Pretty Little Things

This is THE tree this year. A houseplant of sorts - some kind of fir that can go to the patio after Christmas. The soldier nutcracker reminds me to pray for soldiers during the holidays. Nevermore has taken his perch on the top so he can keep his eye on the festivities and whatever else is going on in his household.

I had two nice compliments today - haha, they may go to my head, if my head weren't obscured in the first picture post - one said we were a "hot" bunch of ladies. Then, another unrelated person called me "foxy" Alright! "H" and I were out to lunch during Christmas shopping when I picked up the first message and I burst out giggling while reading the post. He said he was flattered that someone thought he had good taste. We laughed a lot - it was nice.

We went Christmas shopping for the girls in the family, found a good underwear sale - never drag a man through the underwear section of Victoria's Secret. He got his present - LOVES Hawaiian shirts (not the cruise through VC) - and Tommy Bahama had a sale like I've never seen - so he's the proud owner of an awesome shirt for his Christmas present and a bargain to boot. (I have a surprise for him - a zebra print comforter set - something with our family - sort of like an "Elvis' jungle room syndrome.") He has a beautiful elephant vase with a tropical plant in it. So, didn't get it all done, but a good start.

I found a mega material store - also has any craft you could imagine and art supplies galore - could have spent a couple days in that store alone. I came home to root through my coupons so I can buy a canvas that is already half price - a fun wide one.

Had our annual Cajun lunch at our favorite place while Cajun Christmas carols played.

Was amazed my back held up although the pain got to a roaring point in the mall - malls are NOT my thing....but actually it wasn't bad today - except for the kiosks that smack of tourist row in a foreign country. Prices seem high in view of the economy, but didn't see many people carrying bags, either.

I hate leaving the house because of anxiety but when I go, its usually great - !!! Tomorrow hope to get some paperwork done, then finish the Leopard Skin Shoes - Christmas present for the daughter who gets to wear sexy shoes....I went through shoe sections in the stores - OH - they are pieces of sculpture - I LOVE the new shoes - wish I could wear them. If I can't I shall paint them.

Well, we have a movie on - going to watch it. I have laid off the popcorn, bought a new scale, and determined to lose some gained pounds - ai yi. The scale is too technical - it's like learning to operate a new cell phone almost.

All I want for Christmas is an Omar Bactrian Camel....

While wandering Walmart last night in search of that $49 bicycle, I found some wild stuffed animals - baby animals and they came with bottles. Oh my gosh - so soft and cuddly. For a while I became seven years old again. A feeling that is still lingering. Yep, they are on my Christmas list, one anyway. The baby chimpanzee was toooooo cute. I pictured "H" coming home from work and finding me in the recliner bottle feeding a stuffed chimpanzee and hoped no one saw me standing in that aisle giggling.

Yesterday, I decided to go the the auto dealership because my steering has been wobbling and the car has been making high pitched screaming sounds. I had, in my mind, envisioned about a $400 to $600 repair job, IF I were lucky. I prayed, and decided to stay positive.

First, I encountered - " that will be an $80.00 diagnostic fee. " The fee would apply to repair cost. No charge if nothing wrong. I swallowed the urge to get snotty and take the car elsewhere for estimate as I had already been through an argument with "H" who was insisting I take the car to his repair person, who usually takes ten days to two weeks to repair and then it has to be taken back once. Not wanting to be without a vehicle, I did the nasty and went to the "expensive" dealership.

I had another offer from grandson who said to take the car to Pepboys and have the alternator tested, and he would install a new one. I have tried all three of these plans in the past, usually in a cloud of angst, not knowing which way was the "right" way.

After a long wait, the serviceman from the dealership came in and said the steering shaft had a broken clip and the bad sound was from a lack of power steering fluid. I ask him why the clip kept breaking - that had been replaced right after I purchased the car (recall) and then again, by that very dealership last year. And they had also serviced the car several months prior and why was it without power steering fluid already? He disappeared and came back two hours later and said that everything had been fixed, "no charge."

