Mail Gone Awry

On Thursday morning, I put three letters in our mailbox.  I wrote a thank you note to my mother and dad for the wonderful Christmas dinner and generous gifts that they gave us.  Now, my parents live two miles away, but I know my mother enjoys pretty cards and reading letters.  It brightens her day.  So I trusted the postal service to deliver this special note.  And while I was at it, I found a Blue Mountain Card for my sister, "The Story of Two Different Sisters."  For whatever reason or reasons, my sister has been having a bad time of it, has alienated me, and it made me feel better to send her the card.  And since I didn't want my brother to feel left out, decided to send him a special Blue Mountain card too.  Imagine my horror, when I came home and found that my parents card had been returned to me, "unable to forward.'  They have lived in the house my dad built since I was in 6th grade!  I called my father and told him, and he said, "Maybe they didn't know I died!"  I answered,, "Yes, they couldn't deliver it in Heaven!"  How exasperating!  So tomorrow, I will drive the 2 miles and hand the card to my mother and pick up some oranges.  I received a thank you from my sister who told me she loved the "Story of Two Different Sister" card.  Yes, I am different from her....my hair is dark, she is blonde, I am shorter than she, the views from our windows are different, and our life challenges are not the same.  But through it all our lives have always been and will always be entwined as is the trunk of a money tree.

New Year's Day Birthday

My son will be 27 years old on New Year's Day.  On a cold day, we ran up to the hospital three times to try to get labor started.  When finally it did start, I knocked on the tv room at the hospital, "having a baby here...need a bit of help", as everyone was watching the Rose Bowl.  I suppose that is why my son is such an avid sports fan.  It doesn't matter which sport--football, baseball, soccer, hockey--ask him, and he can tell you percentages, statistics, who is picked to win.  My husband has planned a wonderful birthday dinner.  We will start with shrimp and cocktail sauce, chips and dip.  Then grill steaks and have baked potatoes.  Later we will try out the new chocolate fountain that I got from my daughter for Christmas.  We will melt chocolate and dip pretzels and strawberries.  My husband is making  a gift too.  He is assembling a driver with a new shaft and grip.

Worries

I just got off the phone with my dad.  He has a urinary tract infection and is on antibiotics.  More worrisome is his weight loss and the possible cause.  Blood work to see if his liver is functioning properly.  There is no use  researching liver problems until the test comes back, when we know what the issue is.  At work, I have been packing Christmas ornaments and other decor to put into storage.  I have tried to position merchandise so that the store looks attractive.  Actually I enjoy the neatness of the store with less clutter.  Today, I emptied the trash from the wastebasket into the dumpster.  I couldn't get the cellophane wrappers out, so gave the basket a good shake, which promptly caused the basket to fall out of my hand into the dumpster.  Today was garbage pickup day, so the wastebasket fell way down.  I went into the flower shop to get the broom.  I put the handle of the broom in the basket and steered it out of the dumpster so that I could reach it.  A very intricate maneuver worthy of a surgeon.  I drove my son to the bus and he is on his way to Chicago.  It was nice to see the bus waiting and on time!  I sent my parents a thank you for the fabulous Christmas dinner and gifts, and a card to my brother and sister.  I found two Blue Mountain cards with appropriate messages.  Though it might not change either siblings perception of me, it changed my feelings toward them.

Winter Storm Advisory

It began snowing around 11:30am.    The expressway was clear so I had no trouble driving to work.  Throughout the afternoon, I listened to traffic reports. Many accidents due to the snowy driving conditions and an advisory to stay home as 3-6 inches of snow is expected.  I left work around 6pm, scraped the ice and snow off the car.  I decided to drive through the city...more people around if I got into trouble.  It looked like folks had heeded the advice and stayed home, because traffic was light.  I arrived home to see my husband snowblowing the driveway and sidewalks.  The dogs wanted  to go outside so I let them out.  A few minutes later, my son asked, "Isn't that Maui?"  The gate had been left open, and Maui, the mini dachsund, romped down the driveway and raced up the front sidewalk into the house.    It is so comfy to sit at home while the snow turns the city into a winter wonderland.

The Red Santa Hat

Yesterday, I peeked out my window, and it had snowed...not a lot, but enough to cover the branches of the trees and make the outside a winter wonderland.  I wrapped my red scarf around my neck, put on my coat and knew exactly what I needed to finish the outfit!  Hastening to my room, I opened my dresser drawer and pulled out my fuzzy red Santa hat.  Setting it jauntily on my head, I hurried outside, hopped into my car (after scraping off the ice and snow) and drove carefully to work.  The roads were in good shape but folks were concentrating on errands, and it seemed prudent to pilot the car with an extra bit of caution.  The parking lot at the branch store was an ice skating rink as were the sidewalks.  I had to be very careful when I walked over to the coffee shop to buy some donut holes and M & Ms.
The customers at the flower shop were amused by the bright red hat.   I sold some items and it was a fairly good day sales-wise.  I wore my red hat again today and will wear it tomorrow and Monday.  Hopefully it will put holiday shoppers in a happy mood and will help make the Christmas season a profitable one for the flower shop owners.

