HAPPY NEW YEAR EVE

To all my blog buddies, 

other friends and family

OUT with the OLD

IN with the NEW

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2022

PS.) Click on picture at beginning to enlarge, 

so you can read the poem

XMAS SWEATER & GREETINGS

 

It's that time of year.

We are in the home stretch, peeps.

Time to get out your UGLY sweaters...

for dinner with the 

family & friends- 

this weekend.

Whether in person or by Zoom,

or another platform...

find JOY in the moments 

you get to spend together...

this Christmas.  
Life is unpredictable and you never know

what tomorrow might bring. 
I think all of us are hoping

for a HAPPY ending...

when 2021 goes and the

 New Year begins...

like the movies we revel in. 

Time will tell regarding 2022.

MEANWHILE...

We have to take things

one day at a time...

and just 

SMILE.

 Don't forget your Christmas sweater.

I've got mine. 

Though, I had to get 

a BIGGER size

this year. 

Too many cookies.

But I'm embracing 

the more zaftig me.

Listen to this 

new song by Michael Buble

while you get dressed

for dinner. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LfuBZqXa-4

MERRY CHRISTMAS 

to all my blog buddies, 

family and other friends.

You are the only gifts I need 

under my tree. 

LOVE you ALL.

ENJOY! ENJOY! ENJOY!

You are NEVER too old

to look up into the night sky

for Santa on

Christmas Eve...

White Christmas and a Purple Radio

With the Christmas spirit all around, I find myself humming all the old classics. I can’t get enough of them. Modern technology takes a backseat in my house. I have an old purple radio with a broken antenna in the kitchen. It’s tuned to the station that plays nonstop Christmas music, day in and day out. When I wake up…  first thing I do is head into the kitchen and turn on that old radio, then make a cup of tea. I’m delighted beyond words to listen to the songs. They bring me such joy. Something so very simple... brightens my day before it really begins. This is where my head is, immersed in the magic and wonder of the Christmas season.  But today as my daily routine began… I pulled open the door to my refrigerator freezer. And... as I  reached in to get an ice pack... for my aching back. And something to thaw out for dinner later… a block of FROZEN bison meat, weighing about one pound… flew off the top shelf, and hit me on the side of my head... before adding insult to injury, falling kaput on top of my foot and toes. I shrieked. It hurt. Really hurt. Did I mention I was barefoot. It became clear at that moment... as the radio blasted holly jolly songs, and I sat down to nurse my sore head and foot... that  this was going to be a BAD day. The universe had decided to derail that good fuzzy feeling I had deep inside from the music… and replace it with the cold harsh reality that is my life. No Hallmark Movie happy endings here. Maybe tomorrow, I thought… as I said the hell with the tea… 

and hobbled  to turn the radio off 

and head back to bed. 

Secretly hoping for a white Christmas in my dreams. 

GIVING TUESDAY (open your wallet with purpose)

 

Now that we've all shopped until we dropped...

on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday,

and Cyber Monday-

It's time to take a break and do your GOOD upon the Earth. 

Donate what you can...

be it $1, $5, $10, $25, etc 

to the charity of your choice. 

FOOD BANKS

can really use our help this year.

So do what you can to help. 

OPEN YOUR WALLET

with PURPOSE.

We can all make the world a better place...

if we spread the gift of  KINDNESS to those in need.

BLACK FRIDAY.... Be safe

 BE SAFE OUT THERE PEOPLE

TALKING TURKEY, NOT?

  I had my Thanksgiving meal planned months ago. 

Just my hubby and I.

A pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.

And a turkey roulade for dinner. 

With a little stuffing rolled inside. 

YUM YUM

Best laid plans are no more.

My oldest daughter had a health scare.

Was in the hospital the other night. 

We are all walking on pins and needles 

hoping the seizures that put her there...

do NOT happen again, since she's back home. 

So she is now coming over to eat here, with us..

The grandchildren are suppose to eat with their dad.

But that may or may not happen...

because his dad had heart failure and has contracted Covid.

Odds do not look like they are in his favor.

So that means the grandkids may or may not 

come here too, to eat with their mom and us.

