shopping 2020 style

 I must say, the shopping lists I am seeing these days look nothing like my concept of a Christmas wish list.  My concept is a long list of goodies just written or typed out.  For example I want some new pajamas and a calendar and some wool socks and a Roomba.  You get the idea.  Over the weekend my son and daughter-in-law sent me their wish lists as emails.  Not only did each list contain several reasonably priced items, carefully described, but also the links to take me right to the website where I could purchase these goodies.  And so I did. Cyber shop that is.  While I have never had a desire to fight the crowds to shop on Black Friday, it turns out that Cyber Monday is not bad at all.  No crowds, no waiting in line, no need to wear a mask.  Of course, on the down side, I am at the mercy of UPS, Fed X and others to get my hands on the actual items.  They have promised seven days,  A week ago I rode up in the elevator with a delivery man carrying a medium size box.  As we rode it dropped out of his hands and landed with a smack on the elevator floor.  I didn't hear anything rattling but I am really glad that almost everything I've ordered is cloth.  

What? It's only been three days.

 My brother, the one who keeps me posted on these things, tells me that today is "Throw away the left overs day."  Really?  Don't these people know about freezers?  That little section in your refrigerator that makes things super cold and solid?  Over the years I have successfully frozen sweet potatoes, turkey breast, and other turkey parts, pumpkin pie filling (that worked very well) green bean casserole, and so much more.  Two tips, use zip lock bags or containers that seal well, and finally, and this is most important - label your packages, unless you like mystery meals.  It's also a good idea to date your packages.  Things do tend to get shoved to the back of the freezer.  Happy thawing everyone.

Oh Christmas Tree.....

 My Christmas tree is up.  No lights or decorations yet but I have fluffed all the branches and stuck them on the trunk in the appropriate slots.  Tomorrow I will string the lights and hang the ornaments, lots and lots of ornaments.  I make no apologies for having an artificial tree.  I have had this one for 38 years and it's like an old friend,  Besides, artificial trees are a family tradition.  I'm not sure what happened in his childhood, but my father was always afraid that a natural tree would catch fire.  Of course when he was a child and people used candles on their trees, that was a very real possibility.  I have no memory of  chopping down a tree or looking at trees in a tree lot, but I clearly remember our first artificial tree.  Its very symmetrical branches were covered in silver foil "needles" and it was lit by a spot light behind a revolving color wheel.  I'm sure we were the first family in our small town to have a silver tree and Daddy loved it.  No lights strung on the tree meant no hot spots, so no fire hazard.  Happily, I married a man who was allergic to the smell of pine, so he was very happy to carry on the artificial tradition, although we did go with green.  Now both of my children have artificial trees in their homes.  Isn't it great when traditions live on?

Once upon a time...

 Once upon a time, when I was very young, Christmas gifts included things like doll houses and Tinker Toys and Lincoln Logs. Occasionally we would get new mittens or gloves or even socks, but not very often.  This year I'm gifting my great nieces and nephews with, you guessed it, masks.  I will also include some cash,  I'm not a total Grinch.  By the way, I bought the masks today, so, hooray, I've started my Christmas shopping.  

Thanksgiving thoughts

 I hope you all have had a good Thanksgiving Day.  At a Zoom meeting yesterday a friend read an essay that suggested some things I hadn't thought to be thankful for.  I don't know who the author is but here are some I liked:

I'm thankful that I have to pay taxes because it means that I have income.  (Probably not as thankful as I should be.)

I'm thankful for my wrinkles because they mean I've laughed a lot.  (My granddaughter assured me once that all of my wrinkles are laugh wrinkles,)

I'm thankful that some of my clothes are tighter than they used to be because it means I have plenty to eat.  (Certainly true on Thanksgiving)

I'm thankful for people who complain about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.  

You get the idea.  I hope you have had a blessed Thanksgiving.

Temptations...

