Happy New Year 2021!

Today (12/18) is very cold. It got down into the low 30s last night as it will tonight. As I mentioned before, my house isn’t built to handle such low temps and I hate to hear the air handler labor all day knowing that it can only do so much. So, I’m bundled up and Rosie is still in bed here at 10:30 AM. I’ll leave her there until it’s warm enough to get out. Night before last I put the duvet on the bed so through the night we are warm and toasty. It’s only when we have to face the cold light of day that we shiver a bit.

Last night (12/17) I had Tippy and Kieran over to share the Christmas spirit. Another motive was that I wanted to try an appetizer and I knew if I made it, I would eat it all, so I was looking for guinea pigs!! Being true friends, they offered to help me out. As always, we had a fun evening enhanced by an evolving event. Before they came over, they had been visited by a stray/feral kitty. They had left it some food and milk but were concerned about it being outside through the cold night. Kieran texted their neighbors who have 6 cats and as we were chatting, they set up a box with towels, more food, etc. Kieran doesn’t want an indoor pet but I mentioned to Tippy that she could have an outside feral cat. Having worked with them and shown Tippy our feral cat village, I think the seed was planted. Over time, the feral cats grow to know and love you, while you learn to respect their freedom. One side effect of feeding feral cats is that the raccoons will find the food and show up to be fed also. I recommended that Tippy not mention that to Kieran!!

Can you guess who this is?

This has been a quiet Christmas but I feel very good about it. I have savored my few gatherings with friends and hearing from friends near and far.- even from Santa & Mrs. Claus!! As each week passes, I’ve valued our little pandemic bubble (Chris, Lynn, and Tom) that gets together weekly and brings normalcy to this surreal year. This week (12/18) we all donated to our local charity, Bluffton Self Help, in hopes of helping those in need in our community. I will also be donating to some of my longtime, favorite charities. I did not do cards this year but I’ve done an ecard for everyone (actually 3 eCards for three different groups of family and friends). If you didn’t receive one, please check your spam folder and let me know. I always feel that sending many at one time increases the odds of it being considered spam.

Yesterday (12/22) our little social bubble had a shock. Chris had an antibodies test, just out of curiosity, and it showed that she had been exposed to Covid-19. Luckily, she has no symptoms and we hope that continues. She let us know right away and was advised to quarantine for 7 days. She asked about her pandemic pals and was told that we were okay unless we experience symptoms. Of course, the three of us are wondering what we should do – nothing!? Get the test?  Could it even be that one of us infected Chris?? At the moment, we are touching base each day and hoping it is nothing. In the meantime, we all have been invited to gatherings in the neighborhood and decided to decline just to be on the safe side. It’s my turn to host everyone on Saturday. Chris will still be in quarantine, but Lynn, Tom, and Bogey plan to attend at this point.

For the first few days of Christmas week, we had magnificent weather, but on Christmas day it was cold and to be colder the day after. Today (12/27) I’m in my snuggly robe and plan to be in it all day as I know Rosie is not interested in going out. In fact, she got up once only long enough to decide to get back under the covers! Now that she is out of bed, she is following a spot of sunshine around the room. It is my job to keep her bed in the sunlight! I have to keep her happy because I credit my walks with her for preventing me from feeling isolated. We have a great neighborhood of dog owners and dog lovers, and we never know how who we will run into or how long our walk may take.

I did get it together to host Lynn & Tom.

Well, 2020 just keeps on giving. Yesterday when I went to the freezer for English muffins for breakfast, I picked them up and they were soft, not frozen! Then I opened the fridge and it, too, was warm. I was to have Lynn and Tom over in the afternoon and had also placed a pick-up order for groceries. Luckily, I have a very old, somewhat reliable fridge in the garage and a small box freezer, so it isn't as bad as it could be though it was a shock to go into a very cold garage this morning for milk for my coffee - definitely a waker-upper! The repairman is scheduled for Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed.

In the meantime......

Happy New Year!

As someone said, I'm going to stay up until midnight this New Year. Not so much to see 2021 in but to make sure 2020 leaves!!

Merry Christmas 2020

I’ve been meaning to thank those who respond to my posts – some email, some reply to the notice that I’ve updated. Others text or leave a comment on the post. It’s always great to hear from you (in whatever form) and to keep up with your doings, too! It’s hard to believe that I’ve been doing this blog since 2006 in one form or another and I’m happy to share it with friends, whether or not you respond immediately. Some of you have been with me from the start and I’ve added new friends as time passed. The best part of doing it is knowing that those who read it know me and care enough to put up with my drivel! Thank you all.

