Bye-Bye Christmas Tree

 I used to take down my Christmas tree on New Year's Day, but for many years now I try to get it down before December 31st which is my husband's birthday. That way his birthday cards and meals are not overshadowed by Christmas things. I stored away most of my decorations today. I left the sunroom  decorated but did move the round table which had been in the living room holding the tree back there into its usual place.

The etagere goes back into the living room instead of sitting in the sunroom. 

I listened to my Christmas tapes while undecorating and moving things around. I have 7 of them and have decided to get rid of one. Yes, my very old boombox can play CDs and tapes (and tune into radio stations). 

I put the Christmas placemats in the laundry area so I can spot clean them before putting them away. The new placemats now on the table I have used only once before. I am finding the little fringe corners a nuisance and will probably cut them off soon.

The carnation arrived today for my husband's birthday from Grace Village. No monthly group birthday party at this time. The entertainer got COVID so they cancelled the party. Not sure if cancellations will be continuing or only for this month. He already received some birthday cards in the mail.

I am happy to report that I am feeling much better. I earlier bought some prosecco to toast in the New Year. Also, a small chocolate cake for the birthday honoree. We have decided to broil some high-quality steak rather than go out. We are mostly homebodies now until the virus cases die down some. However, we often did not eat out on New Year's Eve because of the long waits at restaurants so this isn't strange for us.

 Have a blessed 2022.

A Touch of Something

 I have had a stuffed-up nose for several days; yesterday I had some sniffles, occasional sneeze and cough. I felt devoid of energy yesterday. Today I had a headache but that may be because I sat in a pickup truck over an hour trying to keep warm and alert.

Today I went to the free COVID testing site. I made an appointment, but the way it worked you just sat in line with all the other motor vehicles. It was an hour and a half past my appointment by the time I was tested. The good news is that I tested negative on the rapid result test (Binax). In ordinary times I would make myself comfortable at home until I recovered and not seek any outside information. However, I was with 3 relatives on Christmas Day who do not live with me. I felt I needed some reassurance that I hadn't exposed them to COVID.

I can't remember the last time I had a stuffed-up nose as my only symptom for days. I probably have a cold, perhaps the flu but no fever and only slight body aches. I definitely am not well, but not very sick.

We had 1 1/2 inches of snow yesterday. The forecast was for snow/rain mix in the evening, but around 1 p.m. the rain turned to snow and stayed that way for several hours. I will try to do an online grocery order for picking up tomorrow. Trying to limit exposure to people, and now that I might have something to pass along, I will try even harder.

Tomorrow I plan to take down most of my Christmas decorations including the tree. I will keep the poinsettia in the sunroom. 

Merry Christmas

 We had a nice pork tenderloin mid-day meal at home. My husband's sister joined us. Then we headed out for an afternoon at his other sister's house with games and snacks (really more like a meal).

While I was cleaning up in the kitchen, my hubby and SIL finished the jigsaw puzzle that we had received as a Christmas gift. At 500 pieces, it only took us two days. Usually, the sky or top of the puzzle is last, but this time my husband started on the large evergreen tree, and we worked out from it to the colored trees and the buildings. It was an enjoyable puzzle.

We wish you a Merry Christmas.

Central Park Christmas Decorations

 We drove through Winona Lake's main drag and then over to Warsaw Central Park Tuesday night to see Christmas lights/decorations. Tuesday was supposed to be warmer than Wednesday would be, and a chance of rain ruled out Thursday and Friday.

At the Park I was so cold. After walking around 15-20 minutes in a biting wind, I returned to the car with a cold nose and face, cold fingers, and an earache. I had put on my winter coat, but I didn't have any head covering, and the gloves I wore were pretty thin with a coating on some of the fingers to enable one to use a cell phone. I tried to take pictures on my phone. My husband had a light jacket, no hat, and no gloves. We were not prepared.

 

You can see the county courthouse dome in the background. The park sits beside a small lake right next to the downtown area.

These trees next to the stage constantly changed color and pattern. There was Christmas music playing as we walked around.

The little blue sign said to keep on the walkways, but you can see not far ahead puddles which were slushy and not safe to navigate. Several areas were like that; we tried the grass a few times but it was soggy. We had no rain recently so I guess the water came from the watering/irrigation system. 

There were lights and figures throughout the whole park. Some of them were "animated" (made to look like there was movement).

On the weekends they have a hot cocoa booth open and sometimes carolers. We saw 2 other people walking around at about 8:30 p.m. It seemed like a good idea, but it sure had a cold outcome. 

