New season, new experiences

Realized it has been over a month since my last post... life and time flying by. The biggest change for me has been in my mobility. Muscle weakness has effected my ability to stand for more than short periods at a time; walking is now a short-distance-only exercise... no more roaming the malls for me. All of which has led to my obtaining a cane to help prevent crumpling to the floor. I was given a Rollator (the walker with a seat) by a dear lady. It is solidly built and unfortunately I'm too weak to heave it into and out of my car... thus I use the cane for excursions outside my building. I've also made use of the wheelchairs that some stores provide for customers. In the past when I was tired, I had sometimes looked longingly at the electric carts available in some stores. I now have a legitimate reason to use them. (Be careful what you wish for.) I'm thinking of getting an Oooga horn to move people out of my way.

Mini-rant alert...
I have gotten so I hate most grocery stores. The one I had shopped at most has become an irritant as they don't place items where I think they should be located. That's assuming, of course, that they haven't stopped carrying the items I'm looking for. Then there's that matter of shrinking portions. I purchased two small portions of my favorite side item... 'small' being the operative word. While I was eating one of them I realized that the container was very shallow. The portion is at least one-quarter to one-third smaller than it was a little over a month ago. Of course the price is the same. Grrrr. Went shopping the other day at another grocery store and every item on my list except for two were on the top shelf. Double-Grrrr.


A pretty good, very nice day...
The weather today was pleasant. I felt a little stronger. I had stopped by a grocery store to make a last-minute purchase before heading to visit a friend. When I returned to my car, a younger woman said, "Excuse me. I'm parked in that car (indicating the car past the one next to me... uphill of mine on the inclined lot)." At this point I thought she was going to ask for money. Instead, she told me that while she was loading her groceries into her car, the cart had gotten away from her and had hit the front of my car... would I please check it for damage. It took me a moment but I finally noticed that the license plate had a raised crease in the side. I told her not to worry about it... easily fixable. It took her a moment or so to realize that I wasn't going to throw a hissy fit and she wasn't going to have to make a claim against her insurance. She apologized again a couple of times then returned to her car with an obvious sense of relief. I spent the rest of the day with a warm glow... glad that I could relieve her concern and pleasantly surprised that she had waited for me to return to my car so she could tell me about it. My warm feeling went splat later in the evening when I realized I had forgotten to thank her for telling me. (Sigh.) Lord knows I try, I really do.

My day continued with my visit to my friend's home. We sat in her backyard garden, chatted, drank tea and coffee, and munched on goodies. She and her husband had been trimming some of their small trees and I told her husband that if he found a nice sturdy cutting, he could make a walking stick for me. I am now the proud possessor of a sassafras limb cut to my size and already tried and proved. My friend's garden is lovely. I have told her that I'm going to haunt her garden. If sometime in the future she sees a bluish-white specter floating amidst her flora during the night, not to worry, it'll just be me.


Gee, my family is getting old...
My youngest granddaughter will be celebrating her 8th birthday this coming Monday. Her oldest sister (also my oldest granddaughter) is working, taking college classes, and planning her wedding.

I'm still getting a giggle out of this one...
I attended the Maundy Thursday service at my friend's church. They were having a short service including dinner and Communion. This is a denomination that uses real wine for Communion and serves it with their meals. When they started to open the wine, they realized that they had no corkscrew. My friend was preparing to go to her home two blocks away to get one when I remembered that I had a Swiss-type knife, with corkscrew included, in the console of my car... it's been in there for years. I'm surprised I remembered it. She retrieved it from my car and the service and dinner progressed as planned.

I was raised in a denomination that uses grape juice for 'The Lord's Supper.' When I was young, I was convinced that the ladies who purchased the juice did their best to get the sourest juice they could find. You know the kind... makes your throat clench when you take your sip. And I was the one who saved the day.
 
My friend told me today that one of the men at the service said, "She has a corkscrew in her car?" Tee-hee.

Short and sweet

The snowstorm this past weekend was short-lived but produced lovey vistas out my window. There are still patches of leftover snow (seed snow?) and piles of snow in areas that were scraped, but a very soft storm for us.

One evening last week, I fell asleep in my lounger with an open box of assorted chocolates in my lap. I woke up in the wee hours the next morning with the box flipped up against my chest and two large pieces melting in my lap. I looked at those pieces in my lap for a moment then scooped up one melting, gooey piece and ate it. Don't judge me. It was one of my favorite pieces. And no dog hair attached.

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Thanks,
Just Jane

Good just gets gooder

The family post-holiday holiday get-together was better than I had even anticipated. The ham was as even better than last year's... just enough fat and lots of meat, cooked to perfection. I discovered that only two of my grandchildren are still shorter than I am... hadn't realized that I'd shrunk that much... I'm beginning to feel like an elf. Got to see my oldest granddaughter's beautiful engagement ring, which she received on New Year's Eve in New York. Her fiance chose it himself. Good job! Also got to meet her future in-laws... wonderful people... warm and witty. I can see why their son is such a special young man. The girl cousins spent an hour or two checking out the wedding frou-frou available for view on a laptop. And of course, the kids enjoyed the gift swap (the adults enjoyed it too)... tho it was not really a swap as we had drawn names last year. It was cold but sunny... good winter weather.

For the December 25th Christmas, my son-in-law received a Kindle Fire and my daughter got a Nook. She was so busy that she didn't get a chance to demonstrate it for me. My son-in-law, however, was eager to show us all his new toy... very nice. I am content with my first-generation Kindle but he is convinced I have secret pangs of Kindle envy.

