You're all invited....

to the grand tuba fest in San Angelo next weekend. For the third year in a row, the tuba Christmas carol fest will be held. Come, stand around and sing Christmas carols. If you have a tuba, come along and join the playing. All is free and fun!

Yesterday,

Nancy took Dad and me, along with the three kids to see the local youngsters produce Willie Wonka. It was very well done. The choreography and dancing were outstanding - and I spotted another church child in it. Mally had spent the night before. We went through bags and bags of old costume jewelry and she took some for herself and some for her mom. I kept what I wanted and have a bag for my friend June. We really didn't finish as we were still matching earrings when it was time to leave. She kept some earrings although her dad won't let her pierce her ears until she is 16. She's counting the days. She was a love to have, and playing with jewelry was right down her alley.

For some reason, today I am so tired I don't think I can make church. I was all dressed to go to choir rehearsal with G. and just couldn't summon up the energy. I doubt I will make church even, but yes! I am wearing the necklace with which I can summon help if I need it. (That was to reassure the folks who worry about me being alone). Wearing it is a really good idea.

I've finished the knitting projects and can't work up the oomph to start another so I may just sit awhile. Or maybe crochet. Somehow that's easier as long as I don't have a pattern to follow.
Or maybe just sit and think.

We will be with the Scott's on Christmas day, yippee! This is always lots of fun. Then, MB is coming after Christmas for a few days and will help me plan and execute some easy freezer meals.

I'm "supposed" to do lots of things as the month wears on, but I doubt I'll do any of them except see doctors, More later, maybe.....

So how small is our world?

Pretty small. Last night we went to the monthly birthday dinner for the folks in our retirement community. The entertainment was one of our residents, a lady I had never met, singing. She has a beautiful alto, smoky voice and, at 83, was always on key. As she introduced herself, she mentioned that she was from Florida and had attended UF in Gainesville, and had been a singer for a band there. This got my attention rather quickly. After the show I introduced myself and told her that UF was my school also (or one of them). She went to Univ of Florida in 1941 at 15 years of age as a freshman. I went in 1951 as a junior. She didn't finish because of Pearl Harbor, but returned home to Tampa. She didn't marry a Texan but married a man headed for Texas and has been here since. We managed a rousing chorus of "We are the boys from old Florida, down where the old Gators play...", a corny song but one my father sang to me when I was a child. He went to UF also. The snapper was when she told me she had a married daughter living in Mertzon. I said something lame like "I do too" and it turns out her daughter may have married a family kin to Scooter. Is this not unlikely, to say the least? So how small is our world? Maybe about an inch?

It tried to snow

today, but only a few flakes fell. I was hoping for a heavy fall of the stuff.

Last Sunday was the 7th of December. This was my mother's birthday and of course Pearl Harbor day. I remember it well. I was 10 years old- we had always lived in Tallahassee (Fla). I knew there were rumblings of a sort as my father had been called from the reserves into active service just after school started that fall. Because no one knew if the callback would last we stayed in our home and he went to Camp Lee, Va. I remember being stunned on PH day - in my childish insularity I never dreamed anyone would want to hurt my country. We went to the movies every Saturday and always had a newsreel, so soon the pictures of the attack were everywhere. I've made it for the rest of that war, Korea, Vietnam, the cold war, etc., etc. We're still here and we're still a great country. Polarized, yes, but I do think help is on the way. I pray there will be no more wars for me to see or for our country to endure. Amen and amen.

Church

this morning was great. We sang with the choir,and these lovely people don't care if I go off on some harmony of my own, or whatever. Somehow it all sounds wonderful. I read once that 'he who sings prays twice'. I believe it. We are also doing some more formal music and I love that.

Wednesday night at Bible Study, since Thanksgiving eve was cancelled, I was supposed to teach both the rise and fall of Israel in one hour. Now, really. I could talk for two hours on the rise- the fall is sadder. Somehow we got through it. All my ladies are pretty well versed in the Bible and that really helps. At one point we puzzled over why God would harden Saul's heart. This sounds pretty mean. I asked and was told that it meant that God gives his children just what their hearts desire - and Saul wanted the ungodly things he did. Funny, I never gave my children just what they wanted. They wouldn't have been worth a fig if I had, and they actually turned out just great. I have to puzzle over this some more. Any ideas out there? There must be.

One day last week we did one of our marathon readings - an all day thing. My eyes weren't quite ready for this and at bedtime they felt boiled. Thinking it over, I realized that I had read 4 books and that's a lot of back and forth for my poor eyes. Also, I don't have proper reading glasses yet, since the cataract removals. All things in time, however. I am knitting now, and reading less.

