OT December Chit Chat

[SalpalSally]

Oh yes Howie, Didn't Renee tell you. I went in on a bumper sticker for your new wheels.
But I can't tell you what it says...LOL

[Howie]

Oh please, please, please, please, please, please, please, I won't tell!

[Cherie]

The funeral home site blocked me as spam when I tried to upload photos of my dad. Turns out more than half of his children and grandchildren cannot make it for the Memorial but Mom needs it for closure. I have been sending her a hand written card every 1-2 days and she told me today that they mean more and a hundred emails each. Sigh....I will continue to do this for as long as she needs it and it comforts her. Weather is not good there keeping a lot of folks away. Plus my brother's son's best friend was found dead at 29 the same morning my Dad died and his funeral is an hour and a half away 2 hours before my Dad's so that part of the family will not be there. Youngest sister has a husband who had surgery as Dad was dying and he cannot make it and his second dtr cannot make it because she has three kids under the age of 4 and all have colds and her husband will be doing the milking then. And more than half of the Amish Community is in PA for the death of one of the patriarchs that died the same day so most of the Community he loved and supported will not be there. Mom is OK with all of this because the Memorial Service will allow her closure and the ability to move forward and she needs that. The past 30 months have been entirely focused on Dad's needs and she has not been able to write and needs to. She has cleaned , in the last 2 days, 20 years of magazines that he insisted keeping and now the wonderful woodworking that he did and craftsmanship is not buried in magazines and CDs and DVDs. She is feeling freer and lighter. This has happened over such a long time, we were prepared...not necessarily ready but prepared and it has helped tremendously that we had these months and years to prepare. I thank and bless you all for your support and sympathy and empathy and condolence. You are all a gift to me.

[SuzE-Q]

Cherie, I'm sorry circumstances will keep many family members and neighbors away from the memorial. But since funerals are really for the living, it sounds like your mom understands and will say her own final goodbye then. If writing is therapeutic for her, I wonder if she would like to write out something that can be displayed or read at the memorial by another family member? It could be cathartic and a way to help in her healing on many levels.

You are an amazing woman, Cherie, you never cease to provide strength and comfort to others. Please take care of yourself too!

[SuzE-Q]

Virginia,

Is the generic gift for a youth, an adult, couple, family, or male or female?

If it's an adult generic gift, a coffee table book is a nice one:

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

[SalpalSally]

Morning Funny for all of you Cat lovers,

[Howie]

I hate cats. I leave the door open, but they keep hanging around, waiting on their food....and water....and clean litter boxes....and MY sliced turkey....and Whisker Lickin' Treats....and cheese. Yeah, I hate the furry little beasts!!!

[Frog42]

They'll punish you for that Howie. You know that, don't you?

[Howie]

You better believe I do. That's why I'm always looking over my shoulder!

[Gary]

Cherie I am glad that your mom finds cleaning therapeutic. My wife is the same way. Now my MIL on the other hand...... When we started cleaning out her house we had thought that she had donated my FIL personal things. Not so all his clothes were moved into another closet. Her therapy was buying things "on sale". Some for her kids but mostly for grand's and great grand's.

I see the pineapple express is moving through So Calif. it can be devastating especially in burned areas. Many years ago when we lived there my FIL would call and tease me about it as it pushes nicer weather to the pacific north west. And we are having nice weather that's for sure. For the next few days it is suppose to be sunny and temps in the 40's and upper 30's at night. I have almost all our Christmas decorations up outside. I am waiting for a call from the FAA as it is so bright that it is interfering with jets flying past us.
Although I have been told that the 2 blue Harvestore silos (both 65 feet high) are a marker for pilots flying into our local airstrip. I have yet to see anyone in south west Idaho that has 2 of them.

Howie why don't you teach the cats to drive Pinky? Then the bumper sticker can say caution cat at the wheel.

Hope everyone is keeping warm and safe.

[agate]

...
Sally, I like that you are just not sweating it. I am a little, but would not be if someone would tell me a generic gift I could get for about $25.00 to $30.00. I have bought one for so many years I have run out of ideas. Do not want to do a gift card again.

Virginia, every year I go through this because on a limited budget it's not so easy to find gifts that will please people. The Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as other places put out nice desk-type calendars showing a week or a month at a time.

Another idea might be a small decorative box to keep odds and ends in (or paper clips, rubber bands, etc.--or small jewelry pieces). A number of times I've been given one of these, and I treasure every one of them.

One is a small lacquered box with a decoupage insert. is an intricately carved wood box made in Poland. These are often inexpensive. I wish I knew of a good place to find an assortment of them. Amazon shows quite a few though.

[Howie]

Gary, they already know how to drive. I had to take their keys away because they didn't know when to come back home.

[agate]

Sad news here. Some may remember Janith whose user name here was graymalkin? She may have returned later with another user name but I can't remember what it was.

She's dying. She's had MS for over 30 years and had a stroke a couple of years ago. She's been on Facebook but recently the sad posts have been coming from her husband.

I've "known" her online for about 10 years and she's always been supportive and helpful.


I have her home address. If anyone wants it or her Facebook info, just let me know by PM.

ETA: Janith passed away today.

[Jeanie Z]

:) My sons just left. They put up my tree and outside lights and we went to lunch. It does make it Christmasy and I am glad they did it.

My older son Andy says he will make dinner for Christmas Eve for us all so we can open our gifts together. On Christmas morning my younger son, Jim will host a brunch for all of us.

All I have to do is put together everyone's stocking. I put apples, oranges, nuts, Hershey kisses and candy canes in each one. I also put in a small gift, this year's are little flashlights that have a magnet and a hook on them. Then I put $50.00 in each one of the family ones.

I am going to the nursing home to visit a friend shortly and take her stocking. Jeanie :)

[Howie]

Here it is Saturday night, and it's so quiet. Oh I know, it's party night. Yep, I knew it, look at Sally with that lampshade on her head. Now where is Vicky? Oh there she is, passed out in the corner with a bottle of cheap wine in her hand. Well, all I can say is PARTY ON!!!