Scowling, Puffy red jacket

Recently, Mr. Man and I were on a vacation in beautiful Lake Tahoe.
Our room was on the top floor of the resort, and provided an excellent view of the lake, mountains and forest. The elevators were being serviced, but there was one central elevator still working, and usually had no wait, even though it had to come to the 6th floor.

We were ready for a day out and about and stood waiting expectantly for the elevator. We could hear a commotion and screaming from below, followed by the fire alarms. Assessing our nearest escape route, the alarm ceases and the elevator doors open.

A 3 year old boy, wearing a bright red, puffy down jacket complete with hood,  comes bursting out and is dragged back in like a bouncy red ball  on a rubber band by his mother.

She is a MOM.

She has those long, extendable rubber arms and lightning reflexes only a seasoned mother develops. She has 2 other boys in the elevator with her, each a little older than her youngest, also dressed in the family uniform of the day. . . puffy red hooded jacket which makes the boys look three times their normal size with snow pants and boots. These two are tucked quietly into the corner of the elevator with backs up against the wall, lips sealed , hands at sides. Their brother, who had been dragged back into the elevator and now has his back against the wall with mothers hand across his chest, is scowling.
Mom apologizes to us as we board, and explains they had a bit of a scuffle on their way up to their room, and her son pulled the fire alarms.

The "glowering scowler is looking at Mr. Man and I. " ( He'll have to manage a worse look than that to frighten us.)
I look him in the eye and said, "Did you pull the fire alarm?"
He nods, yes.
I ask, "Was there a fire or an emergency?"
He says, "nope"
Mr. Man eyes him. "You never pull the alarm if there is no fire or emergency. That is bad . "
Mom nods, and says, "Yes. Very bad!"
We arrive on the ground floor. The Scowler looks up at us and says, with teeth clenched,  "Yeah, but I  wanted to see a fire truck and a fire. "

Mr. Man and I exit to outside. We look at each other. . . . both of us have clenched teeth and say,
"I just wanted to see a fire truck".

I'm also laughing because, really, who doesn't like to see a fireman on a firetruck?

I'd like to meet the Scowler again in 20 years to see if he's become a fireman or a Pyromaniac!

"Its a Blustery Day" with the Santa Ana winds!

There's nothing like living with the Santa Ana winds!

Wind gusts through our valley, toppling trees recently weakened by the foot of rain over the last week.


Everything has to be anchored down, and if it isn't , well, away it goes. My large patio umbrella, although collapsed and strapped, has taken the trip over the fence, along with various towels and patio cushions. It's curious how all the leaves in the neighborhood seem to find their way the opposite direction, creating a trashed and debris littered back yard- most of it landing in the pool!




I've had to bring down the American Flag as I watched it get whipped into shreds as it battled to stay erect in the wind. There is a loud thud somewhere on the property. After inspection, I see no outward signs of damage, but there is certainly something broken. Loud thuds can only mean issues to fix.




 Skin moisturizer and chapstick soak into the skin like water into the cracked desert floor.
Forget the hair. Geesh! What a waste of time! Trust me, there was some sort of style on my head earlier in the day, I just don't have any documented proof of it.

There is a plus side, though. Brushing the dog outdoors, the fur flies every which way and over the roof....which I later found out landed in the pool creating another chore for me!  The Captain is very fluffed now and substantially thinner due to his coat stripping. I seem to be wearing more than a fair share of the flying fur.

It's a marvel that the enormous trees in the neighbors yard across the street stay erect. They sway dangerously back and forth and if they were to dislodge themselves, somebody is going to lose a house or car. Glad they just had the trees thinned and branches cut back. I believe we would have experienced a real mess had that job been delayed!

This is the day to dry out the rugs, pillows and comforters. The sun is shining, its a little warm, (60 degrees) and get the car dried off darn fast!


Like Piglet said, "It's a Blustery day" and we all just need to hold onto our hats a little tighter and find an anchor point in case the wind get's too out of control.


Time to take an Oil of Olay bath before the rest of the skin flakes off!

Happy New Year! It's 2017

Mr. Man and I welcomed in the year 2017 together, joining friends for a party and evening of celebration, food, cards and wine. It really was a nice beginning. New Years eve is usually spent at our house, looking at each other and eating sausage balls until we fall asleep.

The last REAL New Years eve party we went to, we were confined to a couch and forced to watch the broadcast of the mirror ball fall in New York City. We only knew the hosts, so it made for awkward conversation as the evening lacked alcohol, music or any entertainment except watching the children bang on the pots and pans with spoons. We left at 12:02 a.m. What a lovely difference this years party provided and how much better ringing in the New year with beloved friends makes!

