STUMPY THE SNOWMAN

 

On Thursday morning, Larry went out to bring in the last trash can and found this on the porch.

It came with a note:

Mr. and Mrs. Collins,

This is Stumpy The Snowman. He was turned from a piece of wood that we removed when the lift was installed. (The grain looked like redwood, but it may be something else.) The body and hat are one piece, the limbs were taken from a neighbor’s bush, and the pipe was cut from chopsticks.

Enjoy!

Mark

We were fortunate to have had this talented craftsman and excellent woodworker contribute to the construction/installation of our lift. We got to know him and realized he was as much of a perfectionist as I am.

This little guy was a complete bonus surprise.

When I first saw him, I thought about the snowman decoration I grew up with. Ours was made of Styrofoam balls and toothpicks. I know Mom didn’t buy it, but I think she attended a luncheon and won the centerpiece.

My little brother named ours “Frosty.” Not too original, but it worked.

Frosty came out every year and was a mainstay of our holiday decorations.

When Mom sold the house, my brother took all the family decorations. Each year, he brought out everything, including Frosty.

When my brother died in 2020, we cleaned out his place. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any of my family’s decorations. I assume they were broken or fell apart over the years.

This little reminder of Frosty brought back sweet memories of childhood holidays.

Stumpy will now become a part of our future holidays, just like Frosty did in my childhood family. And he will be a reminder of Mark and his talent. I can’t thank him enough for this sweet gift.

 

GETTING A LIFT

 With all my physical issues this past year, I became more aware of how difficult it might become living in a house with two stories. Larry had surgery this year, too, and he realized the challenge our stairs could pose as we get older. We discussed downsizing to a single-story house. We’ve even begun to dispose of some of our “stuff.” (Not a bad idea altogether.)

However, we have already made a lot of improvements to this house consistent with the way we live.

Larry started researching the alternatives to allow us to stay here, even with the stairs.

For several reasons, we eliminated the option of a chair lift. They take up quite a bit of room on the steps and partially compromise the treads. Also, our stairs have a 90-degree turn in them, and it would pose a challenge.

He finally located a small one-person lift—like an elevator but smaller. He made an appointment for the salesperson to come out to the house to see if it would work.

The engineer (Larry, of course) had picked out a location  he thought might work, but he was afraid the unit would be too large.

However, the representative from the company (Stiltz) suggested coming to the house to check. We agreed.

Ryan arrived with a neat app on his phone. He could point it at a spot, and it would tell him if there were room to install the equipment.

He found one location in the living room going up to our guest room. Uh…no. Then he found another from our dining room to our office. Nope to that one, too. He finally checked the area Larry had selected—and it not only would work, but it would fit perfectly. And we wouldn’t need to cut a hole in the ceiling.

Last Monday morning at 8:00 a.m., Mark arrived to begin the installation. By early afternoon, our hall was completely draped in plastic, heavy tarps were secured to the stairs, and the floors were covered in cardboard. It looked like we were going setting up for a haunted house!

The first item was to cut out a section of the 2^nd floor handrail for access to the upper hallway from the lift.

I didn’t realize the pieces of the section of handrail would be used to build the external gate—and that it would match the existing handrail.

Then came days of drilling and hammering and sanding to construct all the other parts necessary for the installation, including the electrical work. The dust and dirt were confined to the hallway because of the plastic installed there.

At last, the unit itself and accessories arrived.

First, the supports were brought in and installed.

Finally, on Saturday, after six long days, the installation was completed, and the lift was ready to be used.

The lift sits in the curve of the stairs. It works very simply and holds only one person at a time. But it really makes living with the stairs easier!

I think we are going to be very happy with this solution.

100 Years – And Still Counting

 

On August 26, 2023, we were privileged to attend the 100^th birthday party for my Aunt Evelyn in Reno, NV. Our daughter, Kim, flew out from Texas to join us. Thank goodness, because she did about 60% of the driving to and from.

We were there last year for Aunt Evelyn’s 99^th birthday, and what a joy to share her 100th with her.

The party was a surprise, and my cousin, Karen, and her twin sister, Kathy, managed to pull it off. It was held at an art gallery and catered by a terrific restaurant.

They told her we were coming to meet them for dinner, but she certainly didn’t expect to see the approximately 60 guests who were assembled.

All of my surviving cousins on my mom’s side came, and several of their kids were there, too.

