Pondering on the Coronavirus. Bad stuff! I'm glad I don't live in a big city like New York or Boston--where to get anywhere you gotta ride a bus, train or subway. Packed in with people you have no idea if they are healthy or carrying the Virus.

How about Detroit? No cases yet, but very easily could be. Innocently going to a concert at Ford Field or where ever and catching this deadly disease.

No--I'm not a germaphobe, but I do try and stay away from crowds this time of year and sanitize my hands the minute I get out of the store and back in my car. Then after I carry the bags in, wash my hands.

Hey--I grew up in the era of Polio when they had no idea what caused it and so perhaps I am more cautious?

This Coronavirus is one tick on the clock away from being a world wide pandemic.

====================

We have had 5 days of pure sunshine.  A very mild winter, but now it appears, winter is coming back for a major slam.  I am seeing reports of 7.1" here and one model shows 9-10" here.

Well, I had to go to the store to get more cat food--per usual and was out of water and milk and Diet Pepsi, so I'm ready for whatever Mother Nature brings our way.

============

I am working on a nice long genealogy and have another smaller one waiting and got a call this morning to do one for a friend.  Her family is from Hungary so it's going to be tough to find many ancestor's.  The Russians had control of a lot of those countries and the Commie's burn a lot of records, so somethings are near impossible to find.  But I told her I'd give it my best.

Genealogies bring in a little extra money--the better to afford to buy cat food.  Maybe one of these days I'll get enough tucked away so I can buy a new pair of blue jeans.  Mine are wearing out.  LOL

===================

March is just around the corner and March and September are when I have my various doctor's appointments.  I called this morning to make one for the 16th and the 18th, then will see my primary guy for my Medicare Wellness check-up on the 26, with blood work done a couple of days before.

=============

My granddaughter Maddie is due on March 4th.  I am so nervous!  She is a nurse and has to work double shifts sometimes and plans on working right up to when she goes into labor.  She will be so tired, how can she ever push a baby out?

I just don't know about this modern day society.  Woman wanted to be equal and all that and have put themselves in positions where they work harder than men.  And men don't have to abuse their bodies by having babies and then recovering and going back to work while they are still nursing those babies.

Well, maybe all the exercise she gets from walking the hospital aisles will give her an easier labor?

Dentist the other day.  Just a cleaning and check-up by the Dentist and of course, she found two teeny cavities, so I have to go back and I don't really like the dentist's chair!

It seems that all my teeth hurt.  Pulling away from the gums, deep pockets at the gum line.  I am now using a special toothpaste, but it's probably too late to help.

Question--do you remember back in the day when we pronounced gums, "gooms"?

==================

I was planning on going to the Old School Gal Pals lunch, but we got heavy snow that morning, so it was canceled.  I'm glad because it was at a restaurant that is a bit further than I like to drive, and my sister wasn't home, so no visit with her to use as an excuse to go.  I'll try and make it next month.

====================

This CBD balm/lotion/cream, whatever it is really works great!  I can't believe it.  I think the CBD pain patches work best, but they can get expensive.  They are only suppose to bring relief for 24 hours, but the last one I used on my back...I left it on 3 days and after I took it off...my back hasn't hurt since!  3-4 weeks ago?  I keep waiting for the pain to come back because there is no way that little patch could help pain that I have had for 5-6 years!!!

=================

I paid the rest of the month's bills today and have $1.33 left in my checking account.  Keeping a lot balance like that, keeps hackers away.  HAH!

I am working on a nice genealogy, with one waiting in the wings.  You know I get obsessed with this research and working up the pages AND it sure helps bring in a little bit to help my finances.

Personally, I think I am better than that guy on TV show "Finding Your Roots"; Henry Louis Gates who does genealogies for important people.  I usually find more ancestor's than he does and he has a whole staff that travel to Europe, or scan records in Libraries and people pay him thousands.  He does give them a huge, in colored pedigree chart, which is something I cannot do.  Oh...I do pedigree charts, but they aren't in color and 4'x6'! LOL

===================

Not much to do the rest of this week.

There is a good mini-series on the History Channel about George Washington.  In real life, he wasn't anything like what we studied in school.  He lied all the time.  Had a temper and at times, was none too bright.  Which shows to go ya, politics hasn't changed much in the last 250 years.

=====================

See ya later--Jude

Saturday was Madeleine's baby shower at Karen's.
The snow was quite heavy, but I managed to get there okay.
My oldest grand daughter Helene, had done most of the work--even though she works has a 3 year old and a nursing infant.  Karen and her husband were in Aruba the whole week before the shower.

It was nice.  Lots of people so we didn't play time consuming games.  It took the kids two hours just to open the gifts!

No excuses for not posting.

I'm working on an involved genealogy and by the time I get done with all that searching, scanning, printing, writing--my mind is rather tired to come in here and try to be clever.  LOL

I have also been watching the Impeachment trial.  Especially last week when it was in the Senate.  I felt I could be an unbiased observer and listened closely to both sides and this morning to their closing arguments.  I have made up my mind and...glad it is coming to a close as it pre-empted my Soap every day!  You know I wasn't happy about that.  Then I'd have to figure out a time in the evening when I could get my Soap on Demand to watch it.

I was sitting here Saturday and I heard my front door open and in walked my youngest, Jennifer.  I nearly fell out of my chair.