I had to include this after my
episode with the Christmas tree!

Something really strange happened Sunday morning (12/6) when I reached for my phone to turn off the alarm. The phone started talking to me and identifying everything I touched, and it seemed that I had to tap everything twice. It also altered the capability to scroll and I never even figured out how to do that. I have no idea how it got that way which means I didn’t know how to turn it off. It was only through the use of Google on my tablet that I figured out how to do it, but even then, navigating to the setting was not easy. If I inadvertently caused it, I’d like to know what I did so as not to do it again! Pretty much the whole day was devoted to tech stuff after that. I spent several hours deleting emails, both folders, and individual emails. This is something I’ve been meaning to do since my last Liberal Ladies’ newsletter. There were hundreds if not thousands just related to that. If only it were that easy and fast to get rid of the clutter in my house!!

The microwave issue has turned into a saga. On Monday (12/7) I called American Home Shield first thing and had to wait so long (58 minutes) to speak to a representation that I literally made a soup in my instant pot!! The repairman came a week after I placed the initial repair request (11/23). The microwave is discontinued and parts are not available, so he suggested a replacement and told me I would hear from AHS within 48 hours. Well, I didn’t and when I checked online it only said: “under evaluation.” When I finally got to a person, I was told that an email had been sent to me offering various options for replacing my unit. Well, I never received it or it got lost in the numerous emails I receive, or whatever. So, the rep sent it to me again and I spent the morning trying to figure out what to order (I really thought they should find the closest replacement and just do it!). Anyway, they sent a selection of about 10 or 12 microwaves that they would provide and install at no cost to me. There was one recommended…..but it was not available in white! So, now I’m on my own….and if I order something that doesn’t work, I pay for shipping back and restocking. So, I called GE appliances and got a delightful, sweet young lady who compared the microwave I have to the one I was considering. I had pretty much determined that the dimensions were compatible, but I was concerned about the venting. The unit I had selected could be vented in three different ways, so that should work. Needless to say, this took me most of the day but I submitted my order that same day. On Monday, December 14 the new microwave was installed.Whew!

Who knew pecans were so complicated? After we gathered them, Tippy went about finding someone to crack hers and he turned out to be an expert. He checked the moisture content of ours and they were a 7. He said they should not be over 5 and we should store them in the fridge or freezer, or we could bake them in the oven to dry them out. After cleaning them, I put them in a sunny spot in the sunroom until I could dry them out in the oven. It seemed easy enough and hope I haven’t ruined them! 

I continue to enjoy my ear pods and subscription to Fairfax County Library. My first book was Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro, which I’ve been chasing for a while. It’s autobiographical and the title alone piqued my curiosity. I was not disappointed!  She’s an excellent writer and narrates the audiobook which made it even more enjoyable. After that, I read Untamed as recommended by Mary B. It, too, was compelling and read by the author, Glennon Doyle. It is recommended reading for every woman! I have about 6 books on hold, all of which will not get to me for a while, so please let me know what you’ve enjoyed reading recently. The Thursday Murder Club has been recommended on both sides of the Atlantic but I couldn't find it on audiobook, so Chris has kindly loaned me the book. And, yes, the Libby App is so much easier to navigate than Overdrive and the customer service at the library is fantastic!. 

On Sunday, Tippy invited Sally, Rosie, and me for a walk on the beach. It was a gorgeous day (low 70s and sunny) and she picked up falafel wraps from a new restaurant (Casablanca) in town (very tasty!) and we had them at the park at Dolphin Head. It was a bit chilly in the shade under the trees, but as soon as we got in the sun on the beach, it was perfect! When we got to a secluded section, Rosie was let off the leash and she ran like crazy. It’s wonderful to see her run like that and I wish she could do it more often. Something funny did happen as we were walking back. As Rosie was sniffing around, I noticed a medicine bottle. It looked like a fresh prescription with the name and all of the info clearly written. My first thought was that I should turn it in at the front gate and let them set about contacting the person. But, when I looked inside, there were two joints!! Initially, The more we thought about it, we decided to just flush them down the toilet. It seemed like that would cause less trouble all the way around. Anyway, that’s our story and we’re sticking to it! 