Letter to Connecticut

Dear Connecticut,

My heart has been heavy and troubled since Friday.  My thoughts are with all the families and friends affected by the terrible tragedy.  If I could rewind time, I would.  If I could do anything, to spare you this awful pain, I would without a moment's hesitation.   Please  know that your loved ones' smile or special talent will always be remembered, that your precious son, daughter, grandson, granddaughter, wife, or mother will always be alive in my heart.   And really, truly, there are no adequate words...none at all.

Giggles and laughter
Motion and stillness
Eyes bright with curiousity
Sibling rivalry
Football, swimming and dance
Bike riding, DVDs and reading
Pizza, apples and brownies
Memories of you.

Mother Daughter Time

 
This morning my 17 year old daughter and I drove to the clinic.  After the appointment, we headed across the street to the mall to buy some Christmas presents.  We arrived a half hour before most of the stores opened.  The Apple store was open, so we checked out the i-pad mini.  My daughter considered buying it for her brother, but changed her mind.  After Apple, we walked over to the Windsor store.  I was looking for a dress for my 23 year old daughter.  She had sent me a link, but I waited too long to order, and the warehouse was out of her size.  There are only five left in the country...none in my area.  Then on to the technology store, Brookstone.  Amazingly, my daughter had browsed through the catalog and was familiar with the items.  So she chose a gift for her dad, and one for her 32 year old sister.  At Von Maur, we found a dress. It will be beautiful at a special dinner or on New Year's Eve.  The trip was a success, because my daughter chatted away.  "I like these moccasins.  Look how the ones I have don't have fleece (slipping off her shoe).  And look at these tops.  I like stripes."  Then on to Hollister to purchase some other gifts.  Such excitement as my daughter spotted  remote control helicopters in many stores. At home we wrapped gifts and made grilled cheese.  I stirred up a batch of pumpkin bread mix and spooned the batter into muffin papers.  The delicious smell of baking filled the house.  Delicious....warm  from the oven!

Advent

On Monday, I drove to my sister's church and attended an Advent service. First dessert and then into the church for inspirational talks and music.  I am challenged to show peace, joy, hope and love to other people.  Working on it.  A bit hard when I substituted for a coworker today, and my boss says, "What are you doing here?"  She thought I was scheduled to work the branch store today.  Now you know that I don't want to work there, she knows it too, and I suspect that she assumed I took matters in my own hands and didn't show up!  So I worked until the afternoon workers arrived (one a half hour late) came home, took some pain reliever for a headache, went downstairs and hauled up the outdoor lights and commenced decorating outside.  The earthy smells and 36 degree temperatures reminded me of the good times I had playing outside when I was young.  I suppose putting up Christmas lights could be considered playing.  Yesterday, I decorated the inside of the house. I set up the Christmas village...houses, churches, Big Ben and a lighthouse.   Santa and his pet Christmas dog are coming in the wooden boat laden with gifts.  Only one little sledder knows of the emminent arrival of St. Nick.  The Nativity Village is up too...musicians, dogs, geese, children bearing eggs, Pillsbury Dough Boy even a fantastical dragon (at least I think it's a dragon).  The Christmas tree sits in the corner and  candles and pinecones scent the room.

Vessel spasms or something else?

Though my husband's cardiologist reassured us that the small vessel spasms are unlikely to cause a heart attack, we are still concerned.  Hubby still has upper chest pain, two or three spells a day.  He surmises that the medication is not doing anything.  The cardiologist
suggested that hubby exercise...the body would recognize that it is not getting enough oxygen and grow new small vessels.  But then again, the diagnosis is built on what the condition is not.  A stress test showed that hubby has good blood flow, hence the pain is not caused by a blockage.  It niggles at me....is the pain caused by vessel spasms?

Comfortable with myself

Golden rays, smiling on me
Geese honking, in a vee
Laughter in the air
As if I didn't have a care
In all the world.

A cup of lemon herbal tea
As I sit and ponder what should be
Feeling contentment and peace
And receiving a new lease
On life.

Realizing today that I do not want
To build myself up at the expense of others.
Affirmation yesterday that my zaniness is a part of me
And how borning it would be
If we were all the same.

So let me meet them then.
The woman who is high
The man who is hard of hearing or shy?
Not sure.
The lady who brought her sister's planter
To have gyp added.
The gazer lady who has attention deficit
And all the people in between.