My aunt and uncle used to live in San Mateo, CA, and several of Aunt Evie’s friends from there attended. It says quite a bit about her that so many people came so far to celebrate her life.

We all enjoyed a wonderful meal and lots of conversation, sharing memories.

Aunt Evie and Uncle Frank were wonderful ballroom dancers. For years, they took a lesson once a week and then went dancing another night. Several of the younger members of their dance group attended the party.

The highlight of the evening for me was when one of the dancers took my aunt out onto the floor and waltzed her around. Her face just glowed.

All-in-all, it was a joyous celebration of a life well-lived.

On Monday, we went to visit her on her actual birthday. She was still excited about her party, and several of those who had attended had stopped by to see her before they left town.

The next morning, we got back on the road toward home early. Several landslides from the recent storm had blocked the road, causing a reduction to one lane. The traffic in one direction was allowed to pass. Then it stopped, and the traffic going the other direction could go. In addition, construction trucks and other vehicles were loading dirt and rocks and conveying them away. This delayed the trip several times.

We reached home that night, tired but so grateful for having been able to share this very special occasion with my aunt.

The video of all the party pictures is on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpdvosivxBk&t=2s

And here’s a video I made with photos from her life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2bmrqtAaKo&t=1s

Enjoy!

REMEMBERING LAHAINA

 Sorry I have not been posting updates for a while. I have been dealing with my hearing loss, and my “good” knee went out. Getting shots in both knees and doing lots of PT trying to gain flexibility and strength back. Making progress—but slowly.

For the last week, I have been grieving the loss of historic Lahaina Town. We visited Maui (and five other islands) on our first trip to Hawaii in 1978. The charming, historical town became one of my favorite places.

On that first trip, we stayed in the old whaling hotel, the Pioneer Inn. It was rickety and had holes in the floor, but it was also a charming and fun location. On one memorable trip, we didn’t notice that we had booked our room in the hotel on Halloween. Big mistake! People from all over Hawaii and the mainland gathered in town for a noisy all-night party. They celebrated along Front Street. Our room faced the street. Needless to say, we got no sleep that night. But, hey, Larry got the Halloween t-shirt. He still has it.

And we stayed there several other times, just not on Halloween!

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, we tried to visit Hawaii nearly every year, several times more than once a year. We always went to Oahu, but we usually went to at least one other island. At the time, several friends lived on Maui. We arranged to visit them whenever we were there, and we always made a trip to Lahaina, even when we didn’t stay there.

Before our first trip, several friends told us to eat at Longhi’s. At the time, Bob Longhi was there in person. They had a verbal menu, and Bob delivered it with annoyance, as though guests were putting him out just by being there. He was hysterical! We usually went there for breakfast and always ordered one of their cinnamon rolls to split. It was one of our “must go” places whenever we were in Maui. The last time we were there, we ate dinner upstairs at sunset. Great food and a fabulous view.

Unfortunately, the Lahaina location closed in 2019, but their Kaanapali and Oahu locations remain. Bob Longhi passed away in 2012, but the restaurants bearing his name remain.

Our friend from work, Steve Russell, who lived in Wailuku, passed away in 2016, and Suzi Osbourne, our high school friend, who had lived on Maui for many years, passed away in 2020. On our last trip in 2015, we stayed with her, and she often stayed with us when she was in California. However, we have several other friends on the island. We have heard from one, but we can’t contact the others. We pray for them and will send a written note to let them know we are concerned.

When we used to go with our close friends, we stayed at the Maui Islander Resort. It was a great location, just a couple of blocks from Lahaina Harbor. Larry and Bob loved it because they could walk down to the harbor and surf early in the morning. Bernie and I loved it because there was lots of shopping, historical locations, art galleries, and dining in easy walking distance.

There used to be a Hilo Hattie’s store couple of blocks over, and we always shopped there for island clothing. Unfortunately, it closed, along with the flagship store in Honolulu. However, it appears a new one had opened in Lahaina. It was probably lost in the recent fires.

Whenever we were in Lahaina on a Sunday, we attended the Lahaina United Methodist Church. We loved this charming place, where everyone was “ohana.” Visitors were presented with leis made by church members from flowers grown in their own yards. They had a wonderful choir, and the pastor was delightful. We always felt included and at home. I cried when I read that it had burned down. However, the congregants have stayed in touch and met for worship in small groups last Sunday.

Seeing the historic Banyan Tree smoking and burning hurt my heart. It was such a symbol of the old town. Hearing there is some hope of its survival gave me reason for optimism amid all the loss.

