Saturday before the Holidays

OK--shoppers start your engines.

Get started--it is the last Saturday before the frenzy of the holiday season grabs us and drags us along until well into January.

From here on--the pace of life is doubled until that frantic week of Christmas and New Years is upon us.

Parties, shopping, eating, and did I say parties? Drinking wine? Oh, yes.

What do I like most about the holidays? Watching Santa arrive in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Despite all of the Christmas Season preparations which are already out in the stores, for me--Santa's arrival in the parade marks that one spot where I begin the month-long transition into the Holiday Spirit(s).

What is the point where it all begins for you? Let me know by commenting.

At least during the season it is easy to decide what to do with any available spare time! Shop, party, eat or decorate! (SPED)

Hmmmm--!

I think the acronym says it all--SPED and that is what we do through the Holidays because I know that in January we will look back and remark how the Holiday season just SPED by. Of course we will be driving at that point to the club to lose a few of those pounds that crawled on our bodies during the season of over-eating!

Hey--take a few minutes and draw a deep breath--someone said it's the most wonderful time of the year. AND, it is!

Window--Electric Success

Well to follow up on the other day--the window installation was a success as was the electrical work of installing the new lights.

It all went smoothly--at one point during the day I had four specialists all working in the same room ant the same time and keeping everything deconflicted.

So--the windows that were not doing their jobs have been replaced with really nice triple-pane windows and should begin really insulating the house and keeping the warm or cool (as desired) in; and the kitchen really looks nice without the huge florescent unit hanging in the middle of it.

I am still amazed that I was able to schedule two different specialities to arrive on the same day and stay out of each other's way! Yay.

And the workmanship was great. So we are enjoying newly lit spaces and are looking forward to quieter and more comfortable spaces.

Getting New Windows

How tough can it be?

We ordered them and had a day scheduled--but it rained. Then we had to reschedule. But of course even with the rain pummeling the earth and the forecast for it not to let up, they didn't call until after their scheduled arrival time.

They were supposed to call me to reschedule. But they didn't.

I had to track them down.

But, they are coming on my schedule--today--or so they say.

And in addition we have an electrician coming to install a bunch of recessed lights and remove the late 80's looking florescent light unit from the kitchen.

Do you know what that means? Two things:

1. I'll be doing drywall work again to patch the holes

2. Chris will find another project that needs to be "done before the holidays!"

Well, with the holidays upon us it is time to begin transforming the house into a Christmas castle of light or something like that. Maybe I'll put up the Christmas lights while the electrician is doing his thing.

Sleigh bells ring--can you stand it?

Being Sick is a Downer: Follow-up

Feeling much better when I awoke and not running a fever--I did actually go into work as I had planned.

Being Sick is a Real Downer

I left work early yesterday because I was feeling rotten.

I slept for over two hours when after I got home. It was nice to crawl my weary body into the cave and bed down accompanied by my faithful companion - Makayla.

I've been sniffling and sneezing all afternoon. Running a low grade fever and coughing.

Uck!

I got laryngitis over the weekend and almost couldn't sing at the memorial service for a friend. I knew something was going on--but the first cold of the season is a hard reminder of the stuff still to come. I wish it had passed me by--I have so much to do at work.

We have electricians coming on Wednesday and I hope to get the windows installed as well.

I have racquetball tonight--I hate to cancel because it is so hard to reschedule.

Life just doesn't take a time out for being sick! There is, however, a whole Facebook group devoted to "I Hate Being Sick."

I'm just too busy to be sick and out of work--but I have to think of my coworkers--they do not need to get the crud--so I need to be responsible and not act like the invincible man or something equally as arcane.

So am I going in, or not?

Stay tuned!

Monday Musings - November 16, 2009

1. After a week of gloom, the return of the sun cheers the soul and mood.

2. Having a head cold really is a downer--it hurts to even think about doing anything.

3. Yesterday, the dogs were quiet in the morning and we slept in till about 8am. That never happens. Wow!

4. Whenever a doorbell rings on TV, Makayla barks and runs for the door. It makes me laugh.

5. Memorial services celebrating the uncommon life of a special person can be very uplifting. And when a lot of friends get together to celebrate and sing--it is even better.

6. Makayla looks great when I take the time to brush and comb her--but really, it takes a lot of work because she has a lot of coat. I should brush her weekly--but I don't.

7. 70 degrees, sunny sky, November 15th--what could be better?

8. We are getting some new lights in the kitchen and family room--should really upgrade the look. Seems we are doing a lot of home upgrade projects right now--ew windows, lights, and painting room and redecorating. I guess it is one way to combat the darkness of winter--work in the interior while it is not worth the effort to work outside.