She has been in town for over a week and I prayed every night that God would nudge her heart for a visit.

She quit the law firm where she has worked for 15 years and joined another one that deals in Non-Profits, that is her specialty and also some kind of financial something that I couldn't understand.  I did hear her say she met the 94 year old man who "invented" the Visa Corporation, she showed me a photo.  I hope I acted properly impressed.  Maybe she can get me a 0% Visa charge card.  HAH!  

Their new home is finished...she even showed me photos and while she is here, her husband was moving out of their rental home and into their new one before the end of the month.

I did feel a bit uneasy.  She still has traits of my step-mother.  She does like to gossip and told me negative stories about when Pammie lived with them and how her brother is angry at the world and even some negativity about Karen.

I listened, but made no comments.  When it comes to my kids, I am not going to comment on any gossip from any one of them against the other and I felt like if I did say something, Jen just might take it back to them.

I kept steering her back to tell me about her kids and how her oldest is doing in college and her daughter being watched by college volleyball coaches, even though she is only a Sophomore.  How Alex, the 12 year old was put into a Gifted program, but decided not to go because then he would miss school time with his friends and how the youngest, 8 year old Evan is such a nice boy.  All her kids are nice, polite, and respectful.

Or, I'd get her to talk about the friends she has met, the church they go to, her mother-in-law who I really like, Eric's job...those kinds of things.

We had a nice 2 hour visit and I was so glad she felt that she could just drop in without feeling she had to call first.  

Sunday she went up to The Farm to visit with my sister and my nephew who is near Jen's age, then she went to her brother Mark's to watch the Super Bowl with Mark, his fiance and Pammie.

Jennifer stays at Karen's when she is in Michigan and her new law office is only a 20 minute drive from there.  The other one was down near Detroit...lots of traffic and a time consuming commute.

============

I watched the Super Bowl yesterday.  I had heard who was going to perform the half-time program and figured it would be nasty and I didn't want my eyes to see that and have it imprinted on my mind, so I didn't watch it.  I enjoyed the game though and even though I rarely watch professional football, the team I was rooting for won.

I am starting to get notices of increases in rent, health insurance and car and house insurance.  The increases took way more out of my budget than was my Social Security increase this year.  I've decided not to be scared or worry about it.  Last year was terribly difficult financially for me, but I made it and was never late with a payment.  I figure I can do it again, so...."I laugh in the face of fear", knowing God will supply all that I need.  

============

We have had such a mild winter here.  Only two snowstorms that needed snow to be shoveled.  We had a couple of inches of snow over the weekend.  Jen even asked if I wanted her to clear off my driveway and I told her, "No thanks.  It is going to be 52 tomorrow and it will melt all the snow." which it has.    54Sunday and 52today.  We are expecting measurable snow on Thursday, but I have no where to go until Saturday, so, I'm not concerned.

Saturday is Maddie's baby shower.  I've had her baby stamped cross stitch quilt done for months.  I just need to wash and iron it.  It will be a nice day to honor her and her hubs.

That's it.  As usual my life is not much to "write home about".  Simple.  Quiet. Slow.  Uncomplicated.  Mostly stress free.  

I love it!!!!!!!!!!

Oh My Gosh!

I have never had someone come in and clean my house and I was kind of intimidated when the cleaning lady came Monday to scrub the kitchen floor.

None of my corners on that floor are square.  Crumbs, cat hair and anything the vacuum couldn't reach have lodged themselves in the corners--especially by the stove and dishwasher.

She got down on her hands and knees and went to work.  Starting back by the bathroom in the washer/dryer area, and worked her way into the kitchen.  She's 72 years old!  Delightful.  She talks constantly as she works and is so funny.

While she was scrubbing the floor, she also cleaned the table and chair legs--the bottom cupboard doors, the front of the fridge, stove and dishwasher.She told me she would charge me $10, I told her I would pay her $20 and ended up giving her $25.00 for the extra she did.

How nice it is to walk barefoot across that floor.  To look down and see "square" corners again.  It looks as good as the day I moved in.

After she was gone, I vacuumed the living room and the house was done--cleaned for another few months.

===============

I decided it would be a good idea to change the filter in my large humidifier.  It sits by the back door and I had moved it into the bathroom to get it out of her way.

I took it all apart and put the parts in the shower.  Then I eased the bottom pan up to the shower to dump the water.  My back hurt, my hands were a bit shaky and I ended up dumping most of the water--about 2 gallons, onto the bathroom floor.

Not a problem if I had tile in there, but that floor is carpeted.

What a mess!!

I grabbed every bath towel I own and laid them down and walked on them, trying to sop up the water.  Then I put the towels through the spin cycle in the washer, dried them and back on the carpet to sop up more water.

I did that 4 times!  Then I closed the bathroom door so when the furnace came on, the heat would concentrate in that room.

I sure hope the floor doesn't rot underneath.  It feels pretty dry today.

==================

I grew up in the '50's, was in high school in the mid to late '50's.  At that time, we were lectured and cautioned on NOT smoking Marijuana.  Smoking one Marijuana cigarette could kill you or destroy your mind so you'd go crazy and have to be put in a mental institution.  If you were caught with it, you would go to jail for life.

Well, I can tell you...all us kids were scared to death of it.  I remember in the mid 70's when I found out my two oldest kids had used it, I was in a panic.  I was threatening to send Mark to military school and Pammie to the girls reform school in the western part of our state.