 I will not be having Thanksgiving dinner with my family tomorrow.  We decided to play it safe, but we will visit by Zoom in the afternoon.  Since I'll be home alone I will not be cooking a feast for myself but I have been considering baking an apple pie (a really good apple pie made by church ladies) that I have in my freezer.  I had just about talked myself out of baking the pie.  The problem is that, if I bake it, I will eat it.  But then I had a text from a friend who is also eating alone saying that she had just finished baking two pumpkin pies.  Then another home alone friend chimed in that she has a rhubarb pie and also a sugar cream pie in her freezer.  She hasn't decided which one she will eat tomorrow.  Well, obviously, I will need to bake my pie, just to be sociable.  Hummm?  Do I have to wait 'til morning?  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  

it's a drive through life.

 Tomorrow I need to go to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription and then on to my bank to take out some cash in specific denominations to send as Christmas gifts.  Happily I can do all of this without getting out of my car.  Some years ago, when my daughter was taking driver's ed, her instructor had her drive through a McDonalds and up to a bank window.  At the time I thought maybe the instructor was taking advantage of her students to get her personal chores done, but after a while I realized that these are very practical skills to learn, especially these days.  While I do enjoy going into stores sometimes there are some definite advantages to doing things by drive through.  Just like going to Zoom meetings, it doesn't matter what you wear (unless you get pulled over by a policeman).  I try not to do that. Of course, based on some of the outfits I've seen people wearing in stores, it really doesn't matter what you wear anywhere.  Personally, I think if your mask matches your outfit, anything goes.  

I dould do that.

 On Saturday I was clicking through the channels trying to find something to watch while I rode my exercise bike.  The half hour goes much faster when I have something to watch.  I came upon a women's figure skating competition.  While I don't often watch sports on TV, I really enjoy a sport that involves graceful moves and sparkly   costumes.  The more I watched the more I thought that I should do this.  I followed along and found that I can do all the arm movements, and goodness knows I can spin around and fall down.  In my youth I was pretty good at ice skating in a straight line.  All I need to do is learn some of the fancy footwork.  The skating rink across the street has just opened for the winter so I even have a place to practice.  Now all I need to do is figure out how to attach blades to a walker.

A date I remember

 Sometime today it occurred to me that today is November 22, so when I watched the news I was wondering when some newscaster would mention that today is the anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  So far nothing,  I know that it happened 57 years ago but still, nothing???  I wasn't expecting a big retrospective but still, in between the endless reports on the coronavirus, which believe my I am not taking lightly, I though someone might slip in thirty seconds of memorial for JFK.  Nothing on the CBS 6:30 news, nothing on 60 Minutes, nothing so far on the 10pm news on channel 55.  I actually began to doubt my memory but Google reassured me that today is the correct date.  Since this is one of those events in my lifetime that I will always remember, you know, where I was and what I was doing when I learned of it, I expect other people to remember it too.  On this date in 1963 President John F. Kennedy was shot to death while riding in a presidential motorcade in Dallas, Texas.  And I, like millions of others, was shocked to think that such a thing could happen in the 20th century in the United States.  It was a loss of innocence. 

a rare and amazing creature....

 Today, according to my west coast brother, is Alascattalo Day.  What, you may be asking, is an Alascattalo?  Google gave two answers but this isn't about the asteroid.  My first guess was an Alaskan animal, perhaps a mixed breed cow and buffalo?  But I'm not sure if there are buffalo in Alaska.  Actually I wasn't too far off.  The elusive Alascattalo is a mixed breed of a walrus and a moose.  Who knew?  When I learned this it reminded me of other strange and exotic animals I have learned about in my travels around the US.  Especially Hodags in Wisconsin and Jackalopes in Texas.  It's good to be aware of some of the lesser know species in our country.  Some are quite scary, especially the orange crested dedludedenyit now residing somewhere on the east coast. 

Oh, fudge.

