Foggy Start to New Year's Eve day here

 

It's a foggy morning, as I pulled my trash bin back from the curb to the garage.  Still not bitterly cold, that is predicted to show up later in the day.  The snow storm is to start here overnight.  

I'm feeling pretty good, though, as my pantry is stocked enough to last through the weekend, and I've never been a huge New Year's Eve celebrant.  I'll just stay off the roads, in the house, safe and warm.

Sometime today, maybe this evening, I will have my yearly ritual of setting up the pebble jar array for 2022.  Congratulations, readers!  We made it through 2021!

Here it is with all 365 pebbles, representing one pebble a day.  It's been a full year.  It saw the delivery of the vaccines to those who were waiting in line.  It saw early on a very disturbing violent conflict on the steps, grounds, and inside the US Capitol building in Washington, DC.  It saw the reality that changing administrations does not magically make our problems or divisions go away.

It saw fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, bitter cold, oppressive heat... and for all the hype, it saw the resilience of people, mostly at local levels.  

It saw the demise of our beloved SparkPeople web site.  But the owners gave us an ample transition window to save off our content and migrate to new sites.  I chose to move my own blog here.

As hopeful as we were about the vaccines, 2021 did not see the end of the pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease we call Covid-19.  It has seen variants arise, thwarting our fondest desires to have things go back to "the way we were".  We know more than we knew at the start of the year.  Particularly for those of us at statistically higher risk, we have learned when to hunker down, what activity is worth the risk, and how best to mitigate it... for ourselves.

For me, it saw the return of being with loved ones on a more regular basis, balancing vaccination status, masks, whether in or outdoors, etc.  It saw me go from curbside pickup of purchases, to in the store with mask, and back to curbside pickup for the next/current surge.  It saw the prioritizing of working out, including accepting that for me, the benefit of working out with the trainer (in mask whenever the risk dial went higher than green) was worth whatever risk remained.

We were going to end up here, sooner or later.  I shall enter this New Year 2022 with hope, as well.  Hope for the next phase of the pandemic to be its conversion into endemic status.  That does not mean that the next couple of months won't be hard, and especially hard for those who work in health care.  Even a "milder" disease challenges those who have little protection.  

There are things that each of us can control.  

• We can control what we choose to feed ourselves, and how much.  We don't have to be dictators about it, but we can nourish our immune systems.  There are tools that make it easier.  Many "Spark refugees" have found trackers that we're finding appropriate to continue our healthy lifestyles.  
• We can control our level of activity, based on the real level we are starting with.  Some of us are old-er and not as able as once we were.  Some are recovering from injury or illness.  We may have limitations to sight, hearing, mobility.  The old saying "where there's a will, there's a way" very much applies here.  The information is out there.  A little effort, a little research, and we can find a level that is healthy for us right where we are... not where we were ten years ago, but where we are NOW!
• We can control our habits around things like bedtime and wakeup routines.  We can work on things like screen time, alcohol consumption, and procrastination.  Again, with kindness toward ourselves, and starting where we are, not trying to do everything all at once.  My own challenge is to get back at the de-stuffing, the "Swedish death cleaning" project.  I hope I'll be able to re-start some of the re-doing the house tasks. It is important in all these things to budget our energy, or we'll burn out and get stalled.  Patience!

OK, I think I've talked enough in general about the things I might be able to control, and work on.  But I have yet to get around to the "restaurant lotions" (© Alicia363 - "I’ve always been a New Year’s restaurant lotion skeptic").  I think I might save mine for a later blog, lest this one get too long.

Meanwhile, I'm wishing all of you a safe New Year's Eve, a Happy New Year's Day, and the oomph to make 2022 a healthy year, best can do!

Life is good.  Keep on Sparkin'!

From me to me

Gifts to self?

I'm a bit on the cheap side when it comes to technology.  I only replace things when they break.  I've been limping along with a printer that was on its last legs for a couple of years, and it's almost tax time again, which means I shall need to be printing for reals.

I took advantage of the functional need to also upgrade the tech so that this printer is on my home network, and I can print to it from any device, anywhere in the house.  It's not tied down to a single computer by a cable!

It arrived Wednesday and I set it up using my phone, then set up the computer to "see" it, too.  Ahhh... now maybe I'll write some Christmas letter responses!  Just a couple.  

I tried it today (Thursday) and had to jump some hoops to get it to print from the computer, but it did a fine job, and I now have an "annual update" letter on its way to a friend I collected at my very first corporate job, back in the 1970's.  We still exchange snail mail letters at holiday time.  She's the one who taught me how to make lasagne, back when I was young!  She was young then, too, but she was of Italian heritage so she learned that among her base cooking skills!

