Looking good . . .

Things are looking good on this last day of 2013. It's below freezing, the sun is bright in the eastern sky, we've had a good breakfast at the Diner, P&D's Pop will be going off to lunch with two teachers from PHS along with another volunteer, and I'll keep the home fires burning. I like that phrase. It makes me feel warm and happy with our home and the family we have scattered around this small world. Looking forward to picking up Kiddo late this afternoon. I'm sure he'll have some new games for us to marvel at. It concerns me that he's getting old enough that his folks don't need us to help out too much. But that is what life is, changes, accommodations, letting go, moving on and as Ma used to say,"Every age has its compensations." So life will continue to roll on and we're along for the interesting though at times scary ride. Had a pleasant seventy first birthday. Nothing over the top; nice phone serenades, talking with the people I love, feeling like I am needed and thought of; good, warm sensations.

Went to cardiac rehab yesterday and it went very well. I surprised myself with the energy I have this time around. It makes me realize that whatever caused the stent to act up it has been the source of my feeling 39 and holding. So it was just a blip on the screen of my unfolding life. I can handle that.

Time to go pay the last bills of the year and get to works on my itty bitty puzzle.

Quote:True humility is not an abject, groveling, self-despising spirit; it is but a right estimate of ourselves as God sees us.   ___Tryon Edwards

Just right . . .

Finally caught the little twit!  Still not as clear as I'd like but I'll be on the prowl.

It is a fine day before my seventy first birthday and we decided to go to lunch at Happy Jack's, a pub and grill in Plainfield right across the parking lot from McD's. An excellent Margarita, a metal bottle of Bud, Chicken Genovese, Fish & Chips and we had the perfect lunch. The décor is modern because the previous restaurant burned to the ground a few years back and the new part of the building has risen Phoenix like into at least two iterations. This latest iteration is fine. We enjoyed our company (us) and our young waitress; came home to Gram's Cheesecake and coffee for dessert. Couldn't ask for anything more. Didn't expect such a pleasant day, actually had no expectations and it was just right. I guess 2014 will be another good year of peaceful surrender to the vicissitudes of life in our seventies. Perhaps if youngest visits us in March and oldest can join us the whole family will be able to enjoy lunch at Happy Jack's Pub! Not a plan; just a thought. And if their loves can be with us too it could be perfect along with middle child et al. In any case it's a nice thought.

Have been eyeing Grampa's one pound package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups ( 2 half pound cups!) which the students in the model airplane class gave him along with a myriad of little Reeses! Still haven't gotten to open the package and take a photo of two 1/2 pound Peanut Butter Cups. P&D's Pop will probably wait until I am off somewhere before he opens the darned thing. All I want is a photo op, a deep lung filling whiff and one huge bite! That may be asking too much though.

No Kiddo to bring home today because Mom and Dad didn't work last night. He'll be coming home to Moosup New Year's Eve instead. Debating whether I shall ask for a concert! I may just let everything slide and give in to his every whim!

Quote:  If the nose of Cleopatra had been a little shorter, it would have changed the history of the world.  __Pascal

'Twas so nice . . .

Gram's Cheesecake - It was very good this year.

Yes, it was a sweet, homely, comfortable Christmas in this old house. So many of the ornaments on the tree are wonderful reminders of Christmases past and the cherished loved ones that are here in our hearts and make up our souls. I sat in the light of the tree for a long time last night and appreciated the quiet, peace and calm of the day God favored us with His Love. And it was good to behold and think of the beauty of the World. Sometimes I wonder why He created man. Perhaps He's not perfect either and is doing His darndest to help get us through this life and help the World to be a peaceful generous planet. Gee, I hope so. Everyone should be able to find happiness in themselves and the people around them but material acquisitions, greed, hubris and seeking power interfere with the good life. Sometimes we learn a lot too late.

The day before Christmas we took a ride to Fiskdale, MA to get some model plane parts and I also picked out a new 1000 piece puzzle. Only problem is that my helpful puzzle maker lives over 1200 miles south of here! Hell's bells, on top of that local nephew's wife gave us a 1000 piece puzzle advertised as the smallest thousand piece puzzle in the world! How's that for messing with someones health and well being!  Our trip home from Hog Heaven was neat. P&D's Pop took many side roads and we drove through many beautiful Connecticut villages: Quinebaug, Wilsonville,Fabyan, North Woodstock. We'll have to roam the roads more often. It makes you smile to see what a beautiful state Connecticut is with its sweeping hills and valleys, farms, animals, pastures, streams, ponds, lakes and rivers. It's a shame we've elected  oligarchs, tyrants,  idiots to destroy what our hardy forebears bequeathed to us. There is still hope we can throw the bums out and turn this quagmire of political cronyism into a thoughtful,  brave, consequential land of steady habits once again.

