It felt so strange to be away from writing every day! I think I'm having a sort of Withdrawal. In order to combat that, I thought I'd pop in for a quick post, a little TGIF nattering.
T: Time. As in, I am wasting a lot of it lately. My mornings especially have become like slowly spreading puddles of molasses as one hour flows into the next, with me in my robe and jammies, comfortably cozied on the couch or in my big chair. I sip my coffee (sometimes flavoured with various spices I toss in), read my paper and blogs, and lately, shop for Christmas presents online. Each hour, I say, "Eight o' clock is my Go Time," then "Nine o' clock is my Go Time," then "Ten o'clock is my Go Time," and on and on. Today, it seems as if Noon is my Go Time. Sigh.
G: Gobsmacked. Here is a picture of me on Wednesday.
You likely did not know of it because I do not live in New York City or Chicago or Miami or Los Angeles (the only cities in the United States, according to Major News Outlets), but we here in NEO had a massive winter storm. In its wake we were left with 14.5 inches of snow. That is OVER A FOOT OF SNOW for those of you scoring at home. It started as rain, which meant lots of slush and ice first. It was heavy and wet snow. I could not even shovel, which I usually love to do. It took Rick two and a half hours to snowblow our driveway and clear the bottom detritus left by the snowplow. And all of it will still be here until July, probably.
I: Irritated. I had to go to the grocery store yesterday. I had not been shopping since before Thanksgiving, and we were out of some key items. Unfortunately, it was busy, as it often is on the third of every month. This meant I was confronted with an unusually high number of Idiots who: wear their masks UNDER their nose; pull their masks down to read labels; pull their masks down to talk to someone RIGHT NEXT TO THEM; hover right behind or next to me rather than say, "Excuse me" or wait their turn. In addition, as I was helping to bag my groceries, the cashier suddenly said to me, "Ma'am, where does your order end?" I was confused and asked her to repeat herself. "Which items are yours?" she asked. I looked at the end of the belt and saw that some pushy woman had already begun loading her stuff on the belt, INCLUDING HER DIRTY PERSONAL BAGS, WHICH HAD FLOPPED ONTO SOME OF MY GROCERIES. Let's just say that I restrained myself as much as I could, but let her know I did not appreciate her rudeness, breach of the rules, and lack of respect for my health and safety.
F: Forward. As in Looking Forward and Moving Forward. I may have mentioned that I keep a Countdown To America on my whiteboard. It is the number of days left until the Inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. (When the pandemic lockdown began in our state, I used the whiteboard to record a happy thing each day. I called it "Today's Yay".)
I'm trying hard to look Forward to Christmas, but I'm just Not Feelin' It. I feel happy picking out presents for my grandchildren and children, but the prospect of putting up our tree right now simply feels like Work. I hope I get there; I truly do.
Happy Friday to all of you. I missed you! Talk to me in Comments.
I missed you too! Glad you stopped in for a visit. Sorry to hear about all of that snow! We have been lucky so far in Illinois but I am sure I just jinxed us now!
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for the inauguration also but doing my best to try to ignore the current president and his crazy shenanigans! Attention is what he wants so I will not give it to him! (It is very difficult to ignore tho.)
I am putting up my decorations just a little every day and I am actually enjoying it. The little changes in the house, the extra lights, the memories of old treasured decorations have helped me fill a bit of time each day.
Thanks so much for your post. Stay safe. See you soon??
Ellen--Thank you; it's lovely to be missed.
DeleteYes, do hurry and knock on wood or do something to nix that jinx. It doesn't take much to stir up the snow machine and point it your way.
I agree that if the media would break their addiction to 45*, he'd settle down and leave us all alone. I hate that they hang on his every word and action. I do like that at least the ABC national news comes right out and calls his statement LIES, unlike NBC which still uses other euphemisms like "misleading statements" and "false statements".
I'm so glad that you're enjoying the Season the way that you are. And that's the way to do it, too, a bit at a time and truly making it a Season and not a Day. I wrote about that in a series of posts back in November of 2013, another year when I planned to write a post a day. I did pretty well, but I was also on vacation for part of that time. Anyway, you can check my archive if you're interested. I had a lot of fun with those posts; they brought back a lot of holiday memories.
COVID is hitting closer to home here now. It's worrisome, and the numbers in our county are climbing at an alarming rate. Two people at my husband's workplace have fallen ill with it. Two hospitals in our area have whole floors full of patients. Too many people we know have tested positive and/or are in quarantine. You stay safe as well. I think I'll be here again soon.