And all of this is well and good...

 except for one very important fact.

NONE of them eats TURKEY.

So yours truly was scrambling for an alternative.

Looks like it's going to be 

POT ROAST.

Not the Thanksgiving I hoped for.

But this way, I throw everything in a

big old crockpot for 8 hours 

and then dinner is served. 

No cranberry relish, extra oyster stuffing,

pumpkin pie or sweet potatoes needed.

Having carrot cake for dessert.

And after all the festivities are concluded on Thursday. 

If all goes according to other plans...

My younger daughter will arrive here 

over the weekend.

Her travel assignment will keep her in town 

for the next 4 months...

We haven't seen her for 3 years 

so we will look forward to

lots of hugs. 

The only sad part will be, that my elderly mother

is back EAST and will not participate

in our celebration. 

But she will be with friends and not alone...

So for that I'm grateful.

It's been a CRAZY couple years.

MEANWHILE...

Have fun eating ALL those traditional fixings.

I sincerely...

want to wish all my blog buddies, friends 

and family around the country...

a very 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

 

LIFE is SHORT

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT!

Let's DISH about Christmas

(This plate is missing the teddy bear)

When my daughters were growing up.... I had a lovely 45-piece set of Spode dishes and assorted matching casserole pieces for Christmas... because back then, we entertained. If memory serves me... the design of the dishes featured a holiday tree. Underneath it were wrapped presents and a cute cuddly teddy bear. My hubby thought the set of dishes was juvenile and didn’t like them. So when the children grew up and family members passed away. I bought a cheap 16-piece set of dishes at Kmart to appease him. Cost me $50. The dinner plates were white, but the salad plates and bowls had one tiny little poinsettia on them. So, they were minimally festive. I really didn’t like them but it’s what was available on my budget, at the time. That was years ago. The old Spode dishes were carefully packed away and forgotten. However, a couple years ago, before Covid, I came across the original Spode dishes. I asked my daughters if they wanted them? My youngest prefers more modernistic, abstract items and passed on the Spode set. But my oldest is all about soft, cuddly teddy bears and loved them. Reminded her of her childhood. I thought that was sweet. So she lugged all the dishes home to her house. I told her if she wanted, she could downsize the set, keep half and sell the others, pocketing the change. This made my husband mad, 'cause he said we could have sold all of them and kept the money ourselves. Truth be told just one Spode plate is going for a pretty penny on eBay, these days. Maybe I should have listened to my husband?? Anyway, with the Kmart set also packed away and missing in action. I now had no holiday plates. Hubby said we didn’t need them. I said we did. But rather go in search of a new set of dishes, I did what I do best. I went thrifting. I found four snowman dinner plates and two salad plates. For a total of $3.99 they came home with me. A few weeks later, I found some bowls that sorta matched and purchased them too.

Since we seldom if ever have company for dinner, anymore... I just needed place settings for two, him and I. So I was all set for Christmas back then. If we did have visitors, I'd just use the everyday Corelle plates (we also have) with festive napkins, even though the combination would look mismatched. When the Pandemic hit a few years later, the Snowman dishes were still serving us well. Just the two of us. But now, as we are seemingly coming out of the darkness into the light, I wanted something different this year. Though the snowman plates are great, they are also heavy, very heavy. I have neuropathy in my hands and handling them can be a chore at times. While there are only a few, it still rains havoc on my poor hands. So… back to the thrift store I went in 2021. My hubby saw no reason to change the status quo, but I did. It took about a month, but back in September, suddenly there appeared a sweet set of Christmas dishes in Goodwill.They were the color of snow, outlined with vines of ivy and berries and a few scattered poinsettias. I instantly liked them. The dishes were delicate and manageable for my hands too. The set included four dinner plates. Four salad plates and four soup bowls. Each bundle of four cost $1.99 for a total cost of $5.97. Which more than fit my budget. Can you believe it??? I was thrilled beyond belief. I love them. And since it looks like one of our daughters… might be coming home for Christmas this year… because of a travel assignment. (first time we'll see each other in three years) We’ll all have matching plates for the BIG holiday dinner. ‘You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes. You get what you need.’   