Ok, third time steering has been fixed since purchase of a new car. Oh well, its fixed and I'm out nothing but time, and consternation over driving a car that I felt was going to jump to the oncoming lane at any moment while screaming a high pitched tune.

Reminded me of the Toyota that needed new brake pads every six months.

Lesson learned, follow your own gut, not necessarily what other people think, do it lovingly, and expect the best, and trust that it will turn out for the best. So, I was asked, and what if you had had to pay? Well, then that's what I would have done....may have had to wait to repair - but I would have had it done with much less stress than other incidents like this in my previous life.

And I feel so very thankful that I did not have to pay all those dollars out when Christmas is coming. Perhaps I will use some of the money for an Omar Bactrian Camel or a Meerkat or an Anteater.....or even the Chimpanzee from Walmart....

Life and Loss, Good and Evil

Shaquille ONeal is a sweetheart - in response to news of the death of a five year old girl, sold into white slavery, subsequently prostituted and murdered, he paid for her funeral.

Another sad story - these things hurt my heart so much.....and make me wonder about the meaning of life despite my faith.

The child was sold or traded for drugs according to one news story, by her mother. I don't understand how a mother could do such things to her child. Another day in which I don't like the world.

Well, I'm going to Walmart to return videos and come home and do art. It's actually cold here, am going to turn on the furnace! Er - cold by my definition. I am also cold because I am being very careful of what I eat and the chills indicate a need for carbs - but I will conquer this demon screaming in my head...."eat pie, eat cookies, eeeeeaaaaat!" Finally returning to exercise after the flu bout. Was invited to see a film at a friend's house - but I'm soooo cold and its dark and I want to run home, put the rest of my groceries away and ........

Judging from the amount of pain I still experience from time to time, I really need to stick to the plan of getting the rest of the weight off - it's made a huge difference. I know its bad when I'm looking at the Christmas ads and a purple walker with a seat and basket jumps on my "like" list. I'm the woman who refused to ride the carts in Walmart when I could barely walk when my back was so bad and I'm looking at a walker.....but it was purple.
That must have been why.

"H" is worried about my yearning for a bicycle - he thinks I could be accident prone and it isn't a good idea to go bike riding when you're 64. My medicare card arrived. I am stunned. Not sure how that happened (getting this old). My brain isn't old, my mind isn't old. And actually, compared to many my age, my body is not that old either. It's all a piece of paper. Er.........

I spent the entire afternoon at the car dealership - my car was very sick, last night it was screaming - I was scared, seeing big monies flying away when I need to buy Christmas presents. The bill was to be minimum $260.00 - turns out it was a defect that they have attempted to fix twice prior, and they charged me nothing - not even the $80.00 diagnostic fee. Yes! There is good in the world.

Thanksgiving was good - time with family was good.

Oh, rats - I see from the preview that I need to enter code to get paragraphs, but I must return those videos so I'm going to be lazy. Sorry.

Day Before Thanksgiving

Despite being totally exhausted, "H" (for hubby) and I went shopping for a tree - decided I wanted a "real" one this year. However, we were quite taken by the lighted palm tree, but not the price. For an insane moment we considered it, but decided that kind of money would be better put somewhere else, but still.....we would have left it up all year round, it was a magnificent palm and rather cheeky. It badly needed its branches adjusted, but "H" drew the line at me climbing up on the display to "fix" them.

My oil pastels arrived - they are like perfect chocolate - creamy and easily blended - and fine jewelry could not come in a more pretty box. Now, I need to see if I can fix the mess I made of "Leopard Skin Shoes."

My kitties - they are driving me nuts - I need to arrange some play dates or something for them, they are at my feet or my side at all times. Aren't cats supposed to be independent?

Then, I walked the edges of the swamp yesterday for just a while - the days have been so beautiful and a wide range of wild flowers were blooming - however the mist and my camera phone weren't cooperating - I lust, lust after a super camera.

