A Different December -

Les Mois - Décembre

Eugène Samuel Grasset

1845-1917

Cold nights and mornings now.  

The Winter Solstice is today and it will be Christmas in

 a few days.  Where has the time gone?

This year has been impacted by Bob's ongoing health issues

 and he's not out of the woods yet.

Northern Mockingbird

Very little holiday decorating done this year due to time constraints.

Trying to get some baking started now. It will be a rather quiet time

 at Christmas.

Bob returns for another chemo infusion on Boxing Day - Dec. 26 

(usually my favorite day of the year!). As I said, it's definitely a very

 different Christmas this time around.

Sending best wishes to you and your families - have a joyful holiday.

I plan to come back here more frequently once Bob's treatment is 

completed. I've really missed everyone's news.

Happy Christmas to all.

Mary

November is flying by -

. . . . . . . .leaves are falling, nights are cooler, mornings often misty, 

and some  people are already putting up Christmas decorations.  

Not here though!

I really wasn't planning to write a post today so this may be brief. I was up early due to the downstairs smoke detector beeping - no fire thankfully but a dead battery. Why does this always happen at night - well early morning in this case? I was still snuggled in my recent change to cozy flannel sheets! As we didn't have an early appointment I thought I could have a little extra sleep/rest. Plans changed. We didn't have a replacement battery - dozens of other sizes but not the required one - so Bob left early for the nearby Target to pick up a pack of 9V.  We decided to also replace the battery in the upstairs detector as it would probably wake us up soon - you know, 'Murphy's Law' and all that!

I've treated myself to several new books recently. They all revolve around food and eating, holiday cooking, and international dishes. I love everything written by British food writer-author, Nigel Slater. I have other books by him and have been meaning to purchase 'Christmas Chronicles' for several years. Whilst pre-ordering his new book 'A Thousand Feasts' I added the other one and they showed up together - that was a wonderful day . . . . . . . now I just need time to read them, preferably curled up by the fire.

This book above was just published and is already a New York Times Best Seller! I had pre-ordered Betül's first ever book because I follow her truly amazing cooking videos on Instagram. Love her recipes and her story of growing up in Turkey. There are some great baking recipes.........and I need more time to try my hand at them. Everything she prepares is beautiful, and the way in which she cooks with older traditional utensils and cookware, wearing clothes from another era in her homeland, is something I've become addicted to and find extremely relaxing.

My Thanksgiving cactus is opening pink blooms and there are many. I've really been giving a lot of TLC to this plant all year. Carried it out to the front porch on warm, sunny days, shielded it from raging hot summer afternoons. Fed and watered, and then brought it in at night. These past 5-6 weeks I put it to bed it in the dark all night. The buds soon appeared at the tip of every leaf. Now they're rewarding me with lovely dangly flowers which hopefully will last a while.

The Cancer Center where Bob is receiving his chemotherapy is quite new. It's a very well designed building and the different waiting areas are laid out to make those of us who wait......and then wait some more, feel comfortable and cared for - just as they do for the patients. I recall our two rushed visits to the ER earlier this year. Just finding seat to wait those long waits until a hospital room was available was not easy. Having art to look at and enjoy wasn't part of the scene. . . . . . . . . watching people was often sad and upsetting. Life is all about health. Good health is the most important thing.

The wing where chemo infusions are given has a really pleasant waiting area with comfortable seating and some awesome art. Paintings are colorful and interesting, North Carolina makers and artisans have donated - or people have purchased their work and then donated it to the Cancer Center - really fun pieces.

I make sure Bob is comfortable in his space with his nurse, then move out to the waiting area so he can relax or take a nap! I actually think know he just chats about our travels all the time to the medical staff! Thankfully they seem to enjoy his company and stories. Their first question to me is always. . . . ."is it true you've been to Antarctica?"  

I take my knitting with me, sometimes a book and read a while. I admit I look at my phone too but my eyes often roam to this favorite item, a figurative clay piece by Lisa Joerling. I love it with the bird perched on her head so I aways sit where I can view it. Small, quiet, lovely things are important to get you through the difficult days.

Thanks for stopping by. I guess this wasn't brief after all!  I hope to be back here soon - I still need to do a least a little Christmas decorating to share in the coming weeks.

Halloween Already!

Yes, it's me at long last..........here for a brief post after far too long. 

Bob is post surgery and now receiving chemotherapy, two weeks on one week off, through early next year. Living without a kidney, going back into the hospital yet again - following the surgery hospitalization - due to an infection, and then so many doctor and hospital visits have definitely taken a toll on us.........but we are managing and doing quite well at present.

It's Autumn and we're almost into November. Daylight Savings Time ends this weekend, the clocks go back and the dark evenings arrive earlier.  Another year is quickly coming to an end. Where did it go? How could it pass so quickly? How come I haven't been anywhere new and exciting? Our lives, this year, have revolved around all those health and medical issues. We haven't traveled anywhere!

Today is Halloween. It's almost hot here - 79F will be the high in another hour. We've had no rain for so long that our lawn areas, back and front, are more like scenes from the days of the 'dust bowl' years on the Great Plains in the 1930's. When rain does come we pray it won't be like the storms of Hurricane Helene and Milton when we were almost washed away.

Today our lawn service is reseeding - hopefully we'll see green again come next Spring. Our tree removal people have done a great job this past week pruning, taking down one small tree, and then removing a gigantic 125 foot tall, 200 year old oak threatening to fall on the house due to a rotting base! Sad to see it go but necesssary..........our next door neighbors are happy too.

The kiddies won't require bundling up this evening as they go trick or treating. Hoping they all have fun and stay safe. My decorating for the season has been minimal this time around. Here you get the idea, my plans were bigger, the end result lesser, but I think OK.

In between all the upheaval I recently had a birthday. I really try to stay young in thought and action but have to admit I've struggled somewhat recently. My favorite times have been small, quiet moments where I managed to sit alone away from noise and commotion. These come to mind. . . . . . . . the koi pond in the peaceful hospital garden; knitting in waiting rooms - especially the ones in the Cancer Center that have no television sets; the front porch late afternoon with a cup of tea or a glass of rosé; the gazebo in the back garden, writing little thank you notes to all the dear people who have sent Bob cards and get well greetings, and me gorgeous birthday cards.

Enjoy your Autumn days. Stay well and be happy.