New Year's Day, 2011

Happy New Year, everyone!

Since we were up so late last night, we slept late this morning, and I skipped my exercises. Woke up with a sore throat. Thought it might be from shouting above the loud music of the band last night, but actually, I woke up with a mildly sore throat yesterday morning, too. And I've been sneezing a little today. So either I'm developing a cold, or I have an allergy. We'll see. I don't feel bad, so it's probably an allergy.

Anyway, I stayed in my bathrobe all morning. Mother came over around 10 a.m. and put a pork roast in the slow cooker. Then we watched the Rose Parade, and the animated feature, "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!"

By that time, it was noon. Hubbie had peeled potatoes, and after they were boiled, I mashed them. We had the roast pork and potatoes with gravy, black eyed peas, and applesauce. Traditionally in the south, cabbage should be served too, but Mother and I just weren't up to that vegetable today.

After lunch, Mother and I worked on her jigsaw puzzle. Mid-afternoon, we stopped to have cups of the chai tea that Sis brought to us, with chocolate candies that Hubbie's daughter brought last Saturday. To keep from being further tempted by it, I bagged the rest of the candy for the freezer.

While Mother and I played with the puzzle, Hubbie slept through the Capital One Bowl football game between Alabama and Michigan State. Around 3 p.m., after Mother and I planned the menu for next week, she went home, and I joined Hubbie in watching the Rose Bowl game between Texas and Wisconsin.


Later, we had a supper of cold roast pork sandwiches, and then continued watching football on TV.

New Year's Eve

Up late, around 8:30, but did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. I didn't get ready for the day right away, though, because there were severe thunderstorm, and even tornado warnings, in our part of the state. I'm not keen on being caught in the shower when a thunderstorm crops up.



Mother and Sis came over mid-morning. Sis had planned to leave on her one-and-a-half hour trip home right after breakfast, but was unwilling to risk traveling in nasty weather. So she hung around until around 11:30.



When they arrived at my house, I was busying myself making a gift bow from a seed catalog wrapper. The heavy paper wrapper features several photos of vegetables and flowers, and it made a very colorful bow. I learned the bow-making method at the crafts extravaganza that Mother, a couple of our scrapbook club members, and I attended back in November. The bow turned out pretty nice, and will be appropriate to use on a gift for a gardener.



After Sis left, and we were confident that there would be no storms in our area, I showered and dressed.



Afterward, I uploaded snapshots of last night's New Year's Eve eve party to a social network. Then I helped Mother choose another jigsaw puzzle. While she worked on the puzzle, I stitched and pressed the hems of the brown slacks that Sis had pinned up for me yesterday.



I wore the slacks with a sparkly rust colored jacket to a New Year's Eve party at a local restaurant later. The party also gave me a chance to wear the necklace and earrings, and the pashima shawl, that Hubbie's daughters gave me for my birthday.



The restaurant sponsored a choice of dinner and music in the wine room, or dinner and dancing in the restaurant dining room. These began at 8:30 p.m., with reservations, but we weren't interested in eating a heavy meal at that hour, so we opted for hot spinach dip, and salsa dip and chips, and glasses of wine, instead.



We know the members of the band who entertained in the dining room, as well as the keyboard entertainer in the wine room. The one in the wine room is a member of the local community theater, and one of the band members in the dining room is a popular local guitarist...the same one who entertained us at the home medical Christmas party at the country club earlier this month.



Since we didn't plan to dine at the restaurant, Mother joined us for a supper of leftover spaghetti, green beans, and cottage cheese. She went home right after supper.

Later, Hubbie and I dressed to go to the party. We arrived just before 9 p.m. We were seated at a small table with a young couple whom we did not know, but I learned that the young man lives between our town and a small adjacent town, and his date lives about three hours away.

Not once during the evening did they dance, and in fact I never saw then talk to one another. The young woman spent most of her time playing with her cell phone. At one point, I asked her if she was enjoying the band, and she shrugged and said, "They're OK." I guess they weren't up to her high standards, whatever those might be.

