Random 5 for November 27, 2022 – Deer, inflatables, friends, pizza, decorations

Gallery

Posted on by

from Amazon

Rudolph, party of six! – I drive through a wooded area of a golf course on my way to Starbucks every day. I see lots of deer crossing the road. They don’t look before they cross so I creep along. Hitting a deer would ruin my year. They are especially active now. Dating apps be damned. They do ok for themselves. Sometimes there are couples or gal pal groups. This morning was a group of five. I waited patiently while they crossed before I went on my way. On the way back, I saw a little one on the side of the road. She was like “where did they go? Why didn’t they wait for me.” I carefully drove on and hoped she found her party.

Speaking of deer – This is about the blow-up kind. (I know I write about these periodically but they amaze me.) This week I passed a large house on a large lot. The kind that costs $$$$. One morning there was a blow-up reindeer as big as a two-story house. I was astounded. It must have been from the Macy’s parade! I decided to get a picture but every time I’ve gone by since, it’s been deflated lying on the ground covering half the front yard. Children must live there.

Bad news – This week the beloved husband got bad news. It is a weird story. A couple, who were his friends from high school days, had disintegrated. The woman sold the house and moved to California where her kids have her in a memory care home. Diagnosis Alzheimer’s. The husband (but not officially) had to find his own accommodations, and was mostly living on the street, bouncing from hospital to assisted care place. His mental state isn’t good. These folks are 80-ish. We had wondered why we hadn’t seen them in years. It sounds like both went over the edge but in different directions. They were an odd couple but nice folks.

Big enough? – This week I picked up some things at the grocery store. I ordered a slice of pizza for lunch. They have good pizza and it’s a lot cheaper than the pizzerias. A new pie was coming out of the oven and the staff person cut it into 8 slices. Holy moly! She did a bad job of equal slices. Since I was the first, she gave me the biggest which was more like a double slice. She asked if it was too big. Really? Is there a slice of pizza that is too big?

Deck the halls – We have started to put up Christmas decorations. When we downsized, we kept most of the Christmas stuff because we didn’t know what we could use here. Last year we were knee deep in the kitchen project so we didn’t decorate. Some of our decorations are not proportionally appropriate. We already bought a much smaller tree and I was working on the mantle swags. Our old mantel was much deeper so we had to take it apart and redo. One of the lighted trees that sit outside on either side of the front door, has no functioning lights. We are going to see if we can come up with something. If not, we are tossing both. I don’t want a lot of work. Just enough to make it festive and for me it doesn’t take much.

So how was your week?

54 thoughts on “Random 5 for November 27, 2022 – Deer, inflatables, friends, pizza, decorations”

  2. People started decorating their outside right after Halloween as the weather was so warm. We had such high wind gusts today I think it might have ripped down some of those lights and even the inflatables if they didn’t collapse down at dawn. Some people’s are up 24/7; others flat as a pancake by dawn. I used to spend an entire day tucking away regular knickknacks and bringing out the holiday decorations and then another day to take it down and find where I hid the regular/everyday stuff. I can’t say I don’t miss spending two days on inside decor (I have never done outside decor except a door wreath), but it looks like a heathen lives here, inside and out.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  3. Sounds like the best part of the week was the (too) large slice of pizza. And no, I don’t think a slice can be too large.

    I’m sorry to hear about the older couple but I’m curious about half the couple ending up in care and the other bouncing around on the streets. No one needs to wind up homeless but in particular, not an elderly person with dementia. Still, I know how hard it is to force someone into care.

    I used to leave my tree up year round, in my office. I switched to non-Christmas fishing ornaments during the off season. No room to do that here but it’s rather tempting if I ever get it out again.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Pizza was definitely an upbeat part of the week. Best part is that it’s cheap — $1.50 a slice instead of the $3.50 at pizzerias locally. We couldn’t understand how the couple each had separate outcomes either. We heard all this from a third party who didn’t know. The couple had a history. They had divorced but then reconciled and never remarried. They were living as a couple the 30 years I knew them. Not sure why the kids took care of mom and not pop. Family drama. There were an eccentric couple to say the least.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  4. On my walk this morning I passed a house with, no exaggeration, I’d say 20 of those large blow-up Christmas items. A few were still standing, but most were deflated this morning. I’ll have to drive by one evening and see if my impression changes, but it was so over the top I can’t imagine.

    Very sad story about the couple with Alzheimer’s and mental decline. I think of their children and the concern they must carry. As we get older, no surprise, but we hear stories every day about someone we’ve known going through age-related decline. Makes me very thankful for our current health.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  5. I enjoyed your tales for the day. You are right. There is no such thing as a pizza slice that is too big.

    David and I are not going to decorate as John did, so we probably won’t have a tree. We’ll put out a few angels from my collection, get out the Christmas dishes, and find the holiday mugs. That will be enough.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • Sounds like enough to me. Dan is the one that likes all the stuff up. I could easily do without a tree. Fortunately I steered him to a small skinny one that we will cover to store without taking the ornaments off. It will take up room but there won’t be the day of putting it up and the day of taking it down.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  6. If it’s like Phoenix is now where you are, just leave the decorations you don’t want on the lawn. They’ll be gone by tomorrow.
    I’m sorry about your husband’s friends. That is really sad. And if that couple has been together a long time why aren’t her kids helping him, too, at least as much as possible? Or are they?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  7. Kids do love the blow-up things. Most of my time is spent putting up lights outside. I don’t put up much inside our current house. We haven’t, due to costs, renovated the inside and I can’t see the point in decorating something that will still look bad after, so I don’t. Just a tree and stockings. One day I hope to renovate. I miss a very festive house. Nope, there is no slice of pizza too big. What a weird question for her to ask you.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I understand. Last year we were in the middle of a new kitchen and there were no decorations. I think I had a tiny poinsettia. I spent much of my time cleaning up after the contractors so I had no energy to bring out boxes, put stuff up, clean them when they got dusty, then get out the boxes to put them away. Pizza? Yeah right? Maybe because I’m smallish. It wasn’t all that big!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  8. No tree for me but I do a bit of decorating. Just something on the door and table. I can’t imagine a tree up all year with or without decorations.
    Sad about your friends. We live longer now as wonderful as that is it is also not always easy to take care of ourselves and need help.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  9. Poor Rudolf. I hope the family finds him.