 My west coast brother has come through again.  Today is National Peanut Butter Fudge Day.  I'm not sure why they limit it to peanut butter fudge,  I like peanut butter and I like fudge (chocolate of course) but really not together.  I do like peanut butter, chunky naturally, and I even like it in some combinations.  Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a classic but, personally, I like peanut butter and pickle sandwiches, preferably with bread and butter pickles.  I read a novel recently in which the heroine was enjoying a peanut butter and olive sandwich . I haven't tried that yet but I like olives so why not?  Everyone of a certain age remembers that Elvis had a fondness for peanut butter and banana sandwiches (better with mayonnaise).  Hummm, I'm sensing that it's time for a bed time snack.

panic attack???

 Or maybe it's de ja vu all over again.  Today, because Allen County is in the red zone, I felt compelled to go out and stock up.  No, not toilet paper, I have a plenty of that, but groceries and books.  Books are probably more important than food and since I really prefer the large print books it's much easier to go to the library and pick some out in person than to try to find them on line and use curb side pick up.  Don't get me wrong.  Curb side pick up was fine when there was no other option.  As for groceries, what can I say.  I bought good stuff like milk and eggs and ham and cheese.  But then, as mysteriously happens so often in grocery stores, a package of apple fritters jumped into my cart.  It must have done, because there it was on the counter when I had finished putting all the other groceries away.  Did you know that if you heat an apple fritter in the microwave (put a piece of wax paper over it) for 30 seconds, it gets lovely and warm and even more tasty.  So there's your recipe tip for the day.  

gift idea

 How times change.  I have six great nieces and nephews (three of each) and each year I send each of them a Christmas gift.  Last year, because they are getting older, I sent each of them a billfold (camo for boys, sequined for girls) with cash inside.  They all seemed to enjoy these and shopping is problematic these day so I decided to send cash again.  I still feel though that I would like to send some little gift with the money, something they can open.  So I've been trying to think of something appropriate as a gift in 2020.  And finally it hit me, I can send them masks.  There are lots of cute masks out there these days and the cutest I've seen are for kids.  Also, I can order them on line and hope to get them before Christmas.  That's my plan.  We'll see how it all works out.  I know, masks aren't quite as exciting as socks for Christmas but times are tough right now.  

farm jokes

 My west coast brother informed me that today is Farm Joke Day, and being a goat farmer, as well as a loving brother, he shared a few with me, so of course I'll share with you.

1. What did the mommy goat say to the baby goat?

"It's pasture bed time." to which the baby goat replied "butt, butt, butt."

2.  What do you call a cow with no legs?  Ground beef.

3.  What do you call a horse with no legs?  It doesn't matter, it won't cone any way.

After those jokes, I felt compelled to respond.  What do you call a chicken with no wings and no legs.   White meat!

Ok, enough of this nonsense, but if it took your mind off Covid and politics for a minute, my job is done here.😁

interesting TV

 Tis the season, no not the holiday season, the new season of my favorite TV shows.  It's been interesting to see how the producers have been working around pandemic restrictions.  For example "Bull" one of my favorite courtroom dramas, has everyone wearing masks, the people testifying are behind plexiglass, the jurors are in another building watching the procedures on screen.  On the new "Family Feud" episodes Steve Harvey stands over six feet from the contestants, no one shakes hands.  I'm a big fan of "The Voice" and their audience are all watching through TV screens while the contestants in the battles are on separate little stages several feet apart.  I must say, I applaud their ingenuity.  It's good to be done with reruns, except for "Monk" of course.  I always enjoy those reruns. He could be the poster boy for this pandemic.  He makes hand sanitizing an art form.

A very windy day....

 I'm getting used to disorienting days lately. days where the weather and the date on the calendar just don't match.  Today was another one.  You may have noticed it was pretty windy today, a little too windy for kite flying, actually, but it certainly seemed like a March day to me.  Even more fascinating was the wind storm itself.  While the wind was strong enough to create white caps on the lazy St. Mary's River, it still didn't manage to blow down the two very dead trees along the river's edge.  But they did loose some branches.  To quote one of my favorite philosophers, Winnie the Pooh, it's been a very blustery day.  

Soup's on.