Do you have special HOLIDAY dishes 

that you use once a year or throughout the season???

It's That Time Of Year

 

The leaves here, are late to fall 

and very few trees have turned color.

The vibrant reds and golds 

are missing in action this year...

leaving 'disappointed' people to note -

the snow will soon begin to fly. 

Find what happiness you can muster 

in what's left of this autumn season.

 

MEANWHILE...

I've put up a TREE full of color 

in my front window...

that's bringing tidings of comfort and joy.

Can't wait for the winter festivities 

to commence. 

PJ's and Hallmark 

are giving me my

HAPPY ENDINGS

this year. 

Except for the missing bird???

But not to worry

We can EAT pie instead.

Halloween is a FAMILY affair

 

HALLOWEEN 

has always been a family affair. 

I was doing Elvira before she was.

We had some FUN times back in the day...

with my children and spouse.

As a child...

 Halloween meant bobbing for apples

at an annual party across the street

And chowing down on some 

Maryland steamed crabs

YUM! YUM! YUM!

My brother and I enjoyed every bite

So to you and yours-

on this spine tingling 

day & night

ENJOY

Halloween. Trick or Treat?

 

Halloween always delights me. For years I’ve been dressing up and decorating to let the spirits roam around my haunted house here on the Boulevard.  We used to have quite alot of Trick or Treaters, throughout the years. But nowadays… there are few if any. Still I'm not discouraged. I rustle through my closet and create a costume and go outside under the light of the moon… to entice those little ghosts and goblins, to make a detour from the main road… to my side street and STOP for some delicious chocolate treats. Usually... the parents accompany the little tykes. And the kids get all excited to enter the 'dark' realm of  Halloween here. I’m the only one with spotlights blazing. So... it’s a little SPOOKY. All my neighbors keep their lights off and doors tightly closed. They won’t spring for a bag of candy to hand out to the youngsters.  And don’t want the brats coming on their property. Makes me sad they are such scrooges. But Que Sera Sera. The little one’s enthusiasm is contagious and I enjoy playing along with them, while they try to stay in character. Brings a smile... and great joy, into my otherwise mundane life. So, the decorations are hung. The candy is bought... now I must decide what mask to wear. Because these days it’s all about the mask, isn’t it??? 

Do you hand out candy on Halloween??? What’s your favorite kind? Do you buy a bag for yourself?  Or doesn’t anybody show up? What kind of costumes do they wear if they do???

Are they store bought or homemade?  

Inquiring minds want to know. 

Indulge me, please.

 

What do you think? 

Vintage pumpkin or cat???

Let the witching hours begin...

Autumn Summer & My BORING life

I have little if anything exciting to talk about nowadays. Just the mundane. I’m drowning in a sea of mediocrity. Same old, same old here, 24/7. Most of our days are spent picking up prescriptions, going to doctor appointments or getting tests run. BORING. Sometimes, when I’m out… I wander into a Thrift Store or two…  to see if any bargains jump off the shelves??? With the global shipping problems, there is slim picking in the box stores for seasonal items. And what is there is EXPENSIVE. In the grocery store many shelves are barren. After years of using ALL detergent for my laundry, and being unable to find it… I switched to these newfangled TIDE pods. They smell wonderful and the clothes are none the worse for wear. So... change is good. The high temps of the past week, had our fans and swamp cooler blowing non-stop. Had me wanting to celebrate Autumn on the beach. But that’s not possible, so we suffered through the heat. I put a calming CD on… with an endless loop of ocean sounds, including sea gulls. It brought the sand and surf into the living room. I chilled my Harney pumpkin tea… drinking it COLD,  rather than drinking it hot…. like I usually do this time of year.  It tasted scrumptious. Cleaning out the closet, I found a couple old Gift Cards. What a surprise??? The first was for a date night at Applebee’s…  from eight or more years ago, from my parents… for our anniversary. Applebee’s says it’s still good. Imagine that? So... we’ll have to order lunch one day. Also came across an old gift card, for Netflix. So we opened an account. The movies and TV shows there, suddenly showed us a whole new world of entertainment, we’d been missing. Who knew all the intriguing things out there, to watch. We’ve been enlightened. And thrilled to participate. And will continue to do so. Meanwhile, most of the Christmas gifts have been wrapped and packed, ready to ship to the family. I shopped for them, this past May and because of the Post Office chicanery with Mr. DeJoy… I’m shipping them out November 1^st. And hoping that gives them enough time to be on the doorsteps of loved ones for Christmas. Or there will be NO joy. Otherwise… I just did a load of laundry. It’s 2am. I’ll fold them in the morning. And then read my book Anxious People. Folks... I am so sick and tired of my daily routines… I did something different. I already have dinner planned for the evening. 

