Archive | November 2006

Advent Calendars

Nov30

Our boss bought everyone a Trader Joe’s Advent calendar. I was the only one in the dept who knew what it was. Guess who is the only one with Teutonic/Scandanavian heritage? Sooo… I have been showing people the joys of an Advent calendar. Too funny. It never occurred to me that something that was a huge part of our holiday rituals at home would be so unknown to others. Mom never got the kind with chocolate. We always had the kind with pictures of Scandanavian stuff, like elves and St Lucys. No candy and I think one year it was small toys.

The store that Mom always got them at is long gone so I think the only place besides Trader Joe’s that would have them would be Solvang because our Ikea doesn’t have them.

NB added:http://www.sellmer-verlag.de/history.htm

Coldddddd….

Nov30

I’m a bad person. I almost laughed out loud in the elevator at someone. It’s 37 degrees out here this AM and one woman was telling another it couldn’t be as cold as yesterday since there was no ice. It’s a lot colder than yesterday AM, yesterday was 45 degrees. She had no ice because it’s 15% humidity. There’s no water to make ice.

Geez. louise… basic meteorology and physics.

Happiness Runs

Nov29

Happiness Runs
Hopefully a painless meme. Please take the criteria and post it on your own blog if you wish. No tagging, just if you want to do it.

Please list 5, or more simple things that gave you happiness or even joy in Winter as a child and by child I mean under 18 years old.

For me it was:
1. Singing in church choir and school concerts
2. Being with my Uncle Winn and cousins on Christmas Eve
3. Walking with the family Xmas eve thru Arbor Dell
4. Baking and testing cookies
5. Going to Grandma’s Christmas Day
6. Hearing family stories
7. Wearing sweaters
8. The smell of winter and cold rain and wind
9. Singing and playing my guitar for school’s Christmas Open House
10. Sleeping with a cold face and an open window and lots of covers
11. Candlelight Christmas Eve at church

Name 5 simple things that gave or give you joy from age 18 to 49

1. The smell of winter and cold rain and wind
2. Wearing sweaters
3. Sleeping with a cold face and an open window and lots of covers and the cat
4. Leading singing at solstice rituals
5. Hearing family stories
6. Watching my bulbs coming up
7. Reading a good book with a cup of hot chocolate on a weekend afternoon
8. Making gifts
9. Baking stuff
10. Getting together with friends

If you are over 50, name simple things that make you happy now:

1. The smell of winter and cold rain and wind
2. Wearing sweaters until I have a hot flash
3. Sleeping with a cold face and an open window and lots of covers and the cat
4. Making gifts
5. Watching my bulbs coming up
6. Getting together with friends
7. Making gifts
8. Baking stuff
9. Reading a good book with a cup of hot chocolate on a weekend afternoon
10. Picking out decorations and decorating with Alison

How many things are on all three lists? How has time changed what makes you happy? Next challenge, do one from each list if you can. Be Happy!

First Yule Playlist

Nov29

First Yule Playlist

1. Gloucestershire Wassail/Tomorrow Will Be My Dancing Day – Maggie Sasone
2. Mid Winter’s Night – Blackmore’s Night
3. Ring Out, Solstice Bells – Jethro Tull
4. The Christians and the Pagans – Dar Williams
5. The Closing of the Year/ Toys – Cast
6. The Christmas Wish – Jon Denver and the Muppets
7. The Wren Suite – Linn Barnes & Allison Hampton
8. Huron Carol – John McCutcheon
9. Greensleeves – Chip Davis
10. Wexford Carol – James Galway
11. King Holly, King Oak – Johnny Cunningham
12. Oiche Mhaith Leibh – A’ine Minogue
13. Silent Night – A’ine Minogue
14. The Peace Carol – John Denver and the Muppets
15. Gloucestershire Wassail – Linn Barnes & Allison Hampton
16. Personent Hodie/Cantus – Connie Dover
17. Draoicht Na hOiche – Dordan
18. In the Bleak Midwinter – Maggie Sansone
19. The Clock Ticks On – Blackmore’s Night
20. Medley: Alfie the Christmas Tree/ Carol for All – John Denver and the Muppets

Nov28

I just had a real cheery cuppa with

[info]cim_halfling

.. It was a bit o’ fun I needed. Especially after dealing with a rather dense Finance Vp over something I think he should have known. Oh well. 

This is a weird time of year. Mom seems to be waiting for something and I hope it’s not Christmas. Our family has a bad habit of dying on birthdays and there are 2 family birthdays coming up. One is her brother’s and her father already died a few days off that one and the other is Ali’s the day after Christmas. That would totally suck.  After that the next significant date is in February for Cam’s birthday, not fun.

I got a bunch of BunniHoTep shirts to take to the Faire on Saturday, hope people like them. I had a black long sleeve one made out of one of the BunniHoTep line drawings I inverted the colours on and it looks a bit scary if you ask me. Like I’m shilling for Bunnicula not BunniHoTep. 

I also got 2 Heroes shirts, one for Hiro and one that says “Save the Cheerleader – Save the World.”
We’ll see how long I last at standing, sitting and walking. Drugs are my friend.

Nov27

Over 6 months in Hospice is a very long time. I called the Hospice Nurse to complain about Mom being force fed. She said she’d speak to the Nursing Staff because they aren’t supposed to do that. I’m wondering if because it’s a Christian Home that they can’t deal with just letting Mom go. She obviously didn’t want to eat. And the minute we kicked the NA out we had 2 Nurses from the Home trying to tell us how well she ate at breakfast which entirely misses the point. I had a real hard time finding her pulse. Ali couldn’t find it at all. It was very faint. And I probably did find it because she was upset. She didn’t really know who we are even if she nodded when we asked if she knew. She did it to make us stop bugging her. When I kissed her goodbye she tasted terrible. She’s getting that skeletal look that Dad got before he died. It’s very hard sometimes.