However, the museums and other historical sites are gone forever.

While I grieve all the loss of places and people, I am also grateful that we were able to spend so much time enjoying the very special and magical place.

SWEDISH DEATH CLEANING

 I have been hearing about a new series called The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. It is based on the book of the same name. I haven’t read it or watched the series yet, but I have been doing this for some time.

It may sound depressing, but the idea is that those of us of a “certain age” (Baby Boomers) are closer to the end of our lives than the beginning. Through the years, we have accumulated lots of stuff. In addition, many of us have lived in our homes for a long time (in our case, thirty-six years). Also, some of us (raises hand) have emotional attachment to our “stuff.”

However, realistically, we don’t want to leave the disposition of our “treasures” to those left behind. Besides, we want those items we treasure to go to those who will appreciate them.

SO, several months ago, I was looking at all of our small musical instruments. We used to play most of them, but they were now mostly decorative. Instruments need to be played in order to remain at their best.

We discussed it and decided we needed to find a home for them where they would be used and enjoyed. A young lady we have known since she was very young is an award-winning composer. We asked her to come to our house, and we offered them to her. (This photo shows only some of them.) We loaded them into her car, and she said it felt like Christmas. She was definitely the right person to have them. She will use and enjoy them.

Waiting in line for Soarin’ Over California at Disney’s California Adventure, we met a father and son. The little boy told us ALL about WWII and the attack on Pearl Harbor. His eyes lit up, and he was so excited telling us about it. (Can you say “precocious”?)

As we left the ride, I reminded Larry about the Veteran’s Day we spent at the Arizona Memorial about ten years ago. Five of the surviving Arizona sailors were there. They had written a book about their experiences. (Only one now remains.) All of them signed the book and also gave us sheets with their photos and biographies. (They signed those as well.)

“I know where the Arizona book needs to go.”

Larry agreed.

We ran into the father and son a little later and told them about the book. He said he’d would send their mailing address so we could mail them the book. When we got home, we found the Arizona book and also a coffee table book about Honolulu. It had articles on the Arizona and on the Punch Bowl Cemetery.

They went into the mail, and we received a photo when they arrived.

When Larry worked at Universal City in 1997, for a year before we moved to Osaka to build the Universal Studios Japan theme park, they held quite a few cast member only sales. They usually closed out discontinued merchandise and other materials at huge savings.

At one, he bought an original cell from the cartoon The Little Engine That Could. He was able to get a background with it, too. When we got to Japan, we discovered our Japanese grandson was CRAZY about trains. At Christmas when we came back to California, we retrieved the cell and took it back with us for his Christmas gift.

At another sale, Larry had purchased a portfolio of signed and numbered dinosaur prints in a presentation folio. He had planned to hang them in his office at the job site. Unfortunately, there was nowhere to put them. So, they spent our stay under our bed.

When we got back home, they went behind his armoire, where they remained for twenty-two years. We asked if the kids would like to have them, and their dad said they would. So, we packed them up to send. We also found a book on how to fold origami dinosaurs and added it.

They arrived today. The mother sent us this note:

Hello! Thank you and Larry for the really fun dinosaur drawings and origami book! We went to our local science museum yesterday and saw their new dinosaur exhibit, so your incredibly kind gift had some especially good timing! We’ll have to checkout some dinosaur books next time we go to the library! Thanks again!

This is exactly what we had hoped would happen!

Yesterday, we had lunch at a local restaurant we enjoy. I had noticed before that they used odd cups, saucers, and luncheon plates to serve the food. I had a very large collection of odd cups, saucers, and plates. I’d used them for ladies’ luncheons, showers, etc. At one time, I had over three dozen of each. I don’t host those kinds of events anymore, and I haven’t used them for years. I kept about a third of my collection, but we boxed up about two thirds. We delivered them this morning, and the owners were delighted to get them. I look forward to eating a meal there someday soon served on my china.

Of course, we have just scratched the surface, but it feels good to have found homes for these items with people who will appreciate them.

MAKE ME A CHARACTER IN ONE OF YOUR TEMPE MYSTERIES

 Today, my dear friend, Marilyn Meredith, tells you about how she created some of her supporting characters using her friends. I was fortunate to win a contest to have my name used in one of her books (Spirit Shapes). She used the character again in The Trash Harem. I loved “my” character! Today, she’ll tell you about another friend.

Yes, that was one of my good friend’s request.

