Saturday, November 25, 2006

The Tree


I put more decorations on the tree - actually, that's what I've been doing for the last two and a half hours. I kept thinking I was done, but then I would see a bare spot. When I decided I was really done I went to the basement to take some ornament boxes and discovered an unopened ornament box.

Of course I had to bring it up and go through it. Last year I didn't use all my ornaments and missed some of my favorites. I knew there were two boxes I didn't open last year. Well, this was one of them and I got to rediscover some of my cherished ornaments.

In that box were two glass balls that Mia beaded around that I like to have near the top of the tree. Also, a little teapot ornament that a former board member gave me one year. It also had the ornament I bought at Monticello and a glass star I got at Kate's Paperterie in NYC.

It also had a painted ceramic bell my friend Leah's son, Zach, did when he was about five. He's almost 15 now. Another gift from a friend's child, David Naylor's daughter, Ariana, gave me a dough star with glitter on it when she was little. Well, actually, it was really her mom, Kristin, who gave it to me but I have treasured it all these years. That was probably 12 years ago.

I didn't look at the tag on it, but I do try to tag things with the date and names so I don't have to guess how long it has been. If people give me an ornament and it has a name tag on the gift I try to just save the tag. But, I also just buy little tags that I add to the ones I can't write on.

Decorating the tree is always such a memory-rich experience for me. There are ornaments people have given me, and things I've picked up on trips. There are things people have made, and things they selected specifically for me. I love them all.

I cannot imagine not wanting to have a Christmas tree. It will be a sign to me that I'm getting old if I ever don't want to put up a tree. It's always an indication to me that someone has entered another phase of life when they choose not to decorate. It's something I associate with elderly people, although I know many older people who still decorate trees. My mom did every year.

Of course, sometimes you have to scale back for one reason or another. When I was house-hunting I didn't decorate extensively because I realized I could be moving at any time.

But it's one of the things I love to have - a beautiful, sparkling, bright, cheery Christmas tree. Mine is ready for the icicles and then it will be done. I will try to post some pix soon.

Congratulations Salt Hawks


OK, I'm so not a sports person, despite the fact that the UK Wildcats played a large part in my choice of a university. However, the local High School Football team just won its third state championship in a row. That's impressive, even if you're not a sports fan. So... Congratulations Hutchinson Salt Hawks.

I can't tell you a darned thing about the season - I've been barely aware of it - but even I know a state championship is very cool - much less three in a row. What a treat for the guys who have gotten to play in all three of those games.

Cards and an ID-10-t error


Well, about 95% of my Christmas cards are in the mail. I have some left to do and some that I need to do address corrections on. Due to my own stupidity, I have to reenter some addresses into the computer. It was NOT computer error, it was definitely an ID-10-t error and I'm the idiot. Oh well... all of life is a learning experience.

I just got back from a Thanksgiving trip to Joplin and dropped off a chunk of the cards in Wichita. Since they would go from Hutch to Wichita and back again I thought I'd just short circuit that journey.

I went grocery shopping on my way into town, so I don't have to leave the house again tonight and I can finish the tree and do some other decorating.

Christmas is exactly ONE MONTH from today. I want to enjoy every moment of the season. You only get so many Christmases in a lifetime. I want to relish every one.

Well, I was out with the masses this morning, hunting bargains. It's only my second time to be out in the day after Thanksgiving rush. It's OK the first stop or two, but after that it becom1es a nightmare as more people drag themselves out of bed.

Frankly, if you're not going to get up and go early there isn't much point I don't think. Of course, "early" to some people means beginning Thanksgiving afternoon. I'm not that devoted.

My big purchase of the day was an external hard drive at $100 less than retail after rebates. It was worth getting up early for and worth fighting the crowds for - mainly because there were plenty of the hard drives and no fighting was necessary.

This is what a happy shopper looks like. Still tired, but happy.




I realized as Greg was taking pix that I had not even brushed my hair, much less applied any makeup before leaving this morning. And, unfortunately, I've noticed that I've reached "that age" where I look a lot better with makeup than without it. Most people would be smart enough to not post such a thing on the world wide web, but here it is - me after just rolling out of bed and heading to the stores. I did brush my teeth, but that was about it. I broke my mother's cardinal rule - never leave the house without lipstick. I think that's twice this week I've done that.

One morning Greg and I went to Skaets for breakfast and I thought, "oh, gosh, I never see anyone there I know in the morning - I can go without any makeup." We hadn't even gotten seated until I heard Andrea saying hello and introducing us to her parents who were visiting. It was great to meet them, even though I was doing it without any lipstick.

After a couple of stops this morning, Greg and I went to have breakfast. Then I had a nap. Then Greg had a nap. Then I had another nap. Who needs tryptophan when there's wee-hours-of-the-morning shopping to be done?