Since I have retired from hospital work, I no longer have to worry about working the holidays, waking up early or waiting for a call to come in. It's been the biggest change in my life so far. An enormous relief and freedom from the all encompassing anxiety that filled my days leading up to work, at work, or recovering from work. I have a new found love for the holidays. I no longer have to spend them away from Mr. Man or hear about the days events second hand. Best is not having to watch the Rose Parade broadcast in bits and pieces throughout the days replays in patient rooms.

Spending the holidays at home mean I get to take my time decorating and planning. Now that they're all over, I've taken my time taking down the many, many Christmas decorations and trees. There seems to be more time to carefully pack it all away neater and more efficiently. I left up the lights until the last  because they bring such delight to me. All of them were put on a switch that could be activated with a touch of one button. Best invention ever for light fanatics like myself!  I would turn all the lights on before leaving my bedroom so the light display greeted me first thing every morning and uplift my spirit! Lit garland garnished with sprigs of Virginia Pin berries were all over  the doorways. Piece by piece, I packed Christmas away, encouraging the Nutcrackers to peacefully slumber until next year and the Santa's to stop their kicking and be good little guys during their hibernation in the bins. The house always looks so barren after clearing off the shelves of the masses of holly and décor. It all gets a thorough cleaning and vacuuming before the everyday décor goes back. Amazing how much dust accumulates over a month!

Today, I was smugly satisfied that no trace of Christmas remained. Its all back up on the high shelves in the closets, or packed and stored in the roof of the garage. I did the final dusting and rearranging of the dining. The letter I write to myself every year which congratulates me for surviving another holiday was already written and packed. (note to you all- writing a self affirming and positive revue of the holidays is a must. I even draw myself diagrams and included photos or magazine ideas of how the decorations worked best or what to try for the next year.  p.s.- I was awesome this year!)
Then I saw it. A large black plastic footing from the tree which is stored the highest up in the rafters. How could this have been missed? It's a foot long and BLACK!!   NOW what to do? It has been mocking me from the countertop where I left it. I've decided to put it into a large ziplock, and affix it to the inside door of the closet where the tabletop decorations are kept, writing myself a note about it. I don't think there are any other bits or pieces left out but if there are, they will join the tree foot in its plastic bag!

My wish to you all, near and far, friend, family,  Blog reader, is this....That 2017 will bring you renewed joy, improved health, a light spirit and the ambition to  spread goodness and kindness to everyone you encounter. May you be blessed and well loved.

Happy New Year!

wonderful time of the year

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

I wish this tune was playing throughout my blog. I know its possible but my capability to insert it is quite limited.


I love the Christmas season because it is so glorious to gift and give to others .

I won't deny that I don't mind getting a gift myself, but it is much better to give than to receive as the proverb goes.

Mr. Man takes his holiday quite seriously from the comfort of his overstuffed couch and iPad. Packages arrive daily via UPS, Fed Ex, US postal service, and multiple other generic delivery people. The Letter carrier likes to hand the package off into the hands of the recipient. She says she feels like Santa, and people look forward to her arrival. (I am most definitely a fan of hers).

I'm on a first name basis with my UPS driver. He is here so much, I should just put his name on the door. He honks as he drives up, runs up the path, greets me, package handoff, and then jogs down the walk to his truck where he honks goodbye. Always a bonus to see his tan , well shapen legs too!

Today, UPS arrives with a happy honk. I open the door wide, arms extended and ready to accept my packages. There is a trainee today, aka a "Swamper", who is running towards me. He's all smiles, and has the package held out with extended arms to match mine. He makes the handoff, and he says, "Look at us! , we are commercial material! Where are the cameras and production crew?!"

I agree. Why isn't this moment being recorded?  Its a classic UPS moment.

I have no idea what's in these boxes, but it doesn't matter. It was fun receiving them. They feel pretty light so there's probably just packing bubbles in them. I'm very glad that my delivery people are fun and happy and don't slam dunk the boxes on the front porch!

Yes, it is a wonderful time and I don't want it to stop. Happy holidays!

Garland Wars

Suddenly it's December 2016!
How did that happen? What the heck happened to November, all the stories I was supposed to tell and was there ever turkey? It seems like a blur.

Now, as the world gears up to celebrate the birth of Christ, we start to adorn our houses  with festive greenery and lights and then take it up a notch indoors.

Amy Grant is singing Christmas songs to me as I try to stay calm and serene while hanging the door garland. It's a yearly battle that I seem to forget from year to year until I'm fighting the garland again.