I'm so glad you popped in for a visit so soon. Don't feel bad about your mornings. We are in the middle of a pandemic, there is no better time to do it. I've always worn comfy clothes at home so you might as well say all I do is shower at some point in the day and put on clean PJs these days. Sorry about the snow and the grocery store fiasco. I went early this week and did a big grocery stock up so I can stay out of the stores as much as possible while the virus continues to rage. I am also counting the days until the Inauguration, and I'm feeling the same about the holidays as you do too. I'm definitely not putting up the tree this year, but I will decorate the back porch with lights where we will be spending the holidays when the kids are here. Stay warm and come back soon. :)
ReplyDeleteMartha--Thanks! It's good to know that others are feeling a little Grinchy.
DeleteI couldn't do a stock-up even if I wanted; the weather prevented trucks from arriving at the stores, so their shelves and produce areas were meagre and sad. I was lucky to grab what I needed and left the rest for others who would need some, too.
I did know about your snow! I follow Connie Schultz on Facebook and of course she talked about it. And I still have friends in Ohio. Alexa mentioned the S word the other day, but I saw nary a flake. Which is good because that would have been a little early for here!
ReplyDeleteI seem to end up in our local CVS a couple of times a week (why I can't remember I need dental floss when I'm in there buying toothpaste I do not know), and there are always a couple of maskless folks. But people seem to be doing a better job of wearing them around here, which is good because our cases have spiked quite a bit. A coworker's FIL was in the emergency room (non-COVID related) for several days because there weren't any beds in the hospital.
For myself, I will be very glad after Sunday is over. I'm feeling a little less stressed about the baby shower for my nephew & his wife (big space, I'm leaving the doors open, only allowing a few in at a time, everyone wearing masks), but still it will be nice when it's done. It will be especially nice if no one is sick in two weeks!
Bug--We had a little melting today; it reached 44 degrees, but not a lot of sun.
DeleteI get that people have Covid Fatigue. I have it, too. But I'd rather have that than the virus itself. It's just this attitude that people have, like they're up for a game of Russian Roulette or something.
I'm glad to hear from you. It *is* weird not to post every day after you have been doing it. :-)
ReplyDeleteWow, you did get snow-slammed. And that wet heavy stuff should be illegal, it's awful.
I fear the woman at the grocery store would have sent me over the edge. Why is it so hard to put the little divider there????
We have started to pull out our Christmas decorations and play music, so it's definitely underway at our house. I think it helps that for us, it seems like a nice escape from the world right now.
Bridget--There's a theory that if you do something every day for 26 days, it becomes a habit. I guess I developed a habit of posting here.
DeleteAt our grocery stores here, because of the pandemic, shoppers are to wait until the previous shopper has been completely bagged and tallied before the next person's groceries can be placed on the belt. The little dividers aren't even there anymore. And if you bring your own bags, you have to bag your items yourself.
I know you are a great Appreciator Of Christmas and look forward to it every year. I can't wait to see some pictures over at your place of how things are shaping up.
I am with you on the sliding mornings and on dreading the whole tree and all that decorating frenzy. Usually the YD comes out with the grandkid and they cut and assemble. Not this year. Snivel.
ReplyDeleteHowever. I have installed the new printer (JG was out of the house and when he got back he was amazed that I had succeeded. Grrr.) and am printing at this moment the Very Last Page of the YD's Christmas present book, to be packaged tomorrow and put in the diplomatic bag by her sister. Phew!!!!!
So happy you are back today. I was having Dept withdrawal symptoms. And 14 inches of wet snow is an insult, it truly is.
Mary--HOORAY for your book being done! That must feel tremendous! I hope you celebrated with something nice, like wine and chocolates.
DeleteI am hoping that some shopping online for the youngest granddaughter (and video collaborating with her) will spark some festivity. Like you, I am feeling a bit sorry for myself that she cannot help decorate or even come and paint decorations for the tree, a time-honored tradition that was started with her dad and his brother.
I'm pleased that the appearance of this post made you happy. (I knew you'd understand my outrage at the snow.)
Dee--You said it!
ReplyDeleteSo you don't put up a tree? free yourself of that my friend. Put a few things out and say you are simplifying. I may put up the tree but no ornaments. Just lights. Too much work to pull out the ornaments. I find myself accomplishing things, but in a very round about way. I start something, get distracted, move on, and then realize I haven't finished the first thing. ITs COVID head. Please don't pressure yourself about the Holidays. Your feelings are real and they are yours. As long as you are not staying in bed all day...you are fine! We were having a wonderful sunny and no wind walk along the Lake when Fireman began to tell me how angry he was. I didnt' stop him. I told him it is fine to be angry. Those that are causing this pandemeic to spread further include some of his nieces and nephews. It is very hard for him.