I've often said I'm 'a day late and a dollar short.' It has happened again. I've always loved to dance but never had many chances to indulge. (I've been embarrassed a few times getting caught in a store aisle moving to the music.) I also wanted to find an exercise program that I'd enjoy enough to stick with, but never could... even Tai Chi, my favorite, was not one I could make myself stick to on my own. Now that I'm too weak to indulge, they have finally come up with Zumba. I definitely would stick with that if I could. Oh, well... I'm still dancing in the aisles... even if only in my mind.

New year... new experiences

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ' I've lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." 

- Eleanor Roosevelt

My new year has already given me marvelous memories. On December 31, last year, I was part of a New Year's party with the talented, giving women of From the Heart. (More about them in future posts.) I realized that I really consider that the beginning of my new year. We knew we'd all probably be in bed by 10pm that night, so we celebrated from 10am until 2pm. The food was tasty and the communion of friends wonderful... a great way to start this year.

I'm preparing to gather with my family to celebrate our post-holiday 'holiday.' I think I've mentioned before how all the adults are great cooks. I'm looking forward to more good food and fellowship with most of my favorite relatives.

Last week, my doctor looked me in the eye and said something I never thought I'd ever hear someone say to me. He told me that I am losing too much weight; I need to eat more. I have a witness. I'm trying to be grown up about this, but I am, after all, only human... Neener Neener!

Getting into the zone

I'm finally getting the Spirit. I've always loved Christmas... it's brilliant colors, glow of lights and the wish to get everyone just the right gift... the one that will 'knock their socks off.'

The first thing that jingled my bell was what I expect is a gift from Santa, and it may be just the first of several I have been receiving each year. These are not of the 'unwrap and see what's in the box' variety. They are more subtle (i.e. getting a surprise call from someone special to me, etc.). The gift? A wonderful dream that had me waking up with a smile... not the least being that I can still remember it (the salient parts anyway). What was it about? Not gonna tell. And I'm still smiling.

Another jingle was when two of my granddaughters came over a couple of days ago to help me with some things I didn't feel up to doing myself. Didn't finish the whole To-Do List, but did get the main item completed. Then we went out to lunch. I've been wanting to go to the Jefferson Hotel to see the lovely decorations and tree. It was a special treat for me to take the girls there. They loved the decorations and got a kick out of spotting the alligators... a real boost to my holiday mood.

I've been concentrating on and anticipating my family 'Christmas' which is scheduled for January. We've gotten together after the real holiday for several years now. Means I don't have to be part of the pre-Christmas shopping rush unless I just want to indulge. I don't. The grand-kids love it... they get to have two Christmases. And we adults can take advantage of sales. (I hope there's one on country hams, my main contribution to our dinner.)

I am looking forward to Christmas Day because it falls on Sunday this year. There's just something so right about that for me. I'm planning on attending services that Eve and Day. Well... at least one or the other.

The Timex has finally stop ticking. Just before Thanksgiving I noticed that the second hand was no longer making its sweep around the face of the watch. All things come to an end. The death of that battery coming at the beginning of the celebration of new life for us all... another wonderful gift.

Taking time for giving thanks

Comfort is relative…
This past Saturday, the temperature in the mountains was 43° with a wind chill considerably lower. While at a craft fair for my granddaughters’ scout troops, I saw one of the older girls who was there to help with the crafts... a teenaged girl with her hands crammed either into the pockets of a zipped-up sweatshirt or her jeans. Bare feet and flip-flops. Fashion dictates.

My ears! My ears!....
When I attended grade school, the artwork decorating the rooms and halls was related to the holidays or seasons of the month, i.e. cherry trees and little axes for George Washington’s birthday; decorated eggs, chicks and bunnies for Easter; colorful leaves for Fall in September; witches, ghosts, and jack-o-lanterns for October. November was for Pilgrims, black hats with large buckles, and varied representations of the Plymouth rock. Then, up went the paper Christmas trees and garlands, etc. for Christmas.

When my children were growing up, the day after Thanksgiving Day was the day we put up the Christmas tree and other decorations. I managed to con my youngest daughter into stringing the lights on the tree each year. Until she finally rebelled.

Irritated by the apparent disregard for Thanksgiving this year, I made up my mind to avoid anything related to Christmas until after Thanksgiving Day, especially any and all of the ’holiday’ movies that started playing on TV at least two weeks ago. I had been successful in my determination until I discovered that my granddaughter was ready for the gift-giving holiday. She insisted on listening to a radio station that was already airing their Christmas play list. Oh, well. It helped that one of the first songs I heard was "Santa, Baby" sung by Eartha Kitt.

I am thankful for so much this year….
Each year my list continues to grow. I am so grateful for:
..Two daughters and a son who have grown into wonderful adults
..Two sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law who have added so much to my life
..Ten grandchildren who must be the smartest, most creative, and best looking ‘grands’ ever to exist
..A brother who is very special (a good man… honest, sensible, trustworthy and true); my sister-in-law, his wife (a woman with a good heart and a wicked sense of humor) and her sister, (a woman whose world-view surpasses even mine in cynicism)
..Authors, with their talent to use and put together words into books that engross and enchant me
..Fathers who are willing to help with girl scout activities
..Friends, who enrich my life in so many ways

This past Thursday evening, a day that had been cold and blustery, my son-in-law introduced me to the pleasure and comfort of hot cocoa with peppermint schnapps. Yum. Consider me schnapped.