Another gift from me to me was that the donation to my university's alumni association that came with socks, and what's a Christmas without socks?

Year to year comparison

Do your tracking apps send you "Year in Review" e-mails?  Mine does, and it told me that I averaged 7537 steps per day during 2021.  I'm cool with that, based on studies related to health versus steps that show among old-er folks (average age of participants was 72), 4500 steps was enough to show improvements in health, and the positive impact increased with additional steps, topping out at 7500 steps a day.  Above that, there was not any additional health benefit.

Year end weight was about the same as the first weigh in of the year, so it was a "maintenance" year.  While I'd like to do a little better in that regard, I'll take maintenance!

Weathering the weather

Kid sis Ace and I survived our "acclimating" walk in yesterday's cold temperatures.  Today it has bounced back up again, pushing the 40℉ mark for a high, which is in fact "seasonal" for Nebraska.  But tonight it's going to plunge again, and overnight Friday to Saturday they are telling us to brace for snow.  Brrr!  Perfect time for a major snow storm, starting at midnight, New Year's eve?

Hopefully that's not the whole country, just my own neck of the woods, and at this point, we'll just have to be prepared.  The neighbor across the street was just test starting his snow blower when I walked out to get the mail.  If the storm track decides not to come here, I'll be happy.  But looking at the models, I'm likely going to have my "workout sponsored by Mother Nature" over the weekend.

The Pep Talk

All that said, let us live the days we are given, one at a time.  This is the only Thursday, December 30, 2021 we'll ever get.  Whatever we choose to do, may it meet our expectations of "enough".  And may we all rest well tonight, having done just that.

Life is Good.  Spark on!  💖✨🔥

 

Twixtmas and the weather can't make up its mind

Bonus outing to the dog park

The trainer's workout schedule is mixed up this week, because of varying client outages, so I got my workout early today.  I was glad, because when my son messaged asking if I was up for a trip to the dog park, I was already done and dusted and home.  I said "sure", so got to go for an outing with Carl and "the kids" (meaning the mythical son and his girlfriend).

Carl found a twin looking dog toward the far end of the park and they happily engaged in play fighting.  

Carl is behind his twin in the first shot, and he's in the orange collar and vest in the second.

I saw a video that instructed me on the fine art of telling when your dog and his "friends" are play fighting versus when they are in real aggression situations.

It said, sensibly, that if the dogs have exaggerated and loose "bite" behavior, and they both keep coming back for more, with raised tails (as seen here), it's likely play fighting, and healthy for them.

In any case, Carl seemed quite happy with his outing, as did we three humans.

Sharing the wealth

As we chatted, I found out that Lacey (GF)'s aunt, a nurse in a nearby city, had been feeling ill.  She opted out of the Christmas gatherings because she did not want to spread whatever it was.  She was concerned she might have Covid, but finding tests is challenging.  So... opportunity... I dontated my remaining at home test kit for her, and the kids were going to do a contact free delivery of it to her door.

Later in the day, I got word... she used the kit and tested negative.  Yay!  But she wasn't feeling well, and you know, it doesn't matter WHAT the illness, you don't want to spread it around!  I'm grateful I had the kit available to share, though, for her peace of mind.

What about Skittles?

The little blue birdie in this photo is Skittles.  He's the one who has been ill.  Chumley the Cockatiel pictured with him is no longer with us.  I think I blogged when she passed last Summer.  

Skittles has had health swings over the past week or two.  His humans took him to an avian specialist, who gave him antibiotics to treat an infection, but now the antibiotics upset his tummy.  The followup treatment involves apple cider vinegar.  

He is recovering slowly, helped by a LOT of human vigilance and pampering.  We're hopeful.  They've had this birdie for seven or eight years, Lacey's dad told me when I asked.  Makes me feel good to know how loved the birdie is!

So, that's me, a cat lady who loves dogs and birds!

Weather ahead

Tomorrow we're going to get real Winter temperatures, and the weatherman is on right now talking about the potential for a "significant Winter storm" come the weekend.  Well, you know we've been spoiled so far!

Here's hoping that whatever the weather, we all take good care of ourselves... tender loving care comes in so many forms!  I feel as though we've made the most of this one and only Tuesday, December 28, 2021 we'll ever get... don't you?  Now let's remind ourselves that whatever we chose to do was enough, and we are worthy of our night of rest!

Life is good.  Spark on!  💖🔥✨

How was your Christmas?

 Was it impacted?  How?

