Author: Rene

My favorite scented candle is of the cranberry variety. It’s a warm, deep-fragrance, much as the color of cranberries. Cranberry sauce?

This year’s fixation on food seems to be with cranberries and their place as “least favorite” food at Thanksgiving. It’s commented on in the news and the comic strips. Quite frankly, I hated cranberry sauce as a kid. And stuffing. And I never was a gravy girl. Green bean casserole? Nope. The Thanksgiving meal never held sway over my dining preferences. Perhaps the clean-up portion of that meal also deterred my interest in celebrating with a huge meal?

My sister and I were always considered part of the dish-drying team. I disliked those wet towels sopping up as much liquid as my grandmother left after her serious scrubbing of the dishes, pots and pans. However, standing next to the aunts and my mom and listening to that kitchen chatter was a highlight. (Nostalgic note: that part of Thanksgiving was lost with the invention of the dishwasher.) It would take what seemed an eternity to finish the clean-up and be given the green light to go and play!

I digress. I’ll be serving it all tomorrow – and making the dinner rolls, not purchasing them. I’ll be channeling my ancestors’ spirits and mood in the kitchen, all with my cranberry-scented candle burning.

When you continue to put away your Christmas lights and tree and say to yourself, “Next year I’ll untangle this mess and sort it out,” well, that year arrived this past weekend.

It needed to be done. Old, non-working strands were still hanging on to my little outdoor trees. I just kept putting a newer, working strand on top of them. It was a little unsightly and finally enough to spur me to action. The half-lit strands cobbled together to make one working one? In the recycling pile! (They will offer the option to recycle lights somewhere after the holidays – look for that and do it! No landfill for my illumination. Well, who knows? They possibly dump them somewhere else.)

However, Grandma’s old plastic ornaments still bring me joy. My mom’s stitchery of “The Three Kings” makes me smile. And the little reindeer wine-bottle holder my daughter and I saw and copied years ago – that has pride of place on the counter. If it still made me smile, brought me joy, made me realize I’m the only one who will ever love it, I kept it.

Yes, I’m done decorating for the holidays. Almost.

It’s not always obvious that shoes are needed until they are actually needed.

Walking into my closet I keep looking for the black boots I wore to a nub and tossed last year. They were resoled twice, the emblem had fallen off and was being held on with duct tape on the inside, and they were scuffed beyond recognition. I thought it might be time to replace them, as well as my black heels I’ve worn for over ten years to every funeral or event that called for black heels. The heels are in sad shape. The shoe has seen better days.

Thus, I am prepared to admit that I purchased three, not two, but three new models of footwear. The third pair was just because they were so darn shiny, pointy, maroon-colored, and on sale. I’m not sure what to wear with them but I am up for that challenge!

When it rains, it pours.

This morning I awoke with a scratchy throat. As I clamored to the sink for a drink, a spider jumped out and startled me. Seeking solace in a cup of coffee, my automated machine refused to comply. I think it’s dead.

Since I need coffee to ward off the inevitable headache which comes with the lack of it, I headed to McDonald’s drive-thru for a swig. Satisfied, I returned home to contemplate the bare Christmas tree I have erected in the corner of the family room.

I’m still contemplating. No sense chancing a possible superfecta of things-that-could-go-wrong. Also, Laurence Fishburne is narrating “History’s Greatest Mysteries.” I think I’ll just enjoy the sofa and his deep voice as we learn the identity of someone I do not know.

Last night the herd came through my back yard, nibbling on the lilac bushes I obviously planted for them. Three does and four young ones. Twins in there?

This morning they returned, heading back to their home. It’s impossible to get a decent photo of them as they blend into the surroundings so well, especially at dusk. I thought about chasing them away as they’ve already stunted the growth on a few bushes, as well as destroyed a tree. However, I’ve succumbed to Mother Nature’s way of pruning.

We will just see what Spring brings us oh-so-many months from now.

…the number of times I have made it through the TSA check without dinging something.

The older systems pinged my hair clips. Since I have to go through the high-performance metal detector due to titanium in my body, I am always awed that a hair clip will not pass. Additionally, my shoes are usually an issue. Apparently they usually have some bling on them which causes immediate concern to where I just remove them now. I don’t bother with the hair clips, because it’s just too much work to reassembly myself in the little space they have for anyone to re-combobulate. (Not a word) Also, the pat down kind of makes you feel like you could be a spy or drug trafficker.

We’ll see how it goes this morning! Always a little adventure in the day.

Never look at a catalog when you’re cold.

Even though we opted out of mailings/catalogs a few years back we have continued to receive them. The “Sharper Image” catalog with its gadgets came out. The cozy offerings certainly look delightful when you’re cold. But then, you have to think beyond and ask the question, “Where will I keep this?”

The oversized, magenta-toned, fleece-lined lounging hoodie looked quite nice last night when I was chilled. Today? Heck, the sun is out, it’s going to be almost 60 degrees, and I don’t want another blanket-type thing to store somewhere. I’ll just use a blanket I already have stashed.

Unlike the old “Sears Wish Book” mostly-toy-edition at Christmas, today’s publications aren’t quite as exciting. Remember paging through that monster-sized volume? It was a dreaming book. Now we swipe and tap on the dreams.

Today, I’m fantasizing about clean windows. Oh, yes. The “Sharper Image” had a new tool solution for that, too! But where would I store it?

That’s all I could think of with the 30+ inches of snow melting for the past two days. “Whumph!” That was the sound as it slid off the decking, porch eaves, and trees. Very fun to watch, and yet startling at times.

The sun has done her job and we await the rest of the melt so that we can properly remove the broken branches. It’s unfortunate those flowering pears still remain green and full! They had better get moving towards winter quickly or nature will be doing some more pruning on the next round.

Looking forward to a little chainsaw action!

Looking for that boost of sunshine to melt some of this! My spouse has been plowing to keep up with most of the moisture, but overnight we seem to have had another big dump. I will be exercising those back muscles (the latissimus dorsi being my favorite name in the world of high school anatomy class) as I shovel what can’t be plowed.

It’s beautiful, and the trees are holding their own with the weight of the world on them. Ponderosa pines are amazing, an apt tree for our climate.

The only issue is that my boots do not cover enough of my leg to plunge into the drifts. I guess I’ll see if my old ski suit still fits? Ha!

No, it’s not Tuesday nor is it hamburger-on-the-menu day. I’m just feeling like a wimp because I don’t want to brave the snow this morning.

Most of the reason for my lack of motivation comes from the fact that I have to go through the intersection of the local high school. It is always a snarl, always overcrowded with teenage drivers and is noted for a few icy inclines during this time of year. I would go the “back” way, but that passes through more icy hills and the elementary school. I guess those drivers would be more experienced? Hm.

To be fair, if my class didn’t start at the same time as schools do I wouldn’t have any concerns as I use my Midwestern driving skills to navigate this continuing snowfall. Which, by the way, did they ever predict this much snow? Either my over-the-top alerts failed me, I ignored them, or I just had too many other things to think about. Let’s go with the last idea.

Out I go with a little danger in the day.