A Different Sunday

The first full day I was at brother Bob and Beth’s house was a Sunday, and what a Sunday it was! I had no idea how much I would enjoy being in a real church for a regular service. It began at the front door. Bob introduced me as his sister to everyone who greeted us. He and Beth are VERY well known in their home church, and people were exceptionally warm and welcoming. I chose a pew behind an empty space ahead of me, so that I could sing without making anyone cringe. The only uncomfortable thing was whipping glasses on and off. At home, watching a streamed service, I keep glasses firmly on my face. I was able to keep up fairly well in person. After the service, Bob offered to take a photo of me.

The rest of the day we chatted, ate, and talked some more. Beth prepared a shrimp dish and served a Jell-O salad with it. There were lots of anecdotes exchanged, but we also had a long discussion about various things that were important to us. Correction – I talked a LOT, and they kindly listened and made a few comments.

A Self-opening Christmas

I had a gift that opened itself on Christmas morning! Neighbor Shawn had given me a Christmas cactus with buds, and one burst into full bloom at the most appropriate time.

It seems perfect to label this Christmas Day “self-opening”. I didn’t know what to expect, but my expectations were high. The standard ideal of being among your dearest people, opening gifts before a warm fire, calling out thank yous, and eating a hearty meal were not part of my scene this year. Neighbor Holly was just leaving her house as I walked to the end of my driveway. She wondered where I was going, and I asked her the same thing. She was heading to open gifts with relatives in the next town. I walked to the stop sign, walking being something I NEVER did on Christmas morning.

Only one car passed me going into the development. Both driver and passenger returned my wave with enthusiasm. Going home, I chatted with a woman who stopped to wish me a Merry Christmas. She thought I hadn’t been walking, but I assured her I was there the day before. I’m wondering if she usually sees me from her house, not her car.

I walked by a special greeting without noticing it, until I went the other way. This was in front of the house where a schoolboy lives. It says, “Merry Christmas Wyatt from Frosty the Elf.” I’m sure it was a surprise for the boy, and perhaps he hadn’t seen it yet. What fun!

I had worked the Wordle puzzle before going out and saw niece Chrissie’s puzzle on the way home. Normally I don’t look at texts, but I thought Shawn might be letting me know that Logan was on his way to walk with me. He must have slept through his good intentions. These were my comments, “I’m at the stop sign and heading home. I am at the sheep pasture now. Progress! I’m at the big bend now. Is this like watching Santa circle the globe via the internet? I’m at the top of Tibi Lane now.”

I had worn Christmas clothes that no one saw, covered by coat and jeans. After walking I put on Christmas finery, always being dressed to my standards before watching church on line. It wasn’t so fine, though, because the top was too big. I’ve been pulling it back on my shoulders and vowing that I will put it in the give-away bin straight from the washer and dryer. There must have been at least one other year when it did fit.

At noon I ate Stollen for breakfast, a gift from Gerhard in Germany. It was as delicious as always. I sat at the dining room table for a more formal setting for a special breakfast.

Next I opened a gift I received days ago, saved for this moment. Throughout the day I was texting with family, friends, and neighbors.

This short day was filled with joy and love. I’m thinking of all of you who have touched my life and giving thanks for you, including dear blogging friends. Merry Christmas!

Second Birthday Celebration

The second birthday party was marvelous. I always enjoy neighbors Shawn and Bob, and they doubled the pleasure by inviting their relatives. If they had asked me to nominate other guests, these two are the ones I would have chosen. I never see enough of these fun people. I am unilaterally going to make them honorary neighbors, a great addition to the world’s best neighborhood.

We ate spaghetti, followed by chocolate cake. The food and conversation were superb. It was lovely to sit in a room with a Christmas tree and artful decorations, while a slide show of snowy landscapes was displayed on a large screen. Add a friendly dog, and the party was almost complete. The only thing missing was Logan, who was working as a dishwasher at his brother’s restaurant.

I took a few lame photos. Bob had some excellent shots, which he shared with me, but I couldn’t use them because the format was different. Given more time, I might have found a solution. Thus ended my spectacular birthday celebrations of 2024. I am grateful.

Extended Birthday

My family celebrated birthdays, although without much fanfare. Mom would cook something for dinner that she knew we liked. A gift or so was always included, although none were lavish. All this to say, I never felt cheated. Many years later I appreciated the fact that husband John’s family always noticed my birthday. Friends and family sent cards and/or called. Having a birthday on the 22^nd of December meant the celebration was never extended or postponed. No one, including me, had time. That changed this year!!

Many people called, sent an e-mail, texted, sent a card, or telephoned. This was spread throughout the real birthday without overlapping. Niece Kathie spent a whole day driving here, heating dinner she had prepared, chatting with me, also talking with Lise in Copenhagen and me as I held the phone, and driving back to Charlotte. Elaine and her sister stopped by after church, bringing me gifts from the church. We had a delightful visit with them. When Kathie and I talked about gas logs because she had just had hers replaced, I turned on mine. We sat looking at the fire while talking until the light began to fade. She set out on the three-hour drive, getting home well after dark. What a birthday! It was the longest one-day celebration I’ve ever had.

I knew fairly early that the party across the street would be postponed a day because of illness. I would NEVER wish anyone ill, but I realized almost immediately that my birthday horizon had been pushed forward 24 hours. For the first time in my life, I had a two-day celebration!!! This simply does not happen near Christmas or the changing of the year. If you have a birthday at any other time, I doubt you could appreciate this monumental happening. I am thrilled, while being sorry that sickness was the cause.