Thinking back over the years, I have to acknowledge that there have been many Christmases, impacted by various conditions of their year.  I distinctly remember the first Christmas when I could not spend Christmas eve with my family, because I had to work.  I don't remember what else was going on that year, but I do remember going to work on Christmas eve and having the spirit of the holiday descending on me, despite the circumstances.  The teenaged me thought I had all kinds of reasons to not be happy that holiday, but I found a sense of joy.

I remember Christmas 1996, the year we had experienced so much loss in our family.  My husband's brother, and both our mothers had passed on during the Summer.  Writing Christmas cards in a hotel room in a distant city, where I was working, I decided to call a friend I used to work with, not knowing at the time that she had lost her daughter the same year.  As it happened, my voice sounded a lot like her daughter's, and when she answered the phone, it took a minute for her to sort out who was calling.  We had the nicest conversation about how some years, rather than having a big celebratory Christmas, we might need a quiet, holding it to your heart Christmas.  We would "keep" Christmas, 1996.

Yet another Christmas, I ended up overnight at O'Hare airport, having been on the road for work, and missing the last connection home.  I did not get a hotel room, but stayed in the airport overnight until my 6 a.m. flight "the rest of the way home" to be with my husband and son.  I observed the decorations in the airport and watched the work crews, cleaning overnight, and coming in to work in the morning.  I understand there are many in those kinds of circumstances with travel disruptions this year.

Yes, Christmas can be impacted by many, many challenges.  Somehow, in my experience, as changed or challenged as it may be... it still shows up, just like in Whoville, in Dr. Seuss's original story.  Nothing can stop the power of the event!  Even if you are hurting this year, even if you're longing for "normal", Christmas itself is far from "normal".  It is extraordinary.  And sometimes, at least in my own life, the challenges just make it sweeter.  And yes, sometimes my eyes leak just thinking of it.

Love is the root of Christmas.  Even if you feel alone, lost, worthless, or unappreciated, Christmas (as in the dawn of Love, the birth of the Christ-child, for those of us who follow that faith) reminds us that we are not abandoned by our Heavenly Parent!  Substitute your own faith story that gives hope, if you need to.  I don't want to be exclusive, even though I am talking about my own experience of Christmas.

Christmas 2021 at OneKidsMom's place

Rubia (the blonde) and The Prisoner (gray tabby) enjoyed canned food on Christmas morning.  

The weather was beautiful, with the high temperature above 50℉.  So those kitties spent a good deal of the day outdoors, sunning themselves on the deck or prowling about.

I had no company invited; this was planned to be a quiet day!  I did drive across town to deliver a few leftover of those baked olive cheese treats to Alicia!  We made it a short visit, deliberately.

I went for a walk in the afternoon, and snapped a quick photo of folks out playing pickleball on the basketball court in a nearby park.

Greetings of "Merry Christmas" from a safe distance accompanied the whole circuit, lifting the spirit with each repetition.  I mused on the reason we say it, to lift one another up.

My Christmas Dinner was the vegetarian chili I made earlier in the week, topping a baked potato.  The transition from the eating excesses of treats back to feeding nutrient rich meals has resumed!

I'll leave you on Boxing Day with the reminder to do your best to take care of yourself and your health this one and only December 26, 2021 we will ever get!  You are worth taking care of... this, and every day.  At its end, remember that whatever you did to work toward health and fitness was ENOUGH for today!  Appreciate your efforts, and rest easy, in the knowledge that you are indeed loved.  We can only live one day at a time, and each one counts as its own part of life.

Life is good.  Spark on!  🎄🎁🔥✨

If you were wondering what was in the Two Blind Brothers Box...

 Those who kind of follow along in the blogs saw...

this photo of a slightly worse for wear box that came for Christmas.  I had various theories of how to present it and to whom, and finally decided to take it as is, unwrapped.  

I said it could go last, after all the packages had been unwrapped.  I told the group the story of ordering it sight unseen, and trusting the company to send something wonderful, based on nothing more than that trust.

Then I shared my musings about whether to offer this box up in exchange for any of the gifts I had given them.  Nobody wanted to trade their sox, or chocolate, or gourmet boxes for this, so by default it went to the hosting couple.  Here they are modeling the contents.

The mythical son, in his usual comic style, under wraps, and in the cap.

He has taken photos this way since childhood, so why would I expect him to be different as an adult?

The hostest with the mostest, models with her mom helping out on the comforter.

With your curiosity satisfied, I'm wishing everyone the Merriest of Christmasses, with joy in my heart, and contentment in my soul.  However you celebrate (or don't) today, may you be kind and gentle to yourself, so that you might pass along that attitude of kindness and bless the world in so doing.

