I Took A Brief Vacation...

Lovely Friday morning.

From posting my thoughts here.  There wasn't any particular reason, I just didn't.  But here I am with some post-weekend thinking.

Friday morning the skies were blue and the air clear and it was lovely.  Just a few hours later the temperature had dropped 15 degrees in about as many minutes, the wind was howling around the house, blowing rain then rain and snow mixed and then just straight snow.  I helped (probably more like hindered) The Husband while he took the mowing deck off the John Deere, replacing it with the snowplow blade which he promptly put to use.  There was no way we could have shoveled that super wet heavy snow.  And we were glad we got it up before the night came and the temps were down in the single digits, made snow removal the next morning so much easier!

Friday, a few hours later.

We're pretty much ready for Christmas. We've spent all our Christmas money and hope that the recipients recognize their small gifts as tokens of our love for them. As I age, I more and more dislike the pressure that accompanies Christmas.

My Dec. calendar page, I am on the lookout.

We didn't go to a movie on Saturday, opted instead to take life a little slower.  I dragged The Husband on a quest for wild bird seed. He's always loved birds.  And we've fed them lots over the years.  But a couple years ago it just felt like we were spending huge amounts of money on the little flitterers. So we kind of just quit.  I decided that that would be a small gift for him that he would really enjoy.  And to our delight our local IFA carries bird seed and suet for what seems like a reasonable price.  So we lugged some home.  Since it was nearly dark when we filled the feeders we were anxious to see what the morning brought in the way of bird-friends.  How fun to see them out as soon as the sun came up:  chickadees, juncos, finches, doves, scrubjays, and even a couple flickers that we had to chase off because they wanted to drill holes in our fresh stucco.  The quail seem to always be around so they're not new, but it has been great to see The Husband's delight in the return of the birds.

Yesterday was my last Sunday School lesson.  I've turned the manual over to the next teacher (there'll be no class next Sunday since it's Christmas). And I feel quite...adrift. Don't feel so "finished" as I expected to.  Was told that I'd be missed as a teacher which came as a bit of a surprise thought. People are so very kind.  I'm pretty sure there won't be a replacement calling, but I'll still be taking my rotation on the organ and piano bench so I won't be completely put out to pasture.  I'm looking forward to a lessening of anxiety throughout the week without having a lesson to prepare and give. I'm not really comfortable in front of people.

And finally, today was dental check-up day.  I dread these appointments.  With a passion (if dread can be considered passionate).  Came away cavity free!  YAY for me!  The bad news?  He says the day has arrived - it's time to replace that cracked crown of mine.  (It's been cracked for years, but now it's totally cracked through and he's afraid that I'll bite down on something and it will just fall apart.) Can't say I wasn't warned, but I've put it off for as long as I can. And truly, I'm not really surprised, I kind of expected him to say the time has come.  So, after Christmas I'll be back in that chair being worked on, trying to keep my tongue out of the way.

Today I'm grateful for the bird-friends that make The Husband happy. I'm grateful for people who say they've enjoyed our Sunday School class, but also grateful that that particular anxiety will be over for a while. I'm grateful for beautiful sunshine that feels so good on my face.  For good dental check-ups and for dental insurance. And for deep, deep breaths - filling my lungs, relaxing me, reminding me to be grateful for these wonderful bodies Heavenly Father blessed us with.

Thought Muddle

Let's see if I can find some sense of coherency.

• I'm still thinking about a couple of women I saw at Kohl's the other day.  The one woman has some disability, she was using a wheelchair in the store, the other woman was clearly helping her out with some Christmas shopping.  Based on their conversation (I admit it - I was eavesdropping) it seemed like they weren't particularly close friends.  The first woman was expressing gratitude for the helper's patience and kindness.  I had to wonder if the one was doing some service based on the "Light The World" program of the Church.  It was nice to witness (even if they did leave the wheelchair in the middle of the entrance to the checkout counter), was glad to see quiet service.

• Which reminds me of someone I know.  At the beginning of this month people were posting all over about their acts of service.  One person asked, "What have you done for your service?"  And I was so delighted with the response of another, "It's a secret." That, in my own opinion is the real benefit of service - to do such things to glorify our Heavenly Father, to give Him credit for all good in the world.  When we put the focus on ourselves, or brag about ourselves and our own offerings, somehow for me the bright light of good is dimmed a bit.  I so love that people go about being unselfish and keeping it quiet.

• Came across this saying the other day.  If that's the case I should be really really wise.  Ha ha ha.  Not quite.  But still, it's a cute saying.

"I do not have gray hair, I have wisdom highlights."

• And yes, that's a picture of my feet.  In socks.  No shoes!!  Admittedly I'm wearing two pair of socks (for the extra bit of cushioning) and my compression anklet for my aching ankle (I don't think it has ever fully recovered from that awful sprain a couple summers ago and sometimes I wonder if the weather patterns exacerbate the dull ache) but I'm trying a day inside the house with no shoes.  I'm a sock person in the house, dislike shoes and yesterday I'd reached my absolute limit with them. They've been a wonderful help, and I'm thrilled to have shoes that reduce the pain in my feet.  But today I'm feeling lighter in my step, by far, without them.  I'm walking carefully, and slowly, but so far, so good.  It'll be nice to be all healed.

