Christmas White and Red - 2012

This is a lot less work and Lovely.

Sending Holiday Greetings.

Mary

Another Christmas Past - 2011

Shades of Gold , Bronze and White Elegance .

Ready for some Eggnog !

Table Setting with Apples and Amaryllis .

I always enjoy the season with Amaryllis .  

2011 was the year my dear friend from my neighborhood became ill with cancer . The day after Christmas I took her to the hospital for her first chemotherapy appointment .  We shared so many experiences for many years . Miss her and love the memory .

Happy Holidays and when it is safe , Hug the ones you Love .

Mary

What A Good And Busy Week

And , a lot of rescheduling and organizing after all the rain on the weekend and Monday , when the leaf clean-up could not be done . After many phone calls the project of leaf clean up and weed herbicide spray was scheduled and completed .  

Wednesday at 8 AM three workers arrived to work on the clean up .

That's a lot of leaves !

They were excellent workers and very pleasant . It wasn't until the night before that the arrangement was made for their help . One of the workers is the brother of the original worker who was scheduled for Monday . They worked steady for over four hours and even dug out the drainage culvert which I have not been able to do in the recent years . The culvert drainage provides a nice little creek running through my property when the rains are heavy . 

And , the rains came the next day . All day on Wednesday .  Wow , what timing to get all of this done . 

They did a lot of work with pick and shovel an accomplished this in a short period of time !

I took this photo while it was raining , standing on the little bridge .

It was no more than twenty minutes after the workers left , that the Weed Spray truck drove up .  And , now I can look out on my gardens and feel comforted that it is being maintained and not falling into sites of neglect .  And , hopefully Springtime gardening will be easier and not require as much weed pulling and weed whacking.

It is tremendous relief to get this taken care of .  The garden is in order and my car is in good shape .  Things are looking up !

A Festive Wreath on each side of the garage door .

I hope you are getting ready for the Holidays and enjoying it .

Mary

Christmas Flashback 2010

It gives me comfort to look at photos from years past when I was able to decorate the house and enjoy the holidays with friends .  Some of my flashback photos have been posted prior to this year .

This is a favorite tree .  

This tree topper is a Porcelain Lladro Angel with pink that reigns nicely on top of the tree .  It was 1990 when I got it .  As you can see the tree is highlighted with many pink toned ornaments .  With lots of souvenir ornaments from different locations .

Who is that wearing a Santa hat ?  Is that a "stink eye" little Lily is giving me ?

I really enjoy decorating for Christmas and the Holidays but I am just not able to do what I would like to do especially since my knees are misbehaving .  Happy to say that the pain is not quite as severe as it has been .

Happy - Happy to All .

Mary

What Ya Doin'

Just Thought I Would Ask !!!      Mom's been having a terrible time trying to make me happy with a new Cat Tree .  How can it be so difficult ?  Three different ones have been delivered and come into my home .  One was even donated to the animal shelter suggested by the company that sent it !  But - you know Mom ?  She doesn't give up .

LOOK - - -  I LOVE IT !

(And , it smells good)

From Ivy

It Is Raining

The rain is falling and has been for over a day .  We really need the rain following the drought and all the forest fires but hopefully it will not be so heavy and long that we have flooding and erosion of soil and mud .  We don't need that kind of a challenge .  My heart goes out to the homeless people who struggle so much day to day .  Do what we can to help through public service agencies !!!

Looks like I have some rescheduling to do for garden maintenance !

Happy Weekend .

Mary

Tenacious Color

The garden/yard looks frightful !  It's that time of year .

But , don't say that to the pansies .  Aren't they fabulous ?

Look how nice the Oleander Hedge on the outside of the fence is growing .  It will be nice to have a little more privacy when it is taller . However , it has been nice when all the people that walk by give me a "hello" shout out .

The pansies even weathered through a little snow fall a few weeks ago . Like I say "quite tenacious" .

In all this bleak and drab look at all those bright and shiny faces .  All I have to do to them is to periodically cut off the dead blossoms.  So easy and so nice .  And , the bonus is that I see them from my dining room window !!!

If all goes well , on Monday a worker is coming to clean up all of the leaves so that another worker can come on Wednesday to apply some weed control on the areas that produce dense weeds in the spring time .  Especially on the outside of the fence around the Oleanders and the pathway where people like to walk .  I am fully aware of environmental selective herbicides . The roof will also be cleaned of all the leaves .  The gutters are not an issue because years ago I had Leaf Guard gutters installed . Smart decision and worth every "penny" spent .

Not certain about how much or if any gardening I will be able to do in the future but this will help keep the garden maintained and tidy .

Expecting some (not much) rain which we severely need .  Hopefully it will have cleared before the workers come .

My car is home from The Car Doctor and running nicely . It is sure nice to have the service so close to home .

Have a Good Weekend and Stay Healthy .  The death toll is hard to comprehend as well as the insecurities of food , shelter , medical care and employment .  Help your local food bank if you can . 💚 Praying for better times !

Mary  

What Happens If You Don't Drive Your Car Often

Well , you have to buy a new battery more often . 

In the last 10 days I have had to call AAA for battery jump because of a dead battery two times . I felt that it was because I left the lights on or didn't close the trunk lid completely .  Well , I can take away the blame because I have a dead-dead battery that needs to be replaced .

