Saturday, December 10, 2016

Seasonal musings


Last year I was all about pale minty green and I'm really happy with our kitchen. However, I am


ready to Go Blue! (and I am not making any college football references here) either.


We had a bumper crop of grapes this fall (they look more blue than purple here) and Paulette helped me make a small batch of grape jam. She made grape pies with the rest of the crop-yum!


I spotted some fabulous clay pots a few days ago and plan to use these next summer. I don't think they even need any flowers, but, I could put in some white geraniums that will stand upright and not cover up any part of the lovely pot.

My first set of dishes, Calico, are still the ones I use every day. Cobalt or indigo, with white, is my all time favorite combination for sheets, decor, china, you name it.


Since I am still working through the Joy/decluttering phase, I decided to gather up everything blue and white in the house (attic, basement, etc) since it still brings me joy, I can keep those items and more easily see what is left that can be removed from the house! Of course, I really like pink very, very much.... and of course, red during the holidays is so....festive....and black items are considered very important within a room......oh oh. I see some problems ahead. But, back to blue and white. I MUST FOCUS.



I don't have a Blue Dog poster as of yet, but, I think the image above is pretty nice.

And so, on to the festive holidays!

On Tuesday, My mom turns 89-and being a great traveler, she is headed to Sandusky for New Year's Eve!


I think this little guy was the best present of the year for her. Dior, a 10 year old shelter dog, is happily adjusted to his new surroundings. He even sits on Mom's lap while she is at the dentist-true dedication, I would say-even I would not sit with my Mom while  she is visiting the dentist!


 I made four visits to California this year, and my Mom will have made two to Sandusky by year end. My visits were all initiated by family requests for help-Ron even broke his no fly resolution and came out to help with Kacey. I am  happy to note that it is only a 4 hour trip from coast to coast. My trip in November, however, took 12 hours door to door. Mostly because the driver service forgot to pick me up at the airport in San Diego......Further, the replacement service came with a surly driver and 2 unhappy passengers. Fresh off the Election, I defended my female traveling companion and, together, we made plans to report the driver to the agency he worked for. I was proud of my boldness, until I realized  that, as the final passenger, I was about to ride an hour alone with the angry dude. Hmm. Not so smart, right?  One to my next action of solidarity-

The Women's March on Washington D.C. is happening January 21, 2017! The Pussyhat Project launched Thanksgiving weekend! As of now, we have 43 days to knitcrochet, and sew 1.17 million pink pussyhats. My knitting sisters and I are busy making our contributions in so much as we cannot attend, our hats will be there instead! Out of the hundreds of skeins of yarn that I have in my stash, I could only find ONE skein of pink yarn! How weird is that!!!! After my handmade Christmas presents are completed, I'll head to the store to stock up on pink, pink, and more pink yarn!
Thanksgiving was spent with new friends, Sharon and Paul Buterbaugh. Sharon, an antique dealer of primitives for over 30 years, has become a much appreciated mentor in our antique selling venture. Formerly Bed and Breakfast owners of a log cabin in Charlottesville, Va, we were in loving hands. We played Pictionary after dinner-my turn required drawing Brooklyn Bridge-I eventually drew the entire NYC skyline-Empire State Building, Twin Towers, Central Park, and even Donald Trump himself, but, alas, my skillful drawing was not enough elicit an accurate response!
Ron's 70th birthday was the next seasonal celebration. Born on December 8, 1946, he wanted a low key day. So, Bob, Paulette, and I agreed that pizza and a movie would be just the ticket-we streamed SULLY, with Tom Hanks, directed by Clint Eastwood. All agreed that it was a great movie and a fun evening.

Next up was Christmas decorating for our house and then Paulie's house.


I set the table for 8, just for fun. We don't really know eight people, so, I was thinking I should offer to provide the settings for others-they would have to bring their own food, too, as I don't really cook much...ever. I actually have enough tables and table settings for up to 20, so, just let me know if you want to have Christmas dinner for your group here!

Like many, I have found this to be a good year and also a very tough year. I have lost much-my sense of humor disappeared in August and I still haven't found it.

 My sense of hope disappeared on November 8 and I haven't recovered that either. I lost 4/5 of my family in September and that has taken a toll. I'm not sure I'll write any more blogs, so, I wanted to say thanks and adieu to my faithful readers-all 90 of you. May 2017 and beyond be years of civility, love, and, maybe even something more extraordinary than that for all of you.

Yours, lulubell (me) and Kate ( our super Schnauzer, still doing fine, in spite of kidney and liver problems at age 5.)