Biryani Shrimp. 

So there you have it. My BORING life. 

Just taking it one day at a time. 

How about you???

PS) I’m slipping away for a 

Pumpkin Pie Blizzard...

after we eat tonight. 

Cause what’s better than ice cream... 

summer, winter, spring or autumn???

It will be the HIGH point of my day.

SOME like it HOT. We like it COOL

 

The temperatures here have dropped dramatically.

They went from 90's with 80 percent humidity...

down to 60's in the day and 40's at night. 

No reason to use the 'swamp cooler' we bought 

to help us cope with the broken air conditioner

and HIGH temps. 

It did it's job for one day before 

autumn came and brought that seasonal coolness...

we had longed for.

The windows have been open...

24/7 

sucking in all that autumn goodness. 

But...

it got so cold inside today that I had 

goosebumps and needed a sweater.

And I must admit, this change in seasons

has given us both the sniffles. 

That came as a 

big surprise.

So we are medicating with our

Elderberry and Vitamin C tablets...

and we reluctantly shut the windows and 

turned on a space heater to warm up a bit. 

According to the weatherman 

it's going back up into the 80's 

next week. 

So for now...

we will enjoy the NEW season.

And breathe in that 

cool fresh air, when we can.

Hope you all are savoring the moment too.

This is my FAVORITE time of year. 

When it rains it pours.

When it rains it pours. Dealing with our health issues has dominated most of our time over the past couple years… and things are getting progressively worse. I have tried to push all the negative aside, and dwell on the good and be grateful for these riches... because they are what truly matters. But now other problems are seeping into our daily living... making optimism difficult at best. First... the bad luck in recent days. My hubby’s old van finally bit the dust. It will cost more to fix it than buy another one. Since we have the money for neither… we have become a one vehicle family, using my van, only. It’s been complicated coordinating our schedules for doctor appointments & such, but it’s getting easier. So we are none the worse for wear, because of the inconvenience. Just as we were settling into a new routine, dealing the hand we’ve  been dealt about the van.. more BAD news struck. Our air conditioning unit, just stopped working. My hubby has COPD… so the very high temps and humidity we have had recently… has made his breathing more difficult than usual because of the air conditioner being kaput. So we called a couple folks out to give it a look-see. And as if on cue... they said, they couldn't fix it. Because it’s so old, the parts can’t be replaced  because they don’t make ‘em anymore. But the real issue is… since it somehow connects to the furnace, that is what really needs to be replaced. That makes it totally cost prohibitive, period. New furnaces are NOT cheap. Throw in an air conditioner... and there is no way we can afford that on Social Security, alone. So add another sucker punch to the mix. At first we had a zillion fans blowing around hot air in the daytime. But in the evening, though… we learned when the temps drop, to open the windows... filling the rooms with the outside, cooler air. And now we shut them in the morning before the temps rise…  trapping the coolness inside. Amazingly it works.  Reminds us of being kids. We both grew up in houses without air conditioners. It's NOT the end of the world. But not to worry… I have my own personal handheld air conditioning device. I used a similar one as a youngster and am using one now. Showed my hubby the comfort of such a thing. Only cost $1 at The Dollar Tree.  Back in the day, we muddled through to adulthood just fine without air conditioning.  And I'm sure...  with this current scenario... we'll  do it again. Autumn is almost here, then winter . Won't be many more HOT HOT days. Do you have air conditioning? Ever been without it??? 

You should NEVER take anything for granted.