Author: Rene

This morning my beloved, sitting directly across from me at the kitchen table, Face-timed me. (Is that a verb?)

The only thing this brief encounter did was to give us a good chuckle. The feedback on the microphones was a little ear-piercing. We were testing the new iPad apparently? It is a lovely device with a keyboard I adore. As I type on it now, staring lovingly across the table, I am grateful for this little convenience which gives my typing fingers joy, provides countless inane moments of writing observations, and in general, gives a little perk to the morning routine.

I think I shall Face Time my spouse and thank him.

My college friend, “Paroline,” sent me this lovely quote.

Little did she know I had just been playing “Librarian” with my three-year old administrator of fun. Of course, the librarian could recommend the books I needed, but sometimes she pretended to be on the phone, too busy to help me. Hmmm.

Oh the things we learn from those young ones! Thankfully she is a frequent library patron and knows the ropes there. She continues to teach us. And I am learning to let the phone be out of sight and out of mind when I am blessed to watch my little charges!

These “whole body” deodorant commercial drive me nuts. I’m not against the use of them, but I do have a pressing question.

If these products last 72 hours, are you not supposed to shower for three days? If you did, you would be washing off the water-based formula and thus, rendering the 72 hours wasted. To truly get your money’s worth, I guess you wouldn’t shower for three days, thus, saving on the expenses of heating the hot water, washing towels more frequently, and lack of need to purchase shampoo and conditioner as often. Perhaps they are actually on to something?

If you don’t shower for three days though, how do you wake yourself up in the morning? These questions have plagued my thoughts recently. Thankfully, I have bigger issues to address today as I coddiwomple through Friday.

Tuesday was a late-start day for schools, due to the less than an inch amount of snow on the ground. (?) Today I am watching the wind gustily blow the flakes across the back deck with over an inch piled up, dreading my foray into the driving public shortly. I have to pass a high school, always dicey on a good day.

Why there isn’t a late start today, when roads iced up the past two days and are certainly worse this morning, I do not know. Perhaps returning to class on Tuesday was still something teachers and students dreaded? Easing the way might have been a solution of sorts.

Whatever. I am grateful for the moisture and thrilled to let the garden hoses enjoy a respite. Slip-sliding away…

Pinterest has many solutions for cleaning. My hardwood floors could use a good fix and shine application. There is actually still a spot where black paint from my son‘s project in high school hit the sanded wood before the sealant application years ago. I kind of liked it, so I just left it after smearing it into the wood.

We’ve dropped a number of destructive things which have left dings, dings I’ve tried to fix. We have scratches. Lots of scratches from high chairs, little ride-on toys, pulling the fridge out for cleaning, and the general wearing of our pea-gravel-embedded shoes in the house. It’s silly, but apparently I get a little sentimental about over-use of hardwood floors. The shine is gone, the memories linger.

Nah…I’m just a little too realistic to think these floors will glisten again. They’re clean enough, and if they look too good? We might be afraid to walk on them. Shiny floors are not in the cards for 2025.

Now it feels like the New Year! Yes, I know we’ve had Christmas and New Year’s celebrations on a Wednesday before, but this year it threw me for a loop. I kept thinking it was Monday for a few days, and then I was looking for a Monday to start my resolutions and my cleaning! My, my, how set in my ways I can be.

Really, I don’t clean on Monday anyway. That’s a Thursday ritual. And resolutions? I make them every day, so I didn’t need today for that either. Perhaps it was the idea of getting back to a routine, which, when I have a routine, I get bored. Sigh.

Perhaps I shall celebrate the Irish tradition of Women’s Christmas with a hearty stout instead of tea, and a chocolate candy instead of cake. That seems like the way to usher in the year, even if I’m not Irish. Thank you for that information, “Pann,” my Irish lass friend!

We had fog today, dreary and unusual conditions. It just made everything feel colder. So, I plunked down with my heating pad and watched “Extreme Ice Machines” on the science channel. What a crazy informative show!

Of course I had no idea how the northern countries managed their snowfalls. Snow can be on the ground in whatever place we were watching for eleven months of the year. They have major machines for everything from the airports, ski hills, roads, etc… It did nothing to warm me but was intriguing. So, I laid a fire, turned on plenty of lights, and lit a bunch of half-used candles. I am now warm and happy, watching football and continuing to welcome the new year.

What a way to enter into the new year! From the archives of Old English…we shall go forth “coddiwompling.” Happy 2025.

Those silly new year’s “lists” are somewhat intriguing. It’s basically rehashing everything with a different twist. Trends for the new year per “The Today Show” include two items we know and love: the sleeveless jacket and the multi-stick.

First of all, a sleeveless jacket is a vest. Vests have been sported by moi for so many years. I travel with a five-pocketed one because it provides easy access and security to whatever I’m dragging with me. The vest movement began on my safari to Africa – that was eons ago. I have longer-length vests for warmth in the winter which also provide the same benefits, thus keeping me from dragging a purse along on my escapades. The “sleeveless jacket” has been a staple in my wardrobe for nearly a quarter of a century. I do update to the newest models at times. This year saw a Husker-red vest added to the closet.

The multi-stick. This is a cosmetic item better known in my life as a lipstick. Apparently this new-fangled trend is a stick to be used as rouge, eye shadow, or lipstick. I bought rouge once from the Avon lady, probably in high school. Otherwise, I knew oh-so-many years ago, that lipstick worked the same magic. Consolidation is the key to magical beauty results. (Cough, sputter…)

Trending today? Trying to recall what my weekly routine was before the holidays! It is Thursday, not Monday. It was my prior cleaning day. We’ll see if that happens in this shiny and bright new year. I’m off to make my own list!

The beginning of anything signals the opportunity to get rid of the old. Thus, I am cleaning the refrigerator today, and of course, the fine cuisine of our leftovers will garner a place at the table. In the spirit of the new year we shall not waste, yet not hold on to the things that must go.

Years ago I wrote an amusing piece for a little known publication – the school newsletter. I offer this excerpt, simple in its thought.

”The Refrigerator as LIFE”

I was sifting through my refrigerator and came up with this highly intellectual analogy. “Life is like the refrigerator…”

Look at your fridge. (Life.) There is some stuff sitting in there that just plain needs to be tossed out! It is old, you’ve been hanging on to it for a while, it stinks, and it serves no purpose. There is some stuff in that fridge of your life that has a long shelf-life and is valuable once in a while…some stuff can be used right away and is handy to have in a pinch. (Refrigerated “sense of humor” and “flexibility.”). Some of the things in our refrigerators are unhealthy and should be tossed promptly. (Refrigerated “negativism.”) Some things are healthy and we need to use or buy more of. (Friendships.)

What is in your refrigerator that is moldy, waiting to be used and never will be, being held “just in case,” or really good and should be used now? The greatest thing about the fridge (life) is that you can toss out the worthless, make use of the current items and create great dishes, mix and test ingredients, create new recipes. Possibilities!

Yada, yada, yada. You can see my style has changed a tad over the years, yet I still remember that silly analogy from 23 years ago. Perhaps I should take my own advice and toss this article, clean out the files of yesteryear?

One day at a time. The refrigerator is first. Happy 2025!