Not in any particular order -GARDEN:Plant -- Hydrangeas - you've been wanting to do this for a long time. It's time.
- Hyssop - I'm not sure why you wrote this down, but you did.
- Beauty Berry - Callicarpa - this is the bush you saw at the Zoo in St. Louis
- Green beans where the pond was. I think I'm going to be sad that Geo no longer wants to maintain the pond.
- Don't plant veggies in the shed garden - it's too shady.
- Plant tomatoes in the special tomato grower thingie - yes, it's expensive but dammit, you should have great tomatoes.
HOLIDAYS:- Bake pumpkin bread. You make a lot of people happy with this.
- Decorate - woo 2008 was almost the Christmas that wasn't. Thankfully Geo pushed the tree. You have stuff to do the outside with - do it. No reason you shouldn't decorate - you've got lots of stuff!
- Catalog ornaments
- Send Christmas cards - yup, it's a pain, but you enjoy receiving them, don't you? Add Jeff & Tony to your card list.
- Have a party for your neighbors. No one did it in '08 and you enjoyed the party in '07, even though it was work. December 14th would be a good day.
- Nutcracker December 7th 8PM. No exceptions.
- Do a better job on New Year's Eve!
IN GENERALStrive to be happy!
Susan and I went to the Mall today. I think the last time I was there, besides Linens & Things, World Market, & Ruby Tuesdays (I don't count those three because they are on the outside of the Mall and you don't have to go into the Mall to get to them), was Halloween 2007, when Alex and I were trying to find things for his Mad Hatter costume. Anyhow. Same Christmas decorations they've had since the 1980s. You'd think the different Mall properties could share decorations and mix things up a bit. Anyhow, I digress. We went in the door at Macy's South Entrance, which lands you in the Men's department. I like the Men's department because I enjoy buying clothes for Alex. However, we saw the most disturbing thing: khaki pants with embroidered pheasants scattered all over them. OH My GOD. The ultimate prep look?! They were horrifying. Made by Ralph Lauren Polo. We couldn't stop laughing. What MAN would wear pheasant pants?! The sales guy came up and started talking to us about them, and I finally said, "Would YOU wear these pants?" and he hemmed and hawed and said, "well, it would depend on where I was going," to which Susan wittily replied: "The only place would be if you were going to be beat up!" And then he admitted that he really wouldn't wear them. Another thing that was disturbing: We wanted to see how much they cost, so we looked all over for them and couldn't find them on the racks or shelves. Which meant one of two things: (1) They were SOLD OUT or (2) the only pair they got was on the mannequin. I fear it was the former. They were on sale for $90 something; they had been $150 something. OY. I am, without a shadow of a doubt, not a fashion trend person. I wear clothes for comfort. I can put together a nice outfit, but fashion is really not my thing. However, if pheasant pants for men is the new thing, then all I can say is EWWW. To make it worse, I read this online: "My wonderful wife was at the mall today and found those totally awesome Polo pheasant pants on sale! So she got them for me as an early Christmas present. :)" Married man in pheasant pants?! Maybe it's the new golf wear, but I think it's a sign of the apocolypse.
"You know how one morning you wake up as an adult and you realize your entire life is based on a decision you made as a teenager?"I just read that today and thought WOW. How true is that. If only I could get Alexander to understand. Of course no one would have made me understand it. But it's so true.
I've read a few blogs lately and heard people comment about how much they hate Winter, they hate the cold, they hate the snow, blah blah blah. First of all, we live in Central Illinois. We have four seasons. We have Winter. It should come as no surprise. Of course I complain about the Summer, so I guess I should look at it from the other side. But think about it. The starkness of Winter makes us more appreciative of the lushness of Summer. I enjoy Winter. I like the lacy silhouettes of the trees without their leaves. I enjoy the grey days without the Sun. Probably wouldn't want it to be that way for long, but sometimes those days are important. It goes without saying that I love the snow. When it is snowing, I get a feeling in my core. It's like magic. I enjoy the brisk, cold weather. I am saying this from the warmth of my home and realize that there are those who are less fortunate than me. I love seeing all the birds at the bird feeder. So do the cats! I told Geo last night that is one of the reasons why I put seed out for the birds - to entertain the kitties. And the squirrels entertain Lucky (and drive her crazy. Not sure that's such a good thing.). I enjoy seeing all the birds, especially the Cardinals and the Juncos. Grandma Highball always said that when the Juncos were out we'd have snow. She's been pretty much on the mark with that prediction. I haven't seen many Chickadees. I'd love to see Cedar Waxwings, but we don't have any trees with berries on them, so not sure that I will see them. I enjoy seeing the snow covered fields and the dim light in the sky. And best of all - there aren't any frigging mosquitoes!! That's what I hate most about Summer. To be honest, I think I enjoy Winter more than Summer. Summer seems to carry with it expectations. Expectations to go and do things. In the Winter, you're allowed to hole up inside and hibernate. I love the feel of going inward, of being in the home, of contemplation.
Shampoo and conditioner bottles that don't have the words SHAMPOO and CONDITIONER printed in larger letters than the other words! When I'm standing in the shower, I don't want to have to read the whole damn bottle so I can figure out which is which.
Well. Comes as no surprise to me that my last post was almost a year ago. I am horrible at journaling. Things happen, and I don't want to write about them. I will try to do better. Maybe each year I can post a few more things. I looked at my list of things I wanted to do this year, and I did some of them, but not all. I did manage to lose 50 pounds! (But feel like I'm gaining it all back with holiday food and lethargy.) Having a horrible time with boredom and depression. There. I said it. I need something to do, but I don't know what. There are things I could do around the house (see list posted earlier this year), but I am not motivated. I already volunteer (Freecycle) but am so burned out I'm not sure I should continue. Five years is a long time. I love animals, but have already volunteered for the APL, and found that disillusioning (is that even a word?!). I like children but am not sure I want to work around them. I'm too much of an idealist I guess. I should write more. I have prompt books on writing but do not crack them open. I've thought about trying to get a part-time job, but then I have a bad leg day and it reminds me why I'm not working in the first place. I am probably addicted to Tramadol. I notice that when I let it lapse that my mood plummets. Well of course, opiates would make you feel better! I am reading books again, which is nice.
Happy New Year! This is my first post for 2008. I've been very busy since the start of the year and haven't taken the time to blog anything. So here it is:I am impressed by the companies/organizations that are GOING GREEN. Yesterday I saw a bit on the TODAY show about the removal of the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Not only did they cut the tree down with a hand saw to eliminate pollution, they used LED lights this year and cut the tree into lumber to be donated to Habitat for Humanity. (Why did they get it in Norway?!)The Philadelphia Eagles are GOING GREEN with their GO GREEN campaign by using solar panels, securing wind energy to power its stadium during home games, purchasing sustainable-sourced alternatives to using paper products, and recycling more than 375 tons of waste.http://assets.philadelphiaeagles.com/assets/gogreen/07-gg-summary.pdfPeople are catching on. Support companies that GO GREEN!