Drastic Measures for the PaperWhite

 You may recall that I bought a PaperWhite narcissus at Trader Joe's because they had no amaryllis. Given my black thumb, that probably wasn't a very wise decision. 

The leaves grew by leaps and bounds until most of them flopped over. I tried attaching them to a narrow stake, but that hasn't been very helpful. I know one of the reasons for the growth is because the plant prefers a cool room. I have read the temperature should be below 65 degrees. There isn't any room in my house that I would let get that cool; and the den where the plant receives plenty of indirect light warms up quickly on a sunny day. (Which we have today on the winter solstice).

Looking for a "fix" I searched the internet. If I had done this when I first brought the plant home, there might have been a better outcome. The best way to keep the leaves at a reasonable height is to make it tipsy. Adding diluted gin, vodka, whiskey in small amounts  suppresses the leaf growth. However, it has to be diluted because straight alcohol will kill the plant. If ones does not have that kind of alcohol, rubbing alcohol will work. Who discovers these things I wondered. 

Today I trimmed the leaves by half. They oozed liquid, either water or sap, I don't know which. Since my alternative was to throw the plant out, I decided a drastic rescue effort was OK. I gave it fresh water, then added a bit of rubbing alcohol. I haven't seen any sign of flower stalks. If those don't appear in the next few weeks, the plant will be tossed out anyway. Proving once again that it would be a kindness if I stayed away from live plants.

Quiet Here

I haven't posted here for 2 weeks. Now that Winona Literary Club is on winter hiatus and last night the Grace Village Choir presented its Christmas concert things will slow down. 

I took the magazine rack we purchased in Dallas at Weir's Furniture to Habitat for Humanity ReStore today. Edible Michiana that comes out quarterly and that I picked up for free through the years at restaurants in the area and enjoyed so much are most likely outdated as the pandemic has caused many small food businesses and dining venues to close. I discarded them and moved some other magazines to my other magazine storage.

My husband built this for me as a gift a few years ago.

It does have the advantage of having a flat tabletop so I can keep things like my reading glasses handy. 

A task my husband has wanted me to do for several weeks is to get rid of the expired over-the-counter meds and first aid items in the drawers in "his" bathroom. Most of the stuff is 2-4 years over the expiration date, but I have a small bottle of Tylenol that says 2006. I am thinking, however, that it isn't really that old because I think that I put some pills in there for traveling because it was a handy size to pack. But not knowing how old the pills actually are, I will dispose of them.

My next step is to replace most of them by using my Medicare Advantage OTC credits. I do that online, but we continue to get the catalog.

I am accumulating a pile of things to take to Goodwill, also, but think I will wait until the week after Christmas. Most of them are books, a few clothes.

My church puts out a daily Bible reading plan in increments of 12-13 weeks. The one I just finished included all of Genesis and all of Mark and a few Psalms at the end of the week. I had looked up some verses in The Message before but not read long passages in that paraphrase. I do not like it! I especially dislike the Psalms in street language. I have decided to donate The Message to Goodwill. 

I also sorted through my Christmas music CDs. I only got rid of 4 (kept 15). I took these to the Grace Village Give-and-take table.

We are starting to cut back on being with people in crowds. We already livestreamed our church service last Sunday. I did go to Meijer for groceries rather than ordering for pick-up. I mostly don't miss shopping in person; I see that there are limitations on amounts you can buy in the store again. I did find some ground beef marked down almost half off that I would have missed if not in person. 

Actually, yesterday our county had a significant drop in COVID cases. The Thanksgiving surge may be over. However, with all of the concerts and Christmas events last week and this week, I won't be surprised to see another surge. We do have omicron in Indiana but as far as I know not in the northern part where I live. As an older more vulnerable person, I am not up to taking risks I see younger people taking (no vax, no masks, no social distancing). I understand the desire to have some "normalcy".

I have eaten lots of Moose Munch the past few days. I need to throttle back. Our neighbor brought us a small tin of homemade toffee this afternoon. Lots of See's candy sitting around too (Christmas gifts). I did send some of the Moose Munch in a tin with my husband to the woodworking/hobby shop; according to him, the two regulars are munching away. Getting some help in avoiding eating too much myself.

Hope you are enjoying some treats (in moderation). I hope to drive around to look at Christmas lights next week. 