Over the years, I’ve named characters after people—usually as a prize. This is an accepted practice used by many authors. However, the character’s appearance, profession, and personality are usually completely different.

I wasn’t sure if I should do what she wanted, but she was insistent. So, in this case, the name of the character is different. I called her Miqui Sherwood instead of using her real name. But everything else is very much like my friend: her looks, her hobbies, her interesting quirks, and personality traits

She appears in four of my Tempe Crabtree mysteries, including the latest one (which is also the last.) This time she asked, “How about giving me a boyfriend?”

I gave her two.

She’d given me some hints about what she liked in men as far as looks, behavior, etc.

Miqui Sherwood made her first appearance in Raging Water. Her friends told me I’d nailed it. And best of all, she loved it.

Now we will see if she likes what happens to her in A Final Farewell.

You might be interested in knowing how I feel about this being the last book in the series. When I wrote End of the Trail, I thought it might be the last—but then I got the idea for The Trash Harem, and it had to be written.

Because I had a major change in my life, which happened before I’d quite finished this tale, I knew I was saying goodbye to Tempe, her husband, Hutch, and all of her friends in Bear Creek. Believe me, it hasn’t been easy. They’ve all lived in my imagination for many years.

Does this mean I won’t be writing anymore? Absolutely not. I can’t imagine my life without writing. I’m in the middle of rewriting a camping cookbook, and I have plans for either a young adult mystery set during World War II, or perhaps just a piece about me growing up during that time. Not sure yet.

I must say a big thank-you to my good friends Lorna and Larry Collins, who made it possible for all my books to be re-edited and re-published. It would not have happened without all their hard work.

 Marilyn Meredith

I'm the author of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series and the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series under the name, F. M. Meredith. I've also written stand-alones in other genres including historical family sagas and horror. Reading and writing have been a part of me since I was a little girl--a very long time ago. I love to hear from readers who have enjoyed my books. I've made many new and good friends among the readers and writers at various mystery conventions and conferences.

Hubby and I live in the foothills of the Sierra much like the place where my heroine Tempe Crabtree lives. And we once lived in a beach community that resembles Rocky Bluff.

I've also written several stand-alone books for Kindle and paper.

I love to hear from my readers or have them visit my webpage at http://fictionforyou.com

#20 and the newest and last in the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series, A Final Farewell.

The discovery of a body in a neighbor’s pond piques Tempe’s curiosity. No longer a deputy, she still begins her own investigation into to the death of a woman who’d been missing for several years. It isn’t long before someone tries to kill Tempe and her husband, Hutch. Miqui Sherwood has two handsome suitors. And Tempe’s longtime friend and mentor, Nick Two John, is extremely ill.

https://www.amazon.com/Final-Farewell-Marilyn-Meredith/dp/B0C1J7KR7K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1F4XD4OIIWJFL&keywords=A+FINAL+FAREWELL+by+Marilyn+Meredith&qid=1681244429&s=books&sprefix=a+final+farewell+by+marilyn+meredith%2Cstripbooks%2C340&sr=1-1

 

 

 

 

The Sound of Silence

 

On January 25 of this year, I woke up with no hearing in my left ear—suddenly, and without warning.

A few years ago, I noticed some loss of clarity in my hearing and made an appointment for a hearing test. However, it was impossible to conduct the test because one ear (also the left) had so much wax in it. I contacted my doctor, who referred me to an ENT. However, the specialist could not get me in for an appointment for over six weeks. Uh…no.

I went online and followed directions for flushing the ear with peroxide a couple of times. Then, I used a bulb syringe and warm water to complete the flush. Chunks of brown wax came out. Oh, and my hearing appeared to return to normal. Of course, this was during Covid, so I never scheduled another test.

This time, I assumed the cause was wax again. So, I flushed the ear. However, it did not help.

My Facebook friends raised concerns and encouraged (some ordered) me to see the doctor ASAP. The first appointment I could get was on Monday, the thirtieth.

She confirmed: no wax. She gave me a referral. Just as the last time, this doctor had no availability for over six weeks. They suggested contacting another doctor, which I did and made an appointment for February sixth.

Meanwhile, my primary doctor did some research and called in a prescription for strong steroids.

On the sixth, I underwent an extensive hearing test. The conclusion: “sudden sensorineural hearing loss.” The specialist explained that sometimes a virus of unknown origin will cause the body to attack the hearing. No known trigger or cause, and no effective and simple cure. Darn!