I have decided that I hate cooking!!! After 44 years of cooking for this family I have lost the art - skill, whatever, of making food taste good. I made a bought pizza tonight and even it was nasty. Unfortunately, we still have to eat. We may start subsisting on fresh fruit - even I can't screw that up.

Daughter Sarah is selling knitted scarves for me at her school. Next year instead of me knitting willy-nilly, we think we will ask for orders and knit what is ordered. Maybe that will be better.
Also granddaughter Katie offered to sell some for me. I had less this year, but at least there is still a market. Have to watch the economy here. My friend June, who runs an e-bay business says people aren't buying and selling old shoes any more. They must be keeping their shoes. Buying used shoes on e-bay blows me away, anyway. I remember the real depression. Roosevelt made work for everyone who would work and if you would, nobody starved . CCC, WPA, etc. You had food, shelter and work and $5.00 monthly, with $20.00 being sent for your family, wherever they were. Families had to split up. My mom always had someone on the back steps eating enormous plates of food - we lived 1/2 block off the main highway and she swore our house was marked. And then there were the war years, with all sorts of things severely rationed. Everyone had a garden in their backyard. Did you know you can't make jelly without real sugar?

This afternoon, Nancy, Mally and I went to see the Nutcracker. We sat on the first row and I don't think I ever enjoyed the Nutcracker so much. We were right in their faces. Also the choreography was excellent, done by the new directress for the ballet, here. What fun to watch their muscles move as they danced. The guest artists were very, very good. Thanks, Nancy.

Enough blathering......

Happy December

I just seem to glance away for a few seconds and another month is here! When I look at the schedule for December, I think I might just as soon skip this month - too much stuff! But all of it is good. (especially Christmas!) I did learn on Wednesday that I might as well not schedule more than two events in a day becuse I just won't get them all done. I backed out of a party then. Too bad. It was an auction in which we all bring stuff to sell to benefit the treasury. I was going to unload a lot of things I no longer need but which I am sure somebody will just love. I guess there is always next year. Today is a monstrous trip to the grocery store. It is a comedy by the time I get to the checkout counter. I need to use the riding carts, and they are just too small. I usually have food between my feet, behind me and in my lap and one hand is holding the pile in the cart to keep it from falling over. I know I should go more often, but HEB has doubled the size of the store and it takes at least two hours to navigate the thing. It really was large enough before. OK, enough rant about the grocery store. I'm really glad we have a good one.

When we came home from Thanksgiving I couldn't find all my meds. I am not famous as a good packer, and eventually they were there, but for about a week I took no meds. It felt fabulous! I am adding back the things I took slowly and will see the cardiologist in a couple of weeks to consult with him. It is cold and I absolutely love the cold! I think I like cold weather clothes more than warm weather things.

We are going with Nancy and crew to see the young people's production of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in a couple of weeks, and we're really looking forward to this. The University has a neat program in the astronomy theater and we hope to get to it also. Tomorrow night is the Christmas symphony - we always enjoy that. Then,tomorrow during the day, we will be at the show barn to watch the children show their goats and rabbits. It's their first year with rabbits. Happily, Nancy was excused from her class since she passed her ExCet class (Cheers for her!!!) so we get to see her also. She'll finish this degree in May and graduate. I wish for her that she could take some time off before starting the next one, but she says not, and she knows what she needs better than I do.

Blessings-----

After Thanksgiving,---

we never seem to walk off the pounds, do we? Instead, we did a great deal of sitting, rocking, reading, knitting, and napping. All excellent occupations.

Dad and I spent Thanksgiving with Mary Beth, Ken and my granddogs (and grandcat). Dinner was great. Sarah was there, with Qualan and Marshall, Brandon came and after work, Janet (Marshall's mom) stopped by for turkey. Speaking of turkey, it was a free range one and realllly good! All the contributions to the dinner were excellent and we had a great time. I sent home a pile of scarves with Sarah for her to take to school and try to sell (cross your fingers!).

For my family - I need for all of you to know that I made the decision last weekend to stop taking the massive doses of statin drugs I have been on. They were really making me sick. While at MB's I had a bad withdrawal episode from this - glad I was with both MB and Dad to help me. It was not pretty. Since being home, I have found two friends who have both experienced this and they tell me the whole clearing out will take about a month. I may even have a brain when this is over. There are other things I can take and do which will help the cholesterol level, although I still think the physician's goal of a score of 75 is unrealistic. I also realize that this decision may shorten my life, but I feel that the quality of life will be much better. Please pray for my health. I already am beginning to feel more 'myself'.

We are giving thanks for all the blessings we have - our wonderful family and friends, our comfortable home, enough to eat and each other -especially each other. Blessings to you, also.