9. Glory days. Remembering old times, friends and events from a time long, long ago are the memories that lives are made of. It is good to remember the past--but we live in the present and need to bring the memories forward to the now.

Sunday Sun Cheers the Gloomy Soul

When I looked outside this morning I was treated to a sight I had not seen in about a week!

A bright, shiny orb filling the world with life giving light.

Yes, the sun was shining in the Baltimore area after what seemed like an eternity in the grip of tropical depression Ida--which also became a nor'easter and provided lots of rain and gloomy skies to the region.

Along with the overcast skies for a week, it also contributed to gloomy moods among the people that I know. The boss at work even inquired about the mood in the workplace--which I believe was directly related to the weather and the time change which has us arriving in the dark and also for some of us departing after dark. The only light we get during a day are from the softly humming florescents of the workplace.

Ugh! I do not like this time of year! It is so dark.

So I stood on the deck this morning, with my face turned toward the sun, feeling its warmth as I recharged my batteries--which are a bit drained from the head cold I'm suffering with.

Oh yeah--and I've lost my voice, too. So I cannot even utter a primeval scream of approval.

But despite how I feel--with the sun shining, it's all good!

A Silent Patriotism

Walking into work yesterday, a different thing happened.

For apparently no reason at all, the man walking next to me stopped, took his hat off, came to attention and put his hand over his heart.

He stood there silent for a few moments looking at the huge American Flag which flys in front of the building. It was waving in the breeze.

I wondered why he stopped and stood there--and I never asked.

But I sensed it was a personal reminder to himself of why we all should be going into the building I work in every morning--from our oath of office is says it simplest: "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter so help me God."

We do not work for ourselves--but for the people of the United States.

As I reread the oath, I was struck by the words--"well and faithfully" which are a powerful charge. We can be asked to do no more than well and faithfully. We are asked to make many decisions, but if we are faithful in our decisions and make them to our best capability--that is what we are asked to to.

The flag waving in the breeze caught my eye, too. I look at it every morning on my way in and on my way out. I always causes me to smile and to remember there is such a thing as a greater good and a country of brave people who are willing, when called, to defend freedom around the planet. I am often reminded of the feeling I get when I am in a foreign land--and I come upon the Stars and Stripes waving proudly in the breeze. It makes me proud to be American.

I will think of the flag differently each morning now as I walk across the parking lot. I will remember my solemn duty and continue to strive to achieve "well and faithfully" in every thing I do.

Line of Sight Shopping

I had an interesting experience this past weekend. I got tangled-up in "Line of Sight Shopping!"

There we were--walking into Costco, for food.

But as we know, Costco is full of other distractions--clothing, books, CD, auto supplies.

So there we were in this target rich shopping environment--needing some meat and veggies.

And where did we go first?--to look at books for Jackson. Really? And then coats.

Line of sight shopping. if it is there, whether it is on the list or not, we need to shop it. Not necessarily buy it, but shop it. The object goes from not being on the list to suddenly becoming a decision point as to which book should we buy. Why?

Because, like the mountain in front of the mountain climber, it is there.

While it is a great way to support the economic recovery--it doesn't do much for the family budget.

Can You Go Back?

Sometimes I dream of going back.

Back to the way things were--the way relationships were.

In my mind I want to recapture the good things about the past and the people I was with.

There are places now, that sometimes I wish I could return to--but I know I cannot. I have changed and the people there have changed, too.

I think about summers growing up in Upstate New York. Running through the fields and riding my bike along the two-lane road that passed in front of my house. If only I knew then what I know now. I would hold fast to those hot, summer days and not wish I were anywhere else other than right there with the smells of the fields and the summer grasses and fruits and pines on the air.

While I wish it could be better than it was, I am sure it would be a catastrophe.

Last night, I was able to go back, briefly, as the member of a choir gathering to practice for a memorial service for a departed friend and the former Choir Director of the church I used to attend. It was good to see all of the other people who had left the church as well as those who still remain. I was nervous at the thought of returning because of the unresolved issues and broken relationships that contributed to my departure. But despite my concerns, the gathering was blessed, I could tell. There was a joyousness entwined within the sadness and grief of loss. We caught up with each others lives, and we smiled and we joked and we made music as a choir again all in memory of our friend. If only it could be now how it used to be . . .

And that really is the fallacy of trying to go back.

Nothing is ever the same--as much as we would like it to be perfect in our minds, it never really was perfect at that time and it is less so now that we know more.

So there is no going back! We move forward or not at all. But I am blessed with a warm memory rekindled by a reunion of sorts.