 

  As I fluff and mold it to appear reasonably good looking, I'm envisioning the picture perfect holiday display seen at my friend Lisa's home which was ready for a photo shoot .  My hope is to achieve a mere fraction of her display. Some of us were just blessed with decorative talent. Okay, my hope is to get the damn garland up and make it stay up until after the New Year like it's supposed to!

  The garland I'm fiddling with is alive. Has a mind of its own. IT LIVES!!!!  It bites, scratches and fights back as I attempt to secure it for the umpteenth time. As soon as its on the house, it launches itself off the door , ripping the 3M hooks used to secure it along with it...and a fair amount of paint too!  Oh yeah! I remember this encounter. I've had it 30 times before. You would think I would learn my lesson and have a florist deliver and hang a wondrous bough of greenery over the door. Head shake NO, I am not a millionaire , so there is no florist coming to my rescue and I'm stuck indefinitely with this monster of a garland which spits bits of its "needles" at me randomly and makes a mess that  never entirely cleans up.                              (Note- above photo Is NOT my garland!!!)

                                      

There will be no ball, bangles, glitter or bling for my garland. It's a nice fake green. Half it's lights are out, and they took me a tremendous time to put back into it in the first place. I'm settling. Good enough. If you come over , kindly comment that the door garlands look "lovely and natural", even though they are hanging at every angle but straight. I'm counting on it staying put for another 3 weeks. I hung it on iron hooks imbedded into the stucco- yes, much to Mr. Man's dismay, I anchored it knowing that the new paint and stucco recently applied,  would probably suffer irreparable damage.

Now I have total garland war recall. No matter. I will forget all about this trauma as soon as I step back and admire my handiwork. That's the best part. Selective memory!

Amy Grant was a steady voice throughout my ordeal . Now she's reminding me, "There's a parade there, they have it made there, bring home a tan for NEW YEARS EVE". We do have it made here. This could be happening in a blizzard, or even a near freeze instead of sunny 68 degree weather.

Better luck to all of you attempting to Deck you halls. Fling it up there. I defy anyone who has a negative thought about the greenery around my doors. At least I'm trying. It makes me happy. I don't do it to impress anyone but myself. As I gaze at my garland twinkle lights , I am amazed that they twinkle just for me and stay put because I was determined.

May your December days be "Merry and BRIGHT", and may you have garland that minds you and hangs steady with a hundred twinkle lights.

Merry Christmas.

A trip to the deep south

I have recently returned from a trip to the fine state of Tennessee.

 We drove one end to the other of this beautiful state, soaking up the local flavors and talking with the people. It's a state rich in history and endless beauty of mountain ranges and foliage. Deep forests surround much of its interstate and of course, it is the home of country music, honky tonks and lively Appalachian tunes.

Mr. Man, who envisions us as avid outdoorsmen, began planning this trip months ago, accumulating survival gear, hiking equipment and weaponry. When the thermal blankets, ponchos and missile guidance system arrived, I began to panic. His dream to hike part of the Appalachian trail would not be thwarted, despite, rain, snow, rampant wildlife, or mud slide.

Yes, we have hiked before in some remote areas. Yes, we survived. Yes, I did it with a jacked up knee but now it is jacked up even more so I had some trepidation about an extensive hike throughout the Smokey Mountains.

We began our trip in Nashville, did all the touristy things, visited countless local hangouts, and did our best to see all that we could. As we bid good-bye to the Grand Ole Opry (an absolutely MUST do on any visit to Nashville), we began our real trip for the mountainous hiking. Our gear filled 2 giant suitcases, and we were determined to use it. (note here that my hiking boots took up almost half of the space in one).

Cool weather had been predicted, but to our surprise and that of the state, it was HOT and humid! Drat ! I have a much better winter wardrobe that I brought to finally use.

What we were not expecting was the number of people who had the exact same purpose as ours and found ourselves in many , many traffic jams in the towns and parks. As we entered the Smokey Mountains National Forest, we encountered a one way, one lane road, bumper to bumper, making arriving at our hikes trail head nearly impossible, along with finding a parking spot.

It was gratifying that the Fall leaves were turning just as we arrived and continued to do so majestically during our stay. If anyone is interested in seeing a few hundred photos of a red tree, an orange one and occasional yellow clusters, come on over!

It was also wonderful that this national park is one of the most visited and sought out, which was apparent by the thousands of people there. It was also very accessible, and no charges for anything in the park.

We creeped at 5 miles an hour on a scenic loop of Cades Cove. Luckily, we were able to see much of what we wanted and secure a parking place when needed, even if it was a little wonky and straddling a ditch. As we drove by large open meadows, we saw deer and Antelope feeding on the dewy grasses. Signage is posted on the posts of barbed wire barriers along the road that 50 yards must be maintained between the human and wildlife, and that the antelope and many park black bears are not as sweet and friendly as you might think and may charge and kill you.