Marijuana is now legal in our state, but I am still scared of using it.  Hey--I'm just as afraid of drinking alcohol!

This last year I have heard that Hemp Oil or CBD oil has none of the THC products found in Marijuana and it really helps with pain.  Still kind of scared, but suffering with this back pain, that has finally localized to one spot, I stopped in at the Vape shop yesterday and talked to the kids about it.

They had CBD oil that you can put a few drops under your tongue, EYUCK.  They have the oil that you can use in your Vape device--didn't want to try that and then they have patches with CBD oil that you put over the area where the pain is located.

So, I bought two patches.  They are supposed to work for 24 hours.  When I got home, I slapped one over the pain area and waited.  Honestly, I have to tell you...I was shaking and scared of what might happen.

Would I suddenly start acting weird?  Would I get the "munchies"?  Would it make me sick?

Well...no.  In two hours most of the pain was gone.  It didn't even hurt when I pushed on that area.

When I woke up this morning, patch still in place, I could bend over to get the cat dishes and feed them.  I could walk without pain.  I do have mild achiness all across my back, like normal, but the spot where it was most severe...there is no pain.

Does this mean I am going to turn into a junkie?  At $8.00 a patch, that's unlikely.  Now, I am on the look out for the CBD oil in lotion form in a bottle, that I can rub all across my lower back.

=============

Don't tell my kids their mother is using a by-product of the Marijuana plant.  I can imagine the ribbing I'd have to take!

The Prednisone did help my back.  It got the pain back to a tolerant level---of course it will never be pain free as I have been told, "There is nothing we can do."

I have found that I can still clean surfaces--dust and scrub counters and all the cursed knick-knacks I have on those surfaces.  I just can't lift anything.  

I had a very blessed day yesterday.  I had called Dar and asked if her house cleaning lady ever did "one-time" jobs.  I don't need someone coming in twice a month, like Dar has.  So, she said she'd check and she and the cleaning lady came over yesterday morning.  Come to find out. the cleaning lady is Monica who lives just up the street...I have known her for years.

I just need my kitchen and utility area floor mopped.  I can vacuum, if I am careful and rest, but for some reason, the scrubbing back and forth action kills my back.

She looked it all over and said yes she'd be over Saturday morning to do it.  She said she likes to get down on her hands and knees, so that she can get into all the corners.  Sounded good to me!

When I asked the price, she said, "I'll charge you ten dollars."

My jaw quite literally dropped.  I was speechless for a moment and then said, "Oh no you won't!  You'll take at least twenty!"

I had expected it would cost 20-25 dollars and that is what I had set aside from the money my son gave me for Christmas.

She said she would even move the 3 wooden carts and chest of drawers I used for storage.  I will make sure to get all the surface knick-knacks off them for her.

I just can't believe this!

===================

Then I decided I had to get to the store.  Their "10 for 10, 11th one free" sale was on.  I drove on in to Brighton and found a parking spot right up by the door.  I managed pretty well with the cart.  If I have the cart to lean on, it doesn't hurt my back too much.

Of course, I had 11 2ltr. jugs of Diet Pepsi and a gallon of milk and a jug of kitty litter.  I wondered how I would carry it all in the house, but just as I backed into my drive, the neighbor kid came home from school and I yelled across the street and he came over and carried in the Pepsi, milk and litter for me.

His Grandma Marilyn is the one whose husband died last spring.  Then in late summer, she fell and tore up her knee.  She was in rehab for 6 weeks.  She and I had talked earlier in the day and I told her I probably should have been using my walker this past week, but it was out in the shed and I didn't have the motivation to walk way out there and get it.

Shortly after her grandson carried in my stuff, her son was at the door asking me if he could get the walker out of the shed for me.  I told him that I didn't really need it anymore and then I remembered something.

I had brought two coolers in from the shed to use to carry the frozen spaghetti sauce in for my Christmas gift for the boys.  Those two heavy coolers were still sitting in my kitchen, so I asked him if he would take them out and put them in the shed, which he did.

===============

I sat in my recliner last night and such a calm and peaceful feeling came over me.  

I don't ask for help and sometimes it is hard for me to accept, but I was in so much pain that I suppose I was in a weak feeling mood.  Besides, when I thought more about it, I could see God's hand in all of those blessings yesterday.  I just smiled and thanked Him.

I was minding my own business, cleaning up the house--I guess because it feels like Spring outside.

Got the den/computer room all done, washed curtains, dusted, vacuumed.  This is the dustiest room in the house because it houses the cat's litter box and I don't care what any commercial tells you, there is NO such thing as dustless kitty litter!

So yesterday I cleaned the bedroom and the bathroom.

I have a bite guard that I wear at night to keep from biting my tongue and cheeks.  I had lost it and figured it was under the head of the bed on the dusty floor.  So, I decided to pull the bed out--the Queen size bed with box springs, an 18" mattress and a 4" heavy memory foam mattress.

Wrenched my back.  Hurt, but not too bad so I kept on going.  Couldn't find the bite guard, so pushed the bed back in place.  A few minutes later, I found the bite guard under the bedside table.

Then I sprayed down and scrubbed the big shower I have and made many trips back and forth from there to kitchen to wash all my colored and cut glass pretties that I have on my bedroom dresser and shelves in the bathroom.  I got down on the floor to be able to give the toilet a good all over scrubbing.  My back twitched a bit when I pulled myself up.  I had dusted and vacuumed the bedroom, only had the bathroom to finish up.