Next, Happy Thanksgiving for those who are celebrating tomorrow - and if not celebrating - everyone have a super rest of week.

I'm cooking this afternoon (I think) - part of it done yesterday, then tomorrow we are going to younger daughter's house - where her "H" will do most of cooking (oh, yay, he is proving to be quite a good cook) and my oldest daughter will come with older grandkids - and we hopefully, if our physical condition allows us - will hit "Black Friday" somewhat - I want to get my oldest daughter some sexy boots for Christmas, have already bought youngest daughter and family presents - the older grandkids I'm getting them some prepaid charge cards and small trinkets to open - -

The tree - we bought a 4 foot fir tree - a houseplant which in Florida will also grow nicely on the patio. Environmentally friendly - now to get a still tired "H" to get decorations out of garage when he gets off work - maybe I can ply him with food......

Finally fixed the paragraph problem with some html code - nice to know the blogspot will now take html codes!!! I'll have to dig the recesses of my memory, might be able to have some fun with that!

Nevermore II

Nevermore II will soon be leaving for a European Holiday.

New Drawing/painting....

Thinking of doing this for Milla -at first was going to do the bird looking back at the tree, but then the whole scene with the bent paper and tree looked intriguing to me...sooooo

Ha, would you believe the picture post isn't working - I'm out here alive - will post more later when the photo thing is working....tomorrow....and will visit everyone. I have to get up early and take Grandson to school.............

Till Monday.....

Maw and Paw

It's been a busy busy time - had company from Wyoming - they purchased their winter home....etc., etc. All done. They'll be back after Christmas till the worst of the Wyoming winter is over and they will then return up there.

This week grandson had a choir presentation and also a band concert. They were both quite good. It has been amazing to watch him pick up an instrument in September and play various songs in November and in "concert" with 100 other instruments.

Then I was drawing on Weds. nights with some friends, but pulled out of that as a busy holiday season is here . . . I have enough sketches of nudes that I can continue to build on, however.

We made an art room in the study with a paint cloth on the floor to protect the carpet and made the cats mad....haha, I think I shall cover the furniture in retro paint cloth and make a table cloth now that I have found something that cats avoid....can break all their nasty habits of dropping hair where it shouldn't be dropped.

Plus I had the flu, hurt myself in the toe and burned my hand and arm.....

"H" working long hours - tired all the time. I've been aching - don't know if it is from cold air (yes, yes, it's not REALLY cold down here) - or arthritis or WHAT! I thought I had lost a couple more discs in my neck but pain is abating some. I'm tired too since the flu. Guess some of my younger friends are dragging too - perhaps its the times we're living in - things changing so quickly, violence escalating - prices shooting out of control - feeding the kids - parents sick - political fights abound - we are told our country is broke, but then money seems to come out of nowhere for crazy things........

We were talking about maybe going to New Orleans for a weekend to see the Christmas lights, etc....my daughter is going this weekend for an Emily Autumn concert (Victorian Techno???) - maybe they can tell us if the trip will be worth taking - the whole face of New Orleans changed after Katrina....if not, perhaps can slip away to some quiet romantic place on the beach...."H" says he doesn't want to eat out - so what else is there? We could put on winter coats and have a long walk on the winter beach......OR CLEAN THE GARAGE.....

Having fun Christmas shopping - its easy this year - except the eternal clash between me wanting things done way ahead of time, and "H" wanting to wait until last minute....that is sort of throwing a "clink" into what could be a well oiled machine......

Thanksgiving with family this coming week -

Today some little girls came to my door with two absolutely adorable dogs - the dogs have been running the neighborhood obviously lost. Of course they sniffed me, decided to come on in and make themselves as home, ignoring the cats. OOOOOhhhh, I wanted to keep them - a gorgeous, dignified red dog - maybe a lab? and a smaller curly dog - a cockapoo? Well mannered and responded to voice commands - oh "H" would have shot me - and I really couldn't afford doggy vet bills since vets cost as much as neurologists (human ones!) anymore. But so sad, the beautiful things deserved better. Now, I will wonder what happened to them.