Reconfigured

 I made some changes this year in my Christmas decorations. The sleigh with the bears that sat on the entry table has been moved to the den. I have it sitting on a runner that I bought at the estate sale of my neighbor who died after brain surgery. The sleigh and the cedar chest were made by my husband.

For several years I have purchased a pink/pinkish poinsettia, but this year I went with the traditional red.

Since the Christmas bears are now in the den, I needed something different for the entry table. I set out the candle holders I have used there, but in-between them is the angel that I used to put on the top of my tree. I now have a small tree that she would overwhelm so though I put the angel on top of my china cabinet a few times, this year she is sitting on a little red Christmas towel I bought at the Guenther House gift shop in the King William district of San Antonio.

Yesterday we drove to Fort Wayne to dine and to shop. At Trader Joe's I didn't see any amaryllis like last year; I bought a paper white narcissus instead. It has some sunshine bathing it today, but next week will be rainy/snowy.

 Another new item is a pillow also from my neighbor's estate sale. I suppose this could be displayed at other times of the year since it doesn't have Christmas colors. It is a nice size for the glider loveseat. 

Do you like this font? It is called Montserrat. I first used it in the Thankgiving post. I think it is very easy to read. I may switch to it for a while. 

I am not pleased with how things are trending. Our county is seeing quite an increase in COVID cases, including the staff at Grace Village. The GV staff is tested twice a week so the 8 positives may not be sick, just carrying the virus. The chaplain has been very ill.

Yesterday when I stopped at AAA at Northcrest Mall, the employee told me she had no travel guides for Florida except the Panhandle. She instructed me to go to the web site. I really wanted a paper issue so I could mark the restaurants and places that interested me.

I ended up taking some guides for Indiana, Ohio, Michigan because she told me when those in stock were gone there would be no more. They are not going to print the guides; they will be digital only. She did have some maps for me: Florida and one for Daytona Beach where we will arrive via plane. 

This morning I went to my local Walgreens to pick up my online order. The clerks could not find it. I showed them the email I had received that said it was ready for picking up. Finally, they checked the tracking and it showed the product is in Memphis Tennessee and won't come until probably next Tuesday. I am not sure I would try ordering online again. I did the online order because this product has not been in stock at my store for over a month and it was on sale.

There are shipping delays galore. The jeans my husband ordered from Kohl's on November 24th still has not arrived. The FedEx tracker said it would arrive November 29th. Of course with the holiday, I figured it would be a little longer. They transferred the package to the U.S. postal service, but actually it sat in Indianapolis for almost a week at FedEx before it was transferred December 3rd. 

I did have a good outcome with the gifts I ordered online from Costco. The Monday after Thanksgiving they shipped and took 2 days for the ones going to California, 3 days for the North Carolina destination. 

Fortunately, we don't have an urgent need for the things that are taking a long time. The important shipments were the Christmas gifts and they have been delivered. Hope your online shopping has not been like ours. Bonne chance. 

God Gives The Song

 The holidays can be a bit melancholy for me at times. 3 years ago my mother died 2 days before Thanksgiving. Though it has been over two decades, my father died on the 5th of December. My husband's brother also died in 2018 in December. 

A piece of music I heard today on one of the blogs I read touched my heart. It reminded me that despite feeling down, God does reach out to us, He hears our sighs. He gives us strength to keep going.

Listen to God Gives The Song. See if it draws you closer to the Father as it did me.

Has All The Pieces

We had a nice Thanksgiving dinner with 5 family members at the dining room of our retirement community. Afterwards they came to our condo to converse, watch football games, and work on a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle, and eat some evening snacks.

The puzzle is one that I bought at a Goodwill store in Illinois when we went to Starved Rock. You take a chance that it will be complete. This one was!

 We went to bed last night with snow on our rooftops. This puzzle set the tone for Christmas. My husband and I had to finish it this morning by ourselves. Next week I will get out my Christmas decorations and tree and transition to the next holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving

Finished Mandalas

I did meet my goal of coloring 5 mandalas. I have them taped to my patio door. They brighten the view up since I now have a bare tree out the window. I will take them down the week after Thanksgiving in order to put up Christmas decorations.

Today I attended Winona Literary Club. Part of the centerpieces were "cookies" made to look like turkeys. We each were given a small plastic bag so we could bring a turkey home. 

Almost too cute to eat. 

Our speaker was from Ryan's Case for Smiles. These are volunteers who make colorful pillow cases for hospitalized children trying to cheer them and their parents/families. Ryan's mother did this for him and others on his ward. The group has mushroomed so now it is in several states and in Canada. After 5 years of battling cancer (including an amputation of his right leg), Ryan died. To honor him, his parents continued making the cases and word spread.