ReplyDeleteHe missees AL and Zach. I think he needs a new hobby called :two puppies.
kathy b--Thank you. I like your idea of a tree with just the lights and freeing myself (great term!) of dragging out all the other stuff.
DeleteI completely understand your husband's anger. So much of this could have been avoidable. I won't even list all the IFs; we all know them. The sight of all the travellers at Tgiving made me furious.
Please interview your four cats before you get two puppies! LOL
14.5 inches of snow, especially this early in the season is mind blowing and can be dangerous!
ReplyDeleteI don't believe a lot of people are feeling the Christmas spirit this year. I personally am looking more forward to January 21th.
Jean--I was wondering about you up there in MI. Could it be that this storm actually left you alone this time? Lucky!
DeleteI'm with you--January 21st will be the best Christmas gift I could get.
I was also going on Nance withdrawal, lol. You spoiled us with those daily posts for a whole month!
ReplyDeleteI so identify with dodging the idiots in stores who do not keep their masks on properly. And so fed up with them saying that wearing a mask interferes with their 'constitutional rights.' Apparently there was also an anti-mask league during the 1918 flu pandemic: https://tinyurl.com/yyq7l4dg
They just don't get it. I wonder how many of them are asymptomatic carriers. I don't even want to think how much worse this spike will be in a couple weeks when the millions of people who traveled at Thanksgiving + everyone they came in contact with both before and after will start getting symptoms. One of my nieces, who is a nurse in the ICU just lost a colleague (doctor) to COVID.
Cannot believe the amount of snow! I don't know how you can even navigate the streets. Climate change is working in the reverse down here. We used to get a couple of snow days in the winter, but have had very balmy winters for the most part for the last 2-3 years.
I'm so worn out from teaching in pandemic mode for the last 8 months (including the summer) with all the absurd amount of prep... I have no energy, either, for Christmas decorations, especially since no one will be visiting. I'm very fond of poinsettias, though, so I might get one of those just to have a spot of cheer in the house. We all need a spot of cheer these days. So thanks for your spot of cheer, Nance. Stay safe and warm and enjoy online shopping for the kids and grandkids. XXOO
Ortizzle--Thanks for the kind words. Those posts were apparently like Therapy for us both.
DeleteAnd thanks for the fascinating link. It's somewhat comforting to know that it's not just present-day Americans who are selfish assholes and idiots, although this current breed seems to be the worst because, as you say, They just don't get it (and refuse to).
This storm was by far an anomaly. Last winter was quite mild, as was, I think, the one before. Our winters are getting milder and our summers hotter. This freakish storm was a true 2020 oddity.
I can't even imagine trying to teach in this hellscape of online pandemic instruction. Once again, I feel beyond fortunate that I retired when I did. I was lucky to have hit that sweet spot. I like your idea of having a nice poinsettia or two; they're such a Christmassy plant.
I also like being known as a Spot Of Cheer, so thank you for that. I'll stay safe and warm. You do the same. XXOO
...and Here I am at home complaing of 40° temps, and you had 14+ inches of wet snow!!...bah, humbug.
ReplyDeleteThat pushy lady would've gotten an earful from me.
Anni--It's all relative. You complain all you want. Sometimes, a good Bitch And Wallow is what we need.
DeleteThat pushy lady did get an earful, but I knew when to quit. And no profanity escaped my lips. Thanks for the support.
That is a beautiful post.sometimes life just seems hard and your post mace my morning
DeleteUnknown--Thank you. I'm glad my post had a positive effect.
DeleteTGIF. Time marches on even in a pandemic. I'm 7 yrs into retirement and still celebrate the slow mornings. Christmas preparations are in progress. There are no concrete plans, just quiet anticipation. There are some holiday traditions that make it a season for me - special homemade treats (the antipasto was made yesterday); the tree from the bush (I've spotted one and will bring it home the week before Christmas); the lights (a twinkle tour walk is planned for tonight). I like the pagan tradition of celebrating the winter solstice and the coming of the light. We all need a celebration in the dark of winter in this northern hemisphere. There have been some very mild temps hovering around 0 Celsius. I went for an early morning walk on Tuesday in the moonlight before the moon went down and the sun came up. I do believe the angels sang at that moment when the moon cast shadows and there was a tinge of pink on the eastern horizon.
ReplyDeleteMona--I'm nine years into retirement, and why I feel so guilty about my slow mornings, I cannot say.
