And Christmas Is Almost Here

2010-12-15

Here comes christmas. Last year was the first in many that I wanted my tree put up. I missed my ornaments, I missed my ceramic tree, I missed my ceramic snow house. Christmas for years has been excruciatingly painful because of losing my mother. I actually lost her before her death as she had depression and mental problems and Christmas wasn't the same anymore. She loved Christmas and it was the specialist time in the year for us. We loved our marathon shopping sprees, and the gazillion kinds of cookies we baked. We always did Christmas stockings. I look back to childhood christmases as some of the very best times in my life. Nothing beat the excitement of Santa coming to the house!

I won't have company or anybody to impress, but I put up my tree yesterday and the rest of my stuff today. The tree was all smooshed to put away and took some effort to get it to look decent, I needed my mom to help me, she would have had it looking nice. They are for ME. I started to put the mini lights on the tree and on a whim took them off and put on the old fashioned big bulb ones of my childhood (not the giant ones that went outside!). Some of the bulbs are old and are incredibly hot. We used these strings on artificial trees so we have aluminum shields that go behind the bulb to protect the tree. Those things are ANCIENT, we got our first fake tree in 1966. The old ones were getting a bit worn and new ones impossible to find. My ex-husband found some at a flea market or some such in 1978. So I have a nice large stash of reflectors and a small tree that only needed 35 lights. I love it. I've always felt that nothing matched those old type lights.

I've got a bit of cleaning done, and tons more to do: floors and both bathrooms and try to make some sense of the kitchen. The table is nice, I have a new tablecloth and a ceramic chocolate set made for me by a friend is the centerpiece. I have more gifts to buy. I like to shop, I LOVE to give, I don't mind spending, I HATE trying to figure out a good gift. I don't like to give junk anymore. I want to give things that will be used or used up. We all have way more than enough stuff. I can't get through to one friend that I don't want anymore STUFF. Clothes, books, music, edibles, bath stuff etc. The only STUFF I want anymore is quality Bull Terrier things that are collectable, but most of it is expensive. I did get two prints for friends for gifts when I got myself one. They are lovely and limited. So I am brain dead on what to get who. I don't even have anything for Rockhead. He sees stuff, he buys it! I don't have one idea what to get him. He denies it, but he is somewhat a hoarder. He has years and years worth of clothes and refuses to give any away, and he just got a bunch of new clothes this summer, and his employer gives them tons of brand new work clothes twice a year. He's supposed to turn in old ones. Ha! Never. So no clothes for him. He's not a reader so no books. I only asked him for small things that will make me happy: I want earplugs with a microphone for my cell phone (don't want no bluetooth things over my ear.....yuck), a Pogo gaming card with 350 gems on it so I can get some Mix and Match Badges and premium books. Candy always makes me happy. And I'd like a Tetris game for the PSP if such a thing exists.

I wish Rockhead enjoyed the holidays like I did. It was lonely putting up the tree and my treasurers by myself. He has mellowed out some and when asked said yes he liked the tree, and the snow house is his favorite. I think he is too macho to admit to liking this.

I've done no baking yet! Another thing I have to get to. I want christmas cookies. And christmas fudge. I really miss Ma here. She would mix everything up during the day when I was at work and then we'd bake during the evening.

Leave it to a man....my hairdresser called me today to tell me I missed my haircut. DAMN!!! My bangs are in my eyes. I figured it was coming up soon, but they always call with a reminder. Uh, she did but left the message with Rockhead. Who never gives me messages. And had the nerve to tell me I should keep track of that stuff myself. This from a man who cannot keep track of his 1,872 prescriptions and myriad doctor appointments and expects me to know all of it. So now I am shaggy for another two weeks.

I don't know if it is my eyes that are so bad, or my glasses are bad. I am extremely blind without glasses, horribly nearsighted. However, since I also am over 40 (WAAAAY over) I also need bifocals. Bifocals don't work nearly as well as taking my glasses off and looking at something at the end of my nose. I can't read with glasses on anymore, can't use my dandy new Droid X with glasses on, can't use my netbook unless my eyes are nekkid. So they are constant off and on. Well I sat on the fuckers this evening. Broke em. I'm not due for an eye exam until January, and I hope to hell the insurance will pay part for new glasses. I used it last year to get contact lenses. I only wear them when I am outdoors all day and need sunglasses, and they were excellent to have while on vacation in the pool or ocean every day. So I don't know if that means I have to wait until 2012 for new glasses or not. They never pay even half of what the cost is. I have an old pair that don't look so great, they are large and round but I can see long distance better with them than the busted newer ones. -sigh- I didn't want to spend money on new glasses. I'm still paying off last spring's dental bill because I rotted out a tooth under an almost brand new crown because I didn't floss.

We had terrible winds night before last and a lot of lake effect snow. I hope I can get my little bitty car out of the driveway. RH doesn't believe in using his giant snowblower as "God put it there, God can take it away." I had a hell of a time pushing the garbage can down to the curb through all the snow. It had to be done, it was full and no where else to put trash for another week.

I need to get out and get shopping finished. I sub for a bunco club and was invited this year to their Christmas meeting. I have to bring seven ornaments and a grab bag gift and a side dish. I have the ornaments (darling little sparkly nutcrackers) but no gift yet. I think I am going to make and take corn pudding. This is Saturday night.

Friday night is Christmas with RH's children and grandchildren. Another thing not done.....we usually just get them gift cards. I haven't gotten them any yet, but we have video games for the kids. I'd rather have presents to open than gift cards, but I don't know what to get.

I bought the dogs three dozen nylabones and none of them are interested. In the past they always loved them. Well some of them are going as prizes for a dog show in February in Indianapolis. I hadn't used rawhide in decades because bull terriers will try to swallow big hunks of it and can choke to death. My vet told me she would rather I use rawhide under supervision to get the teeth clean than fresh bones. She said she's had too many dogs breaking teeth. Have to make sure it is American-made rawhide, you don't know how it is processed in foreign countries.

We may be having January puppies!!!!! Bunny's nipples are bright pink!!!!!

Sleeping - Crowing