The only recommended treatment is steroid shots directly through the ear drum. (OUCH!) After the injection, the patient must remain perfectly still for fifteen minutes to allow the inner ear to absorb the liquid. (It is supposed to be more effective than systemic tablets.)

The recommended course is three shots over one week.

The other possible (though less likely) causes could be a tumor or blockage on the nerve or on the eustachian tubes behind the ear drum. In order to eliminate these as the cause, I am scheduled for an MRI.

Today, I had the third of the three shots. I’m sorry to say, there has been no change whatsoever. I still hear as though I am down a well with no sound from the left. ☹

I love music. During my younger years, I did not listen to excessively loud music. Instead of loud rock, I listened to classical or showtunes. My iPods (yes, plural—I have several) contain my 20,000 favorite songs. I listen to them on the computer, in the car, and on long car rides.

However, with no stereo sound, my pleasure is considerably diminished.

I am finally nearly recovered from my broken leg, And now this…

I can’t seem to catch a break.

After the MRI on Thursday, I will undergo another hearing test. If there is still no improvement, we will do two more inner ear shots.

Once again, my many, many friends on Facebook have proved invaluable. Several have told me about people they know (or themselves) who have gone through the same thing. All have experienced improvement.

Whatever the outcome, I will no doubt require hearing aids—just like nearly all of my friends. And I am grateful for the technology!

So, one step at a time, praying for a positive outcome.

Back to the Park

 On November 21, I fell at Disneyland and broke my leg. By the time our daughter, Kim, arrived home for a vacation on the evening of December 16, I had finally gotten the purple cast on. As part of her Christmas gift, we had bought her a one-day park-hopper pass for the 18^th. Of course, she was going to use it, and I wasn’t going to miss going!

We had rented a wheelchair for a month, so we decided Larry and Kim would push me in the chair. Kim especially wanted to go on the two rides in Star Wars Land. Larry and I had already been on both of them, so we waited outside while she went single rider. There is a special line for single riders where the ride operators can take people to fill ride vehicles with empty seats. (Remember this hack when you visit!)

Kim went on both rides, and it didn’t take nearly as long as if we had all tried to go together.

Haunted Mansion Holiday is also one of her favorite rides, so we headed there next. We checked in with the wheelchair and got a time to come back. While we waited, we went to the coffee place in the French Quarter for New Orleans-style coffee and beignets.

Then back to the Haunted Mansion. We were taken to the handicapped entrance. I had to leave the chair and take about five steps using my cane to get on the ride, but it worked well.

Then they pushed me over to Small World. They covert the ride to Christmas music, and Kim and I both enjoy it. We got to ride in the special boat with the wheelchair tiedown! I felt very special!

Next, we took the monorail to Downtown Disney where we went into the Grand Californian to sit in the lobby and listen to Christmas music. This is a holiday tradition!

We next went to Disney’s California Adventure and went on Soarin’ (my favorite ride in either park).

We were getting hungry, so we went to the wharf for lunch. Larry and I had clam chowder in bread bowls, and Kim had Chinese nachos. (Who knew?) It was a cold day, and the soup tasted good.

Next, we went on Tower of Tower. Kim hadn’t seen the new theming, and she enjoyed it.

Kim wanted to ride the Cars ride. Once again, she went single rider. (We usually do it this way, too, even when we both ride.)

Larry and I meandered over to Starbucks for cappuccinos to warm up. While there, we talked to two different families. (This is my favorite thing to do when we visit the park: meet new people. Many are either locals or visit often. We compare notes.)

Kim returned and enjoyed her hot drink. By this time, it was getting late, and the day was getting quite cold. Larry went to retrieve the car while Kim and I went through the shops. We didn’t find anything we thought we needed.

Larry brought the car to the pick-up area in front where we met him.

Another lovely day in the parks.

Follow up: Today I heard from the folks at Disneyland. It looks as though they might pay for the wheelchair rental and a couple of other incidentals from the accident. So, we should not be out-of-pocket for much. Fortunately, I have excellent insurance.

All in all, we are doing pretty well and are ready to go back again soon!

A House is a Hole…

There is an old saying that a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money. The same can be said about a house: it’s a hole in the ground where you pour money. Since Friday the 13^th, we have been pouring lots!

When I broke my leg, we noticed that the toilet in our bathroom seemed to be leaking a little bit. We stuffed a towel around the bottom to catch the moisture and changed it out a couple of times a week.

