This has been the Most Peaceful Christmas Prologue I’ve experienced, probably because we’re all older and have less expectations. Or maybe I’m just at Peace… Or it could be I’ve lulled myself into a coma eating sweets and savories…
It feels a lot less hectic since I don’t have to cook for a group, and I got my shopping done early. Samantha and I have enjoyed the music at the EPO Peppermint Pops last Sunday, and the ballet at yesterday’s Children’s Nutcracker performance.
I am very appreciative of our Philharmonic Orchestra for their Classic and Pops concerts, and the Dance Theatre that worked with them to produce the Nutcracker. Eville is very lucky to have these organizations.
This week we’ll wrap up the wrapping — damn, I’m funny! — and get the place dusted and shined. I’ve got to get my hair and nails ready, and I’m still looking for boots, but no stress. Samantha will be here next Saturday to help with the baking and we’ll make snickerdoodles and roll out some dough for cookie cutters.
Oh, and my daughter, has a birthday on Saturday. We’ll celebrate appropriately…
I’m hurrying out the door to pick up Samantha – we’re going to the Philharmonic Orchestra’s Peppermint Pops again this year and I can hardly wait to belt out the Hallelujah Chorus! In the meantime, here’s what we were doing nine years ago…
December 6, 2016, starring Nova (mostly) This was made for me by 1Drive, so it ain’t my usual perfection, but it will do….
Nova sang at the Eville Music Academy Winter Concert last night and did a Super Job! I know because her Dad sent me a video…sadly, I was unable to attend. So this little video is to thank her for being herself – she’s The Best!
Since I’m being so lazy, I’ll throw in a re-blog of the same event, three years later with her sister…
I’m still working on Christmas presents, so there’s time to straighten up and get on my list!!! You’ve got my number and surely you know where your phone is! I’d love to hear from you!
We had a nice Thanksgiving celebration with the Jrs on Thursday. I was graced with the presence of both my Casey grandies, so they decorated the tree for us.
In the days since, we’ve brought it all the decorations down from the attic and schlepped it all around…
We’re determined to let go of anything we don’t use this year (unless it’s sentimental) and we’ve brought out lots of stuff we don’t usually use, just to see if we maybe should keep…
Today is another Holy Day here at the Acres: Casey’s birthday #71. He just will not catch up with me, though I try to dawdle… He was tickled to receive his annual infusion of flannel shirts and socks…
Raise your glass! Here’s to my husband, my companion, my partner-in-crime:
Today was the first time I’ve been to see a production at the USI Performance Center. In fact, I believe it’s been over a decade since I’ve set foot on my old campus and wow, has it changed! When I went to school there, the Nursing building was brand spankin’ new and today it is covered in scaffolding, undergoing maintenance and updating. I guess that’s to be expected after 35 years!
Back in the days when I was an active-duty Mom, I watched Xanadu many times and always loved it, so I had expectations. This little show delivered, making us laugh and clap along, even providing us with glowsticks to wave around. The theatre seating is steep enough that short people, such as myself, can’t have their view blocked, so that’s cool. We have season tickets, and the upcoming plays look good, so I’m excited!
Let’s get in gear, now, folks! Full Speed Ahead! We’ll be watching the NYC Parade Thursday morning and having a light lunch with the Jr. family, as per usual. It has always been our tradition to have Nova and Samantha put the ornaments on our tree in mid-December, but last year schedules got wonky and it didn’t get done. So This Year, we’re going to have the trees up and ready for ornaments on T-Day to take advantage of the presence of Nova. At 17, she’s harder to pin down than the 10-year-old.
I’ve now “finished” my Robert Horatio story and it’s ready for editing. I really have to pull my head out of the late 19th-early 20th century and get with it for the Holy Daze, though. To continue with my writing challenge, I’m writing mostly poetry of some sort or another.
As we prepare for the Day of Thanks, I want to Thank You for reading this blather and balderdash. As Brandi Carlile famously sang (lyric by Phil Hanseroth): All of these stories don’t mean anything if you’ve got no one to tell them to – it’s true.
Maybe I wasn’t exactly made for you, but I do appreciate you.
Watching an interview with a 90-something-old Walmart greeter, I snorted when he said, “you should never retire, or you’ll rust”… I’ve read some AARP articles that imply the same sentiment: Don’t relax or you’ll lose your edge.. I completely disagree with these opinions, possibly because I’m not metal and I never had an edge.
What I did lose when I retired 10 years ago was a whole lotta stress and worry. Even nurses who love their jobs feel the strain of their responsibilities, and I did not love my job.
What I did gain when I retired 10 years ago, has been nearly 20 lbs., but more importantly, I have peace of mind (which has obviously made me hungry). As for the rusty part, we take our role as stewards of these acres pretty seriously, and that keeps us well-oiled.
Looking back at these first 10 years of retirement, I’m pleased with how well we adjusted to living together, just the two of us. We had four years of trailer-trippin’ with our dream RV, and another four of gallivanting in Goldie. We’re active in the lives of our grandchildren and present for our children. We’re Disney World Annual Passholders. There’s plenty for Casey to fix around this house. I’ve always been a housecat, and I curl up and read a couple of books a month. I play the piano nearly every day and learn new pieces often. I write a blog weekly. I cook supper dang near every evening. Naptime is 2pm. Maybe I’m being a little defensive?
