New Year

No plans to party.  It has been that way now for many years.  I don’t recall the last time we went to a NY party.  Although this year we will meet friends for lunch.  Yes, lunch.  No, not because we can’t stay awake in our dotage.  Midnight is about the time we head to bed anyway; it wouldn’t be much trouble to stay up later.  The main reason for staying in is this guy:

The fireworks and he don’t get along at all.  He is a nervous wreck and we do all we can to help him through it.  Not being home to comfort him would be cruel.  We turn up the TV, we give him some natural calming tablets, put his thunder shirt on and let him up on the couch with us.  We don’t completely mitigate the problem but it would be so much worse if he was alone.  We just can’t do that to him.

Since we are pretty much house bound, we usually get the Grandkids, and generally enjoy that more anyway, while the parents go out for a fancy supper with a group of friends and then return to their house to ring in the New Year.  They have a great view of nearly continuous fireworks from their house.  We get invited each year but haven’t been yet for the reasons listed above.   

I don’t see any changes in the near future.  Buster is very healthy for is advance years (12.5) and is experiencing one of his better winters.  Usually he gets pretty sore from arthritis and it is painful to watch him get up from his bed.  This year, he seems fine.  No idea why the change, unless it has been the weight he as lost.  Less to drag around and he hasn’t limped like he usually does.  

We might go visit with Kim’s niece and her family from Anchorage, but no plans have been made as of yet.  

Almost forgot to get our property taxes in the mail prior to the end of the year.  Got those in the mail.  Fortunately, there was no last minute scrambling to find extra $$ due to the taxes being raised more than expected.  

The taxes don’t really go up that much but our home value gets appraised much higher every other year or so.  Funny how that happens.  The politicos can claim they haven't raised taxes yet are able to rake in more since our appraisals are higher.   I don’t ever hear anyone complaining about it, so it must be slipping past the masses just like they intend.  That didn’t happen this year though like last year, they remained almost the same.  Hopefully they will stay that way for a couple years until we can claim and age exemption.  

 

Oh yeah, and I hope you have a great new year and thanks for coming by and reading my ramblings.

Happy Trails for the coming year to you and yours. 

Nope

I had a post ready to go for today.  I can't really get it to sound like I hear it in my head.  I have deleted and rewritten it several times but it just isn't there.  

It wasn't a great day yesterday.  I have to keep that to myself.  That's one of the dangers for me in having this medium to express myself.  Trying to not go overboard with what happens throughout the day, tedious, boring life crap. My apologies.

Happy Trails

Not Over Yet

Not a lot going on.  Took a deer to the processor to get cut and wrapped.  That will be a nice addition to the freezer.  Kim spent all day over at Mom's helping her get their new place decorated and in shape.  Mom's frame of mind has been pretty fragile of late.  Having the place looking nice and things organized will go a long way with giving her some peace.  She is a neat freak and loves to have things looking as nice as possible.  So there is no doubt this will help.

I thought our family time was done for Christmas.  I had forgotten about Kim's brother and his wife.  We rarely ever see them, even at Christmas.  Kim told me we are meeting them for lunch Tuesday.  I can do that.....for about an hour.  I promise I'll be good...for an hour.

Happy Trails

Meh

A bit under the weather, again.  Also a quick trip to my Uncle, he has a Doe for me.  Will then run it by the processor.

Y'all behave and Happy Trails

Aftermath

Christmas was pretty great.  The family gathered Christmas eve (even my parents showed up after all) for feasting a giving gifts.  Kim cooked her traditional Chicken Fried Steak.  It was fantastic.  Everyone else brought the trimmings this year.  That was good for Kim, spared her some work.

Presents were opened and everyone seemed to enjoy them.  I got way to many gifts.  They kept handing them to me, one after another.  I was a bit embarrassed by the amount.  I had a pile around me.  Nothing expensive, so that’s good, just a lot of things, books, CD’s and other things.  Our whole family was blessed more than we deserve and we are grateful.