We are all worthy of being wrapped up in a warm comforter of love!

Life is good.  Spark on!

🎄🕯✨

Christmas Eve Day

 

Golden brown and ready to go

I had not made these in YEARS.  Seriously, it's been a long time since we had a big enough family gather to justify the work that goes into making them.  As I started getting ready for the effort, I looked high and low and could not find the printed out recipe!

Oh, well, I kind of punt on this one anyway, most years.  But it looks (and tastes) like I got it right.

These are the famous (or infamous) olive filled baked cheese balls.

  

Amounts for those who were asking yesterday, from how I threw it together today:

1 lb. mild cheddar cheese, diced.

3 Tbsp butter (I used lightly salted today, being out of unsalted)

1 cup flour

1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Sift the flour and cayenne together onto the softened cheese and butter.  I cheated this year at this point:  I used the food processor to mix the cheese (diced up), butter (softened), flour and cayenne (sifted together into the mix).

Then you work it into a dough, make balls of the dough, thumb press an olive into each ball, round it out, and bake at 450℉ for 10 minutes until golden brown.

And there you have it... a huge production... but done!  Yield:  2 dozen.  This recipe can be cut in half, by the way.  In fact, it's really doubled from the original which back in the early 1960's called for a blender, not a food processor, to combine.

Now I have to keep them safe from the cats and myself until time to go to the gather.

Rapid test, "if you can get it"

I had one on hand from the last time I tested.  They are saying omicron will only show up at your highest viral load on this one, so test hours ahead, not the day before.

About 1 p.m. I did my BinaxNOW test.  After the 15 minute wait, it came up negative, so I figure I'm safe for the gather at 4!

See you all on the flip side:  A very Merry (and safe, too) Christmas to all!

Be good to yourselves, this one and only Friday December 24, 2021 we'll ever get.  With hopes and prayers that a year from now we won't be having to be quite so careful!

🎄🕯

The day before Christmas eve... Cookie baking day!

Also work out with the trainer day.  

My session with him was earlier than usual by a couple of hours, so there was lots of time to prepare for tomorrow.  The plan was to bake today and tell myself these are for the gather, to keep my mitts off them.

What are they?  My brother's favorite cookie:  classic oatmeal scotchies.  Interestingly, they are also my son's favorite.

Before I started in on the baking, I took Dexter for his fill up.  Dexter is my Honda Fit that is doing double duty as the sleigh this season. I'd been procrastinating.  I think this is only the fourth fill-up or maybe the fifth, this year.  It took 8 gallons and cost over $22 USD!  Ouch!  That's with a 42 cent a gallon discount, too.  As I drove by the grocery store I marveled at how full the parking lot was.

At the end of the day, Frosty the demented cookie jar has leftover cookies in his tummy.  You know the ones:  not quite company ready?  A little too burnt, or not taken out a little too soon?  They still taste fine but the best cookies go to the gather, of course!

I got a visit from my younger sis with her dog Benji along for the ride.  She left me a "fish tank" gift (yes, she declared it such, and I have yet to unwrap it at the writing of this blog entry).  I took full advantage of the opportunity to send her home with "red neck Tupperware", i.e. repurposed plastic containers, in this case filled with some of those cookies. 

Yesterday she'd dropped off another gift, that goes with the memory of the day before Thanksgiving.  The tiktok posting of the outing linked here.  The Ace was enthused enough to buy t-shirts - one for her, one for me, opposite colors.  We "mature" ladies don't need a whole lot to amuse us, do we?

A word about TikTok:  it is a medium, it does not create the content.  When I do go over to TikTok (and I don't a whole lot because I get bored with it fairly quickly)... I am generally shown clips of dogs, cats, birds, a hospice nurse whose content I like, a couple of folks that Ace recommended to me, and a hysterical teacher or two.  Somehow I have never seen the videos that make the news as challenges to violence or vandalism.  There is AI buried in this app that shows you things you have reacted positively to, not things you have scrolled on by.

After dabbling making the tiktok in the link above, I made another one on Thanksgiving morning, the making of the pumpkin pie.  Then I have pretty much given it up.  I have decided that video is not a medium for me.  Some folks are really good at this stuff, but for me, it's a lot of work, and not much reward.  It's just not a high or a thrill, other than to determine that if I wanted to do so, I could.  But as they say, never say never.  And I do enjoy the comic folks, including the Bone or No Bones pug, Noodle, and the aspirational Mrs. Space Cadet, who trained for and then ran the NYC Marathon this year, raising money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Tomorrow's plan:  

Make baked cheese balls.  A family classic.  I already diced the cheese, which is only step 1, and am leaving it on the counter overnight to soften.  The plan is to make these close to the last minute, and carry them to the gather trying to preserve their heat?  Or... plan B:  make them early, and request to have them zapped in the microwave at the host home.  I've done both in years past.