When the car isn't used very often , the battery does not keep a charge especially in the cold weather .  I have an older car (1998 Chrysler Convertible) and it sits outside.

The last time I bought a battery was in 2018 and the time before was 2016 .

I went out to the car this morning just to check the battery so I don't get caught with a dead battery when I have to go somewhere. And , it was a good thing because the battery was dead .  I called AAA to start the car and I took the car to the "Car Doctor" a couple blocks away .

Because of my very painful knees I was not able to walk home as I usually do .  Thankfully ,  my neighbor who lives across the street was able to come and pick me up from the Car Doctor .

As long as the car is there they will do an oil change for me . Also , the windshield cleaner tube from the reservoir needs repair so I can clean the windshield when need be . It will be so nice to get all of this taken care of .  It should be finished in a couple days . Glad I could get it into the shop .  It seems like it is getting so difficult to get these sort of things done since the onset of the pandemic .

It is always something - the computer - the car - the appliances . These things are starting to be more stressful for me .  Perhaps it is because of the constant pain I deal with day to day . In time it will be better !

Hope you are staying well even though the virus serge is horrendous!

Mary

So Pretty

 

Every year I look forward to the Christmas Cactus blooming .

This plant has three different colors . The Deep Pink at the top have not opened so far .  And , White are at the edge on the left and the Red has been in full bloom .
 

This plant is a pretty shade of Peach .

The intricacy of the cactus flowers is so delicate . I have always liked them . I have had these plants for many years .  The amount of care I give them dictates what they look like each year . Some years are better than others .

Hope your week is going well .

Mary 

I Don't Know How I Feel

 But , I know I do Not like it !  Ivy has the right idea - - - 

Dig deep and hide ?  No , no , no . Got to face the dilemma and change it .  It seems like so many emotions of life past are flooding my brain and it hurts deeply !   I have lived a long life and it seems that most every step of the way has been one of internal struggle that had to be camouflaged with a smile on my face . And , I now live with the reality of the damage that lingers following many years of working hard to find joy in my life .  For understandable reasons the word ALONE is banging in my head .

Yes , it is a very difficult time for all of us with the heavy presence of Covid-19 , unlike any other time in our lives .  Yes , my list of gratitude is almost endless .  But , that does not supersede the emotions of the moment . 

Even though I have written many paragraphs more I am going to stop here and refresh my mind with positive thoughts wherever I can find them . 

Just one mention of Ivy and her DISLIKE of the new cat condo .  She does not like it at all . Hiding in the bedroom . Has not run around playing since it came into her home . The carpet covering has a terrible chemical smell .  It is so tall that I can not see her if she were to sleep on the top level . Can't return it .  Going to set it out at the end of the driveway with a sign - Free .  Hopefully someone can use it and it will be gone in the morning ! 

The sun is shining and I will spend some time outside even if it is just sitting outside watching the world go by .  Hate to mention it , but my pain level is "off the chart" .

Looking forward to brighter days !

Happy - to Everyone .

Mary

Vintage Salt And Pepper Shakers

It was so fun reading Teresa's blog (bottom of post) yesterday and enjoy with her the recent Vintage Jadeite acquisitions she has made.  In my kitchen cupboard I have Vintage Anchor Hocking rippled glass shakers with tulip lids similar to her Jadeite shakers with the same lids . I have used my shakers continually since 1959 when I married !!! 

This photo is from my blog in 2014 .  See the shakers on the right ? And , they are still in good condition .

I was getting ready to make Tomato and Bean Soup .

I have no idea why I have continually used these shakers through the years . It just may be because it has been easy to remove the lids if I wanted to use a measuring spoon to measure because the opening is nice and large .  And , the shakers are rather large and don't have to be refilled often .

Thanks Teresa for nudging me down memory lane .

Mary

The Mysteries Of Who Gets What

My Granddaughter and her little family of four have Covid-19 !!  Now, Why ? Is there really an answer to that question that we will accept ?  This family has followed the guidelines to full extent .  Of course , just the fact that the word "family" is in my question is a possible factor .

(google image)

There is no way activities of daily living that take you away from home can be reduced to almost nothing as I have been able to do as an elder living a simple lifestyle , alone and in relatively good health regarding body systems other than my Skeleton System and its related components .  However , my pre-existing Hypertension puts me in a compromised category .

Because of Medical Confidentiality they are not given information regarding route of transmission . The possibility is that the school bus driver may be part of the equation . He/she may not have even know if they had the virus.

The family all have symptoms that have been manageable and are practicing Quarantine Directives.  The father is able to perform his employment obligations in management from home .  And , that is a great blessing .  Positive energy and prayers are welcome for complete recovery for all of them . 

Of course , Science has a lot of answers to the question . And the Who and Why is a lot more of a  Philosophical question that is above my pay scale for tonight .  

(nearby hospital)

But , what we can do is to follow ALL of the CDC Guidelines and take personal responsibility and respect and care for one another.  Fractured compliance results in more deaths .

Show love for one another regardless of the adjectives that you use to describe that person .

Mary

Note . This is the day I was scheduled for knee surgery . I am so thankful that I have postponed the procedure . I do not want to be in the hospital for an elective procedure especially with the virus numbers spiraling ! And , this county is now in the PURPLE (most restrictive) tier for COVID infections .