It was a very good celebration.

We went out to dinner, to a pizza place, where we all had pasta... then we went back to the hotel and set up our own little area in the party zone. We'd brought games and cards and we played and hung out. It was a really nice party.

 

Strolling Minstrel

 

I don't know who he was, but at one point during the evening, this dude wandered through the hall and played his guitar for everyone. He didn't take requests, but he sounded good.

We even had our own ball to drop!

 

We didn't bring it, someone else did. But we were all one big party, and we all counted down together.

Happy New Year!

The Last Day of 2008

glitter-graphics.com

The men are off to the mountain to ski, and I thought I'd check in here at a computer for just a minute. I'm supposed to be at the exercise room on the treadmill already. I've made a resolution to lose weight this new year, and I don't believe I'm going to wait until tomorrow to start. I also don't believe I'm not going to eat and drink as much as I want! But I hate feeling so thick around the middle, so it's starting now.

It's snowing like crazy, and we're having a lovely day so far. We've got a great party planned for tonight... hopefully even better than last night... and it seems like a good way to rap up the old year.

I'll check in again later, hopefully!

My last day at 44

Today is the day before my birthday. I will be 45 tomorrow.

45 and 44 aren't really that much different, are they? Both are older than I thought. I thought I wouldn't feel "old" until I hit 50, but I surprised myself by feeling that way when I hit 40. Age is only a feeling, of course.

Life expectancy is a hard thing to pinpoint. I know the Center for Disease Control has all kinds of statistics. I looked them up. It seems that the current world lifespan averages around 66. But lifespan differs in different places. Some countries live longer than other countries. And if you make it through puberty at all, you've got a better shot of making it to an older age.

The longest living person lived to be 122. I have no expectations of living that long. Of course, that doesn't take Methusalah into account, that person in the Bible who was supposed to have lived for a few hundred years -- maybe 900? I kinda figure that the math was done wrong on that one.

I think a realistic estimate for me, living in this area, is something like 81 years old or something. But my one Gram lived to be 92. And being optimistic, I prefer to think that I will live to be at least 90. Which, if that is the case, means that this is exactly my half-way year. I can't really have any expectations of longer life than 90. I'm not even sure I'd want to. But with that in mind, I'm exactly middle aged tomorrow. Which, I guess, is better than being old, even though I often feel old. I don't know, can you feel middle aged? I usually only feel old or young, never middle.

On the other hand, I could be way over optimistic. I might not reach 90 at all -- I might get hit by a bus tomorrow. (Which is why if you ever cross the street with me, you'll find I have an overwhelming fear of buses.) (Just kidding.)

But if today was my last day on earth, I must say I've had a good and long life already. Also on those mortality tables, which I looked up here on Wikipedia, they showed how long people of other eras lived. The answer is not too long. Someone in the Bronze age was lucky to make 20. Ancient Greeks and Romans were lucky to make 30. Even someone in the early 1900's was lucky to make 40. So I can't complain about living such a good, easy life, and living it for so long.

I was tagged by Niall...

... ages ago, but with the holidays, I was too busy to even realize. So now, having seen the tag and having the time to post, I'm posting my Fridge pictures.

What do you have on your fridge? Post a picture! I'm tagging Beth, and Gem, and everyone who wants to play!

 

Just so you know -- Frankie was the person who arranged the front of our fridge most recently. He was named Senior of the Month, which is a big deal at his High School. At least, it is for him. He was hoping he'd get it. So when he did, I got a copy of the stuff posted in the school, so I could post it at home as well.

Above (and under) his senior of the month stuff is magnetic poetry. And below it, I have the flyer for Devin's eagle project, which happened already; Booth's essay he wrote for a college essay, which I helped him edit, and which I don't want to throw away (even though he has it in his lap top.) I also have a Christmas letter I get from Jan's sister Kathy. She's so creative you wouldn't believe it, the whole thing is beautiful. I also have a recipe I want to try for biscotti. And finally, on the left there over the ice and watermaker, I have all the boy's report cards. They both did really well. Again, though, Frankie was the one who put them there.

Magnetic Poetry for the Fridge

 

This has been fun for a long time. It was a gift from Beth, a few years ago. Now, though, we will be replacing it soon, because Nick got Magnetic Chess for his dad for Christmas... I'll take the words down for a while, and we'll replace them with the chess set.

The wider view

The side of the fridge has way more receipts and appointments and phone numbers and things. You can see the Hummingbird I'm drawing for Laurie, who wants a tattoo. You can also see all the knickknacks on top. Those blue bowls were my Grandmother's. It's a mess, isn't it?

 

Here is the Kitchen Fridge, both sides, and the view into the pantry...

The Pantry fridge

Yeah, that's right, we have two fridges right next to each other. I keep soda, and wine, and leftovers, and seeds, and stuff in this fridge. Plus, this fridge has a larger freezer, which is much more useful for meats and casseroles and things. We fill them both up, especially if we're having a party.

 

On the top, I have the school pictures and baby pictures and things that I get from friends and family. And on the bottom, we have all of the state magnets that we collect when we go to a new state. We've been to quite a few places, but all in the US. I'm starting to think more about traveling internationally... but I'm a big chicken. Maybe when the kids are older.

A lovely vacation and Shopping thoughts

The Christmas break is wonderful. One of the huge benefits of working at the school is getting so many of the school holidays as work holidays. I don't get many vacation days... but I get so many days off, I can't complain!

Vacation days are lovely and leisurely. Even though the whole family is home, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. (I like having the house to myself a little bit!)

Every morning, I've set my alarm clock for 8 or so. And every morning, I laugh at myself as I turn it off, and sleep until way later than I ought to.