Dexter has already been loaded with the wrapped gifts, just to make sure I don't leave any behind!  I even popped the cookie containers in his back seat.  

Christmas eve supper with son, his girlfriend, and her parents.  The same group as got together at Thanksgiving.  Then Christmas day will be at homne, quiet, recovery day... at least that's the plan!

The Pep Talk:

Even holidays are worth being smart about our choices.  Health is the best gift we can give ourselves, and that means following safe practices about how many people and which ones we surround ourselves with, in this time of surging Covid 19 cases, the second Christmas in a row.  At least this year we're not holding on for our fingernails waiting for vaccines to become available.  Many of us already have taken them, in my case three shots over time.  With the added transmissibility of the Omicron variant, better masks are a good idea.  

And with a small gather of fully vaccinated and boosted folks, I feel I'm doing what I can, and doggone it, I'm ready for Christmas!

Whatever your plans and choices, savor and enjoy however you celebrate.  It is the season of peace, good will toward all.  Let's keep that purpose in our hearts and do our best to show it in our actions, this special time of year!

Life is good.  Spark on!  Merry Christmas!  Happy Festivus!  Happy Kwanzaa!  And best wishes to last into the upcoming New Year.

Earl Grey and sympathy?

A quiet Sunday here.  

Chilly, but seasonal temperatures.  I went for an afternoon walk, and came in to tea.  

On-line church, spotting my sis in her Christmas sweater, in her usual pew.  She's in town between the trip to help and the Christmas visit to her daughter, so I did not have cat duty yesterday or today.

The Christmas carols that constituted a lot of the music made me tear up a bit.  The sermon was a good one, giving the nod to Mary's prayer and vision, and the need for all of us to examine ourselves for the pride that would assume we are always correct in our opinions.  

I think the virus should be teaching us this lesson... that if we're correct 33% of the time, we're batting well, to use a baseball analogy.  So let's give each other a break, when we don't agree on every opinion.

Monday slipped away

The big thing I did on Monday was to start tracking nutrition again.  I've been very lax for several months now.  Right now, though, we are in the midst of holidays, where rich foods are "tradition".  We're in the shorter hours of daylight, when hibernation sounds oh, so lovely.

Did my tracking indicate a home run, in terms of choices and volumes?  Cough-cough... far from it.  BUT... giving credit for getting honest and writing it down.

But we keep moving forward

Even during Christmas week, I have my two trainer sessions on the schedule.  Tuesday morning I woke up to temperatures in the teens.  Brrrr!  But then I open the drapes and see the rising sun, on the shortest day of the year, lighting up the treetops across the street through my windows.  

It's my son's GF's birthday.  Instead of gifts, she asked for book suggestions, which I thought was a sweet idea.

Now, let's get out and make the most of this "shortest daylight of the year" day.  Be as healthy as you can manage, and don't beat up on yourself if you're not perfect at it!  After all, it is the only Tuesday, December 21, 2021 we'll ever get.  And we are worth taking care of.  Even the elves have to take care of themselves so they can do their work!

Life is good!  Spark on!  💖🍬🎄🎅🤶🔥🔥🎆✨❇

It's wrapping day, here.

 

Pebble jar December 18, non-leap year

You better watch out...

The pebble jar calendar, in its Christmas decor, looks about the same every year when it's time to wrap the presents.  See the dwindling number of days left in the year (little jar, center front)?  See the growing heap of days spent (big jar, center of wreath)?  Yes, I do better with non-living decor!  😏

I always intend to wrap early, provided I'm doing any presents in a given year, that is.  This year, I am determined that they will be wrapped TODAY, not waiting for Christmas eve day.

Christmas eve day is reserved, this year, for baking a couple of treats to go to the gathering.  Wrapping and baking don't mix very well, at least in my own mind.

Tools

Results, so far

It takes me a long time, and it is not one of my strong skill sets.  But getting there!  The stocking is from son's deployment to Afghanistan.  The name at the top is "The Wizard".  It needs to move from my house to his... this is a good time.

I think I shall leave the Two Blind Brothers box "naked", as well as a "fish tank" gift for the young people.

"What is a Fish Tank gift?" you might ask.