 This week, now happily over, was National Split Pea Soup Week.  I'm not sure why this particular soup gets a whole week, not sure why it would even get a day.  I am not a picky eater, really I'm not, but there are two things I really don't want to eat.  One is tomato soup and the second least favorite is split pea soup.  I like peas and I like tomatoes but not in soup.  I think it may have something to do with the texture of these soups.  Don't laugh.  I had a friend in college who had no sense of smell or taste (this was long before Covid) and yet she had very definite likes and dislikes in food.  I finally asked her one day how she knew that she liked or didn't like a particular food if she couldn't taste it.  She said it was the texture.  I don't remember her soup preferences but I'm pretty sure she was fond of ice cream.  

one more time

 Please indulge me.  One more evening of sweatshirt humor, and then no more (until the next catalog comes).  

If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

Since there is only one of me, does that make me endangered or a limited edition?

\If by "crunches" you mean the sound bacon makes when you eat it, then YES, I do crunches.

People who wonder if the glass is half empty or half full miss the point.  The glass is refillable.

It takes real skills to choke on air, fall up the stairs, and trip over nothing.  I have those skills.

I do all my own stunts, but never intentionally.

I accidentally went shopping on an empty stomach. and now I'm the proud owner of Aisle 6.

catalog joys

 Every three months or so the mailman brings me one of my favorite catalogs.  Ironically it's called "Catalog Favorites."  There are lots of different clothes in this catalog, but what I always look for are the sweatshirts with pithy sayings.  Here are my first four favorites from this issue:

'At my funeral take the bouquet off my coffin and throw it into the crowd to see who is next.'

'Sometimes I wonder what happened to the people who asked me directions.'

' I'm a wooden spoon, lead paint, no car seat, no seat belt, no bike helmet survivor.'

' If 2020 was a drink. it would be a colonoscopy prep.' 

Happy Veterans' Day

 Actually I'm not sure if the greeting "happy Veterans' Day" is appropriate.  For many, I'm sure it's a day of sad memories.  My family is very fortunate.  We have had some known family member in every war since the Civil War, on my or my husband's side, and none of them have died in battle.  This week I was reminded of one of these relatives.  My husband's father served in WWI and I have a picture of hum looking very young and handsome in his uniform.  His picture, sepia toned and mounted on a plastic like surface in a very old oval frame, has stood on a shelf in my bookcase for years.  I'm not sure why but when I looked closely at it last week I realized that the plastic like material it was printed/mounted on was starting to break away.  I took it to Frame Art to see if it can be salvaged and happily it can.  The woman I talked with there told me that she has seen other photos like this and when they start to fall apart it's always around the oval edge of the photo itself.  No apparent reason except old age and brittle materials.  It was probably printed around 1917.  So I will get this picture back, better than new, and I will happily continue to honor this veteran and the others in my family.  

more time travel

 Yesterday I wrote about walking around downtown Fort Wayne and experiencing the strange sensation of admiring Christmas decorations in 75 degree weather.  This evening, just to make this weird reversal of time complete, I sat outside on a balmy November????? evening and watched 4th of July fireworks.  They were beautiful and I really appreciate the city of Fort Wayne choosing to set them off on November 10.  I know there was some mention of it being the evening before Veterans' Day but I'm pretty sure the real reason they chose this date is because it's my daughter's birthday and also my son and daughter-in-law's anniversary.  I love big family celebrations, don't you?  

It's beginning to look.....

 a lot like Christmas,,, but not really.  It doesn't surprise me any more to see Christmas items on display right beside Halloween candy at Kroger's, but today was something different.  I was walking downtown, really enjoying what felt like a warm early autumn afternoon.  I particularly enjoyed swishing my feet through the leaves all over the sidewalks in the park.  I felt like a kid hearing all the good crunchy noises.  But when I got closer to downtown I realized that, while the huge flower pots are still full of blooming mums, there are Christmas wreaths hanging from every lamppost and the Christmas tree is in place over Calhoun street.  For a brief minute I felt like I had fallen through the earth and was experiencing Christmas in Australia.  Ho, ho, ho! It's coming, ready or not.  But I refuse to skip Thanksgiving.

celebrating

 No, not the outcome of the election, although I am pleased about that.  I'm celebrating the fact that one of my granddaughters turned 18 on Friday, tested negative after a Covid exposure at school, has sent in her application for early approval at the college of her choice, and spent the weekend with me.  We had a good time and I am so grateful that at 18 she still want to spend time with me.  Life is good.  

no it's not...

