SEARCHING FOR....

 

          For the last few months I’ve been going through stuff in the house. I think it was October when Thor and Xander came and hauled away all the boxes I’d filled. I think I blogged about this effort the end of October. In any case, it’s stuff that’s GONE.

          Just this past week, I was unable to find two pieces of paper I thought I needed, i.e., the property tax valuation card and the property tax notice. The excellent result of this fruitless search was two bags of shredded documents and clean files to begin 2026. Imagine my chagrin when I unclipped the papers that required these documents only to discover both documents attached behind. To add insult to injury, once I read over the document I planned to fill out, it became clear I receive too much money to qualify for old age assistance. Ah well.

          What brought me to write this post was one of the finds I made while searching…Kuma’s baby teeth. There they were, at least the ones I found/saved in a little plastic envelope. Looking at those and comparing them to his adult teeth, it doesn’t seem possible Kuma was ever that small. I don’t have all of them, only eight and am wondering if I couldn’t turn them into a piece of jewelry? You know, encase them in clear liquid plastic and make a bracelet or earrings. Seriously, do you know anyone who has their puppy’s baby teeth in some kind of format like this? Me neither…perhaps I could start one of those do it at home businesses I read about on Facebook.

          In the process of cleaning out drawers, I also pulled out all the connecting cords for I don’t know how many electronic devices. I’m sure I don’t even own some of the recipient pieces. They’re currently in a big pile on the counter with the exception of two which I was smart enough to identify at some point. I guess I need to spend a bit of time figuring out which cord goes to which gadget and eliminate the ones that no longer have a partner.

          Ah, the joy in my life is simply indescribable…can you tell???

LOOKING AHEAD

           

Looking forward from the lofty perch of the second day of the year, I’m feeling just a bit concerned financially. This is because I may have to make several purchases before the year ends. It’s funds I’m not too happy about spending, but the spending may become necessity.

          First, it’s this computer on which I’m currently typing. It was bought around 2016 or so, I think. I remember I had to buy two computers then (John needed one too) because there was a major glitch caused by Seattle City Light. That glitch paid for the computers and a couple of other things that were broken by a huge power surge. In any case, it’s been a good computer and is still working just fine.

          Why replace my computer you ask if it’s working just fine. Well, it has an old Microsoft Windows program and Microsoft has informed me, now almost on a daily basis, that this program is no longer supported. I guess that means I could lose everything that’s on this computer, but I’m not exactly sure. I guess I’ll need to do a bit of research before it gives up the ghost permanently.

          Still, I hate the thought of a new computer and having to figure out all the ins and outs. And yes, I know, it will be a learning challenge and at my age, I should welcome these challenges. But I don’t, really. I find myself preferring things not change AT ALL.

          The second purchase, which I’ve been aware of for some time, is a new refrigerator. Again, the one I have is working just fine. It freezes stuff in the freezer compartment and keeps the stuff cold in the other part. So, what’s the problem you ask.

          The problem is that there is water leaking down the back wall of the inside. It’s not a flood, but does require I use a couple of towels to soak it up when the puddle in the bottom of the fridge becomes large enough to want to run out onto the floor. This happens about every two weeks and it’s not a huge chore to rectify. I Remove one of the vegetable drawers and soak the water up with towels. The water isn’t stinky or discolored, merely COLD.

          My son, at some point last year, investigated the problem, thinking the drain line was plugged. It was not and he couldn’t figure out where or how the water was originating. It’s more of an annoyance than a problem, but it could definitely become one which would require the purchase of a new refrigerator.

          There are other things that could potentially require large monetary expenditures, but I’m choosing to be an ostrich; and, while I cannot actually stick my head in the sand, I am choosing not to think of those other large potential monetary necessities on this, the second day of the new year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL

          

 Happy New Year y’all. On this, the first day of 2026, I’ve resolved (That’s not the same as making a resolution, and I checked the thesaurus to make sure.) to attempt to blog every single day. Some days it may not be more than a sentence or two, especially if I’m not feeling especially inspired; and other days, it might be a lot more.

          I’ve resolved to do this in an effort to get my life under control; and it’s not as though my life has become crazy because, if anything, it’s boring, boring, boring. What I’m attempting is to put aside the books I spend hours of my day devouring only to barely remember what they were about a few days later. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a way for me to avoid my life and the choices I need to make to have a better one.