DeleteI'm so glad that your traditions are keeping you in a peaceful holiday mood. Resuming my own walks as soon as it's safe (waiting for more snow to melt) will hopefully help me to feel more in control and better. You sound like you're serene and in a good place, and I'm happy for you.
14.5 INCHES OF SNOW?!?
ReplyDeleteHow does one even go about life outside of home? This Florida girl just can't imagine how you would navigate through winter.
I see people ALL the time with the masks under their noses. WTH? Do they not understand how this all works?
TGIS as I'm a day late.
BB Suz--We navigate through it very carefully and with a great deal of snow removal. It's not fun at all.
DeleteThe individuals with their noses exposed are an especial kind of idiot. Have they never seen how a COVID test is done? DUH. That should give them a clue right there as to why their nose needs to be covered. Sigh.
TGIS works, too.
Such fond BUFFALO memories!!! We lived there during the infamous Snow of '77 where entire houses were buried under drifting snow...and professional snow removal equipment came in --not to shovel--but to transport the snow to the south of the city. We still had our 'snow mountain' (we lived in a cul de sac) for Memorial Day.
ReplyDeleteI guess this pandemic has taught me one thing... that we live in a country full of idiots. I don't like using that word to describe people, but the whole ignorant how-to-wear-a-mask-thing or even worse the -why-don't-you-care-enough-about-humanity-to-do-a-simple-thing-like-wearing-a-mask-thing has driven me literally to distraction. I try not to go anywhere...because I just come home MAD (not angry, mind you....MAD!)
But, on the positive side....I've reconnected with a blog community, and I found your space, and I love visiting. Thank You,
steph--Oh, Buffalo! The city we look to in order to feel better about how OUR winter is going! ;-)
DeleteI don't like to toss around words like IDIOT and MORON, either. But like you, my frustration and anger have reached new levels lately. Such a simple thing, mask wearing, that children are literally doing it, all day and every day in schools all over the country. And the elementary and fundamental ways to stop the spread of a deadly, REAL disease are simple. But it's too much for selfish and entitled people who obviously worship and follow an idol exactly like themselves.
I'm very glad that you enjoy your time here and elsewhere in the blog community. I find it a welcome respite as well. Glad, too, that you've joined us all.
I am looking forward to the Inauguration much more than Christmas, the craziness won't be over but at least Joe Biden will be in control and will be able to do something. So sorry about the rudeness of others, so many people walk around with their mask under their nose. It is our moral obligation to protect others. This week I had two teenagers I work with coughing, "we only have colds" they said but how do you know? I was already working in the home by the time I heard them coughing. I wore a mask the whole time and disinfected myself many times. Still it is just so rude. Can you guess who the parents voted for?
ReplyDeleteMeredith--Oh, I so agree with you. As I said, I have started a countdown on a whiteboard, and I happily watch the days dwindle until America is in the hands of a real leader again.
DeleteI'm sorry that you had to be in close contact with people who were ill and didn't have the courtesy to inform you ahead of time. Even if it were just a cold, that still weakens the immune system, making you susceptible. Besides, who wants a cold?! Rudeness and inconsideration are so commonplace now; they have become normalized by a narcissistic individual in our White House who elevates and models that behaviour. Oh yes, I can well imagine who their parents support.
Take care, stay safe (as I know you do), and enjoy what rest you find with your lovely family.
Ugh, that was a lot of snow! Disgusting. When we lived in Alaska, it would snow in October, and wouldn’t really melt until April or something stupid like that. So when we got a huge storm in Philadelphia in January of ‘96, something like 3 feet in one night that shut down the city, I was convinced that was it, and cars were going to freeze into blocks of ice and we were all doomed. But of course, it all melted in a week or two, and life went back to normal. I hope it goes back to normal for you soon too.
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard a lot of people are decorating earlier and perhaps more than usual this year, as they feel they need something to cheer them up, and Christmas decorations will do it for them. And of course, there is the other side of it, where people are feeling it is all too much to deal with, and choosing a more simple approach. The key for all of us, of course, is to do what feels right for our own home/self/family.
Sending you warmth from stupidly sunny California.
J@jj--As I write this, we got a little more snow last night, just a dusting, but as we already have Snow Overmuch, it seemed quite unnecessary and insulting. We did have some nice, steady melting, but there is still a lot of snow, and I am heartily sick of it. Too bad, since it is only December in NEO.
DeleteLots of people decorated hugely early for Halloween just for that reason--they wanted to start festivities and have some fun. Halloween decor showed up around here as soon as September hit. By the time the holiday rolled around, I was sort of confused, like "Didn't we already have Halloween?" But I thoroughly understand it. Same with Christmas.