I have to admit that there are days when I feel absolutely worthless, days when I consider getting a job, but I’ve heard they put you on their schedule and I’d prefer to put them on mine. Then there’s the inevitability that I will have to quit and that is a whole Bad Mood waiting to happen. No, thanks, I’ll keep my Peace of Mind…and my appetite…
Anyway, I’ve been writing a flurry of words this week, and I’m nearly done with a story about my Grandmother’s Family, spanning 1818-1918. Blogging has trained me to keep it short, so it has been a blast to just keep writing for 100 years. The “end” of the tale is too hurried, though, and I need to fill that in. It is a long read, (and getting longer) and I’m thinking I should break it up into chapters. Would you prefer a 20-minute read or four 5-minute reads? For reference, today’s report is a 3-minute read. Let me know what you think.
These are the rather dull lull weeks just before we find ourselves in the Holiday Frenzy. I am starting to plan our Christmas activities, and it seems Samantha’s up for The Nutcracker and Peppermint Pops this year. Anybody out there want to meet me at Handel’s Messiah (Trinity UMC)? We’ll be in NYC for Christmas Day and that’s always a treat.
But right now, the Autumn leaves continue to paint an awesome mosaic of yellow, gold, red, ever changing with the wind. I’m going to corral some up to cover my perennials. I hope this involves the sound of scrunching..
We’ve enjoyed a beautiful week of Autumn with Sunshine and temps in the 60s. The trees have changed each day, adding more yellow here and a splash of red there. Yesterday it rained and this morning the temp attempted to reach freeze-point, so the blustering wind is making a blizzard of falling leaves.
The view from my back windows…
The beautiful last hurrah of the past season reminded me of the poem “Autumn Day” by Rainier Maria Rilke…
Lord: it is time. The summer was immense. Lay your shadow on the sundials and let loose the wind in the fields.
Bid the last fruits to be full; give them another two more southerly days, press them to ripeness, and chase the last sweetness into the heavy wine.
Whoever has no house now will not build one anymore. Whoever is alone now will remain so for a long time, will stay up, read, write long letters, and wander the avenues, up and down, restlessly, while the leaves are blowing.
Translated by Galway Kinnell and Hannah Liebmann, “The Essential Rilke” (Ecco)
Meanwhile, out on the back porch, the Giant Coleus, now two years old!, stands tall over the mint, and the Nasturtium is growing as if it’s Spring, blooms cascading onto the floor and leaves as big as a plate!!!
The Ancestors have prodded me back to writing and I’ve unearthed more photos and information regarding their adventures, so it’s been a week of researching and writing a Family Story that I’ve wanted to share for several years now. In my rush to crank out phrases to meet my word-count goals, I wrote before I had completed my research and had to delete a good part of the story and start again. I think the deletions count as pen-to-paper, don’t you? The goals are good, I suppose, but this week’s writing has been Fun and I don’t want to spoil by measuring my accomplishment with a random number. Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words, isn’t it? I believe so…
Did I mention that we have a leaky roof? I said, let’s move!, but Casey thinks we should just fix it, so we’re in the process of getting estimates on that job. I can hardly wait to hear the sound of men scuffling around my roof, but for now I’ll just cozy up next to the fireplace and read a good book…
Hope you’re dry and warm in your neck of the woods…
Peace
P.S. This post is a 2-minute read with 433 words, but it was Actually Really 6,433 words…see how that works?
I have remembered My Ancestors with flowers and music this All Hallowtide, lighting candles and feasting on harvest soup. I am very grateful to have been born into this line of DNA, especially for the love and care I was given by my parents and grandparents when I was very young.
23 years ago today, my Mom died. She was only 71, was in decent health, still planning her life and I’m sure she was as shocked as we were when she passed over into whatever dimension we transition to from here. That was probably the darkest November of my life, but the short days and long nights wear on my general cheerfulness.
What we need right here, right now, is a Dopamine Menu:
EVPL Book Sale 11/8-9
Get a flu, covid, RSV shot
Wilson Auction 11/7-8
Xanadu 11/23
11/26 Annual Thanksgiving Sleep-over,
11/27 waking up to watch Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, followed by feasting with the Jrs Give Thanks!!!
11/30 Casey’s birthday #71 – what a youngster!
There’s a lot of blank space in there which could open the door for some of that bleak November vibe to settle into the old bones, so I’m Taking a hint from the now-defunct NaNoWriMo challenge to write a Novel (50,000 words) in November….except I have never wanted to write a novel – not since grade school, anyway. I prefer to write features and columns, if you know what I mean from Journalism 101, so I’ve crafted a bespoke challenge to entertain me during this shady season.
I don’t mean that I’m going to publish something daily. I have an outline of topics for long-read type essays, and a list of characters for family tales that could extend to short stories. I’m stoked this time, though, so I ought to get in at least two weeks before I start flagging. Lord knows I have little else to do, but somehow my attention strays easily.
Which reminds me…I did this thing out in the Peace/Bird Garden.
BeforeAfter
I’ve been looking at the peace sign upside-down for years now, meaning to change it around someday.
The News from Sonnystone Acres 