I really wasn’t looking forward to Christmas Day since the rest of the family had other places to be.  Kim and I would be home alone.  That’s good most of the time, but Christmas day has always been a day full of family and all that goes with it.  Something I most always enjoyed and looked forward to.  As it turned out, it was pretty good too.  My Daughter(in-law) invited us over Christmas morning to see the kids get their Santa gifts.  We have never done this in the past, I felt they needed their own ‘family Christmas’ without us getting in the way.  This time was different, the kids are older now (5 & 7) and since we would have nothing to do, we headed over.  Which meant getting up at 5:15 am to get there in time.  We were still late even getting there before 7 am.  The excitement of Santa just couldn’t be contained in those little bodies.  I still remember how it was for me.  It would have been pure torture for them to wait until we got there.  We still got to see them open gifts from their Mom and Dad.  We then had breakfast there and my Daughter makes these fantastic homemade cinnamon rolls.  I can’t eat them but I did eat a small bite.  It was as great as they looked and smelled.   

We headed home after a couple hours and actually went to bed.  We had only had about 4 hours sleep, so we passed out for a while.  Well Kim did.  I was zonked out and Kim had an involuntary leg jerk and kicked me awake.  Nap over about 20 minutes in.  Once that happens it’s over for me.

Mom and Dad are still struggling with a few things from the move.  They aren’t familiar with the area, so can’t find some places they need to go and have trouble even finding their way out to our house.  They just haven’t learned all the ‘landmarks.’  That’s how Mom gets around anyway, mostly by landmarks.  When they have needed to go to the bank or some other place they usually use, they have headed all the way back across town to their familiar haunts.  We have been planning to take them around their area to help them get familiar with things but time has been an issue.  We may wait until most of the holiday workforce is back to work and school is in session.  It makes a significant difference in traffic.  I most likely will suggest that Mom drive so she gets the actual hands-on feel for where we are going etc.  Not sure what the most effective way to do that will be.  I am sure it will take several times for them to get somewhat comfortable with the area.  But Mom always does things much different than others.   I’m sure she will have her own way of doing things anyway.

Happy Trails

Texas!

I get questioned once in a while from the 'unwashed' about why I am so proud to be a Texian.  A Native Texian for at least 7 generations, from before the time it became a republic in 1836.

This may help you understand

Happy Trails....y'all

Crazy

I NEVER go do the Christmas shopping madness anymore.  If I can’t find it online, they don’t need it.  Nothing is worth the aggravation of the crowds of mindless shoppers pushing, bumping and jumping in front of you.  I used to fight that mess, not anymore.  

Until yesterday.  We hadn’t really had much time to do the necessary shopping as we usually do.  Just way too much on our plate with family issues that we didn’t much think past that.  Christmas shopping got delayed.  All the online purchases just finished arriving, well most of them.  We really only needed to shop for the Grandkids.  That can be fun and frustrating at the same time.  Especially for a very picky Granddaughter.  Kim goes way overboard for them, but they are our only two, so she likes to spoil a bit.  

I offered to go along with her this time, crazy, I know.  She had said she would probably go to a mall that isn’t quite as busy as the bigger well know malls.  So I was a little more amenable to the idea.  I also have been pretty much a hermit this last year.  Not leaving the house except for church, the grocer’s or out to eat.  I needed to ‘get out’ for my own sanity.

The trip went much better than I could have anticipated.  It was short.  Much shorter than I expected not to mention Kim’s expectations.  She loves to shop and will go and go as much as she can until she is done.  My stamina plays out pretty quick these days, but I was going to try and go with her.  We seemed to be focused, or Kim didn’t wander around like she does when she shops.  I gave her fair warning prior about my issues LOL.  We went to 2 toy stores, got in and got out in about an hour.  Record time believe me.  Spent waaaay too much.

So the shopping is done.  We are almost ready for the family to descend on us Christmas Eve.  This year my parents will come to our home.  They no longer can host the clan’s gathering.  My brother and his family will have them Christmas Day.  Kim and I will be alone with the remnants and aftermath Christmas Day.  It will be strange this year.  So many changes.  I will have to adjust my expectations and try not to be disappointed family is scattering to other events/families/obligations.

Not sure about the next post, when it may be.  In case I’m not back in time I want to wish you each a Merry Christmas and you receive the blessings you deserve.

Merry Christmas Trails