          I’ve also resolved to not post on Facebook every single time I blog which will be every single day. This decision isn’t necessarily new because I haven’t been doing that with the blogs I’ve posted now and then in the past. I will post this particular blog piece mainly to let y;all know I’m back at it. It will be then be your choice to save the link and check back now and then to see if I actually have anything to say every single day.

          What’s the plan that will keep me from burying my nose in a book while life rushes on by…and believe me, at the ripe old age of eighty, it’s RUSHING, RUSHING< RUSHING. Well, I want to spend more time working on my driftwood since I now have a space set up for that very purpose. I also want to keep a cleaner, more organized house. And, Kuma, poor Kuma, he needs way more attention than he’s been receiving, so we must take walks and play together. When spring arrives, and perhaps before, I want to be out in the garden. I enjoy that, especially when it grows and blooms and becomes what I envisioned.

          Finally, I want to make my fingers dance across the keyboard while my brain pulls thoughts, ideas and stories from its recesses. And, like I said in the beginning of this, the first one, my brain may provide only a sentence or two; but I never know until my fingers begin to dance over the keyboard what may come forth. Please save and use the link you found on Facebook for my daily posts.

2025 COMES TO AN END

        

Happy New Year!!!! Yep, that’s happening tonight, or should I say tomorrow morning because it changes at midnight and becomes morning immediately. Once again, I’ll undoubtedly be tucked safely and warmly in my bed with Kuma. I might even be asleep unless there’s lots of fireworks and Kuma decides he’s going to bark in celebration this year…or would that be next year.

          Ah, how things have changed over the decades I’ve watched an old year become a new year. I remember finally being allowed to stay up and bang on my mom’s pots to welcome the new year. Back then, it seemed a huge period of time before the next one.

          Grown up, more or less, I took to celebrating with friends and perhaps a bit of illegal booze. It was never that much booze and didn’t happen every year. Once married; however, there was a whole group of us that would congregate, eat, drink and make merry. I fondly remember how all the guys went around kissing all us girls at the stroke of midnight. Of course, the best kiss came from my husband.

          With the advent of children, the partying at the new year pretty much ended. Sure, we’d stay up most times to welcome in the new year; and then, when the boys were older, they got to make noise and participate just as I had when I was their age.

          Much later in life, the boys off on their own, John and I would welcome January 1^st alone together in our bedroom. Sometimes we even managed to stay awake after we’d shared our own festivities. I especially liked those evenings when John would rise and make us fried egg sandwiches on white bread…they were so good so how could they be so bad for us.

          Years later, John didn’t even attempt to stay up to midnight. He was usually tucked up and sound asleep well before midnight. I, on the other hand, would stay up reading my book or watching television. I might also spend some time revisiting the years that came before and marvel at how young we’d been then.

          Nowadays, or at least for the last six new years, I’ve been here on my own. Initially, I had Karma and Kaizer and then Kuma. Of course, Kuma has no idea that tonight will be a big event, so he'll think and will let me know that it’s time for bed. Once there, Kuma will nod off immediately while I’ll watch television until my eyes close, and that could be well before midnight. If there are fireworks, both Kuma and I may wake up. He may bark and I’ll get up and go to the bathroom.

          Then, new year or not, it will be back to sleep for both of us…quite the celebratory pair aren’t we.

AMAZED IT'S ALMOST 2026

          

  Tomorrow will be the end of another year, a year I never actually thought I’d see and live through when I was just a young girl/woman. I think even when I became middle-aged, the idea of being here in 2025 seemed far-fetched. But it came and is now going and I was here for the entire time. Guess I should look back and see if there’s anything momentous for which I should pat myself on the back….beyond surviving that is.

          Actually, when thinking of momentous, I believe those experiences are far behind me. There were no births or extreme changes in my life; at least nothing  that really stands out. Time flew by and it seemed as though passage of the seven days between filling up the weekly pill case happened almost overnight.

          There were no big purchases, trips, or losses to remember and I know I should be and am grateful for the even course my life traveled. My health remained very good which enabled me to live alone with just Kuma as my housemate.