I sat down in my recliner to rest a bit and 45 minutes later, I couldn't get out of my chair.  My left leg felt numb, with no strength and a razor  (felt like ) ripped across my back.

I reached back and could feel the swelling around that herniated disc on my left side. 

I reached in the drawer of my chair side table and pulled out my TENS device and slapped the pads on my back and set the stimulater impulse up on 50!

I managed to get up, go to the bathroom and then fix myself a sandwich and stayed in my chair until bedtime.

I slept well. When I woke up and tried to get out of bed, I had the same reaction.  Left leg numb and no strength and hard back pain.  I managed to walk to the bathroom and then kitchen bent over double, but when I did bend over to put the cat food bowls down on the floor and went to stand up, such a sharp pain at trying to stand up that I actually screamed. It was like my back had frozen and wouldn't move. Then I started sweating and tears were coming out of my eyes.

I got into my computer chair that has really good support.  The pain was horrific...worse than it has ever been.  I was kind of scared.  Wondering if I should go to the ER.  I got on FB, to take my mind off and posted about what was going on...hoping to get some encouragement and ask for prayers.

At 9:00 I tried to call the pain doctor to see if he would give me a refill on the Prednisone Step-Down pack I had before.  His office was closed until Tuesday.

Then I called my primary care doc, knowing since he didn't write the original scrip, he might not write one for me now.  He was out until 1:30.

Meanwhile, daughter Karen had called yesterday to tell me she was coming out after her morning classes.  I called her phone and left a message asking her if she could stop on her way here and get me some cat food and Diet Pepsi.  She arrived at noon with my stuff.  She couldn't stay as she had to get down to her daughter's to take care of the kiddies.

I got a call at 1:45 from my primary care doc that he HAD called in a script for me.  I called the Pharmacy and they said it would be ready in half an hour.

So--how was I going to get to my car and inside the store?  My left leg was no longer numb, but the back pain was still horrible.  I managed, by walking bent over, to get down the porch steps and into my car.  Got up to Walmart and there just happened to be ONE space open right by the Pharmacy door.  I thanked God and crawled out of my car, got a cart that was sitting next to my car and used it to lean on to get into the store.  The script was not a Step-Down pack, but just regular Prednisone 10mg, 5 pills, take one a day.  I assume it will work just as well or maybe even better than the Step-Down pack that I take teeny-tiny pills 5 times a day, then 4 a day, then etc.

My car is kind of low to the ground, so trying to get my 5'10" frame up and out of the car has been a problem for many years, today it was near impossible.    I turned in the seat so I could get both feet on the ground and then reached up to the top of the door to help lift me up and give me leverage.  Of course, that made the door want to close on my lower legs.  What a comedy of errors.

I tried again--this time taking a deep breath and sort of yelling as I pushed myself up onto my feet.  I hope no neighbors were watching!

Got up the porch steps, one step at a time, holding firmly onto the hand rail and got in the house and headed for my computer chair again.  My, by now, warm Diet Pepsi was sitting on my desk and I had my prescription bottle in my hand and whipped the top off to swallow one of the pills.

The Prednisone will take down the inflammation and swelling, which is causing all the pain and I should be okay after a weekend of resting.

================

Yes--my kitchen looks like the Wreck of the Hesperes and was on my agenda to clean today--not happening.  My living room will be pretty easy to clean--that's not happening either.  All my pretty colored and cut glass is shiny clean...sitting on my kitchen counter ready to be put back in it's proper place--that's not happening either as it involves too much walking back and forth.

It's my fault.  I did it to myself trying to move the heavy bed.  I should and do know better.  So...now I have to pay the Piper, whomever he is.  My script only cost .67 cents so that Piper was easily paid.

============

It's nearly 5:00 and my main objective is to get to my recliner, put my feet up and hope that I can get up once in a while to go potty, make a sandwich for supper and crochet and cross stitch for the rest of the day.

I sure hope there is something good to watch on TV tonight.

I've made it through 6 days of 2020 and so far, it's been great.

However, I seem to be a bit discombobulated.  I'm not real sure what day it is--name or number.  It seems like from Christmas until this past weekend was one long weekend or something.  Plus, our weather has been sunny and mild, with no snow, and that just isn't normal.  I feel like there is only a few days until Spring begins.  

I don't know what it is, but something is throwing me off.  Maybe I am just getting more senile and having a hard time concentrating.  There sure is enough household chores to keep me busy for a week, but I seem to forget about them---until I'm laying in bed, then I start making lists.

I need a haircut--I do know that.  It's only been about 3 weeks since my last one, but the woman at Fantastic's Sam's---whom I have gone to before--just can't seem to understand the way I want my hair cut.  She always leaves some areas too long and they grow out so quickly, compared to the other areas, that I am looking like Bozo the Clown.

Oh believe me, if I could afford $35-40 every 6 weeks, I would be going to a decent salon with "real" professional hair stylists.  I think those stylists that work at Sam's, or Walmart, or places like that failed their tests to get into a good salon.  

Today, I had to run all over this area.  Down to Brighton to the inkjet refill place, then stopped to get gas.  Then a stop at the Print Shop and then on up to Howell.  I live half-way between Brighton and Howell and it is only an 8 mile trip from the inkjet place and where I had to go in Howell, but it felt like I was on the road all afternoon.