A chapter of this group meets once a month at Grace Village as well as other places in nearby South Bend. The pillow cases go to many hospitals in the northern Indiana area. The nurses love having them to put on the pillows as they do elicit smiles. 

Early Taste of Winter

We had a pretty steady snow yesterday (Sunday) morning. Because the temperature has stayed at 30 today, very little has melted. In fact, we are having some light snow this afternoon as I type. 

It should start melting tomorrow and be gone for sure on Wednesday when we are in the 50's with rain. However, after Wednesday the thermometer drops into the 30's and 40's for the forecasted future highs. 

My housecleaner took a job in a cabinet factory. I believe she will be doing what her daughter who works there does. She gathers the hardware for the pertinent items onto a cart and delivers them to the assembly line. Her shift starts at 5 a.m. which I never could work. She will be earning twice what she earned cleaning. Her goal is to buy a used RV so she and her husband can retire and travel. I wish her well, but it means I am trying a new housecleaner.

 The former housecleaner recommended this business. There are 2 people working at a time which speeds things up, but also costs more. Today was the first time. They did a good job, but they arrived an hour later than what was scheduled. There were extenuating circumstances. We will see how it goes the next time. They do not clean during winter school break. After my December 13th cleaning I will be on my own for almost a month. Plenty of time to check out others if I am not satisfied with the current arrangement. 

More change in 20 months of change. I should be getting good at flexing, right? Not so much. 

 

Operation Christmas Child

 The church where we currently attend does not participate in Operation Christmas Child. Last year I did the Build-a-Box online. It wasn't very satisfying. This year I decided to at least help fill boxes with other Grace Village residents. They had already collected items through the year. We gathered in the chapel Monday afternoon.

We folded and assembled 150 boxes. Then we went down the tables (those on one side of the room designated boys, the other side girls) putting in the accumulated items. For me it was interesting to see the type of things they had collected as in the past I had filled a box for the oldest age bracket of girls. Their chosen bracket was younger children.

The "wow" toy was a Beanie Baby; other items included a coloring book, crayons, washcloth, soap, toothbrush, pencil sharpener, tablet of paper or index cards, pens and pencils, a small doll, socks, hair accessories (brush, comb, headband, clip), and from a miscellaneous box things like harmonicas, yo-yos, smaller stuffed animals, calculators. There were some items left over which were packed up to use next year. This is an annual endeavor by the residents.

Grace Village does not track the boxes, but we know God will use our efforts where He sees best.

Hope you have found a way to be a part of Operation Christmas Child or some other charitable efforts this holiday season.

Ladybugs

 We are having a nice warmup this weekend. As we exited the front door late this afternoon to take a walk, we had to dodge ladybugs. Dozens of them on the porch cement, the gliders, the outside walls, and a few on the front door. When we returned there were fewer of them and fortunately none on the door so we kept them from coming inside.

Our fall foliage has peaked. There are still some pretty trees, but lots of fallen leaves. The town of Winona Lake has a collection truck that "sucks up" the leaves that have been raked to the road edge. We saw several residences where the leaves were waiting. I don't know what the city does with them. At least we seldom see smoke from leaf burning these days. That does tend to aggravate my asthma.

We should have several nice days early in the week, then about a 20 degree plunge by next weekend.

The Grace Village choir is slated to sing in chapel Wednesday morning. Our director has COVID. Supposedly the pianist is to direct us. Since when we face the congregation we can't even see the pianist, I don't know how this is going to work out. We will find out at practice Tuesday.

My husband and I got our Moderna boosters last Friday. Because of high transmission in our county, the CDC recommends wearing a mask in public gatherings. I mostly do online grocery shopping with pickup. Friday I went into the store to pick out some produce and buy a get-well card. All of the Kroger employees are required to wear masks; about half a dozen customers wore them including me. I wear a KN95 at church, too, but it is rare for me to see anybody else with a mask. I am thinking of doing internet streaming of the worship service at home once Thanksgiving rolls around. We already have an increase in COVID cases; after people travel and mingle with relatives it is likely going to be worse.

I am enjoying my cozy home. The last few days we have been working on a jigsaw puzzle my husband made from a poster he bought at the Old North Church gift shop in Boston. There are about a dozen figurals (see the little duck). It was fun to reminisce about our visit to Boston decades ago, part of a sabbatical.