Family lore has it that one year on my son's birthday, he asked for a small fish bowl.  His father got him a 29 gallon aquarium!  And this forced me into the setting up of said aquarium, using up a good deal of the birthday time.  Son really didn't want this aquarium, it was something his Dad wanted.  So whenever we go shopping for gifts, if we choose the gift WE want, instead of something that really suits the recipient, in our family we call it a "fish tank" and laugh at the inside joke.

My friend Gerri and I borrowed kayaks from my son and his GF to provide swim leg support for a triathlon in September, and we noticed a couple of things that would be useful if we ever needed to borrow them again:  pool noodles (to help as flotation for a swimmer in trouble) and safety whistles (to call a power boat to the rescue for a swimmer is even worse trouble).  So we went in together to purchase these little trinkets.  But they definitely qualify under the family definition as "fish tank" gifts because Gerri and I are the triathlon support kayakers, not my son and his girlfriend.

Oh, I have real gifts for them, too, but it's tradition to bring humor in the bag, and the beat up box from the two blind brothers and the fish tank gift should supply that!

Does your family have any quirky traditions when it comes to gift exchanges?

Here's hoping you've had a good day, this one and only Saturday, December 18, 2021 we'll ever get!  But whatever kind of day it's been, it's at its closing now, and it had been "enough".  Be kind to yourself and nurture your evening with bedtime routines and restful sleep.  You are loved.  You are valued.  You are worth taking care of... in the only time we have... the present!

🧧🎁🎄🎅🤶🤶🍬🍬💖

Friday comes every week

Morning sun above stretching cat

The Prisoner proof of life after the storm shot.  He far prefers the outdoors to indoors.  He has many hiding places in my wild yard and about the neighborhood.  And he's the one that more often will stay out in a storm, and hole up somewhere other than in my house.  I have ceased worrying about him.  He has made a choice.

The mythical son came over for the "assessment" and by the time he left, we had a temporary fix of the fence in place.

Looks pretty good, and I'm hoping it will last to Spring, then if the next big storm flattens it, it will be time to replace the fence entirely.  I'm looking across the street at a lovely wrought iron fence.  Son warns it would likely be very expensive.  But an old gal can dream, can't she?

Son observed the softening / rotting of some of the timbers.  The fence is at least 15 years old, and the gent who put it up said it would be good for 10, so I think it's done as well as could be expected.

But he allowed that at least it looks enough like a fence that Carl will likely respect it.  

Speaking of Carl, he was along, sitting quietly and obediently in the car, so my son invited me to come along to the dog park for a couple of turns around. It was a dog park I had not visited before, and it was chosen for its lack of mud.  It's cool but not the brutal cold it sometimes gets this time of year, so it was a pleasant outing.

Your giggle for the day:  I am not a safe custodian for botanical life

I was regifted a cheerful looking little poinsetta on December 9th.  I set it beside Frosty and treated as I treat all such things... as what I figured was an artificial decoration!

This morning, I happened to look at it again.  Poor thing should have made an escape while it could have.  

I posted the contrasting photos up on Facebook with a similar warning:  my level of plant care is "lethal".  Heck, I have even killed the plants everyone says are "easy"... I have killed ivies, I have killed succulants... I am just not an herbalist!

In any case, it's finished.

And the daily pep talk

This is my chance to remind us all not to treat our bodies the way I treated that poor little plant.  Plants might be replaced and we can try again with the next one to take better care, but this is not true of our one and only human body, issued at birth!

So, let's do our best to nourish, exercise, hydrate and rest that precious resource, using this other precious resource:  the one and only Friday, December 17, 2021 we will ever get!  Each of us is worth taking care of, as our world needs us... it needs us to be kind and to encourage one another, and if we're running on empty we have nothing to give.  So start out being kind to yourself so that you have the oomph to also be kind to those you encounter!

Life is good.  Spark on!  🎄💖✨🔥

Survived the winds, but there is this fence section...

I am hoping that weather cooperates in getting this repaired before the snow flies.  

I sent the photo to my son, he'll come assess tomorrow, to see what supplemental materials might be needed.  Then we shall attempt a fix next Monday or Tuesday.  All of this "weather permitting" on whatever day is being discussed, of course.  The goal:  make it Carl-proof, so I can still have visits from my beloved canine!

It's getting to be that time of year when the "after work" walks with Alicia end after the streetlights have come on.  She needed 2.6 miles to get her 300 for the year, so we walked the route we call "Grape Ape with a Cape" which we knew would give her the miles.