I have received an e-mail from one of my blog buddies that she is interested in having her genealogy done.  You know how much I love the journey of climbing someone's family tree.  So I am chomping at the bit.  I just finished one that went 24 generations up the tree.  The lady thought her family was Scot, but all of her ancestor's came from Ireland.  That might be the reason she is a true redhead?  I'm sure she is going to be surprised.

Right now, I am working on crochet gifts for next Christmas.  Trying to find a pattern I like for a dishcloth for each woman and of course, a nylon scrubbie to go along with it.  I spent too much on the ladies in my family this year, soooo------rather than stop giving gifts, that has been suggested by a daughter, I will just cut back and do what I did two years ago.  The girls LOVE those scrubbies!

I don't know what I will do for the boys.  The spaghetti sauce I make can get expensive and because it takes 3 days to make the sauce and I have to make 3 different batches, it gets hard on my back to stand for a long time preparing the ingredients.

Oh, and by the way, just to be a bit political, I'm glad we took out the Iranian big dog and his second in command.    Truman didn't ask Congress before he dropped the A-bomb and Trump didn't need to ask Congress before he sent in an un-manned drone.

Just my opinion.

Resolutions

...I make them every year.  

Usually to be a better person, less critical, kinder.

...but then there comes a time when I realized that I WAS a better person.  I had reached perfection.  So there is no need for any more New Year resolutions!

NOT!!!  Just spoofing you.

===========================

I don't go out to church anymore (maybe that should be a resolution?).  I watch 3 different Pastor's on Sunday morning.  Every day, between the noon news and my Soap, I watch Joyce Meyer.  I'm not real keen on her, but her program is conveniently placed and I do learn.

I seem to be getting messages from all of these pastor's.  Why are they all teaching on the same thing at the same time, I wonder.  Hm-mm, maybe it's a God whisper sent just for me?

They all seem to teach and quote from scripture that if you are facing a challenging situation, the longer you complain about it, the longer you will stay in that situation.  The secret, is to TRUST that God will provide everything you NEED.

Well, I know that!  

I've witnessed that many times in the last few years.

My faith has become deeper, my belief stronger.

I've had months when there was no way I had enough money to pay the bills, let alone buy anything special to eat.  I do get sick of eating Ramen Noodles, but they are filling.

I complain about it every month.  Rant and rave on here.  The bills go up, the income does not.  I get scared.  My faith weakens.

...and yet, every month something comes through to help.  Finding a couple of twenty's laid on my bathroom counter after my sister's visit.  A surprise, "thinking of you" note from my cousin with a twenty inside.  My daughter Karen bringing by some food that she knows I particularly love.  A check from daughter Jennifer.  Support from my sweet girl, Chris.

Maybe if I quit complaining about my situation and see more clearly the blessings I receive, my situation will change?

===================

My resolution:  if any of you remember this Bing Crosby song...

"You gotta accentuate the positive,

Eliminate the negative.

Latch on to the affirmative,

And don't mess with Mister In-Between."

=================

When I get scared, push that thought away with a prayer.

Know FOR SURE, that God will provide.  He always has, He isn't about to stop now.

Work on deepening my faith with that knowledge.

I have a feeling, deep in my "gut" that 2020 is going to be a really good year, not just for me, but for all of us.

Looking forward and onward and upward!

  

The family Christmas gathering up at The Farm was wonderful.
We have such a nice family.
No drinking.
No political discussions.
==========
Singing Christmas carols, while my sister played the piano.
Just everyone reveling in their love for each other.

The oldest and the youngest in the family

Well, Merry Christmas and isn't it a fine day!
or Bah Humbug--whichever.

Here I sit alone all day, as I was yesterday.  Christmas Eve--the DAY we used to celebrate our FAMILY Christmas.

Nary a phone call.
Not one single invite.
My sister had Christmas with her son on Eve.  Last year she promised me, no matter what, we would be together every Eve.
Hm-mm.

My grand daughter Susanna, got in from Portland last night, so I know daughter Karen and all her kids and grandkids are together today.  I could have gone over, for a visit, if I had been invited.

Ah-hh.  But why does it matter.  Jesus was born in September.  It was only some early Pope that decided to out-wit the Pagans celebration of the Winter Solstice.  He'd make a decree that Jesus' birth would be celebrated at the same time of year.

As my Mother once said, "Just so we celebrate it."

I suppose winter time is as good a time as any.  People aren't too busy in the midst of December.  

Pine trees don't lose their branches in winter, so we can drag one inside our homes and decorate it, like the Pagans did, but....be sure to put a Nativity scene under it to make it legal.
===================
I'll tell you why it matters.  TRADITION!!!!!!  You are SUPPOSED to be with family on holiday's!

So today is just an ordinary Wednesday.  Heck--even my dang Christmas cactus didn't bloom!  My Soap is even going to be on TV today.

Just an ordinary Wednesday.

Are we all counting down the hours?

Not so much here.  It's kind of sad.  Christmas was my favorite holiday for half my life.  It was so much fun, when my kids were young.  I got more excited than they did--I think.