• Came across this article this morning and loved it.  She's one columnist I try to never miss, she's always got some good thoughts.  I'll bet she's a wonderful mom.  I hope my kids all understand that I tried.  I know I wasn't the best and there are lots of regrets, but I did try to do my best.

Remember

I'm grateful today for feet that are feeling well enough to go shoe-less in the house.  For dinner with friends (courtesy of The Husband's Christmas bonus from his employer) to look forward to.  For a treadmill to help me with my morning walk when I daren't go outside for fear I'll slip. For those who are good examples to me. And for hope. I always need hope.

Strange Weekend

And I'm beginning to wonder if all our future weekends will be strange.  It's been some time since we saw a movie, and some time since we've seen a movie I've liked.  I'm a tad tired of science fiction / fantasy. Maybe I'll just load up the TIVO with Hallmark movies and call it good.  (Yes, I'm that old and sappy.)

Since we haven't had any movies to see on Saturdays we've kind of been at loose ends.  We've ended up running errands.  Wow, isn't that fun? Well, actually it pretty much is fun when we're together.  But not quite the fun we've had in mind.  We're mostly done with Christmas shopping.  And I've been mentally done with spending money for a while, though I still seem to be doing a fair amount of that.

Saturday we decided to get a new battery for the John Deere (lawn mower / snow pusher).  The Husband has had quite a time the last few years with it stopping at inconvenient times requiring subsequent human muscle power for pushing the tractor back into the shop-garage. The thing is 15 years old, so it probably really needs to be replaced, but neither one of us is anxious to do that until we absolutely have to.  (Along with my washer and dryer, my Prius, and the refrigerator.)

7 a.m. looking east

Battery buying is tricky.  There's the recycling thing (so you don't just toss it in to the trash to contaminate the landfill) which includes a refundable "core charge" to make sure you bring in the old one.  After standing in line at Home Depot's help desk, being directed to a register, being re-directed to the help desk and then finally pointed toward the returns desk, we thought maybe we had a chance of getting out to the car in a reasonable amount of time.  Does 15-20 more minutes constitute "reasonable amount of time"?  (And that particular segment of our buying experience required 3 people.)

After stopping for a sandwich we arrived home to discover (wait for it):  it was the wrong battery. So back went The Husband to exchange it.  This time he was armed with experience from our earlier visit and it took a fraction of the time.  So far the John Deere is running just fine (our fingers are crossed).

My foot seems a bit better, wearing my Dansko shoes every day all day has helped.  They're a more rigid shoe that seems to act like a boot but is way more comfortable.  It's hard to be diligent about this when I'm way happier in stocking feet inside.  I really dislike wearing shoes in the house, but I'm determined to conquer the foot issue.  I'm trying to drink more milk to help my bones; I have a sense that more natural kinds of calcium are better for me than the supplements.

This morning's walk was wonderful.  Once again I had the trail to myself.  I walked a bit farther and turned the iPod to an all-Christmas-music station and loved being out.  The picture doesn't do the park justice, for some reason the lights don't photograph well on my phone camera.  But it was a lovely morning and a lovely walk. (And yeah, after completing this and looking at that picture, it's pretty much an embarrassment.)

I'm grateful for good shoes for my cantankerous feet.  For special glass that enable me to better see the music at the piano.  For thoughtful invitations to dinner (loved seeing those grandchildren), for quiet drives with The Husband and for morning walks that feed my soul.

Favorite French Fries

So the Freddy's Steak Burger and Frozen Custard finally opened.

The good news:  It's just up the hill, maybe a five minute drive from our house.

The bad news:  It's just up the hill, maybe a five minute drive from our house.

We ran up last night to give it a try.  We've only been to a Freddy's once, and that was just for a quick taste of their frozen custard.  Last night we gave it the full test.  Burger, Philly steak sandwich, fries, soda for The Husband (his weakness is Diet Pepsi and they have Pepsi and not Coke) and of course, the frozen custard.

YUM!

Verdict:  We'll be back.  The Husband's Philly sandwich was cold.  I mean cold.  The sprinkled cheese had no hope of melting.  Ever.  But they re-did the sandwich, no problem with the final result much improved.  The Husband liked it.  I liked the simplicity of my burger:  mustard and pickle. That's just the way I prefer my burgers:  simple.

And the french fries?  My new favorite.  Really.  They're shoestring size, so little.  And while that means they cool off fairly quick, they don't get soggy.  They're crisp and yummy and I ate most of The Husband's (I never order them, try to be strong but generally succumb to the salty goodness) including the second batch that he received along with his sandwich re-do.

The bad news part?  I could eat ice cream/frozen custard 3 times a day and never get tired of it.  So having them 5 minutes away will surely be a difficult temptation to resist.  The prices at Freddy's are decent for a simple scoop and the chocolate is a good chocolate flavor, rich without tasting fake, if that makes any sense.

Dinner of fries and frozen custard?  Of course, couldn't be healthier!  :^)

Today I'm grateful for a decent haircut, for treats of chocolate squares, for a warm comforter on our bed, for moisture leaking from the clouds and for only 2 more Sunday School anxiety filled lessons to direct.  I fully intend to take some deep deep breaths.  The study has been fabulous for me.  The anxiety, less so.  It was a good learning experience.