Rocky winter

Been kind of "out of it" for a few days, a week, more. October a hard month, November too - although I did good, and only had one day of really hard crying. But I give myself that - sometimes we just miss someone so much, that we have to let it out. And I've had new pain radiating from my neck and its been a bear to deal with. So that's where I've been. And addicted to Farmtown, and quicky FB posts.

Had to post pic of my home state, since I was lost in revery for a while. My mother sent me a couple of boxes of "stuff" from Wyo that contained son's drawings, some writing, some art prep materials, etc., etc., pics of kids, my grandma who is no longer with us, and newspaper clips of my oldest daughter who won "Player of the Year" in Wyoming and "Best All Around Athlete" - these were state level awards and who now lives with chronic crippling pain. Being a young athlete takes its toll.

A pic of my grandma in front of a Thanksgiving bird - she always insisted I set the turkey on the table whole and not cut up. I smiled looking at the photo - she was so old and shrunken up, the turkey was as big as her - but she had a huge smile plastered on her face.

My baby book with 8 of my teeth taped into it, and locks of my hair. That's over 60 years ago - didn't realize paper lasted that long - till now. Oh - just joking on that!

It's cold here now....brrrr. Down to the 60's.

So, its been an odd period of weeks here - - - I want to come back to Blogspot and be creative.....need to know what all of you are up to and what is going on in your lives too!

Daugher going to concert with Emily Autumn in New Orleans this weekend - so I have grandson then, yippee! Perhaps I will take him to the new disaster movie - 2012 - I went the other day - if one is an adrenalin junkie, I would recommend it - not bad for a diaster movie. Rather unsettling actually.

Christmas shopping already - woo hoo - I love this zany month - I even have my fake holly all around the room partition to the kitchen.

Fall Reflections

Whew, the storm is over, the sun is shining - but only on the outside. I think the reason I don't like fall is because of the sadness that comes. I made it through the anniversary of my son's death yesterday, but today I have been weeping buckets and more buckets. Not only that, but looking at old pictures of my kids and I miss them, I miss them so much. The girls are still here as adults, but ....well, I miss them.....the trucks, the dolls, the basketball games, the school projects - making sure they had warm winter clothes for when the hard Wyoming winter came - just having them with me. I miss them so much today.

Will let myself grieve a little while longer, then suck it up and get with today, and put the past back neatly into a box - label it, "The Past." Going through a box my mother sent - with my son's drawings, writings - even my report cards from grade school, my baby book, family photos, oh dear. And I wonder if they will go to a trash can somewhere when I am gone.

Today I realize how old I am. There is no path as I walk down the end of life, not that its the end - if I went by my female ancestors - I have another 30 years, LOL!! But also a package came from an attorney with all my medical records, and I realize I could also make that end journey at any time. But that is true for all of us, we are living in violent times.

I remember all the angst and drama of youth, of my twenties, thirties, and forties. And it gives me more patience with my daughters. Photos of an ex husband and my poor dark face - that one was a BIG mistake. But it took me to a place where the fall was wonderful - my kids and I would wander the woods and the pumpkin patches and I would can and work with food while they played in mountains of colored leaves - fall in Iowa is an awesome spectacle. We would carve pumpkins and we would make bonfires and roast marshmallows over the burning piles of leaves. The neighbors thought I was quite nuts - and perhaps I was - maybe. I was so poor - I would take my son to the mall, and he loved cheese - we would go to the cheese store - he always liked to do that even though we could only afford one pound of cheese - he could choose the kind he wanted after tasting through the different ones.

Ok, 'nuff of this. Going to go get on my elliptical, try to get in the mood for drawing tonight - and think about THIS Thanksgiving and what I have NOW to be thankful for.

