Christmas keeps on coming

This year the delay in the mail has really disappointed a lot of people. My packages to my sister still haven’t completely arrived yet. I was thankful that my family opened gifts when they were here in November. Today I did get a package from one of my sisters. The candle above was one of the gifts along with those fancy paper clips. 

  I took down all my Christmas decorations but left up things for winter. I carried them down to the storage room in the basement but now need to properly put them away. 

  It is cold out today with a high of 24. I am no longer walking outside. I really miss that. I am spending most days right inside the house. 

Christmas spirit

I guess I was feeling a little sorry for myself yesterday. I was thinking of Christmases past and the joy I always felt at this time of year. That peaceful feeling would come over me and I would know that all was right in my world. This year I was waiting for that feeling. I had it a little bit when I hauled out my Christmas decorations and distributed them around the house. (But I didn’t put them all out and pared back quite a bit). Then it came again when my family all came home for Thanksgiving and we exchanged presents. (But that left the month of December with no holiday activities at all.) The days passed and I waited for that excited feeling to come. But every day I stayed at home and listened to bad news in the world. My usual optimism had a hard time mustering up a smile. 

    But today it came back. That fun feeling. That holiday joy. And all it took was a trip out of town. Don and I went to Jamestown. He hasn’t been out of the house for months but wanted to go out to lunch. All of the restaurants in Pennsylvania are closed now so we really enjoyed the Olive Garden. I made two very quick stops at TJ Max and Michael’s but came out of the stores with no packages. I was really thankful that I had done all of my shopping early and didn’t have to stand in those long lines. But it was Wegman’s, a grocery store, that put me in the holiday mood. The town that I live in doesn’t have the variety of foods that this store displays. I really went wild buying things I don’t usually buy (like a pecan topping for the Brie that I will share with Don Christmas Eve.) And stuffed pork chops for our Christmas Eve dinner. We are having ham for Christmas Day. It was fun to be in the bustle of shoppers and I picked out some rum balls and a platter of Christmas cookies. (Since I am not making cookies this year). I even found a large white platter that I needed. (Along with some greenery). When I came out of the store I told Don that it was dangerous for my wallet for me to go in that store. LOL. 

     I was really in a great mood all the way home recalling that holiday feeling. Now to find some Christmas movies to watch and to make the holiday special even though it will be just the two of us. 

Can it be Christmas?

Can it be that Christmas is just a few days away? In this crazy year of Covid it seems that nothing is the same as it used to be. Pennsylvania is shut down again with restaurants only doing take out and most people staying home as much as they can to avoid catching this virus. I only leave the house now for a once a week trip to Walmart for groceries. Don hasn’t left the house in months. Even the library has closed again. Bradford has seen such an increase in cases that we are up to almost four hundred in our little town. I haven’t seen my coffee friends in weeks and haven’t walked with my friend Sandy much either because of the cold weather and deep snow. I am so glad we celebrated our Christmas at Thanksgiving because we will be alone at Christmas. We will wait for the vaccine so that we can once again feel safe being around people. Meanwhile I will stay right here.

Our Christmas is over

When the boys and their families were here for Thanksgiving we exchanged our Christmas gifts since we were all together. 

This picture is blurry but it tries to show Don’s sweatshirt with a picture of the ship he served on pictured on the front. He received a lot of gifts..mugs, puzzles, pictures of that ship. 

I loved my personalized gifts. 

The kids loved playing with Occulus virtual reality.  

 But look at our Christmas present.  Chris found a stray cat near his house. It was obviously someone’s pet since it was declawed. He tried to find the owner but no luck. So he asked us if we would take it. She is the sweetest cat. So lovable and all it wants is to sleep in your lap. chris called her Reeseie since her coloring is peanut butter and chocolate. 