I'd start in mid-November to put lights up on every bush in the front yard and climbed out the bedroom window to get up on the roof to anchor a big lighted star to the TV antennae and hang lights on the eaves of the house.  I had a garage door cover of the Nativity scene, but instead of putting it on the garage, I stapled it to a large piece of plywood and placed it in a small grove of trees we had, with a spot light on it.  We even had our home featured in the local paper one year.

The inside of the house was bejeweled too.  A real tree touched the ceiling.  Red and gold decoration and candles on every flat surface, or some years, blue and silver.  Lighted candles on timers, in all 30 windows...even the dining room chandelier was wrapped in tinsel and glass balls.  I had a long mirror that I put on top of the piano and laid clear lights along the surface, with a green garland and pieces of crystal to catch the light and sparkle.

Even when the grand babies started coming, it was exciting.  We got together on Christmas Eve with my folks and on Christmas Day, went to my in-laws for our celebration there.

Then, the divorce happened.  We still got together on Christmas Eve with my Dad, at The Farm house where my sister now lives.  Then, my Dad died, but we still got together on Christmas Eve.  Then, the grand kids grew up and it was difficult to get everyone together on Christmas Eve.

So, last year it was on the 21st and this year on the 28th.

BAH HUMBUG!!!

=====================

I used to have a website with children's stories on it.  I had a lot of traffic on that site and it was a good place to advertise when I had one of my children's illustrated books published.  I had a teacher who e-mailed me and asked permission to print out and use some of the stories in her 1st grade classroom.

Then, over the years, it kind of died out, so I took it down.  Luckily, I had all the stories and illustrations saved in Word documents and picture files.

I decided to make a book for GGrand daughter Della for Christmas this year.  As I progressed along, editing and printing, I realized the book was going to be too big.  I had 197 pages!

I had a lot of short 2-3 pages stories and a few funny poems and then a longer story about adventures of a Scarecrow and another 3 different stories about a little girl named Emmy.  Plus, I had written 3 stories of biographical things from me growing up on a farm in the 40's and 50's.

So, I had 3 different books bound at the print shop yesterday.

I went searching on Google Images trying to find something for the Emmy book and I found a pencil drawing that looks so much like Della.  She might not notice, but I'll bet her Mom will.

I patterned the Emmy stories after my child self.  Della is a strong willed little girl, much as I was as a child.  The only difference, I got spanked when I acted that way.  LOL

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.......and the beat goes on around here.  I'm just looking forward to the new year.  Why it has any significance is beyond me.  It is just another day, but I like the way "twenty-twenty" sounds when I say it.  2019 was a bad year for me, so I guess I'm pinning my hopes on 2020.

Later....................................

Very worried about Ernestine: 'My Journey to Mindfulness'.  I sent her an e-mail and have heard nothing.

Also Bella Rum: 'What's She Thinking'--nothing since July 15th.

It's not like either one said they weren't going to post for awhile.

Both had stated they weren't feeling well.  

They aren't on Face Book so I can't track them through there.

These two ladies were important to me, in my blog reading, for a long time.  I worry and miss them like I would any of you who just stopped posting.  I guess we all need a surrogate of some kind that would post on our blog if anything happened to us.

========================
Boy--I've been sicker than a dog.  I came down with it 3 days after being at Karen's for Thanksgiving breakfast.  Must have picked it up from someone.

Started out with a sore throat, ears hurt, then running nose and cough.  The cough got so bad I decided, after 3 weeks, to visit the Doc.  He walked into the exam room and said, "You must really be sick to come in.  I usually see you twice a year."

So he put me on a super-duper antibiotic--the size of a horse pill, take one a day for 3 days and they stay in the body for 10 days.

I took one with supper last night and 2 hours later, got severe stomach cramps and diarrhea.  I guess there is more than one way to flush the bad buggies outta my body?
===============
I used to have a web site with children's stories and poems I had written.  I decided to put all those stories into book form and give it to 3-year old Great Grand daughter Della.

I have been editing and printing out for days now.  I need to get it done and to the print shop to get it bound by this Friday.
===============
We are having our family Christmas on December 28th, up at The Farm.  My sister posted a photo of their home.

That very large 162 year old home has never looked so good.
Each window has a wreath in the top sash and a candle on the sill.
Garlands around each porch post and doorway.

She has 5 Christmas trees that she puts up and decorates.  One all done in crystal and gold.  Another one in pink and white. 

Her house looks amazing!!!

I'm ready!!!!!

So Friday, my Knight in Shining in Armor, Randy the towing guy, came out with the battery. Unfortunately this Dodge Stratus, circa 1998, has the battery in the fender well and you have to pull the tire to get to it.

WHAT KIND OF DUMB SPIT IS THAT?

So he charged up my battery and, in the morning I was to drive into Brighton to his "yard" and he would install the battery.  I had no idea what it was going to cost, he told me not to worry about it.

Of course Saturday morning, when I tried to start the car, it 

just gave me the same old “click-click” noise, so I called 

Randy and he said he would be out in half an hour.

Randy came out at 10:30 to charge my battery and I followed him into Brighton, where he shares a repair shop with another guy.

He put my car up on the hoist and went all over the underside, checking the shocks, tie rods, struts, gas tank, muffler system and said everything was solid.

Then he pulled the tire to get at the battery. He had a 2018 battery from a car that was totaled and he wasn't going to charge me for. When he went to put it in, it wouldn't fit.

So he went in another room and I could hear him calling an auto parts store to get a brand new battery.