Time to get off of the soap box and get started on a puzzle!

Quote: However much the priestlings of science may prate against the Bible, the high priests of science are in accord with Christianity.   _____Professor Simpson

Joyeux Noel! Happy Christmas!

60 degrees three days before Christmas . . .

Handsome Carolina Wren

Pretty wild weather when you can go sliding on the snow one day and the next you can go out in a t-shirt and play in the mud! Got an early start this morning. We were at breakfast in Central Village before 7 am. So early in fact that I went to 7:30 Mass. I do like going to Mass but I've got to admit that the organist has got to tone the music down more than a tad. My word, she must be deaf. It hurts my ears and I know that my hearing isn't very good. But it's nice to see the people I've known for years who still go to early Mass. A good hug from a calm, sweet, loving, giving cousine is very comforting. Sometimes you really need that kind of touch especially when you've almost gone off the deep end because you've allowed yourself to get pissy over stupidities. Ah, but life really is good and I must remember it's the only life I've got. No time for nonsense. I'm starting to grow up as I get nearer to the 3/4 century mark. Must enjoy each day as it unfolds and smile at the inane asininities each day may bring or which I may cause! Dommage! C'est la vie! Et cetera. There, done with it.

Got a couple of nice, short videos of Kiddo playing Jolly Old Saint Nicholas and Lightly Row but he hasn't given me permission to show them. I will not put them on line unless he's comfortable with doing it. Hoping one day he'll want to strut his stuff. He has learned about four new songs from the back of his lesson book on his own. He does let me help to figure out the notes he hasn't been taught. I show him what the notes are on the piano and then he works with that knowledge because I know nothing about the alto sax. We have a good time. Will be going to his basketball game this afternoon. He has missed a couple of practices because of snow days and school conflicts. But we're looking forward  to some cheering no matter the outcome!

Quote:  A panic is a sudden desertion of us, and a going over to the enemy of our imagination.   __Bovee  (Already used this quote but I needed to be reminded that I must  remain calm, cool and collected as much as possible.  Good for one's health!)

My Charlie Brown Christmas . . .

Not tit-mice.

What a wonderful evening we (I) spent at the Sacred Heart Christmas Concert! Grampa graciously brought me and stayed for the concert, bien sur! I couldn't help but smile through the entire concert. At times I felt a need to laugh out loud but restrained myself. It was easy to use restraint if I stole a glance at Grampa's face. Kiddo's Mom dutifully made videos. The only one I'd really like to see and hear is when Kiddo and his friend Kevin played a duet of Lightly Row, Kiddo on sax and Kevin on flute. They were quite good. I am amazed what they have learned in one half hour group lesson a week since the end of September. I will no longer tell him to only really practice what he has been taught but rather encourage him to go ahead. He reads the music well and likes to play.

I talked P&D's Pop into rearranging the bird feeders so we can entice the Tufted Titmouse  closer to the window. They will not go on the suet and I need the black oil sunflowers seeds close by. They are skittish little fellows. Didn't go to see younger sister yesterday because I was leery of the roads as they had a delayed school start in East Granby. I really miss the visit. This weather leaves me on pins and needles when it comes to venturing out alone. I pretty much trust my own driving but I end up driving so defensively it wears me out! The Hyundai is in for the 52000 mile checkup and hopefully getting the locking mechanism fixed! It locks itself  when I'd rather it didn't. There seems to be a glitch. I also expect to get our gas ration renewed! Have most of the fixings for Christmas Dinner. It'll be plain and simple:  Roast Beast, mashed potatoes, yellow turnip, broccoli, Caesar salad, Sally Lunn bread with Gram's Cheesecake for dessert. Should be just fine and dandy. When P&D's Pop returned from school today he had a nice Thank You, Christmas Card with notes from all of the kids in the plane building class. Thoughtful and grateful they were. Nice.

Quote:  To acquire a few tongues is the task of a few years; to be eloquent in one is the labor of a life . . . ____Spurgeon

Don't like to miss Mass but . . .

Son and Grampa chose a nice tree!

 Christmas cards add to the cheer!

Not putting up too much this year. Trying for simple.

I'll not go to Mass this morning because for some literally ungodly reason I don't want to take a chance on the roads or the steps or the sidewalks. Starting to feel a little vulnerable to age and it's ticking me off! No one should start to feel as if they're 63 years old when they're in their 40's! Hell's bells. What the devil is the demon up to now? Making me feel guilty, that's what he's up to. Shitski, I say, just plain old "merde." That's about the size of it. ( I'm blaming my less than stellar vocabulary on having played many losing hands of cards in the past week or so.)

