Random 5 for December 30 – Death, endings, potato chips, stuff, changes

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Another one bites the dirt – Queen said it so well! For the past month I have been thinking of any old friend who I haven’t seen in decades. Periodically he wrote restaurant reviews and I was on the email list. I hadn’t heard from him in a long time. The day I decided to email him, his obituary was in the newspaper. He died after Thanksgiving at about the time I started thinking about him. He was 86 and didn’t have close family. His wife is in a home with dementia. I’m not sure who will be overseeing her care.

Stepping up – I contacted another former co-worker when I saw the obit. He had more recent connections with him. He knew he was ill. When he heard the end was near, he refused to let him die alone. He stayed with him in the hospital until he died. I found out that there is an organization called “No One Dies Alone” made up of volunteers who will sit with someone until they pass. My heart was warmed that there are people who truly care about people who are leaving life without family.

Addictions – Everyone has weaknesses. I’m not a candy or super sweet person but I love salt (with grease or fat coming in second). A neighbor introduced me to dark russet potato chips. My Mom would call them burnt but they are just darkly browned. I think I need meetings.

Is it ever too much? – Through a series of unrelated events, our family room is littered with cat stuff. I bought a new cat bed to put in the dining room for Hazel but right now it’s in front of the fireplace where Morgan likes to toast herself. Chewy sent an extra cat bed so the extra is there too along with catnip bags, a very large stuffed rat (every time I think I can get rid of that Gracie wrestles with it), a feather on a stick and a few other items that completely eliminate us from any House Beautiful tour. The beloved husband announced that there is too much cat stuff sitting around. Sadly, he is right. I have to find proper homes for all the beds and get a basket to house the toys. The cats think it’s perfect the way it is. Maybe it could use a hairball on the carpet.

Please note there are three cat beds unused. Hazel is on the tree skirt and Morgan in on a chair.

An ending or a beginning? – This is the last post for 2018. It’s been one helluva year. I spent too much time whining about the weather which was too hot or too cold but mostly too rainy. We lost some friends this year reminding us of our own mortality. More of our friends are retiring or at least setting short-term time frames. The granddaughters turned 13 which means they are equal to age 30 in teen terms. For me the New Year brings promise. I’m hoping for health and happiness for our friends (and all of you in the blogging world), maybe a lottery win (not necessary for happiness really) and more stable weather (that would make a more stable Kate). Happy New Year to you all!

So how was your week?

80 thoughts on “Random 5 for December 30 – Death, endings, potato chips, stuff, changes”

  1. I’m sorry about your friend, Kate but I’m glad there was someone with him. That’s a terrific organization.
    I haven’t seen those chips but I think I might be on the hunt. I don’t usually buy chips because I have a tough time keeping them for more than a day or two..:)
    Hope you had a great holiday. Have a happy and healthy new year!

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  2. I’m late again (Nothing new there. But Molly went from 0-90 one day while out front chatting with friends and turned sled do with me as a sled…on concrete. Road rash is not fun – especially without the fun of skateboarding or rollerblading first…Found it’s difficult to use keyboard with skinned palms…probably my piano teacher would have smirked about correct keyboard hand position HAHA)
    13 going on 30 – Oh, the fun begins…
    That we all have a shelf life is becoming more clear with each year. Trying to get husband to see that and stop putting trips and things off.
    Raking cat cat in sympathy with you (such lovely begs…display cases now…mousie holders?
    Hope your new year is snug and warm!

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  3. Pingback: Hazel 2006 – 2018 RIP | Views and Mews by Coffee Kat

  4. Thanks for the Queen video. I took my 24-year-old granddaughter and her boyfriend to Bohemian Rhapsody and loved it. Rami Malek was amazing, a total change from his character in Mr. Robot.

    My daughter buys extra cat furniture for my house so that when she brings them to visit me, they have suitable furnishings. (They were here for Christmas week.) She kindly carried the heavy 5-ft. tall whatever it’s called down to the storage room before she left.

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  7. your tree looks beautiful! Happy new year to you, and your loved ones, and kitties, and to all of your readers as well. May it ever be lovely, and prosperous!

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  10. Salt is my number one addiction. It’s also something I need to heavily monitor. I pore over the ingredients for all snack bags in the grocery store looking at sodium content. I almost always put them back because nearly all of them are still too high. But I do have my weaknesses.

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  12. Living where we are now, I am reminded daily of the frailty of life. I see it every day. Couples using matching walkers, on oxygen, and still they move forward. The alternative is hard to think about.
    We looked for the dark russets yesterday. There is a lot of UTZ sold here but we didn’t find them… yet. Happy New Year to you and yours, Kate!

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  13. We have witnessed the passing of a lot of local cultural icons recently – some from illness and some merely from old age. A whole bunch of them within the last few weeks and even days. Not people I knew personally, but people who had an impact on so many lives here. Sad.