There's a wise old saying "No news is good news."  Well maybe that's true in some cases but not in this election.   I'm tired of waiting, but not, I'm sure, as tired as the newscasters.  I will say that they are very good at repeating the 'no news' over and over.  They never seem to run out of words but they do seem to be running out of hairspray.  

a matter of timing

 A friend and I took a walk to The Landing this afternoon.  It was a beautiful day for a walk.  About 4:00pm we decided to get a snack before she had to be at a meeting, so we stopped at Nawa, only to discover that it's closed between 2:30 and 5:00.  So we walked to the coffee shop, which is conveniently located right next door, only to discover that they were just closing.  Happily, a nice young man came to the door and informed us that right next door was another  restaurant, which they also own, which was open.  I don't remember the name of this restaurant but if your looking for it on The Landing, it has BEER in big letters on the window.  The coffee shop says COFFEE.  Very convenient,  We finally got our snack and I recommend the corn bread with honey butter.  My friend had mac and  cheese and said it was very good.  Since the meeting she had to be at was a bell ringing rehearsal we decided to pass on the beer.  They did have some good sounding beers and BBQ on the menu though so I think I will go back when I have more time to enjoy the choices.

day 2

 I have high hopes for 2021.  Honestly, there's no where to go but up from 2020.  I have hopes that I will be able to travel at least a little bit.  My brother wants me to come to Spokane.  We may or may not be wearing masks.  I will continue to wear one as long as I can since it is  such an effective coverup for wrinkles and much cheaper than make up or a facelift.  I may be able to spend more actual physical time with friends and family.  Zoom is good but I do long for hugs and kisses.  But most of all, possibly better than anything else, I have high hopes that sometime in 2021 we will know who will be our president for the next four years.  Fingers crossed.   

small doses

 While I really admire the newscasters who are talking non-stop about the election this evening, I find that I can only listen in small doses.  It is definitely an exciting race but still.  I have heard some interesting bloopers though.  My favorite was an announcer who said there were still 96 states to be heard from.  I am interested enough in the outcome to stay up later than usual, but I shall entertain myself with an old Perry Mason rerun and switch back and forth during commercials.  It seems like such a civilized time back in the 50s.  Everyone has nice manners, they dress well and they almost all get to drive convertibles - huge long convertibles.  And the bad guy always gets caught.  Excuse me while I get back to my escapism. 

still learning

 I had my third Zoom tutoring session with my 4th grade student this afternoon.  I must say, he's doing an excellent job of  of tutoring me.  Today I was shown the science project his class is working on because he could show it to me using the split screen.  He then went on to show me a math program he's working with. Right now he's working on measurements measuring, of all things, fish. cartoon fish that is.  My contributions to this tutoring session were some books from the library that I though he might enjoy.  He had already read one and the other one didn't interest him.  When I asked him if they went to the library (excuse me, media center) he explained that they can't this year so they just download all their books.  Of course they do.  I feel so antiquated but if he keeps working at it he may be able to move me into the 21st century.

Traditions

 I went to church live today instead of attending couch church as I have done for the last several weeks.  Since today is All Saints Day it was a very moving service, including, among other things, a bagpiper playing Amazing Grace.  If you're wondering about the bagpiper, the Presbyterian church has a strong Scottish heritage, hence the tradition of having the bagpipes at this service.  The only problem I have with this tradition is that I don't think bagpipes are indoor instruments.  Notice I didn't say musical instrument, the jury's still out on that.  Even in our very large sanctuary, the sound seemed much too loud to me. Maybe it was because when I attend couch church I can control the volume.  Anyway, as I listened, I couldn't help thinking that bagpipes should be played outside, on a hill side, a far away hill side.  Preferably in Scotland.