They Say....

They say that you teach people how to treat you. I was insulted by a comment made to me by a friend today. I didn't respond but someone else did. Then another comment was made. It was the second comment that made me decide not to join the group tonight for quilting. My "friend" called to see where I was and I decided not to answer the phone. Some people feel free to say what they want to say. They should also be prepared to pay the consequences. Think before you speak is a good adage. Is what you have to say so important to say that you would risk offending a friend? I doubt that it is in most cases. I will get over it, but not tonight. Maybe my friend will think twice before she speaks the next time.

The Retiree Breakfast

This morning about 25 of my former colleagues and I met for breakfast. We do this once a month from September through November and then again in March and April. In May we have a luncheon. It's always a time to catch up on the news in everyone's life. Breakfast lasts about 3 hours before we pay our separate bills and say "goodbye" until the next time. After the breakfast today, I went to purchase a grave blanket for my father's grave. I drove the little way to the cemetery and placed it on his grave. It felt good to be there. I miss him very much still, especially at this time of the year. We're fortunate that we still have our mother with us. On Friday I will visit her and put her Jack-O-Lantern away and take down her Christmas trees for her. We'll also put a wreath on her door. I love this time of year. I seem to have more energy than usual and always feel the "warmth" of the season despite the colder temperatures. Here's to a happy holiday season for all and a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year as well.

Where Did The Day Go?

My morning started by getting my flat tire changed and repaired. After stopping at the bank and the pharmacy, I spoke to my diet counselor. She was pleased that I had a loss despite the holiday. I had lunch and wrote out some bills then it was time to meet my new gynocologist for an annual checkup. I liked her very much. She was very upbeat. I arrived home from the doctor's appointment at about 3:30pm exhausted. I made a cup of tea and answered a couple of phone calls, perused new magazines, and had supper. Presently I'm watching the Channel 2 program of the lighting of the Christmas tree at Bryant Park. It's an entertaining show. I like the ice skating. I can't believe it's 7:35pm already. I don't feel like I did a lot today, but where did the day go? I'm just getting started!

A Flat Tire

Today I went outside to get into my car so I could go to my dental appointment. Unfortunately, I had to cancel the appointment because I have a flat tire. It's a nasty, rainy, cold day today. Usually I would have called AAA by now to change the flat and then I would have taken the tire to be repaired and put back onto the car. Since it's such a messy day I've decided to wait until the morning for all of that activity. I do need to have the tire back on the car by 2pm tomorrow because I have a 2:10 doctor appointment. What a nuisance a flat tire is, especially since you have to call and wait for someone to come and change it and then take it to be repaired. I'll be glad when I have four working wheels again. One is lost without a car in the burbs.

Christmas Shopping

Christmas Shopping while I listen to Christmas music is my kind of shopping. I sat in my recliner and perused several catalogues. The next step was to pick up the phone, dial up the computer and make out a few checks. I now have a gift for everyone on my list. Oh, there are a few incidentals I'll have to pick up, but for the most part, I am done. Hip, Hip, Hooray! The next task to tackle will be my Christmas cards. They'll take a bit longer to do, but I still have time for that. My living room is decorated except for the tree. I'll try to do that tomorrow. Since Sandy climbs the usual tree, I'm going with a small fiber optic tree this year. He won't be able to climb that because it's so compact. Only lights, no ornaments for the cat to swat and break. Simplify, simplify, simplify! I'm reading at the 8:30 mass on Christmas Day and I'm cooking Christmas dinner for 5 of us. I don't mind the cooking, it's the cleanup that's a chore. It will be a labor of love.

Thanksgiving Eve

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Luckily, I don't have to cook dinner because we've been invited to my sister's home for the holiday. Tonight I did cook. I'm bringing two dishes and 5 desserts to our Thanksgiving feast. We usually start our day by watching the Macy's parade on TV. Football is a favorite of the men. The highlight of the day is our turkey dinner with all the trimmings. It's one of my favorite holidays. This year, as with every other year, I have plenty to be thankful for. Above all, I'm thankful for good health and family and friends. There are many other less important things which I'm also thankful for but will remain "untold" at this time. One thing which I'd by very happy about is if we had world peace. It's too bad the world hasn't found a way to do that yet. I wonder if there will ever be an end to war? God bless our military men and women and their families for the sacrifices they have made for our country. Keep them safe and please bring a resolution to the problems in the middle east and an end to terrorism and it's threat.