I hadn’t planned to show my Christmas decorations again as you “old-timers” have seen enough of it. It’s just the same items recycled in one form or another. However, there are new friends on-board and even the oldie-goldies may not know the history of some of my doodads. So, I’m showing them again with more information. Hopefully, you will know why I decorate even when I may not be filled with the Christmas spirit; however, once I do it, it does feel more festive! I always enjoy seeing the decorations and remembering the people and events attached to them.

Merry Christmas

One and All!

The Holidays are Upon Us!

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, I only had the Christmas tree in the sunroom to complete. The day before I had put out all of the easy stuff hoping to work my way into the holiday spirit. Putting the pre-lit tree up sounded easy but it was very difficult to get all of the lights to work – almost as bad as putting up stringed lights! I fiddled with it for about an hour before giving up. I was determined not to become frustrated, so I stopped!

As aggravating as it was, it was made somewhat more enjoyable by my new ear-pods! They feel comfortable and music sounds fantastic on them. I wasn’t enough in the spirit for Christmas songs, but I did like the relaxing holiday instrumental music on Spotify. I also think the mobility will make it easier to listen to podcasts and audiobooks. When my phone is left on the kitchen bar, I can move all around the house with them, so I can do whatever I want to as I listen.

Tippy’s Nutty Idea! On Sunday (11/29) Tippy called to ask if I wanted to go pecan picking with her on Monday at a secret, not-to-be-named, location. This is something that she and her mother enjoyed doing together as she was growing up. She had found this wonderful place where pecans were abundant. She was absolutely right. I’ve never seen so many pecans! You could pick up 2 handfuls, move a few steps, and do the same again, as well as feel them being crushed under your feet as you walked. We were able to fill two large bags in no time flat. All of the stooping was rough of the back so we decided to meet up and relax over lunch at Olive and Fig – for the F-word (Falafel). We discussed earlier to check it out before considering whether we would eat there or order to go. We were happily surprised to see there were three tables outside. Though it was a very blustery day (as you can see from our hair!), the building shielded us from the wind and the sun was warm. It gave us a chance to catch up and was a fun morning.

I came home (from picking pecans) and tackled the Christmas tree again!  When I left it yesterday, there were two female plugs not plugged into anything, and not all lights were on. So, I took the three tiers apart and tried to figure out where the plugs were and correct them before going to the next level. It was a miserable failure! I’m sure there is a simple solution, but I don’t know what it is. If anyone has the secret, let me know. In years past, I have not had this problem! There has to be an easier way (like one plug connecting all lights in those of the next tiers!!). In any case, I’m going with what I have and decorated the tree the next day.

A week later and the microwave man finally came. This week has shown me how dependent on the microwave I am. I was opening the door to pop popcorn before I remembered it didn’t work. No warming up that second cup of coffee or leftovers. In any case, the repairman wasn’t here long and I think he helped my cause as much as possible, so American Home Shield is replacing my microwave – which means it will still be days before I’m functional again, BUT I will be happy and appreciative when it is replaced.

Winter has arrived with a vengeance. We’ve had temps dipping down into the low 30s at night for about three nights and only getting up to the high 40s or 50s during the day. My house doesn’t accommodate those temperatures and it takes a long time to warm up. So, I’ve learned to alter my routine to conform to Rosie’s schedule. She is NOT interested in going out in the cold or rain! One day she wasn’t willing until about 11:15 AM!! We did have one delightful morning when it was raining and we both slept in, listening to the gentle rain, until about 8:15! Now that my light sleep is more peaceful, I thorough;y enjoyed it.

In the meantime, I’m listening to The Nantucket Inn (a summer read kind of thing that I don't recommend!) with my new ear-pods, mostly as an experiment. I’m listening to it via “hoopla,” available through our local library. It’s a great service; however, it doesn’t offer some of the things I’d like to read/listen to via audiobook. Now that I’m familiar with the ear-pods, I’m going to rejoin the Fairfax (VA) County Library, which has a much broader selection of audiobooks of interest to me, and I’ve already searched for specific books I’d like to read. They offer a non-resident library card for something like $25 that allows you to use their digital library. I’ve joined in the past using the Overdrive app and found it difficult to manage, so I contacted the library and they suggested I check out Libby, Overdrive’s newest app, as it is easier to maneuver. I have done so and am going to rejoin using Libby. Thanks to Rhonda T for turning me on to all of this!

Enjoy the holidays!