Today, being football day, I was hoping the whole family would be heading to the Jackson's to watch the game, but they decided to stay on the couch. So I met Beth and the girls and her mom for lunch at the mall. We had a nice lunch at Friendly's, and visited a little while. I gave the girls their Christmas presents, and then we separated. I shopped a little bit, hoping to find the bargains they've been talking about on the news.

This is what I've been noticing about the mall and the economy: The stores are scared, and trying to play it conservatively. That's my opinion. It seems like they are filling their shelves with cheap merchandise that if they are stuck with, it won't be too bad for their bottom line.

For example, I've shopped at one department store for their holiday decoration shop for years. They always have a huge selection of expensive items to choose from. But this year, their baskets were full of bulky, inexpensive, plasticy stuff, and even before the holiday the selection was much smaller than usual.

And today, at another department store that I often do well at when buying clothes, I saw table after table of one style of cheap sweater. It was priced pretty well, but it wasn't overly attractive. It looked like something that they had gotten at a really good price and were trying to bulk up their sales with. I guess they can't have an empty store, right? But they don't want to over-extend themselves with items that cost a lot, because no one is shopping much.

It feels like the stores are making every attempt to survive the long, bleak winter ahead of our economy. Only the strong survive, right? So I don't blame them for making this effort. I hope that they all come out doing well, with many jobs intact.

I just hope that the winter ahead isn't as bleak as it seems... and that when spring comes, we are all happy and healthy. I love to have a huge selection of beautiful things to look at when I go shopping. I've been so spoiled in my life.

And yet, I also wish that our whole culture wasn't so based on a disposable lifestyle. I'm as bad as anyone else I know, but I want to change. Will I? Can I? I don't really know.

Well, I didn't buy any clothes today. I don't need anymore clothes -- I need to look better in the clothes I already have. But I did buy books. I'm so excited! I bought a Deepak Chopra book, and a novel that was on the reduced price table, and that Barbara Kingsolver book about eating food that is grown locally. I hope it inspires me to have a bigger garden next year !

Photos from Jude's house

I didn't take too many photos at Jude's house. Mostly, we were all lumpy and sat around and ate tons of cookies. Which is part of the reason why my New Year's resolution this year will be to loose weight. I've never actually made that resolution before. I don't think. I always seem to skate around it. But last week I bought myself a nice new sweat suit, with a picture of an Indian Princess in sequins, and I really want to wear it, but I look like a bratwurst in it. So I've resolved to loose weight. Wish me luck.

But anyway, we always take a nice little walk at Jude's house because it's such a nice outdoorsy place. And I did take a few photos of our walk... which I am posting below.

And after I am done posting all of these photos, I'm going to go make some more cookies. The ricotta ones, for New Years Eve.

No point in making myself miserable TOO soon, is there?

So anyway, back to Jude's house.
The boys even got a little tired of video games and wanted to run around a little. So they brought a football outside, when it was determined that it was time for our walk. William is a cutey, isn't he?

 

Go out for a pass.

 

So anyway, Nick and Will and Thor played a bit of catch in the street in front of the house first. They already know it takes us women a little while to get it together and start walking.

Good catch!

 

I actually took a motion shot!

I am so bad at motion photography. This isn't very good, because the subjects are a bit fuzzy. I love Thor's hat, though, don't you? And William's expression.

We meandered down the road.

 

The boys didn't stop playing football. Jude and I really needed to stretch our legs a bit, though.

Deer

Usually, there are many deer wandering through the woods at Jude's house. I was planning on taking photos of them. This time, though, I didn't see any. I must not have been looking out the window at the right times.

 

We saw these deer during our walk. They were just standing in the middle of the road, hanging out. They waited 'til we got pretty close before they bothered moving. When they did move, it really wasn't because of us. They were just no longer interested in standing in the middle of the road.

Conflicting messages.

 

Which is it? Is it no outlet, or is it and Emergency Evacuation Route? Can it be both? Don't you need an outlet in order to evacuate?

So we walked down to the end of the cul-de-sac.

Here is the emergency exit.

 

Do not block it. Someone might need to get through.

It just seems silly to me.

 

The sign is actually bolted on to the gate. And the gate is padlocked and chained. Not to mention the fact that the snow is blocking most cars from getting through, unless you have a truck. Does this make sense to you?

The view through the Dining Room Window

Bunny decorated the backyard instead of the front yard, because most of the house faces the back, and that's what we see.

If I see a deer (or a bear) wander through, I'll post a picture for ya...

Merry Christmas

Twas the day after Christmas
and at Gram Jude's place
we were sitting and eating,
moving at a slow, lazy pace.

The presents were open
and wrap strewn about.
St. Nick had been good,
the kids happy, no doubt.

And I at the 'puter,
and Thor on the couch,
and Pop back in bed,
(Though Jude is no slouch).

Out in the dining room
arose such a clatter.
The kids - always wrestling
- knocked over a platter.

I looked out the window
from there at my seat.
I was glad that the fireplace
threw so much heat.

The clouds in the sky
and the woods full of snow
made us cozy inside,
glad we'd nowhere to go.

I felt bad for Bunny
who worked at the bank.
She had to go in today --
(she'd the shoppers to thank.)

Well, I sat and I wrote
this here poem for you.
Aside from just sitting,
I've nothing to do.

'Though I guess I could help
poor old Jude clean a bit.
The house is quite messy
(but she won't throw a fit.)

And I suppose I should cook
'cause lunch time is here.
Before you know it,
Frank will open a beer.

So I'm gonna sign off now
and make us a bite.
Merry Christmas to all,
and to all a good night!