm thankful for him, too. 

I'm thankful for red birds, gold finches, Scarlett Tanagers, Rose Breasted Grossbeaks, Indigo Buntings, and all the little brown, grey and non-descript birds that happily eat our seed. 

I'm thankful I've seen a bobcat on the edge of the wood at dusk, waiting to hunt. 

I'm thankful I've seen a mountain lion (twice) streak across the road in front of me. 

I'm thankful I've seen a bear up close, her triplets trailing behind.

I'm thankful for all the turtles we've rescued, all the bullfrogs and toads we've raised in our yard, and the king snake that lives on our lower porch.

I guess I could have said I'm thankful for nature. But if you just imagine for a second all that I've named, and feel the wonder of it all, you'll be thankful, too.

Oh, yeah. I'm thankful for every single one of you, too.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving day.

Oh, The Weather Outside is....Confused

As you know, if you live around here, mid-November looks and feels like mid to late October.

Extremely warm weather in November just ain't right.

Our tomato plants have remained strong and healthy with not only tomatoes blushing on the vine, ready to come in and finish ripening if it starts to get cold, but tiny, star shaped, yellow blooms all over them.

Now, I know this won't last (it didn't....) but for  now my heart beats a little faster when I look at them and envision summer tomato sammies well into December.

The fires are scary and everywhere, seemingly impossible to put out, and if the community is at odds with each other about everything else, they aren't at odds about how badly we need rain.

Me? I pray for rain several times a day.

And when it does turn cold, I'll be praying for snow while I sit in front of the fire eatin' me a mater sammich.

Ah, the best of both worlds!