Roasting chestnuts

You know the song “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire”? Well, I’ve never eaten a chestnut. We were listening to Christmas music this weekend when Chris and Wendy were here and she said that she ate them when she was a missionary in Macedonia. So they went to the store and bought some for us. Using Google we discovered how to roast them in the oven. It was a process. First we soaked them in some salt water for twenty minutes. You can soak them up to two hours. Next we roasted them on a cookie sheet in the oven.  20 minutes at 350 degrees. Then turn the over to 450 and roast another fifteen minutes. Take them out of the over and put them in a bowl on a damp towel and cover with the towel. 

They pop right open and you can peel the shell right off. The meat is one large nut. I put a little salt on the ones I ate. It has a different and unique taste but not bad at all. 

Today Chris and Wendy will go to Coudersport to close on their house. When they got married they put the house in Port Allegany up for sale. It has been over a year and they are happy to sell it now. When they left last weekend I thought I wouldn’t see them for quite a while because of Covid so I was happy they came up again. 

Covid is keeping Don and I right here at the house most of the time. It is raging here in Bradford and we want to stay safe. The only way is to stay right here at home. I have finally gotten used to being a homebody and don’t mind it as much as I used to. But I have a long list of things I want to do once it is safe in the world again. 

Happy thanksgiving

First let me apologize. I haven’t been blogging for a while. After keeping up this blog since 2006 I found myself with not a lot to say. Covid has kept me in and my routine is similar every day. I do ordinary things which aren’t that interesting to blog about. 

I am so fortunate to have my family with me this Thanksgiving. Ryan and his family all tested negative and came up last Saturday. We have spent the week just staying at the house keeping ourselves busy baking and playing games. Chris and Wendy will be joining us today. 

The turkey is in the roaster and we are looking forward to a happy Thanksgiving feast. 

Ryan and Sara spent some time watercoloring. 

Good morning

Good morning. It’s early in the morning on Tuesday and I’m gazing out the window at the snowfall that happened last night. It has covered the ground and is still coming down. Our Circle of Friends group is meeting in the nearby town and I’m wondering how many people will call me and cancel since we are always fearful of driving in bad roads at our age. When I was younger a little snowfall would never keep me from doing anything. I have been known to drive on some really treacherous roads just to go shopping. But of course I am more cautious now. My friends and I are in charge of this month’s meeting and we chose to go to Sprague’s which is such a lovely place to have lunch. 

I am still in my pajamas this morning since I have decided not to go to coffee with my friends on Tuesdays and Fridays when they go to a more popular and larger restaurant in town. I feel since the cases of Covid are on the rise that I should limit my exposure as much as possible. It is always in the back of my mind that I could be exposed and get Covid or carry it home to Don who has COPD. After today’s meeting I am also not going to any more group meetings for a while. 

I have been decorating my house for Christmas a little early this year since my family is coming for Thanksgiving. I am happy that we will all be together but so worried also. I know we are taking a chance having them here. It is a risk. I haven’t seen my Tennessee family for almost a whole year and have missed them so much. 

I have made a lot of food ahead of time so I don’t have to be worried about cooking all the time. My turkey is purchased and we will have a large feast next Thursday. I’m hoping that maybe they will want to make Christmas cookies while they are here to divide up to take home.

Marilla

Sorry for not blogging for awhile. I haven’t been inspired lately. My weeks are rather routine. 

Ice on the Marilla bridge 

Our weather is a funny thing.  Sometimes cold enough for ice and then warm in the afternoon. I’m still taking a daily walk around Marilla Lake every day 

The other day when we were there they were stocking fish into the reservoir.  

It’s a beautiful walk. 

The Queen’s Gambit

During this Covid time I am watching a lot of tv. I’m always on the lookout for a good series to watch and found it with The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix. You don’t have to be a chess fan to appreciate this great limited series. Here is a brief summary. 

Based on the novel by Walter Tevis, the Netflix limited series drama The Queen's Gambit is a coming-of-age story that explores the true cost of genius. Abandoned and entrusted to a Kentucky orphanage in the late 1950s, a young Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) discovers an astonishing talent for chess while developing an addiction to tranquilizers provided by the state as a sedative for the children. Haunted by her personal demons and fueled by a cocktail of narcotics and obsession, Beth transforms into an impressively skilled and glamorous outcast while determined to conquer the traditional boundaries established in the male-dominated world of competitive chess.