          I did make one new friend, having always thought that once you reached this age, new friendships didn’t happen. There were some deaths which which left a number of holes in the weave of my life  where those folks no longer reside. I do miss those individuals and the knowledge they are no longer a phone call or lunch date away saddens me.

Looking back, I see that in so very many ways, my life in 2025, while not very momentous, was good, very good and for that and the ease with which I traversed that time, I am very very thankful. Now, in one mor day, it’s on to 2026, another year which seemed, not all that long ago, to be far far away.

IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY AND I'M SICK

        

 For the first time in eighty years, I am home alone on Christmas Day and it’s nothing like that movie, “Home Alone.” No one’s trying to break in and I’m not trying to figure out a variety of tricks with which to foil those attempts. In fact, I wish there were something like that in my life right now.

          You see, I’m sick…yes, SICK. Somehow I’ve managed to stay well and even avoid covid since February 2020, but just two days ago, I finally succumbed to the evil germs that have been lurking at the edges of my life. I still don’t have covid, but I did develop a mild sore throat late Tuesday afternoon. I immediately went to the drug store and bought medicine to prevent any further developments.

          Wednesday morning found me waking with a hellacious sore throat even though I’d begun the zinc lozenges, Airborne, throat coat tablets, throat coat tea and lots of water about twelve hours before. I continued this usage throughout the day and evening.

          You know how you speculate if you do this, then that will happen. I thought if I said I couldn’t go for Christmas brunch and had AJ pick up the gifts, treats and uncooked bacon, then I would miraculously be well enough to go for brunch the following day…wrong, wrong, wrong.

          It’s Christmas morning and I’m home alone with Kuma. I’ve given him one of his gifts, a rubber squeaky, which he proceeded to begin chewing within less than five minutes, so it went into the garbage. There are two more waiting for him to savage, but that will be later today after we have a nap.

          I still feel like shit…maybe after another nap, I’ll feel much better. Still, it’s Christmas alone and I’m so very sad.

I'VE DECIDED...

           

…not to decorate for Christmas this year. What an amazing concept. What an easy decision it was to leave the Christmas tree in the box and the decorations in the attic. I am completely surprised at how freeing the choice actually is.

          Looking back over my eighty years, I really cannot remember a time when I didn’t do some kind of decorating for the holidays. Living with my parents, it wasn’t my sole responsibility, but I helped. Once married, John and I began to establish our own traditions and acquire our decorations. True, John didn’t decorate much inside, but he did put up the outside lights for many years.

          Over the fifty-five Christmases I’ve spent in this house, all those years found me removing all the various decorations displayed during the other eleven months of the year. Initially, there weren’t a tremendous amount of either regular or Christmas decorations, but I’m sure you know how it goes…with each passing year, objects are added again and again to the point I have no idea where I’d put the ones that sit about the rest of the year if I put out the Christmas decorations.

          There are at least six and maybe more large plastic boxes of Christmas decorations in the attic. Most of those boxes haven’t come down since John passed away. I simply didn’t feel like removing every item that graced the mantle, end tables, and various other flat surfaces in order to haul out all the nutcrackers, the toys from John’s youth and the ones we added, the Christmas stockings, nativity scene, candle holders and candles, music boxes…in other words, the entire plethora of decorations. The only boxes that came down prior to this year, are the one with the tree ornaments and the one with the wrapping paper. The only box that came come down this year was the wrapping paper box.

          When I made this decision initially, I rather expected to feel unhappy or even desolate at some point in time, but so far, I have not. I am performing the other “chores” associated with the holiday. I’ve finished preparing the gift bags filled with Aunt Lola’s dill pickles which I made in August and jam which I made the last couple of weeks. Those were delivered to friends and family. I’ll also did some baking in order to share as well as to have some goodies of my own. And, the cream cheese and smoked salmon made delectable cheese balls…I love those too.

          The year John died, I did my usual newsletter, mainly to let folks know John was no longer with us. I didn’t do another one until last year when I did one simply to let folks know I was doing just fine. This year, I’m back to not bothering to send cards. I don’t think that’s a rash decision because I’ve received less than five Christmas cards.

          Looking back and sorting through memories, I recall how fun and exciting it was to look forward to decorating the house, shopping for those special gifts, and preparing to celebrate here with family and friends. I’m enjoying those memories while choosing not to make any additional ones in my home.