Now remember, he has never charged me one penny.

While we waited, he filled up all the fluid levels, checked the air cleaner, check the windshield wipers, air sprayed out all the leaves up by the windshield, even opened up the trunk lid, where my tree toads live in the summer, and cleaned out the "swamp" back there.

Told me I didn't need to get an oil change because my oil looked as clean as if it was just filled. That saved me $29.00.

By then the parts runner was there with the brand new battery and I saw Randy guy pull out of wad of bills and pay the kid. When Randy moved toward my car, I stepped over and ask the kid how much it was. $106.00.

Randy put in the new battery, put the tire back on, went around and sprayed WD-40 on all the door hinges, the hood catch and the trunk lock mechanism. Then, he aired up all the tires.

Then he noticed that my heater knob that was broken off and I use a pair of pliers to adjust the heat and said he could get me one of those and that he is still looking for a seat belt that will work.

In the meantime, while he was putting the battery in, I left the work area and went into an office to sit down and write him a check. I was bound and determined I was going to pay him at least for the brand new battery.

He didn't want to take any money. All the time he has spent running out here. The time he has spent working on my seat belt and now the battery--nope, he didn't want any money. The labor costs alone, for all he has done, would have been $270-300 dollars.

I told him he saved me $29.00 by not having to get an oil change, he practically winterized my whole car. I feel so safe to drive it now, and I shoved that check in his hand, hugged him and took off before he could protest anymore.

I didn't think nowadays, especially in this high rent district, that there would be people like him that would help and want nothing in return.

The strange thing is, I never should have met him. I just stopped in on a whim at my service guys place to see what to do about the seat belt, and the towing guy was just bringing a car in. My service guy said, let me talk to Randy--he has a lot of spare parts.

Hey--things like that aren't a coincidence. He was a God sent blessing to help me.

When I told Karen about it, she said she and Mark would pay for the battery.  Another God send.

I sure have been blessed this past week.  What relief I feel to know that my car, not only will start right up, but that it is safe to drive. 
=============
I am real worried about Ernestine at "My Journey to Mindfulness".  She hasn't posted in 3 weeks.  Has anyone heard from her?

I get so frustrated and of course, it does no good.

My car is sitting in my driveway right now...dead battery.  I was just bragging the other day that I've had the car 11 years and I have never had to replace the battery.

Jinxed myself, didn't I?

The guy that helped me with the seat belt, said he had a couple of batteries and he would charge them up and bring them out.  That was yesterday at 2:00.  It is now today at 3:57 and I ain't seen head or tail of him.  I so dislike people that over promise and under deliver.  I would have felt better if he had just said, "I can't get to you until Friday," and then shown up on Friday.  I feel like I can't get away from my phone.  Afraid of even running across the street to get the mail in case he calls and I miss the phone call.

I had saved up enough $$$ the last 5 weeks to be able to get a hair cut.  Right now my hair resembles Bozo's hair style,  it is so long and unruly.  I had the appointment yesterday, but when I jumped into my car and turned the key, all I got was click-click.  ARRGH!!

Luckily I had gone grocery shopping on Monday, so cats had food.

=============

I've been working on the spaghetti sauce for the "boys" Christmas gift.  I can't seem to cook anymore.  I have a devil of a time getting the sauce thick enough and I follow my 40 year old recipe to a "T".  Maybe there are things I did in years past that aren't in the recipe, but of course now, can't remember what the little tricks might be?

I did get my Christmas cards printed out.  I have the Hallmark Card software, so I can make my own cards and personalize them for the kids and grands.  My "Special Girl" in Idaho, always sends me Christmas stamps so I don't have a great expense in outlay.

==============

I am not decorating for Christmas.  I can remember in years past, when my Grandma and older relatives stopped putting up a tree, I firmly avowed, "I don't care how old I get.  I will always put up a decorated tree!"

Yeah--well.  Little did I know that now that I am old and with a painful back, the very thought of putting up and decorating the tree, which takes 4 hours, let alone getting all the other nativities, Santas, village, angels out, which takes about 5 days, would become more than I would want to do.

My sister tells me, "Do it for yourself.  It will make you feel better."  Yeah, well not having to put it up and then take it all down will make me feel better physically.

I hung the cross stitched picture I made of a Christmas angel on the wall and called it good.

I am rapidly turning into an old, cranky, Scrooge!!!

I finished a genealogy for a young woman that I became friends with when I first moved here.  She had a writing group that I joined.  She has three daughter's...2 have autism and the youngest has learning disabilities.  I don't know how she does it, as the oldest one acts out at school and keeps getting suspended for a few days.  20 suspensions already this school year.  The oldest is in her senior year, very big and strong and fights with other students and teachers.

It is a real struggle for my friend.

She mentioned that she was interested in finding about her family tree.  Her parents don't want to talk about any of it, so she basically knew nothing about her grand parents.

I told her if she had the birth dates and where her parents were born, I'd do some research and see what I could come up with.  She did know that and even knew her Dad's father's name, but no dates for him.

It took me awhile, but I finally found a "path" and once I found that, up the tree I climbed.  LOL

I knew this young woman couldn't pay, although she insisted she would.  My rates are $7.00 an hour for the research and putting the book together, i.e., writing the story and scanning and adding census reports, military records, marriage licenses, death certificates---whatever I can find in my research.