Vote

Don and I took our ballots over to the courthouse in Smethport on Friday. We wanted to make sure that were in on time and counted. We did not want to stand in a line to wait to vote. This way we are assured that our votes are in. It is no secret that I am a Democrat. My views may not be your views but we all have a right to our opinions. This may be the most important election in my life. I do fear for our democracy if Trump gets elected again. He has divided this country in a way I have never seen before. I only hope that we get a new president who cares more about the people of this country than he does about himself. 

“I am only one,

 But I am one. 

I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

And I will no let what I cannot do interfere with

What I can do.”-

Edward Everett Hale

    Before we went up to the courthouse Don and I had lunch at the Corner Bistro. We enjoy eating there and the food did not disappoint. I had a turkey with cranberry aioli and carmalized onions. Don had one of the best steak sandwiches he has ever eaten.

    Today is a rainy day but Sandy and I sneaked a walk in between the raindrops. We have made a habit of walking every day and don’t want to stop. Today we walked on the University trail almost two miles. 

     Don has started a jigsaw puzzle and I am reading some library books. Tonight we will watch the Bills play the Chiefs. We love both teams so it will be hard to know who to root for. I must go now and put in some pork chops for dinner. Just an ordinary day as so many of them are these days. 

Fun in Carlisle

Last weekend we went to Carlisle to visit my son and his wife. It’s always a good time at the Karrasch Resort (so named by her family who visited on weekends to go swimming and play games). They make it such fun and we had a great time. We only went briefly out of the house to visit some stores but most of the time we spent right there at the house. 

One place we did visit was Aschombe’s a local nursery and gift store. WE didn’t come home with any plants but I did buy some apple dumplings and pumpkin doughnuts. Linda also came up from Virginia to join in the fun. We played Five Crowns and Pictionary.

These crazy animal face masks were lots of fun! We also watched a movie in Chris’ theater room. It was so much fun being with people. The Corona crisis has kept me at home most of the time so it was fun being with my family. 

Grands

My grandson’s wife posted this picture on her blog Gretchen Runs. It was taken when they vacationed in Japan a while ago. When they travel they really like to experience the culture of the country. This is one of my favorite pictures of them. 

Leaves

Yesterday The leaves were so beautiful. It had rained and they were shiny and glossy. I couldn’t resist picking up a few to bring home to photograph.

All dressed up and somewhere to go

Finally I had a reason to get dressed up. The Women’s Literary Club has begun to meet. Of course many accommodations had to be made. We met for a luncheon at the Pennhills Club with mask wearing of course. And we are only going to have one regular meeting a month for three months. 

This year I am in charge of the scrapbook which means I take pictures. This is a picture of all the past presidents. 

It was so great to get all dolled up for a change. 

Friendship

Sandy is not a new friend. We are high school classmates but not close friends at that time. When we served on our reunion committee we became closer. Now I have a friend to ride bikes with. 

Allegany Reservior

This is just twenty minutes from where I live. When the kids were young we would pack a picnic and wait for dad to get home from work, hop in the car and be fishing on this lake in about a half an hour. 

Autumn quotes

River ride

I am loving my bike and today went for a four mile ride on the Allegany River trail.  

It was so gorgeous and the weather was perfect. 

Autumn colors

It’s time for fall decorating and I love the bright colors of fall. 

Playing dress up

While so much remains precarious, our style is something small we have control over. ‘It’s an empowering way to put ourselves in a better mind set.'” —Fiorella Valdesolo for The Wall Street Journal,September 5, 2020

All dressed up and no where to go.  That’s how I’ve been feeling for about six months. I’ve always loved to dress up. Nothing pleases me better than putting together a cute outfit. When I was teaching I was the matchy-matchy queen. My scarf matched my earrings, my earrings matched my necklace, and on and on. That was the style then. Now of course it is not that way and a lot of my costume jewelry never sees the light of day. It seems that dressing down is more popular than ever and if you arrive dressed up a little you are the one out of place. 