New Paint

It's amazing how a new paint job in the hallway makes such a big difference. It's bright and clean. There is nothing in the hall except one piece of furniture which will also be painted soon. That chest holds my table linens. It will be painted an antique white by the same guy who painted my hallway. I'm looking forward to the new look to finish off the hall. The next new change will be the arrival of my new dining room table at the end of December. I'm anxious to receive it. Then each room will be "done" except for the craft room. There are a few things in there which I intend to get rid of when I get the chance. Room to move around in there is what I need to work on. It's such a small room and is a catch all for "stuff" which will change.

Wanting More of The Arts

It's been several years since I've had the good fortune to see a play or to go to a museum. I find myself wanting to do those things again. There is a Renoir exhibit in the Philadelphia Museum which I'd like to see. Some of the art work hanging on my walls are copies of Renoir paintings. He's always been my favorite impressionist. I found a bus trip to this exhibit and now have to find someone else who'd like to go to see it. I could go by myself, but it's always more fun when you go with someone else. Perhaps if no one else is game, I will go by myself. A Broadway play I'd like to see is Jersey Boys. I'm even "up" for going to the ballet again, or for going to hear the NY Philharmonic in concert. I suppose these are my desires for Christmas. I hope that they can become dreams come true.

Feeling Happy

Did you ever wake up to a new day and feel different than you felt the day before? Sometimes I awake more exhilarated by life than I was the day before. Today I have a feeling of happiness greater than I had yesterday. That's a good feeling. I can't explain it. I'm not sure what's causing it but I welcome it. Before I went to bed last night I started to read a new book called "the not so big life". It was inspiring. The premise of the book is to "make room for what really matters". That's what I've been trying to do for the past few months by cutting out activities which exhaust me and do not bring me joy. Like someone said, we are human beings, not human "doings". I've taken my father's advice and have taken time to smell the roses.

Lunch With A Friend

I met a friend for lunch in a quaint town called Clinton today. After lunch we went in and out of the shops. I didn't buy anything but lunch. Yes! I came home with money in my pocket. It use to be that if I shopped from a catalogue and saw something I liked, I'd buy one in every color that I liked. Recently, I've managed to buy just one when purchasing. Now that I'm retired, it makes more sense. Doing so makes the money go farther. I've lost some weight and soon I'll be cleaning out my closet of the "old" clothes and I'll need to purchase new things. Since I' m not working I won't need the extensive wardrobe which I still have from those working days. My friends will probably see me coming and going in the same things all the time. I don't have the need or desire to be a "clothes horse" anymore. After I do some repairs around the house, I want to start traveling again. I'll need to save up for trips since, like my father always said, "Money doesn't grow on trees." I'd like to visit Italy a couple of times. I want to see the tourist sights in the cities like Rome and Florence. I also want to see the countryside and have a restful vacation without a lot of running around. God willing, I'll get to visit France again. There is much that I'd like to see in that country. I've only visited Paris and the close environment to the city. I'd also love for Ireland to be in the travel picture again. We'll see what "life" has in store for me in the future. I hope that I'm the one making the decisions in that regard.

A Vacation From Blogging

I haven't written in a few weeks because of a lack of inspiration. Sometimes you run out of ideas. I could have written about my visit to DE to visit a former colleague a couple of weekends ago. Four of us spent the weekend catching up on all the people we know and reminicsing about all the funny things that happened at work. We visited the ocean at Bethany Beach and found a few boutiques to visit. My great find was an aqua colored sweater with a cowl neck and the popcorn stitch stitched into the sweater. I also found inspiration for a knitting project. We saw a turquoise scarf, very long, which could be used for a shawl and buttoned in the front. It will be very easy to make. I just need to find out how to knit buttonholes, then find some "funky" large buttons. The scarf sold for $92. which is more than I'd spend on a scarf. My friend Ruth and I decided that we'd make one ourselves. I found turquoise yarn at the craft store and bought it already. Put that on my list of "To Knit" projects. I'm currently working on an afghan. I may put that on hold since doing the scarf will be faster. If I wait until I do the afghan, I may lose interest in the scarf, or it'll be out of style and a waste to make. The friend we visited must have had a good time because she invited us back next November and asked us to rent a house in the Poconos with her in July. That'll be my first vacation in 3 years. It's always fun to be away with girlfriends. It reminds me of happy times in the dorm at college.