I missed the photo op of the father standing under one of these signs, spreading open the barbed wire fence and pushing his two little children into the meadow to get a closer look at the deer bucks.

(insert here cartoon of man casting fishing pole with infant on hook as bait).

We turned off the road at one overlook and behind us a family with several children emptied out, commenting that they saw a bear run up a small hill. Mr. Man and I were hoping to spot a bear, but not encounter one. We were up on the opposite side of aforementioned hill and didn't see the bear and glad of it. As we walked down the hill, the mother is sending her two youngest up the hill past us to look for the bear. The children were exchanging plans on what they would do if they got eaten by a bear. Little sister tells brother that he should go first because she's not ready to "get dead".

Their mother stood at the bottom of the hill to await the screams of her offspring being mauled.
We shook our heads at her stupidity and wondered if these two sets of parents just didn't want their kids any more.

As we drove on through the park, heading for the trail head, a bear galloped by our car. I was shocked to see it so close but mesmerized by its majesty and size. That was the thrill of my day.

We reached our hike start, got Mr. Man loaded up and I bid him adieu as he prepared to hike his trail with all his gear. Should you hike alone??? NEVER! No fear, as he was being joined by a hundred other hikers in similar gear, ready to forge their way into the wilderness. I told Mr. Man I would wait for him and save my knees for the next hike. He returned 3 hours later, triumphant that he had hiked a portion of the Appalachian trail, had reached his waterfall,  and had only 1,301 miles more to go before he reached the state of Main. 

It was an awesome trip. The landscape is so different than anywhere I have visited. We felt fulfilled that the forest color changes were done for our benefit, we hiked, we toured, we explored, and met the wild life.

A trip to Tennessee is recommended to "all y'all".  Don't forget to eat some grits,  hot chicken , and wash it down with some moonshine while you're there too!

The reabsorption process

We had just been out to dinner and drank a gallon of lemon water but because it is so dang hot outside, the body quickly absorbs it. Feeling sated and believing the evening is over, the decision to wait to use any "facilities" is pushed to the back of the mind and can wait until arriving back to the homestead 5 miles away.

  On the way home, there is the favored shopping store, declaring marvelous sales, and savings and my date, Mr. Man, suggests we stop there . Disbelieving he has even suggested this date add on, I take him up on it before he changes his mind , and also wondering what the catch is. . . he abhors home décor stores and floral arrangements.

Happily shopping and pushing my empty cart, looking very hard down every aisle to find something to  fill it. Nothing. Then I discover a 90% off aisle and spot the perfect accent. A must have. How inconvenient that now I need to use the bathroom!  No problem. This store has a lovely one and I head that way, only to find the entry to the hallway where its located barricaded with a sign that prohibits passage due to some sort of water problem and cleanup is in progress.

Not alone in the quest for the bathroom, there is a general milling around the 3 foot high barricade and signage with mumblings of varied desperations and concerns. I returned to the sale aisle to basket my purchases, and become determined to absorb my bladder contents. Mr. Man  also bumps into  the barricade,  finding need of the men's room. He reports back to me that the store is closing in 7 minutes and it's doubtful the barricade to the restrooms will be removed. There's no time to make my purchase and use the restroom. I double up the reabsorption process. Where has Mr. Man gone?  We need to check out and get home ASAP. He's getting good at the disappearing act.

  I believe he led the whoop and leaps over the barricade. It began with him and then another and then another, channeling their inner track  star and become hurdlers with a mission. Crying children are held up in the face of the store manager so the barricade will be slid aside and allow the people access to the restrooms. The managers' grim faces decide to remove it before somebody jumps over and falls, causing extensive paper work and delay in closing the store and going home!  Dang the agility of the desperate!
  Standing in line, determined to win my own bladder battle, Mr. Man reappears, smug and happy that he has led the barricade revolt and gained access to the Men's room, which is also doubling as a women's room.  "The barricade is now removed". Too late for me. I've made my choice and I'm not leaving without my super deals.
 . The store shuts off its lights, locks it doors and firmly pushes us to exit--- permanently.
  In the car, Mr. Man suggests that we go to a concert in the park, 5 miles in the opposite direction of home. Now that he has taken care of his  "business" he's feeling generous to extend the date into a late evening.  MY teeth are floating. I'm doubtful I can even make it to the house. A concert? Forget it!
Made it home just in time. Which just proves. . .  there is no place like home!