As I put my summer clothes away I noticed that there were a lot of blouses that were too dressy for everyday wear and I didn’t even wear them once during the summer. With the world at a standstill for the last six months there just wasn’t a need. But every morning where my coffee group started meeting again I try to wear something that will make me happy. Some days I put on a scarf or a necklace but I still long for the days of brooches. 

Fall is my favorite season and I loved getting out my sweaters and vests. There are scarves to be worn too.

My family

I haven’t posted pictures of my family lately. I haven’t seen them since last Christmas and the kids are really growing. Sean is twelve and Sara is ten. 

 He is and Wendy recently went to Tennessee for a visit. These are my two boys.  

A poem that spoke to my heart

I was reading the fall issue of Oprah magazine and one of my favorite columns is What I Know For Sure. In it was a poem by Harmon Rashid that sums up what I’ve been feeling. 

We fell asleep in one world and woke up I another.

Suddenly Disney is out of magic Paris is no longer romantic, New York doesn’t stand up anymore, the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress and Mecca is empty. 

Hugs and kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents and friends becomes an act of love.  

Suddenly you realize that power, beauty and money are worthless, and can’t get you the oxygen you’re fighting for.

The world containers its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages. I think it’s sending us a message:

“You are not necessary.  The air, earth, water, and sky without you are fine.  When you come back, remember that you are my guests.  Not my masters.”

We got a time out. We required a reset so we could see without obstruction what is essential. We need to heal our planet. 

Fall is here

Crisp mornings...leaves falling..yes, fall is definitely here. 

Fall weather

I know there are lots of places still having hot summer weather but in north western Pennsylvania the nights are nippy. It’s getting hard to  motivate myself to get out of bed in the morning when those blankets feel so warm. But I get up and go for a walk every day with my friend Sandy. One morning it was down to forty two. But we only walk a twenty minute mile so it wasn’t so bad. 

I’m trying to get a little bike riding in this fall before I have to put it away for the winter. Today I rode all alone for the first time on the University trail. The joy of riding outweighs the intimidation I feel riding an electric bike. I love to have the freedom to ride without the struggles of heavy pedaling. There were just a few people walking today on the trail today. 

Last night we went to my in-laws for a soup supper. Charlotte had made my very favorite soup....unstuffed pepper soup. The cheddar bay biscuits were a great accompaniment and Don’s strawberry pie was a big hit. Afterwards we played Five Crowns. It is good to enjoy some company after so many months of confinement. 

Questions

It is Wednesday and time for question prompts from This side of the Pond 

1.What's one thing you learned at the ripe old age of whatever age you are now?

I finally learned that you can’t change people and just to let them live their own lives without my interference. Let them row their own boat...as a wise friend once told me.  

2. Do you know any foods that can help you look younger?

  No, I wish I did because I’d eat a bushel of them. 

3. Something you miss from the 'good old days'? When were the good old days anyway?

I miss how you could just drop by your friend’s house unannounced and sit and visit. Now I feel I have to call first and give them a heads up.  

4. What are two or three of the most rewarding things to be found in growing older?

You feel more at peace. Little annoyances don’t bother you as much.  You are more content. You have longtime friends who have supported you for years. You don’t try so hard to be liked by everyone. 

5. What's your favorite part of your life right now?

I am learning to enjoy being at home more. Since Covid I haven’t been traveling. I have found home activities to be extremely satisfying. 

Sunflower time

Today I started decorating for fall. With a low temperature this morning of 38 when I got up a Fall is certainly in the air. This year I decided to use restraint when getting out the decorations. I wanted to see if I could simplify. I’m not the kind of gal who can just hang a wreath on the door and call it done but I do think that I’m beginning to get the idea that if you don’t put so much out you don’t have so much to put away.  
I began with a new theme for my mantle. It started with a picture I picked up at a consignment store at my sister’s town in North Carolina. It had sunflowers in a blue and white vase. Perfect for me. I added two sunflower pictures I had painted and vases full of sunflowers. 

Fall