Our table was located near the bar, as well as the kitchen entrance, so waitresses had to squeeze between our chairs and the bar stools. But I liked our location, because lots of folks we know had to pass by us on their way to the bathrooms, or to leave, and they stopped by to visit with us.

Also, the table was located near the stage where the band was performing, so we didn't have to weave our way through tables and chairs to get to the dance floor. Hubbie is not one to fast dance, so we only hit the dance floor for the slow ones. But we enjoyed watching the other gyrating dancers, some of which were absolute exhibitionists, especially one very fat guy. Apparently, he is popular with the crowd, though, because they cheered him on, and he often had three women dance partners at a time.

An older couple that we know (they are around our age) danced nearly every dance. The wife of this couple is one of our town's "interesting characters." She dresses in very flamboyant tight clothing, wears a ton of makeup, and "big" blond hair. We can't decide what effect she's trying to achieve, but she tends to look like an aging hooker. She's a very friendly lady...just odd. Whenever I'm around her, she always acts like I'm her long-lost best friend.

As the evening wore on, I could tell that her husband was getting very tired, but he wasn't about to give up, even when he nearly lost his footing and went down face first on the dance floor. I guess he was trying to seem as strong and virile as a 20-year-old. Instead, he just looked exhausted.

During the band's break, we went downstairs to the wine room to listen to the keyboard entertainer. Unfortunately, the wine room is under construction, and though there are tables and chairs there, and a bar with stools, the walls and ceiling are unfinished, making the acoustics horrible. We stayed only a few minutes before returning to our table.

Around 11:30 p.m., while Hubbie and I were on the dance floor, I noticed six cops enter the room. They stayed near the entrance until the band finished the number, and then the house lights came up, and the cops trooped through the dining room, and downstairs, carding young adults as they went. Apparently, everyone was of legal age, because they soon went on their way.

I wondered if they'd be staked out somewhere to stop people for Breathalyzer tests as they left the restaurant, but when we left around 11:45, they were nowhere in sight. In fact, there were very few cars on the road as we traveled home. Very quiet night.

We got home just at midnight, and decided to watch our favorite college basketball team play to a win (I'd recorded it on DVR). So we didn't get to bed until around 2 a.m.

Thursday, Dec. 30

Got up late, but did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Mother and Sis came over mid-morning and started a new jigsaw puzzle, while I was getting ready for the day.

Before lunch, Sis agreed to pin up the hems of a pair of my brown slacks (while I was wearing them), so that I could stitch them later. In the past, Mother has insisted on hemming slacks for me, but her hands and fingers just aren't up to it anymore.

After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to a bank, to a pharmacy, to the everything's a dollar store, and to the WDCS. At the dollar store, I had hoped to find some New Year's hats, noisemakers, etc., to use during the evening for a New Year's Eve eve "party" But there was nothing available. I did, however, find a box of party items at the WDCS.

When we got back, I joined Mother and Sis in working on the jigsaw puzzle. We completed it before supper.

For supper, we had spaghetti with French style green beans, cottage cheese, and slices of yeast bread.

Then we donned our party hats and leis, and played Michigan Rummy until nearly midnight. Reasoning that it must be New Year's Eve somewhere...probably in Australia...Hubbie brought out bubbly golden Asti Spumanti, which we enjoyed with cheese and crackers.

Wednesday, Dec. 29

Up late this morning, around 8:30, but did a treadmill session and weights exercises after breakfast. Mother came over mid-morning and worked on her jigsaw puzzle. Once I was ready for the day, I played at my office computer, where I learned that Sis would be later arriving than she originally anticipated.

She got here around 2 p.m., bringing jars of homemade chai tea for Mother and me. Looks delicious. After she had a late lunch, she joined Mother in working on the puzzle. It was a lazy, rainy afternoon, and I didn't accomplish anything beyond scheduling an appointment for a haircut next week. It was a good day for relaxing and visiting.

For supper, we had beef hash, with a choice of Lima beans or butter beans, grape tomatoes, and yeast bread and butter. Afterward, Mother and Sis continued working on the puzzle, which they finished tonight.

Then we watched the animated features, "Rudolph's Shiny New Year," and "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus." The Rudolph feature is a 1976 stop-motion film.