Flying Pumpkin Pie and Turkey?

I can't believe this - almost mid November and Hurricane Watch out there in the Gulf? Noooooooooooooooooo

http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2009/11/grand_isle_louisiana_coast_und.html

Looks like it might hit Louisiana coast - if so, we'll still get some fallout.

Extraordinary Super Cat Massage Therapist

Company has gone home - I've cleaned my lair and it is inviting me to come.....relax.......sleep

A few days back I heard a very loud pop in my neck and then a couple days later another.....and I have had some serious pain in my shoulder down into my arm - don't like how it feels, too similar to the one leading to surgery in the neck, I sure hope it's just something like sleeping crooked as they say, I hope I hope. In the mean time, I have this compassionate helper......never mind he has the wrong arm - his heart is in it. What does it mean when they drool during a massage? Deep concentration? Obviously, it really wore him out.

Hope to get back to normal routines tomorrow! Grandson came to visit today - we had a very quiet laid back day - although I wanted to go to the Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival. But it was a good day.

Well, I just asked "H" if he wanted to watch "Madea goes to Jail." "Uhhhhneyehhhhh. " I reply, "Is that a yes or a no?" "Oh, if YOU want to." If I want to what? I think it means, "No, don't you know that football is on again tonight?" I think. Not sure. Not like there is not three TV's in the house - heck, I'm going to watch Madea, if he doesn't want to, he can go do the foooooootbaw! After 30 years I am starting to understand a little bit what Unneyeh means.

Eeeehaw! I get to sleep in tomorrow morning. I could not sleep last night - no matter which way I laid, I could not get out of pain. My friend left me some anti-inflammatories - will try one of those!

A Hard Day's Night

Here I am hunkered up in my grandson's bunkbed with computer, hiding from football racket on TV. It wouldn't be bad, but it goes all day on into the night. I change it to my channel, leave room and its changed back to guest's channel. I turn off, walk away, its turned back on.

When alone, I have had the TV mostly off all the time except for a few choice shows when I am in my solitude. "H" is very happy, of course, to have male company to watch football with, in the living room at that! Bigger screen than is in male lair.

I might get attached to bunkbed lair. I've decided to put a poster on the bottom of the top bunk. And install a clip on light for reading. :) No TV here - but a hook up for video games on a screen.
I was going to move into "H's" lair for a week, but he looked at me with dazed eyes and said it was impossible to clean it up. Also he does not like to sleep with the lights out or the TV off, and I can't sleep with the TV and lights on. So I told him I would not be in his male quarters. Too much work, too little sleep. He concurred! I noticed it was also impossible for him to clean his bathroom up. So I dove in that room with disinfectant in one hand and papertowels in the other. Then settled into grandson's guest room. I gave the guests the master bedroom because they were looking at the air flight from Hades from our town to Wyoming, then a long at least three day drive to West Virginia. Like us, they ain't no spring chickens. (For the unintiated to country folk in the U.S. - it means they are getting, not old, but ripened, like us.)

Friends found second home (small mobile home) in a very beautiful area 25 minutes from here. They fell totally in love with the area. Papers signed already and they have their utilities all on except one. But they are still here at Casa ? Then they will go home Sat., drive to West Virginia to clean out his house, back to Wyoming, then down here after Christmas to spend winter.

I was supposed to show a water machine today, but "H" lost my demo equipment somewhere in the garage and swears he never saw it before. I am trying not to be short tempered. I am so overwhelmed with my stuff being lost so much of the time and it being physically impossible for me to lift boxes to search for it. Not a good way to run business.

Spent today resting after running guests ALL OVER the place for two days.

Still stressed out over my grandson's predicament. Can't help it I don't think - I am hardwired to think I should save the world, most especially grandkidz. Send good energy and/or prayers that he can stay the weekend so he can kick back and relax!

He is texting me about his injured tailbone now - must sign off.