The tree is up and trimmed; Kiddo was returned home two hours early yesterday; his school pageant was a great success; we'll probably miss his second basketball game; may be able to get to his rescheduled band concert Wednesday evening. Phew. At least we do have the time to do all these things!  Both P&D's Pop and I have doctor's appointments tomorrow. Hoping to see younger sister Wednesday if all goes well weather wise. The Hyundai goes in for it's 52000 mile check up Thursday. Expect to put in for the gas rebate again this year. It all ends up back in Hyundai's ledgers anyway! Might as well claim it. Did get a call from Cardiac Rehab and will start on the 30th; three days a week for 12 weeks. I'd forgotten it was that long. Oh well, I'm sure it will make me more confident and less susceptible to complaining! I hate complainers so I must not turn into one of those people one hates to hang out with. We'll be joining our Oneco friends for dinner tomorrow night. Looking forward to stepping out on the town, even if it's Voluntown!

Quote:  Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can.   ___J. Wesley

Tree is up . . . only lights . . .

Beautiful Peach Cactus

Big Kiddo and P&D's Pop chopped down the blue spruce Monday at Allen Hill and I thought it might be a good idea to have Big Kiddo help put it up before they left for their southern home. Groton Kiddo let me know that I was to only put up the lights and . . . bring the boxes of ornaments down so he could decorate for us when he comes today. His Christmas pageant is tonight, he's Joseph, I think, and I doubt we'll have time to decorate tonight.  May have to wait until Saturday morning and hope the snow holds off until we finish and can get him back home for the neighborhood sledding fest in his back yard! They have the only house on the street with a hill and the kids have been having a blast. That is the best way to spend cold winter days; outside, bundled up, freezing with friends!  Hoping to get to see his second basketball game of the year Sunday but the weather isn't very promising.  He did get 3 points in the first Groton Rec game. Yay! Sacred Heart must still reschedule the band concert which was snowed out Tuesday. At least today is bright and sunny albeit very cold. It'll be interesting to see what our natural gas bill will be this month.

Had a chance to stop in and deliver Christmas Penuche to older brother and his wife yesterday. Pleasant lunch and conversation before the holidays hit. Grampa is eating up all of the great cookies sister-in-law made and sent home with me. Have to see if I can save some for me and the Kiddo! She has included little candies, Mini Coffee Kopiku from India.  Des bonbons fantastiques! Earlier this year she had given me a rather large Christmas Cactus that had belonged to a friend. It is glorious. I will make sure she get some slips so she can start her own peach cactus! I'm fortunate that plants like to summer on the porch and prepare to blossom with very little help from me.

After this last week of son and wife's visit this old house is a bit too quiet. C'est la vie, n'est-ce pas?

Quote:  Music can noble hints impart, engender fury, kindle love, with unsuspected eloquence can move and manage all the man with secret art.   ___Addison

Hard to say good by . . .

A spot of beauty on a now bleak wintry day.

Our oldest Kiddo and his wife are on their way to overnight in Boston before their morning flight back to their Louisiana home. Such a good, warm, comforting visit; no special places or events; home together, that is all; home together, that is everything. We laughed, played cards, had supper with middle child, her husband and young Kiddo. Missed having youngest child and her best love here with us but . . . one of these days it must happen; we'll be together again. I'm smiling at the thought. We love them all and all of the new loves they have brought into our lives. Thank you. Amen

Quote:  We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.   ___Goethe

That's better . . .

The pink roses from P&D's Pop opened beautifully and were fragrant.

Yesterday went flying by and I like it like that. Had the follow up appointment with Dr. Foley and I guess my body may not like the stent too much so I had restenosis. No clue if that wording is correct but there it is. I guess restenosis  happens often enough.  In any case I'll go to cardiac rehab again which can only be scheduled a month after the procedure. Then I'll see Dr. Foley in March. So all is once again aright in my little corner of this Big Blue Marble. Had a busy day with Kiddo yesterday for an unusual Monday. Picked him up from the bar and went to his house where he completed his Social Studies homework; read a couple of chapters in his book;  started writing an article for a newspaper he has to type up about the book! went to basketball practice for an hour; came home to a saxophone concert for his brother and me. Phew, I'm tired just writing about it. Kiddo's big brother will come home to help out with the wood. I will never touch the stove. Fire scares me mainly because I don't really know how to control the fire even if if is in a stove.

Waiting for Puppies and Dante's Pop to get home from school so we can go to breakfast before I go shopping. It causes me to smile when I say he's coming home from school. What a great character he is! It seems that the classes are going well and the teacher will be taking P&D's Pop and the man who got him into the program out to dinner at an iconic Italian restaurant in Rhode Island. Sounds good.

Oh yeah, we also have our neighborhood electrician cleaning things up in the basement and a few other odds and ends. We're just perking along!

Quote:  By skillful conduct and artificial means a person may make a sort of name for himself; but if the inner jewel be wanting, all is vanity and will not last.   __Goethe