Mother and Sis went to Mother's house after that, and Hubbie and I watched our favorite college basketball team play to a dominating win.

Tuesday,Dec. 28

Up late, around 8:30, and did a treadmill session and resistance exercises after breakfast. Mother came over mid-morning and worked on a winter-themed jigsaw puzzle. In the meantime, Hubbie loaded a couple of tables and eight chairs into the truck and took them to a downtown business. We'd borrowed the tables and chairs to accommodate Hubbie's family when they were here Sunday.

Once I was ready for the day, I played at my office computer for a while, after which it was lunchtime.

After lunch, Hubbie and I ran errands...to the dry cleaners, to the cable TV office, and to the WDCS. As we were looking for a parking space at the WDCS, we noticed two interlocked escapee shopping carts careening down the drive lane. They gathered speed as they approached, but before they reached us, they turned and slammed into the side of a car, leaving little dents. The car's owner was probably pretty ticked off when he or she saw it.

We never know what we'll see at the WDCS. The day before Christmas Eve we made a shopping trip to the store, and as we entered, a young man in military garb walked in right behind us. We heard squeals as a young woman ran past us and flung herself into the arms of the young man. As she clung to him, several of their friends approached and happily began talking with him. Nice.

Back home, I went back to my office computer and uploaded Christmas photos to a social network page, which took quite a while, since the program only wanted to accept two or three at a time.

Later, for supper, we had hamburger/turkey burger patties for supper, with macaroni and cheese and corn on the cob. Mother went home afterward, and Hubbie and I watched TV.

Tonight, we saw the 2009, R-rated movie, "Stolen," starring Jon Hamm and John Lucas. A cop's son disappears eight years earlier, and now the buried body of a young boy murdered more than half a century before is discovered. The cop becomes obsessed with solving the case, with thoughts that it could somehow be connected to his own son.

After that, we watched an episode of "Lark Rise to Candleford," from the PBS channel.

Monday, Dec. 27

Up around 7:30, but skipped my exercises yet again, so we could get ready to travel an hour and half east to attend a "cousins Christmas gathering." The gathering was scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., but we didn't get there until after noon. Seemed like we just couldn't get our act together this morning, so we didn't leave until around 10:30. Then Shih Tzu needed to stop to do her business twice on the trip.

When we arrived, everyone was seated, with the kids and some adults eating pizza. We had brought sandwich makings, and many of the adults were waiting for us to arrive so they could avail themselves of it.

Mother opted for a half sandwich and a small piece of pizza. But she said the pizza was cold, so she asked for another half sandwich. Hubbie abhors cold pizza, so he didn't try any of it at all. And of course, I try to avoid restaurant pizza.

There was an absolute abundance of goodies. I shouldn't have, but I ate some.

Afterward, groups gathered at various tables to play games. I'd contributed Skipbo, Uno, and Duo for whoever wanted to play them. Our table chose Duo, which Hubbie, Hubbie's sister, Mother, and I played. We played two games, both of which Mother won.

Another group played Skipbo at the table next to ours. At a third table, a group of young children, five years old and younger, played some sort of pop up game, and a group of pre-teens were engaged in another game at a fourth table. A group of young adults played yet another game at a fifth table.

I was struck by how we all separated into age-groups...very young children, pre-teens, young adults, and senior citizens. Only one table had a mixed group...the one playing Skipbo.

Apparently, the kids had enjoyed a craft during the hour before lunch was served...one of Hubbie's daughters provided plain wooden nativity scene and cross Christmas tree ornaments for the kids to paint and decorate. They'd also decorated Christmas stockings.

At 2 p.m., we cleared away the food, games and crafts, and prepared to leave. Some were to gather at Daughter's house, but we begged off and went to the mall and the discount warehouse instead.

At the mall, I bought eight tubes of a favorite hand and body cream at an intimate apparel shop. The tubes of cream were on sale at buy seven, get one free...plus I had a $10 birthday gift card from the shop. So I got a good bargain on the cream.

