It just hit me....

I now know why the day (1/24/10) is so gloomy. It is mom's birthday and she is no longer here to celebrate it. In four more days it will be dad's birthday and he is no longer here to celebrate it. Sad state of affairs.

I miss them both and am very thankful that they raised me to be the person that I am today. I was fortunate in that I got to tell them each just how much they meant to me before they passed. That was very important to me. I needed them to know - now I tell the whole world - they were the best and I miss them a lot. I look at the picture of Mills Peak every day and thank God that they were in my life.

Sunday - Grey, Gloomy and .....

At a loss for another descriptor. It is a cold day - very uninviting to say the least. So I have been spending the past few hours on the computer - my favorite pasttime here lately. I learned all sorts of things and laughed at all of the giggles provided by me e-mail buddies. They ususally brighten the day for me and I am very thankful for them. I have also commented on and made comments re others on my FB account - I am getting better and better all the time.

This has been quite a week. My right knee decided to create problems - but thanks to Vicks VapoRub and the heating pad I am on the road to recovery. The road is not as good as it once was - takes much longer now to travel than it did when I was younger. I guess that is one of the perks that goes out the window as the years pass us by.

I learned of the death of a former co-worker. He was a special man, he was a good friend and he helped us get the real estate agent that found the house in which I am currently sitting. His name was Sid Roche and he will be remembered for as long as I remain alive.

It is time to fold my clean clothes and feed my face. I have been so preoccupied writing and communicating that I have completely forgotten about eating - I know that I need to diet, but this is hardly the way that I would recommend losing the pounds that I know I should lose (at least 1/4 of me needs to go, but I have not been able to motivate myself to do so).

Tropical Weather.

It was a very warm day today - virtually tropical - compared to what it has been for the past two to three weeks, which have been frigid to say the least (my babysitter used to say colder than a witch's tit in a brass bra - the very thought of that just tells me that it has been really, really cold). so true, so true. I almost fell over the first time I heard her say that because it was so out of character for her. It is one of her more endearing qualities and I was so grateful when she and her husband said that they would be Terry's guardians if anything had happened to Paul and I before Terry turned 18 years old.

It was 49 degrees out - or so the thermometer in my car told me. I was even driving around with my window down a little bit. You know that it had to be warm if I was doing that. I even did extra errands after going to lunch with friends to extend my stay outside. Lunch was great by the way. It is always nice to meet with friends, break bread and catch up on what is going on in each others lives. I always come away feeling so good about having retired almost three years ago (come 3/31). Hard to believe - the time has flown by so fast.

Time to move on -

Eight Days Old

Twenty-ten is 8 days old tonight and once again we have snow on the ground and very cold temps making hibernation appear to be most welcoming. I tried to do that this morning, but didn't quite make it. The added activity of snow shoveling (Terry digging out his car to go to work) and the fact that the schools were opening two hours late meant that morning routines last longer than normal. I really really tried to crawl back in bed, cover up my head and go back to sleep.

I managed an extra hour or so and then I just had to get up. I moved on to my regular snow day activities - plopped down in my recliner, turned on the t.v. and watched Rachel Ray, the View and my soaps. After all that was said and done I came into my bedroom and started my socializing routine. I answered my e-mails, went to Face Book and "El Tigre" on MyFamily.com and perused my nieces' blogs - new pictures of kids are always a welcome site.

I was on a roll, but I got a phone call from a friend and 17 minutes later I am at a loss as to what I was going to write about. So I guess that this is a good time to call it quits. It is dinner time anyway and I am hungry. More later......

New Years Day 2010

Another year and another decade have been relegated to the past. So many things have happened over the past ten years that sometimes it is hard to comprehend. There have been bad times and there have been good times - all in all a decent decade personally. The country however has not fared all that well - too many bad things have happened. It is going to take awhile to recover from them, but recover we will. This country has gone through so much in the past and made it through that it stands to reason the past decade is not going to get us down. So buck up and smile - things will get better.

The eternal optimist in me has made her presence known at the moment. I am hopeful that things will get better and that happier times are not all that far away. I started the new year waking up with one of the house cats curled up under my chin - sound asleep but still purring his squeaky little purr - and the other curled up in the small of my back. A nice way to be reminded that this is just another day open to all sorts of possibilities and that we have only to notice them and make things happen, even if it is for family only.

My hopes and prayers are for a grand and glorious new year and that family and friends are well and safe no matter where they are. I eagerly await the news of the arrival of the seventh member of the younger generation and I pray for the family and friends that are doing their duty in the military. Be safe Mattie - keep your head down, things are heating up over there and not in a good way.