When my daughter left after the first of the year, we also noticed that the one in the guest bathroom was starting to make strange noises every time it was flushed.

Time to call out the plumber.

He arrived on Friday morning, and by the afternoon, he had completely rebuilt both of them. No more leaks, and the guest one had a completely new flush mechanism. Not cheap, but at least both were working well. (And they were nearly twenty-five years old, so a refresh was not unwarranted.)

Then, on Saturday evening, the 14^th, we were watching a TV show and heard a giant CRACK, sort of like a huge blast of thunder next to the house.

Larry looked at me. “Was that on TV?”

“I don’t think so.”

We looked out in the yard, and one of our large pine trees had come down. The roots had given way with all the recent rain.

I have hated the tree ever since it showed up as a volunteer a number of years ago. I asked Larry many times to remove it, but he liked it and wouldn’t get rid of it. I actually feared exactly what happened—or worse. And the pine needles were clogging up the motors and filters on the waterfall. Larry dutifully cleaned them out periodically, but he refused to do anything about the tree.

We live at the top of a hill. The very top was cut away when they built our house in the late 1970s, and the material removed was used for fill for the houses across the street. They have topsoil. We do not. We are on bedrock (good for earthquakes, but not so hot for growing things).

Plants don’t do very well in the yard because there is nowhere for the roots to take hold. I have been afraid that one of the trees would come crashing down on the house. They were getting tall (about 35 feet each—and there were three of them).

The good news:

• ·         It mostly missed the house and fell into the back yard
• ·         The only collateral damage was to a couple of irrigation water pipes and outside lights
• ·         The gutter was bent but not so badly that it has to be replaced.

We called a local tree service, and they sent a couple of guys out right away. They cut up the big branches and stacked them in the front yard, promising to return early on Sunday morning (at 7:30 a.m.).

They arrived right on time, as promised, with a huge truck and a wood chipper, and began cutting up the debris. We also asked them to cut back the other two large pines, trim the jacarandas, and shape the Japanese maple. (These projects were years overdue.)

It took nearly six hours, but by the afternoon, their truck was full of tree trimmings, and the work was completed. We were very fortunate, even though it was a very expensive job. At least no damage was done to our house!

Several thousand dollars later, the big tree is gone, and the others are now trimmed down to a reasonable size.

I still hope the rest of 2023 will improve…

The Year Without Christmas

The Grinch struck our house. 2022 was not my best year—at least not the end of it. We missed Christmas altogether, and for a Christmas junkie, it wasn’t much fun.

I broke my leg three days before Thanksgiving, so we missed celebrating the holiday with the family. (For the first ten days, I was confined to my bedroom upstairs, and could go nowhere.)

Larry cooked a nice dinner and we ate together on a TV tray next to the bed, but it wasn’t the same. My brother- and sister-in-love brought us turkey soup made from the carcass as well as rolls and dessert a couple of days later. Delicious, but the best part was seeing them, if only for a short time.

I finally got to see the orthopedic surgeon, and had the much-hated splint removed and the cast put on. No surgery required. Thank God! Things got a bit easier at this point, but Larry was still caring for me. No time to even think about Christmas decorations.

Kim was supposed to arrive on the 16^th to stay through January 1, so I had hoped she might put up a few decorations and bake some cookies. However, she arrived with a cold. We tried to keep our distance, but…

Of course, we both caught it. (NOT Covid, just a garden variety cold, but this one hung on for nearly a month.)

No tree. No stockings. No cookies. Few gifts, and then only the ones I had gotten before the broken leg. Most of the kids in the family are getting too old for gifts anyway, so I have taken to giving each family a check. (I’d rather shop, but I fear those days are over.)

We had already gotten Kim a ticket for Disneyland, so on the 18^th, we all went. We took the wheelchair, and Larry and Kim pushed me around. She got to go on the rides she especially wanted to enjoy. By the end of the day, they were both very tired.

We went to church on Christmas Eve so Kim could see some of her friends. Lovely service, but it felt as though something was definitely missing.

The rest of the time was very quiet. Kim borrowed our car so she could go to some of the places she has missed, and we ate at her list of favorite restaurants.

We all went to bed early on New Year’s Eve.

On New Year’s Day, we took Kim back to the airport. Then we came home to rest and try to get over our colds.

We have both been feeling better the past couple of days, but the house remained in fall mode until last week.

Hoping for a real Christmas for 2023. Hope your holidays were a bit more festive than ours.