    Before inflatables, my dad cut out a large plywood Christmas scene of Santa, reindeer, and elves on his bandsaw. Mom painted it, and they set it up in the yard. I think they put the reindeer on the roof. No problem with deflating.

    I had nine people for Thanksgiving, so I still haven’t finished cleaning up and putting the Thanksgiving decorations back in the basement.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  10. I find those big inflatables tacky except my neighbor has a big black cat one for Halloween, so I like that one. 🙂 I agree there is no such thing as too large a slice of pizza.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • My immediate neighborhood is full of older people so there are no inflatables here. In fact, there is very little outside decorations. No one has the ambition or desire to work outside in the cold putting up lights, then taking them down. I nice wreath is mostly what you see.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  11. So sad about your friends. People’s lives can change so quickly. It’s nice you see deer near your home. I live about 5 minutes away from a provincial park and have seen a few deer. It took some time to get used to it, because I moved here from a large city, so the first time I saw a deer I was so excited.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  12. I hope the little one found its family♥ I find the situation that your Husband’s friends found themselves in heartbreaking. As you mentioned Kate, we are hoping to transition to some level of assisted living if needed. The pizza slice… you must be living right!! I’m liking the idea that you picked up a slice of pizza for lunch at the grocery store,,, I’m going to remember that!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  13. Blow-up decorations are sad when deflated. Don’t care for them anyway. We don’t do a Christmas anymore, just a few on the mantle, coffee table and dining table. Maybe a poinsettia in the entry. It has to be easy. It is sad about your husband’s friends. That is no way to end up. Happy decorating!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  16. I’m sorry about your friends, how sad! And the de-flated decor always makes me chuckle — when they’re up, they’re so hopeful but when they’re not ………..blah! Yum on the pizza and no, not putting up decorations y et — this is the first holiday in our new house, too, not sure what fits/works but I decided to wait a week or 2 before decorating. Last year it was all up @ Thanksgiving and by Christmas we were sick of it! And, you’re right, sometimes things that worked in one house don’t work out in the next. And it’s ok to donate or toss them!! MJ

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  17. I’m charmed by someone who thinks it’s possible a slice of pizza is too big. Such innocence. When we had our fireplace mantel replaced a few years ago I ran into the same issues with proportions. Suddenly nothing quite worked right. I overcame, of course, but it was weird.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  18. We’re off to get the tree today. A noble fir is my big indulgence. I love the smell. The cat loves the pine-scened water bowl under the tree. The spouse loves none of this but helps get down the boxes from the garage. And mostly does not detour to the trash cans.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  19. No decorations here yet. Our tree doesn’t arrive until 11th December because it’s one of those potted eco ones, so there’s not much flexibility regarding delivery and collection dates. Can’t wait to decorate it, though!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  20. I used to decorate the day after Thanksgiving since time was limited when I worked. These day, I take my time (i.e., I procrastinate). Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. Time will tell.

    Sad about your husband’s friends. We don’t have kids to look out for us and our nieces and nephews are spread far and wide. Fingers crossed we don’t fall apart at the seams.

    Hope you enjoyed every bite of that pizza! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • My husband’s kids are not local and my family is old. I worry about that too but worrying doesn’t help much, does it. It’s part of why we downsized. Perhaps at some point we will move into something more “assisted” if we need to.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  21. Such a sad story about the couple. I have a friend dealing with the beginnings of dementia and it is a sad thing to watch. We took advantage of the warmer day yesterday and put up outdoor lights – probably the earliest we’ve ever done that, but it was too warm not to take advantage of the day!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  22. Those inflatables have become obscene in size. I can only think one word whenever I pass one…pssst. An old colleague and I used to joke about how we’d get rid of them. It was always good for loads of laughs and were exchanged in jest. Well…mostly in jest. 😈 Good luck with sorting out your holiday decor.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  23. Ugh! When I was living on the second floor of an apartment building, my neighbors on the first floor decided to put out a blow-up of a Christmas tree. Maybe from a distance, these things look okay, but up close, they are gaudy! Anyhow, it was in front of my bedroom window and tall enough that just enough light would shine through my blinds.

    I have decorations that are mostly snow/snowman related. This allows me to not feel the pressure of taking everything down quickly. I’m slowly acquiring decorations for my tree that can be used throughout the year (think Valentine’s Day, St. Paddy’s Day, Easter, spring, patriotic (from Memorial Day through Labor Day), autumn (includes Thanksgiving) and then back to the winter theme. My tree is a bear to put up, and it takes me several days because I’m not a patient person and get frustrated easily, so I may leave it up in its corner and just switch out decorations throughout the year.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

Don't be shy, I'd love to hear what you're thinking!

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s