Rainy Sunday

[Shirlv]

Good Morning, Another rainy, dreary day. Turned on the Christmas tree to relieve the gloom. One of those days when you don’t want to stay home but don’t want to go anywhere. Need to play some music to drown out the house saying “ clean me, clean me”. Safe travels

[Redetotry]

We got lucky her today. Out gloom went away and the SUN is actually out! When I went out to get the paper at first light, just as I bent down to pick it up an owl hooted right over my head!

Yesterday was my baby brothers 70th birthday! We took him and his friend out to dinner yesterday evening. I had found cinnamon rolls at the Farmers Market that were very similar to the ones our Granny used to make and I think he like those as well as the shirt we got him. The woman with him lived up the street from us as kids and they have been friends since they were around four. Both have now lost their spouses and have reconnected. My husband keeps asking what her real name is and I have no idea. We still call her Sissy. She was the only girl in a neighborhood of boys and certainly was not a Sissy as she kept up with them. I think the biggest trouble happened when my brother took the chains that held the doors back to the school gym and tied her up. The bell rang and he couldn't get her untied so he just left her!! Can you imagine the trouble he would have been into by today's standard!!

The dogs want their breakfast so guess I better get the day going. I hope the sun comes out soon for everyone.

[Bethers]

Yesterday was cold here I the New Mexico/Mexico border. It didn't stop having fun. Peggy and Norma drove down from Deming and we had lunch with two other friends of Peggy who volunteer here in the museum. Then Peggy, Norma and I went into Mexico. Cute little border town. Lots of construction right at the border. I probably would have gotten lost finding the parking lot lol

I'm hoping the clouds party I'd get more wispy so that today warms up more. I now have the wifi password for the restaurant I ate at yesterday. It's closed right now but is closer than the library so sitting outside to check in.

As for Christmas decorations... I'm proud of myself... I got my little tiny red and white tree out.

Birdie, good for you. I think with all the other weather and other crisis that have happened people forget that it takes years and only rally around the latest.

[BarbaraRose]

Good morning gals!

BJ, I am sure your brother and Sissy have a good laugh over that story now!

Sunny here today and no wind. Off to work later on. Need to get a few things done before then tho.

Have a great day!

[BarbaraRose]

Our Christmas decorations...



Just realized I forgot to hang the stockings on the mantle!!

[BarbaraRose]

Here are the stockings hung by the chimney with care...

[Acadianmom]

Barbie, your house looks very festive. I don't think I will put anything up. That would involve cleaning somewhere to put a tree. I'm sure CC would love one. I have resisted buying a Poinsettia and condemning it to death. I'm suppose to be cleaning the counter in case I have company for Christmas but that's slow going. The sewing machine is out and I don't want to put it up until I finish hemming some pants.

BJ, funny story about your brother. My brothers and sons did things in high school that would get them arrested today. My brother and his friends set off a stink bomb in the bathroom and the school had to be evacuated. I don't remember if they got caught or not, I was already away at college.

Another day of doing nothing. I did go feed in my robe and pick up the paper. I finally got dressed but not before noon. The sun is finally out and it's 68. I should go walk Hank while it's nice. Yesterday I had to wear 2 coats. Not that it was that cold but my coats are not that heavy.

Martha

[BarbaraRose]

I normally don't do anything other than the fireplace decorations but my roommate wanted to get a real tree so I was OK with that. So far, the cats have left it alone. Lola sometimes sits under it. I still have to go Christmas shopping. I need a gift for my roommate and a Secret Santa gift for one of my co-workers. I used to buy a box of funny Christmas cards but I can't find any this year so no cards. Besides, they are SO expensive!

Luckily, I am feeling better today so the ZiCam is working!

[JudyJB]

The last Christmas tree I set up was about 25 years ago, when my kids had left home, but one was back for the holidays. I had beautiful almost-white carpeting in my living room, and my son volunteered to take the tree down for me. It was a live tree and sitting in a container of water with a thick trash bag around the container and an extra one under it. (You know what is coming up, right?) So, while taking it down, he knocked it over and managed to spill all the dirty water on my carpeting. Even with the plastic, I ended up with a big dark spot I never could wash out, so I ended up rearranging my furniture until I sold the place.

Soon after that, I moved into a condo and just bought big, natural wreaths and decorated them each year. Much less messy and still smelled good. This year, I have just one string of lights on my dashboard and some greenery around them. That is really enough for me.

It has rained almost all week and promises to rain all next week, but I am taking advantage of my rental car and heading out to buy some new shoes and pick up some prescriptions. The couple pair of closed-toe shoes I have are too narrow and hurting my one foot. Had to take it off to drive home yesterday. So, off I go! I will try to find something cheap, but I wear such wide and small shoes, very few places carry mine other than SAS and Clarks.

