Saturday Paul, Oscar and I went to Amy's for Christmas there and spent the night. We got there about the time she was getting up! (She worked 1/2 day Christmas day and Friday, so she was catching up on much needed rest.) Paul and I were hungry and went to Chili's for hamburgers. Later she and I went to the grocery store and she made chili - it was wonderful! It was a really warm day and stormy night - the high was about 81, but today was in the 50's. After we ate, we drove to Graceland to see the lights which we hadn't seen in many years and Paul actually stopped and we got out! There were quite a few people there and we made some pictures in front of the gate and over the wall. We stayed all of 15 minutes and a couple told us a storm was headed our way, and sure enough, by the time we were driving back to Amy's the wind had really picked up and was raining. Back at Amy's we opened gifts and just sat talking for a while and snacking, looking at the Christmas cards we'd gotten and Christmas pictures of babies, families and friends. Amy fed her dogs and Pauley came in and set Oscar in a frenzy. Pauley politely lay down and I'm glad Moe didn't come in! Poor O would have been mincemeat pie! Yikes! He's part lab and hones in on anything that moves and is smaller than him, which is most anything! I forgot the "fruitcake" and asked Amy to save us some, not to eat it all! I left the cheese ball and crackers and the rest of the breakfast food. Sure wanted some more of that cake, though!
Sleeping was crazy because I like it very quiet and Paul had the radio on in the spare room, but I finally went to sleep - between the noise and Oscar clicking his nails on the hardwood floor pattering back and forth... He finally ended up in the living room with Amy - they're friendly rivals and I think O knows he doesn't have his bluff in on her any more, but he still tries. He spent the night in the living room.
I made breakfast this morning fairly late - around 9:00. We stayed till around 11:00 and came home.
I had looked at craft/art books all weekend and decided it was time to go through Mama's box of pictures and sort through them, not that I'll ever cut up any of the cards - not any way soon - but I've been thinking about this for some time. So I got shoe boxes and sorted cards and pictures by families. Amy and I got our instinct to keep stuff naturally - I wonder that Goobie didn't do this, too; but she did have several. (One I especially cherish is a birthday card from Papa to her...) So having done that I felt pretty good about that project and glad I was able to finally do it. There were also some albums in the box of things that the pictures are falling out of, some with no names on the backs that only I would know who they are, and some really old ones of Goobie's sisters that were, thankfully, labeled in pencil on the back. I guess my next project will be putting all the loose pictures in albums... I should scan them... So many projects... I don't think there was any system to putting all her cards and things in the plastic box, but going through them it was funny how the layers of years just peeled away with hardly any out of date or at least out of year. People at her church just exchanged cards and for several years, those same people's cards were in a stack just as she'd opened and read them. There were letters and lots of postcards from Sher when they were overseas, handmade cards from Morgan, cards from Amy when she was in Hawaii, cards and pictures of Steve, Andy and a few of Denise. The very oldest were those that Goobie had, faded sepia which really should be scanned or copied. It was bittersweet to think of all the holidays - Valentine's, Mother's Days, birthdays, Christmases, just-thinking-of-you cards, pictures of family holidays together, even parts of journals. (She did the same thing I've done and still do - keep one or another for about 3 months and stop, and start again...) There was even a thank you card from Teri from when Teri went with me to Mama's, just thanking her for a great weekend. And a picture of them in rocking chairs at Cracker Barrel I'm sure, where we'd eaten. Wasn't so long ago.
I tried to call Steve - today's his birthday. Sher and I talked a while today - she has/will have 12 days off during the holidays. I told her she could still come see me. Called Mike and they're doing okay - they went to Marsha's mother's for Christmas dinner. He emailed me a picture of the rod and pins in his arm, but it was so big I couldn't save it. An amazing piece of medical technology! Morgan is fine from her accident last Tuesday on the icy bridge.
Back to work tomorrow. It's been a very busy and good month. I know the new year will begin just as busy... Always so much to do at work with year-end things. I'll miss being at home, and I'm sure Oscar will miss his humans, having been with us for five days! Or maybe not. He may just be ready for a little Animal Planet and a quiet house...
1 comment:
Every time I read what you write, I think of Momma-and I love you so much for that. You are so precious to me and I wish Momma were here to tell you that as well.
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