When she asked me how much it would cost, I told her, "about $100.00 and you can pay me as we go along."  One day she stopped in with groceries--milk, bread, a can of soup, cheese, a candy bar and a jug of Diet Pepsi.  I found the receipt in the bottom of the bag, so I credited her invoice for that amount.

I got her book bound last week and the total for all of the research work I had done, the acid free paper for the book, printing out the pedigrees and the book binding came to $234.00.  I "fudged" and printed out an invoice for her with a total of $108.00 and apologized that it was $8.00 more than I had told her at the beginning.

====================

My daughter Karen scolded me.  "Mom!  You, of all people, can't afford to do these genealogies for free.  That work helps you pay the bills your Social Security doesn't cover.  I suppose you gave it to her before she had paid for all of it."

"Yes."

"Mom!  Don't you remember that woman that never paid you?  You mailed her the book and she never paid for it.  That's why Jen and I told you to get a hundred dollars from the person, before you started any research for them."

"Yes, but............"

==========================

BUT.....this young woman knew nothing about her heritage.  She wanted to know.  I wanted her to know.  I found the cemeteries where her grand parents are buried.  I found photos of their grave markers.  I found photos of her Great grand parents.  I found that a town in Ohio was founded and named by her 6th Great grand father.  I found she is German/Irish.

....and the look on her face, when she saw her book, was way more important than the money I may have missed out on.  

My neighbor John.  You remember John, who stopped in to visit everyday with his dog Maisey?  He always cleaned the snow out of my drive (and all the neighbors)--for free.

Well, after Maisey died, he decided to go back to work.  He works nights at a nearby elementary school as Janitor.  He did stop in about a year ago and as we talked, he told me about professional "cuddlers".  Because elderly people get so lonely and miss out on human touch, they now have people you can hire to come to your house and sit on the couch, watch TV and cuddle.

He said that he knew of people that didn't hire the pro, they just got together once in awhile to cuddle.  He wondered if that would be something I was interested in.  Now John is a good Christian man and I know he would just cuddle and not even think to take it any farther, but in my mind I was all "EWWW" about it, so I told him it would be great if he wanted to come over and watch a Michigan State basketball game with me, but I wasn't interested in sitting on the couch, cuddling.

At one time, he WOULD come over and watch the Michigan State versus Michigan football and basketball games with me. He'd sit on the couch, me in my recliner.  He's a Michigan fan and we had a lot of fun ribbing each other.  But--I must have hurt his feelings because I have not seen or heard from him since.
=====================
Merle and Pearl.  Merle has Parkinson's, but he still mows his own lawn, shovels his own driveway and walks along our street every trash day and brings Dar, Jackie and my empty trash cans up to our porch.

Pearl on the other hand, sits in her chair 24/7.  She even sleeps in it now.  A couple of years ago, she just stopped walking, because her legs hurt.  She went to several doctors and physical therapy, but refused to do what they told her to do....so there she sits.

You know what happens when all you do is sit---now she can't walk.  She has a walker to use, but even with that, her legs collapse and Merle can't get her up, so he has to call the ambulance and the ambulance people have to haul her up and back into her chair.

They average two ambulance calls a month--and they are not charged for it.  The people told Merle to just call and they would come right over.  Their station only 1 mile away.

Their oldest daughter that lives about 80 miles north of here, comes down once a month to clean the house.  Pearl never has a good word to say about her.  Their youngest daughter, that lives just around the corner from here takes them to their doctor's appointments...Pearl recently diagnosed with Diabetes, and helps with yard work.  She is her Daddy's girl and not quite all that in love with her mother, but with that one, Pearl thinks the sun rises and sets with her.

I try to get down there for a visit every month.  It takes an effort on my part because I know what awaits me.  Pearl is very bossy and tell me how I should live, what I should do and if I express any feelings, tells me I'm nuts to feel that way.  
============
Then there's Dar.  Her Dad is now 96 years old, living with her at her suggestion.  Daddy has a ton of $$$ and I think Dar thought it would be good for her to have him near to help out.

That was 2 years ago.  He drives her nuts.  LOL  He insists that she take him in the car everyday.  In this past year, Dar has had a hernia surgery, and both hands done for Carpal Tunnel.  He got mad because she couldn't drive and stated that when her left hand was done she could still drive with her right hand and vice versa.

She and her best friend Sheila--a neighbor did manage to get away for a 4 days trip up north.  Dad was angry that he couldn't go with them and Dar had to jump through hoops to make arrangements to have her brother take him.  Dad hates her brother's wife, so he stayed in his room, at their place, all 4 days.

Four times a year, Dar and Sheila like to go up north to Frankenmuth--a city that has Christmas all year round.  They always take Dad with them.  They go on their birthdays so they get whatever their age is percent off their chicken dinner.  Dad is now up to a 96% discount, which he thinks is fabulous and is determined to make it to 100 so he will get a free dinner.

He is sharp as a tack and might just fulfill that wish of his.  He had given his 3 children their inheritances, so Dar got a huge sum, plus she got a $200K settlement on her accident case, so she is rolling in the green stuff, but with Dad following her around the house and making negative comments, she is beginning to wonder if her "suggestion" that he come live with her is worth it.

When he first moved in and I asked her if she thought it was a good idea because she likes to travel and wants to travel to Greece, she said, "He's 93, how long can it last?"