[snowball]

a few years ago I got rid of my tree because it shed lots or so I thought!!! then I got a different one didn't overly like it for the type of ornaments that I have it was too full need more of a charlie brown tree
so gave the tree to my daughter with plans of buying a new tree but didn't find one I liked or could afford... so a friend loaned me hers as she wasn't going to be putting it up .... she told me that if the lights didn't lite i didn't assemble it right guess I didn't assemble it right...but since I add lights not missing them but you wouldn't believe the shedding on the floor surprised there are any left on the tree..
not sure if this tree is bigger in circumcise than older ones or if it's the new tree as the tree meets the chair..
going to need to rearrange a bit I guess but will get the tree decorated first
Barbie I hope I can find someone to fix the fireplace it would be awesome to have it back again...
but right now as I have a heat source just not a good ... I need to get the oven working still won't lite
a bad time of the year to be without an oven
sheila

[BarbaraRose]

...not sure if this tree is bigger in circumcise than older ones ...sheila

That gave me a good laugh!! We were just talking at work tonight about crazy autocorrect errors!

While I was at work today, I got a text message from my roommate saying there was a bird loose in the house. She had to leave and wasn't able to catch it. I feared the worst when I got home imagining hours of a bird crashing into things and cats going nuts chasing it, finding poop and feathers everywhere. I came into the house cautiously and the cats were both sleeping. I didn't see any feathers or bird parts anywhere. I turned on the dining room light and there on the window sill was this tiny little bird all fluffed up with it's head tucked under it's wing, sleeping! I carefully picked it up in my cupped hands and brought it outside. It sat on my hand for a moment and then flew off. I am not sure what kind it was. Was very little and grey with a black streak across it's face. He must have gotten into the cat enclosure and then (maybe with the help of Lola), come thru the hole in the screen and into the house.

Last year when I moved here there were lots of lizards, squirrels, rabbits, etc around my yard. Now there are no squirrels, only an occasional rabbit and I rarely ever see a lizard anymore. I wonder what happened to them all?

[Cudedog]

Last year when I moved here there were lots of lizards, squirrels, rabbits, etc around my yard. Now there are no squirrels, only an occasional rabbit and I rarely ever see a lizard anymore. I wonder what happened to them all?

I don't know if you do this or not, but if you spray (or scatter "granules") of any kind of herbicide (weed killer) or insecticide (bug killer) or rodenticide (rat and mouse killer) on the ground around the outside your house where local fauna can come in contact with it, that will generally do the trick.

Even if you use the "safe for pets" kind. Years ago a friend recommended that I use a granular-type herbicide to take care of the weeds in my flower garden. I did so. Even though it was labeled as safe for pets, I failed to take into consideration that my cat sometimes used my flower garden as her litter box. Of course, cats use their feet to cover their excrement, which gets dirt on their feet. And, of course, cats lick their feet to get the dirt off.

And, of course, a short time after applying the herbicide, my cat died.

It also appears that reptiles are particularly susceptible to herbicides and rodenticides, even more so than are mammals. Squirrels, like mice and rats, are also rodents. Thus they are also eliminated by rodenticide.

Anne

[Cudedog]

I normally don't do anything other than the fireplace decorations but my roommate wanted to get a real tree so I was OK with that. So far, the cats have left it alone. Lola sometimes sits under it. I still have to go Christmas shopping. I need a gift for my roommate and a Secret Santa gift for one of my co-workers. I used to buy a box of funny Christmas cards but I can't find any this year so no cards. Besides, they are SO expensive!

The photos of your Christmas decorations are lovely! Thanks for sharing!

I don't do Christmas cards either. Not only are the cards themselves expensive, but postage these days is pretty expensive too. Plus, I try not to add to the landfills any more than I have to.

Anne

[Cudedog]

. . . Another day of doing nothing. I did go feed in my robe and pick up the paper. I finally got dressed but not before noon. The sun is finally out and it's 68. I should go walk Hank while it's nice. Yesterday I had to wear 2 coats. Not that it was that cold but my coats are not that heavy.

Martha

Martha, your posts always are so funny, I really look forward to them. They always put a smile on my face. I really did laugh out loud at your "bullet bandit" dryer story. That was a good one!! Too funny!! I sincerely admire you for being so upbeat, with the recent tragedies you have experienced.

As for getting dressed before noon - my motto is "why bother 'getting dressed' at all, if I just need to get undressed again a short time later?"

I generally sleep in a comfy warm sweat shirt and sweat pants, with thermal underwear (top and bottom) underneath. In my area of the world, dressing to go out is mostly on the casual side anyway. I take advantage of this when I need to go out - I just don't "get dressed" at all. I just go out in the sweat shirt and sweat pants that I have slept in. No one knows the difference. And I save a lot of time this way.

I am not lazy. I just think things through.

Anne

[BarbaraRose]

The only thing I have ever put outside is Diatomaceous Earth (food grade) to get rid of ants and fleas. Maybe one of my neighbors put something out. I especially miss the lizards.