Right now, I'm not feeling Christmassy at all, and perhaps a tree would make the difference. I honestly don't know. I'm not in despair or anything; I just feel that it's all a great deal of work.
I would love even just the sun from California! We are in the grey and gloomies right now for the forseeable. Enjoy one of the best parts of California for me!
There are so many folks out there wearing masks under their noses! What's up with that. We (the husband and I) usually say something like COVER YOUR NOSE!!! I have found most grocery lines around here to be reasonable...no crowding or pushing. surprising, but nice.
ReplyDeleteVera--I haven't said anything to anyone...yet. Ohio is full of redneck idiots who may or may not be carrying guns at the extreme end, or simply more than willing to make a huge scene at the least. I go down a different aisle and hope they're gone when I go back around. But I'm soon to reach the end of my tolerance.
DeleteThat was a first for me, having the woman breach line protocol like that. Most times, everyone in the line is patient and observant of the pandemic restrictions. I'm sure she thinks she is not like everyone else. She kept repeating, "I'm six feet from you." Clearly missing the point, like so many of her ilk.
All this lousy behaviour normalized and out in the open--it's disappointing. I wish we could ship them all off someplace.
FWIW I zero in on Cleveland and Ohio weather reports despite what big media leaves out. Oh, how well i remember that snow — walking the half-mile lane to the highway to catch the school bus the few winters we lived in the country in Central Ohio. Snow drifts were higher than my head. Then there were the spittin’ icy snows that could make my bare legs bleed. Around the Great Lakes or where my Mother grew up there was even more snow and colder cold. We needed snow with some moisture, none of that dry white fluffy stuff, if we wanted to make snowballs that held together or for the snowman we created in the yard.
ReplyDeleteJoared--That's right, packing snow, we call it. And right again, if you are near Lake Erie, the cold is definitely colder, with the wind coming across that lake, cutting right through you.
DeleteBlowing and drifting snow is no joke. It can absolutely be a weapon.
Time. You should not feel bad at all about go time being noon. It's a big joke in our house that go time often becomes "tomorrow." And then I inevitably start singing Tomorrow from Annie. We all laugh about it and eventually whatever "IT" is gets done.
ReplyDeleteGobsmacked is one of my favorite words. A gluten-free friend's blog is called Gluten-Free Gobsmacked. She hasn't posted in a long time but her recipes are great and I am so glad that her blog remains. But as far as why you were gobsmacked, I know it's painful to get that much snow so early. Or seemingly so. Is December that early for snow for you? Never mind. I know any time is too early for you. Especially any time one has to spend 2.5 hours removing snow. I prefer our usual situation--if you wait a little while the snow will disappear on its own. Use your 4WD or All-Wheel Drive in the interim.
Irritated. OMG on that woman. That's another reason why I simply can't be out during this time. In addition to not wearing masks and observing social distancing, more and more people simply seem to be behaving worse than ever. I hear story after story.
Forward. Countdown to America is perfect! I can't believe the BS we're still having to endure. I read that if you start an advent calendar the day after the traditional advent calendar ends, it will take you right to the inauguration. I LOVE that idea!
Christmas. One of the "nice" things about the house debacle is that I have so few decorations to deal with now. I have my Santas from Smokey, my tins, my window candles, our stockings, Christmas linens, and that's it as far as old stuff. Otherwise, I have two little Christmas trees (3 footers), a wreath, some lights that we strung on my crape myrtle bush, and a three-house Christmas village that a friend gave me last year. Still, it took me several days to get those out/up. I felt better when I got everything done. For many this year, I think it's a "fake 'til you make it" kind of thing. The window candles and Santas bring me the most joy.
Shirley--I'm getting better--this week, at least--about my time management. Not without considerable effort, however.
DeleteThe snow we got is highly unusual for us, especially lately. We have not gotten that much snow for the entire month of December in the past couple of years! As of today, Dec 11, some of that snow is still on the ground. Ugh.
I switched grocery stores and went to one in a neighboring town. This one is way more militant about mask-wearing and the employees as well as customers call out the people who don't wear masks correctly. They sanitize each cart as the customer walks in. I like it so much better.
Your advent calendar idea is too much. You read the best stuff. I can't believe I didn't see that item.
We are still without a Cmas tree as of today. I mean, it's in the basement, awaiting its cue, but...perhaps "fake it 'til you make it" will be this weekend.
I imagine those Santas are incredibly precious to you. Dear Smokey, he was a treasure.