    And on another (but related) subject – “No One Dies Alone” sounds like a wonderful organization.

    And for the rest – yes, scary indeed…

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  14. I’m very moved to hear about the “No One Dies Alone” organization. What a caring and meaningful way to volunteer one’s time. Last New Year’s Day I made a phone call to a friend who had been ill for a long time, and within the month she was gone. I have been thinking of her a lot this season, and as we get older (and so do our friends) it seems to me that the new year is reminder to me not to put off the phone calls or occasional lunches with friends. I have a tendency to always think another time would be better. Your post reminds me of that importance. I like the turning of the calendar pages from one year to the next. It’s purely symbolic perhaps, but I always feel like we get a fresh opportunity. Wishing you all the best in 2019, dear Kate.

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    • Every time my family gets together I do that “let’s get a picture because we don’t know who won’t be here next year.” They consider me morbid. I think it’s a good idea. Maybe I could change the delivery!

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  15. OMG – I would need meetings too, if dark russet potato chips were available here! Those look AMAZING! So sorry to hear about your friend, but glad he had someone with him. No One Dies Alone sounds like a wonderful organization – I should look into it! Happy New Year to you and yours! It’s been a treat reading your observations this year, and I am looking forward to your 2019 posts!

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  16. The idea of “No One Dies Alone” is wonderful … I will share that with my friend Ann Marie as she volunteers at a nursing home and gets very involved with its residents, especially those with no families. She will like to know of this organization. I’ve never had russet potato chips before – hmm. The cats rule in your house, and that’s okay – they make your house a home with their love and antics. I hope I won’t whine about the weather, especially the rain in 2019 either … the wacky weather year is hopefully over! Best to you in 2019.

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  18. I’ve long been a big Queen fan and just recently saw the movie Bohemian Rhapsody. The soundtrack was awesome 😉

    I too love that there is an organization No One Dies Alone. I wonder if there is also one here?

    Happy New Year, Kate. Let’s hope the world is a much saner place in 2019 … although I don’t plan to hold my breath waiting for it.

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  19. How wonderful to have ‘No-one dies alone’. I was grateful to have been with my Dad when he passed away, and I believe my sister was with my Mum. I am sorry for the loss of your friend.
    It’s been a good week despite what the scales say.
    Wishing you a Happy New Year Kate.

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  20. Sad to hear about your friend. You must have had a premonition. My husband checks the obits every day. We are going to see Queen next year and just saw Bohemian Rhapsody at Thanksgiving. No One Dies Alone is a great concept. Have to be a strong person to do something like that I think. Happy New Year to you, Kate. Hope 2019 is a great year.

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  22. Freddie Mercury had a good solution…. he bought a mansion so each of his many cats could have their own private room…. maybe you can suggest this idea to your husband.
    I have lost too many friends in the past few years… one day they’re here and the next they are gone… I now find myself wondering who is going next…. could be me…
    I love baked Russet potatoes. Haven’t seen these chips but I might give them a try. I’m really more partial to tortilla chips (with guacamole) but these look good to me.

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  24. This is a very “dark” post, Kate ~ death and obits and . . . dark russets. 😆

    I’m with you ~ salty, crunchy beats sweet treats any day. That said, I need to dial back on my snack consumption. I’ve gained a pound a month since quitting smoking 12 mos. ago. Time to get rid of it before it gets too “comfortable.”

    All the best to you and yours in 2019!

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  28. We were reading The Iliad in high school when Queen’s song came out. Don’t you know our class went bananas (like teenagers will) when we got to the line about Hector’s comrades will “bite the dust.”

    2018 was a special year: add your age and your birth year, and you magically get 2018. Have a wonderful 2019 with calmer weather!

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  29. I’ve heard of “No One Dies Alone.” I think it’s a wonderful thing they’re doing. Not having children, I think about that periodically, but then again, some people can’t depend on their children to be there in the end. I’m not a fan of sweets either, those chips sound yummy. Well, it’s do or die in Eagle land, today. So many factors coming into play for hopes of making it into the playoffs. Unfortunately, it’s not being televised here, so we’ll be listening to it on the computer. Enjoy the game and happy new year to you and your family, Kate!

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    • It is. I’ve been experiencing that for the last 10 years or so. At first it was one here and there. Now it’s much more frequent. Each day I wonder what makes the difference that I am still here.

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  31. I think it will be challenging for many of us of our generation, those of us who didn’t have children especially, to see how care goes as we become less able to care for ourselves. Kinda scary.

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    • This brought home to me how scary it can be. He was in a minor auto accident but appeared to be OK. One of the responding police thought he didn’t look right so they took him to the hospital and from there it was downhill. Older people are very vulnerable. Somewhere along the line he had a stroke. You can’t make your own decisions. When my mother got sick, she had a lot of family hovering over her. That’s all different these days.

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