Aaaaand done!  She's got her medal.  She waited to open the package until after we did our walk and I'll let her post the photo of herself wearing it.  I will settle for the moon over street lights here!  Photos never quiet do it justice, but... calm and not as warm as before the storm.

It was a lot to do and also pop up to Ontario to go to Lynda's (LeanJean6) virtual birthday bash, but y'all know her parties are NOT to be missed!  It was a blast, as it always is.

My son tells me their Christmas decorations that were staked down survived the wind storm.  Those that were not staked down they took inside the garage for the duration.  I'm so grateful for what did NOT happen here, while praying for those who got worse weather.  I did not lose power, but my cousin down on the farm did, and as of this afternoon they still didn't have it restored for them.

Here's hoping y'all are safe and warm and dry, and doing your best to support your health and well-being, physical, emotional and spiritual.  Let's take care of these precious bodies... we each get issued one, and only one, so we'd best take care of it, this one and only Thursday, December 16, 2021 we'll ever get.

Life is Good.  Spark on!  🎂🔥💖✨

Hurricane force winds

Florida, Texas, and the whole South and East coasts can now laugh at us

I recognize that 70 mph winds are a baby hurricane, but let's be honest, we just don't get them around here very often.  We are several states away from any coast!  So when the TV news started telling us to put our patio furniture and trash cans under cover, and consider taking the Christmas decorations inside for today, well!

A lot of people are doing just that.  I checked with my son and his girlfriend, and they have taken down some, those that are not secured with stakes.  I'm worried about those with the stakes, even.

The Omaha and Lincoln public schools announced they would be closed today.  Other area schools followed with early closure announcements.  Somehow the thought of kindergartners walking home with winds that high did not appeal to the administrators!  They weren't crazy about the thought of school busses in that wind, either!

The big event of this sort around here is caused by the low temperatures, coming through on a cold front, and confronting the high temperatures we've been experiencing.  It's 58℉ out there now, and predicted high of 70!  If it reaches 70 that will be a record for the date.

My own activities will be advanced in timing.  I shall check up on Sister #1's cats early, before the worst wind warning hits.  Thank goodness for the high tech weather forecasting that gives us an approximate time deadline:  get stuff done before... and of course, they keep updating the forecast, and now our city is in the "enhanced risk" area, as shown in the map above.

The Pep Talk

Don't know about you, but challenges in my life lead to one of two responses:  retreat and hide, or "rise to the occasion".  Here's to making the choice, this one and only Wednesday, December 15, 2021, to rise to the challenge, and take care of ourselves, to do what we CAN do, and to breathe and trust, and pray to survive those things we cannot control.  Be safe, whatever challenges you're facing today!  You are worthy of it.

Life is good.  Spark on!  🎄🔥🎆💖

Winter is almost here, at least on the calendar

One niece married off, another off her feet

One of the most important aspects of living life is being useful!  Sister #1 called me on Wednesday to give me a heads up... her daughter had taken a bad step off the stage at a concert (she was conducting, being a music teacher).  Well!  The doctor told said daughter to stay off her feet for ten days.

Seems like slipping and falling is running in the family.  My son's mishap was in October, requiring the lending of crutches, at least for a couple of days:

A couple of weeks ago, on the walk in the nature preserve toward the end of November, my friend slipped and fell.  She didn't need crutches, thank goodness, but she did need to rest, ice, compress and elevate!

The niece makes three!  If these things happen in threes, are we done?  I still think it's a good idea to be cautious of footing  as winter wears on.

Meanwhile, sister #1 being off to Kansas to help her daughter with two active sons... I get the joy of checking in on her kitties!  I stopped by Sunday morning to clean litter boxes, greet and feed the two of them.  I shall continue this drill daily, not sure for how long, at this point.

I'm hoping my niece heals completely and quickly, and that my sister has dry roads and safe travels as she serves as mobile grandma!

Weather woes

While we've been enjoying a dry, mild lead up to Winter here, the Southland has had record heat, and the sudden drop to cold north of them led to these strong, destructive storms that we have all been seeing on our television screens.  It seems as though "tornado alley" cut across several states, all in one night.  My heart aches, remembering of course storms past:  the flattening of Joplin, Missouri, for example, in 2011.  A lot of the photos and videos remind me of images from that storm.  

In 2004, a tornado flattened Hallam, Nebraska, just to our South.  The most touching thing from that storm, besides of course the rebuilding of the town, was that a piece of wood from the little church down there was used in crafting the Paschal cross of the church I go to here in Lincoln.  Resilience, resurrection, faith, tying the two communities together.