Since we were at the mall, I browsed a couple of clothing stores offering 75% discounts. The only item I found was a fleece Christmas shirt, which I bought for next year.

From there, we went to the discount warehouse, where we bought several grocery items, including fresh fruits, and bought a gift card for getting discount gasoline in the van.

Headed home around 4 p.m., and arrived around 5:30. Mother heated leftover soups and yeast bread for our supper, while I helped Hubbie unload the van.

After supper, I accompanied Mother to her house. Back home, Hubbie and I relaxed and watched TV. Tonight, we saw the 2009, R-rated movie, "Give 'em Hell, Malone," starring Thomas Jane, Ving Rhames, and Elsa Pataky. A Sam Spade style private eye tries to retrieve a briefcase from a hotel, but walks into a hail of bullets from thugs. Lots of shooting and killing for the rest of movie after that.

The second feature we watched was the 2008, R-rated movie, "Disgrace," starring John Malcovich. Professor David Lurie, who teaches poetry at a South Africa college, seduces a young female student and is fired. He moves to his estranged father's home, where a horrible incident occurs.

Sunday, Dec. 26

Up at 6 a.m., and skipped my exercises again, so we could get everything ready for company. We finished preparations around 10 a.m., and the first group arrived at 11:30. The rest (who traveled five hours) were here around 1 p.m.

Eighteen of us sat down to three tables for a soup and sandwich lunch. There were so many choices of cookies and candies that no one even touched the cobbler or cherry pie I made yesterday.

The 11-bean with Rotel soup, potato soup, and salmon chowder were the most popular. Not many sampled the veggie soup, but that's fine, because we'll enjoy having it this week. The sliced roast beef was the popular choice over the ham and deli turkey.

After lunch, we exchanged gifts. For my birthday, one of Hubbie's daughters gave me a beautiful rust colored Pashima shawl. These shawls are made from the wool of Pashima goats indigenous to the Himalayas in Pakistan, and northern India. I also got two beautiful necklaces, one in glittery rust color, and one in orange.

The other daughter gave me a gorgeous silver Christmas tree ornament...a series of hearts with the words Faith, Love, Hope on one side, and the corresponding Bible verses on the reverse sides of the hearts. She also gave me a tube of hand cream and three tubes of lipstick in my color (discontinued lines from beauty supplies that she sells). She gave Mother hand cream and gray color eyebrow pencils.

Hubbie got a gift card to a favorite store and a cute planter with a shih tzu dog on the front that looks just like our little dog.

Family began leaving around 3 p.m., but Hubbie's younger daughter stayed until around 5 p.m. and worked on a jigsaw puzzle with Mother while we chatted. A young grandson and a great-grandson stayed behind, too.

After everyone left, I walked Mother to her house, and then Hubbie and I settled in front of TV for the evening. It was an enjoyable, but tiring day.

Tonight, we watched the 2010, R-rated movie, "The Killer Inside Me," starring Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, and Simon Baker. A sheriff is a murderer. The women he kills are drawn to him like a magnet, even as he is brutally killng them.

Then we watched the 2008, R-rated movie, "The Narrows," starring Keven Zegers, and Vincent D'Onofrio. In order to earn money to go to a prestigious Manhattan university, he takes a job with a mob boss, but gradually gets in deeper and deeper.

Tomorrow, we're scheduled to travel an hour and a half east to visit the same family members that were here today, for a "cousins Christmas gathering" at their church, where we'll eat and play games. There, we'll see nieces and nephews and assorted grand-nieces and nephews that weren't here today.

Hopefully, this is the last big event of the season, because we're beginning to run out of steam. We need a few days to relax and recoup. Apparently, so do a lot of other folks, because there were a few cranky people here today, including a couple of kids who were out of sorts over the fact they had to be here, instead of at home playing with their new toys, and a daughter, who was ill with her husband for not accompanying her.

Frankly, I think the "cousins Christmas gathering" is one too many gatherings. It was started last year as a way to get cousins together who lived a distance away, but those folks won't be attending this year. A thing like this tends to snowball into an annual event that becomes a burden not only to the hostess (Hubbie's daughter) who originated it, but to everyone else.