Gas logs are only burning, not exploding.

The day after my birthday this year, I had two long chats with relatives. Oh, the wonder! The pleasure! How blessed I’ve been! This has to be one of the best birthdays of my life. Many thanks to all who made this possible.

I just noticed I had all my original birthday numbers this year. Then 12/22/42. Now 12/22/24.

Little Shortcut for a Big Message

I wanted to send a friend a long text message, but I didn’t want to chance losing it on the phone. I’ve had things fly off the screen when I accidentally touch the wrong thing. Solution? I typed it on the laptop, polished it a bit, and dictated it to the phone slowly and clearly. That potentially saved a lot of time and effort. I’m wondering why I didn’t think of it sooner.

I don’t need to think on my feet. I need to think on my phone!

Home Health Aid

I looked up services available in my area when I came in from walking. You see, I got tangled in my clothing. What was routine yesterday was a nightmare today. Since it was cold outside, I was putting on a third layer. The thermal underwear was first, followed by a knit top, then a pullover sweater. I pulled, but the sweater didn’t come over where it should have. Golly Pete! I couldn’t get it untwisted. I could see something was wrong at the front, but I couldn’t see how it had twisted itself in the back near my neck. My arms weren’t long enough to reach anything meaningful. I pulled and I tugged. It would have been ironic if I’d broken out in a sweat. The thought of going across the street to beg Shawn to undress me was humbling. Get a grip! You’ve GOT to do this yourself! Take a deep breath and start over. What a struggle to get the offending arm freed! Good grief! The back had rolled itself up, and the seam that should have gone under my arm was viewing the scenery from my shoulder. I couldn’t replicate that if I tried. When my clothes were on straight, I went out to walk about five minutes late. It was too cold for Joyce to be outside, so being late did not matter.

I had a long mile to think about what had happened. I’ve decided that if I can’t dress myself three days in a row, I’ll call Care Services for Aging Adults. They say personal care service is, “Assistance with bathing, grooming and dressing promotes independence, keeps vital routines in place and helps people age in place with dignity.”

I’ll think more about it. I don’t want to age in place – sounds like a treadmill. I want to age on the go, with dignity intact. That’s a big order when I’m laughing at myself.

Cold Start

I was pleased when neighbor Joyce asked for help getting her car to the shop for a brake job. Her first idea was to join my walk as I reached the stop sign and she came up the steep hill. Luckily, we came up with an alternative, because it was much too cold for the majority of people. 22F (-5.556C) Yes, daughter Lise, I should have listened to you and gotten used to putting the car in the garage. Ten minutes ahead of time I started the frosted car, and the windows were clear when I needed to pick her up.

I must have cleaned off my car hundreds of times in New York, because I worked for 23 years. Our garages were always full of junk, except the time SIL Barbara and Thom helped us clean them out. Those thoughts led me to a small chest in the hall where I rummaged for driving gloves. Eureka! I found a pair I haven’t used for over 10 years. They and my NY coat kept me warm.

Why was this a pleasure? It shows the world’s best neighborhood is working as it should. We always help each other whenever possible. I had to be at the house and dressed by 9 for a man to do a routine check on the heating system. I could not have walked at my usual time. It was easy to help Joyce. Goodness knows, she has helped me many times, and I could need more help in the future. Oh! If only everyone in the world had lovely neighbors!

Picture This!!

I want to share a website that I think is fantastic. It’s https://stoppingup.com/ Ross Viviano is a landscape photographer. Some of his photos were taken in the area where I live, and I am particularly fond of them.

I met Ross when he came to see niece Chrissie when she last visited me. They are friends, and he lives nearby. She told me he was a photographer, and I simply took her word for it. Big mistake! I didn’t look at his website until now. His scenes are marvelous, as fresh and crisp as all outdoors. I drank in the beauty, going from one photo to another.

I have one of his local waterfall scenes in my bathroom! Chrissie had the idea of having a shower curtain made using one of his photographs. She knows I decorate my bathroom more often than the living room, and this is wonderful. I enjoy it from the front and the back, with and without sounds of falling water. The shower is small and does not show off the photograph as it should be seen, so I plan to move it to the main bathroom soon. I want everyone who comes in my house to see it at its very best.

An Odd Yardstick

I used a candlelight carol service as a yardstick! As I rode to the service with another church member, I realized I hadn’t been inside the church for a long time, because I now attend regular services there via online streaming. The last time I was there in person was for the same gathering a year ago. It was marvelous to be among familiar people that I often talked to when John was alive and driving us to church.

After the service was over, I realized there was a marked contrast between last year and this. I had no hesitancy in crossing the room to speak to people before. This time I couldn’t see faces clearly. I hung back. Because the people are friendly, they came to me and greeted me warmly. They’ll never know how much I appreciated that. I had read that losing an ability causes older people to withdraw, and now I’ve experienced the beginning of it.

Many women’s voices don’t carry well. Because of that, I couldn’t understand the announcements. I followed the crowd and asked people around me what was said. There is a growing distance between me and the rest of the world. It’s no wonder I feel more comfortable standing by someone I know who will interpret for me.

My best comparison between last year and this is that I don’t think my brain is failing nearly as quickly as my eyesight and hearing. As soon as people came within arm’s length, I could have told you their first and last names. What a relief that was! I may not see you or hear you easily, but given half a chance, I’ll call you by name.