Pep talk:  pick yourself up, dust yourself off... move forward

Did you have a good weekend?  Overindulge a bit in the celebrations of the season?  How are you handling your holidays?  Is there a good balance of traditional treats and stress-relieving activity?  Are you cutting yourself a break, in terms of expectations?

Remember:  YOU ARE ENOUGH!  Perfectionism is all very fine and good, BUT... we're human and it is OK to be human!  Slow down enough to take a breath and cherish the good amidst the chaos, whether that chaos is up close and personal or on the news!

Breathe, nourish, appreciate, this one and only Monday, December 13, 2021 we'll ever get.  Because each and every one of us is not only worth it, we are needed in this world... to give one another a smile, a prayer, a kind act... one day at a time!

Life is good.  Spark on!  🔥💖✨

Good morning snow dust

 

Pawprints melting on the sunny deck, 

reception in about two hours, 

yuletide presents waiting to be wrapped up, 

and pebble jar festive in its flowers...

Sung to the tune of Merry Christmas to You... for kids from one to ninety-two.  Yes, I know there are no flowers in the wreath around the pebble jar, but you know, rhymes!

Oh, you tripped over the word reception in my knock-off version?  Well, in pandemic times, folks don't seem to be doing big formal weddings... but a niece and her "husband like person" are making it legal, today.  "Eloping" is the word used in the invite to the reception.

I managed to find a card that I could get with curbside pick up, and I will head over to meet the groom for the first time.  Oh, I've heard his name in conversation, and I added him as a FB friend last week, after getting the invite... but this will be the first time we meet in person!

Considerate young people that they are, the bride and groom have requested that everyone, regardless of vax status, mask for the indoor "open house" style reception, and I'm hoping to get in, meet and greet, drop off my card to them, and mosey on out, without ever doffing said mask.  I mean, after all, the local numbers do NOT look good, and even though the youngsters run with a bright crowd who pretty much are at least not vaccine resistors... the mix of folks, the aging of the doses, and of course the local case load bespeak being "careful".  But the event itself?  A reason for joy!

Navigated the event, home now, posting after the fact

A photo of the OUTDOOR in COLD December Wedding under a canopy went up on the FB event, so I drove on over.  Looks like several others were arriving similar time, but I navigated my way inside, met the happy couple, wished them well, and the groom welcome to the family... left my card with well-wishes, chatted with a few folks, and left, mask intact.  

In other news, a running friend just gave birth to her first child last week.  She's about to be sprung from the hospital to go home with the baby.  See?  Life does go on!

Here's hoping you all are staying safe and healthy, and celebrating in ways meaningful to yourself and your traditions!

Life is good.  Spark on!

Night sky in the seasonal spirit

 Remember last year, when we were looking for the Christmas star?

Astronomically, it was an alignment of planets, mind you, but one night this week when I stepped out the door just after dark, Venus and the moon were putting on a show above the roofs of my neighborhood.  It was quiet, not too cold, and we haven't had snow yet, but the view got me to pull out my phone and snap what looks very seasonal.

Snow is predicted for overnight Friday, which would be our first of this season.  When I cast my thought back to 2020, I recall that we had snow as early as October!  This year, we've had highs well above normal, and even next Tuesday (the 13th of December) they are predicting high 60's maybe even making it to 70℉.

Sunrise Friday morning

I headed out to pick up a prescription this morning, before the front comes through, but really loved the pink and blue sky as the sun was coming up.  This time of year often brings such spectacular skies, day and night!

Shopping blind

Ever see the ads for these guys?  Two Blind Brothers?  You send them money, they shop for you;  you do not know what is coming in the package.  It's a matter of trust; they ship it to you.

Looks like the box is a little the worse for shipping wear, but they sent me an e-mail link to show me what's in it.  In a way I was looking forward to it being a surprise when opened, but when I saw the colors and fabrics of the items in the e-mail I'm kind of glad 'cause I have an idea of "to whom to give the blind package"!

Anyway, I'll let y'all know how it turns out after the Christmas to-do!  

Oh yes, the two brothers are indeed blind, and the proceeds of their business go to sight research.  So it's three fun things bundled together:  surprise gift, tags in braille, so you have something new to learn... and a donation to charity!

I have just one more shipment expected, and my notification says it is out for delivery today.  As notified.  Woo-hoo.  All that's left is the wrapping, and on Christmas eve, the baking.

Pep talk time!

Now let's head out and live the best Friday, December 10, 2021 we can manage, right where we are.  After all, it's the only one we'll ever get!  And each one of us is worth the effort to take care of our health and well-being!

Life is good!  Spark on.  🔥💖🎇✨