Random 5 for December 3, 2023 – Time, music, decorations, friends, hectic schedule

Gallery

Posted on by

Yikes! – It’s upon us! It is the holiday season. As usual I’m wondering what happened to July. It was just June and here it is December!

The rhythm! – I woke up this morning to the nice pitty pat of rain. Sleeping to the sound of rain is blissful. I also woke up with a song in my head. It’s from my youth and I remember almost all the words (and yet I can’t remember what I had for lunch yesterday)! What a great way to wake up! Does this happen to you?

Christmas is up! – We put up what will go up. Each year we downsize slightly. Maybe just a Santa or a poinsettia. We spend our time on the “eye pop” items like the mantel. We still put a tree up but it has shrunk down considerably. It’s the kind we toss a cover over and store as is for the rest of the year. Easy peasy.

Phasing in, phasing out – During the pandemic I become “acquainted” with a guy at Starbucks. I call him Gorilla Man because he always wore a gorilla mask (remember the mask days? Seems so long ago!) I would see him frequently. This year his visits (or our intersecting each other) has been minimal. He was a fun person, way too cheery in the morning before coffee, but always fun and he made people laugh. (He would have lively conversations with people he’s never seen before!) I haven’t seen him in months. Enter some new morning coffee people. Not quite as over the top as gorilla man but they make the trip interesting.

Interesting week! – It’s a busy week here. More meetings about the master bath redo but the crown jewel of the week (so to speak) is taking my hearing aids on a trial run to a restaurant with friends. Will all the silverware clinking noise make me nuts or will I hear my friends say things I’ve never heard before? We’ll see.

So how was your week?

67 thoughts on “Random 5 for December 3, 2023 – Time, music, decorations, friends, hectic schedule”

  1. I was hoping you were going to say that Gorilla Man was back! I love people like him. I’m not nearly comfortable enough with strangers to be outwardly silly and put others at ease. I’m with you. Didn’t we both have family reunions just a week or so ago? Yikes! December!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  3. I often wake up with a song in my head. At least yours had to do with the rain. I wake up with a song in my head for no particular reason. And I can remember the words to songs from when I was eight years old (Partridge Family songs were the thing then) and not what I had for dinner yesterday. Good luck with the bath redo and the dinner hearing-aid experiment.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  4. My husband’s hearing aids have “restaurant mode,” which helps. I think it mainly stops amplifying sounds from behind him, to focus on what is before him. I hope yours does too! He says it really helps.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • There is a guy who drives a car with the license plates “HGD ROW.” He’s there most days and he lives out my way. He’s very quiet and not at all interesting but you never know. Looking forward to taking the “aids” for a social spin!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  9. I LOVE that song ‘Rhythm of the Rain.’ I know all the words as well. I performed it with a group of friends, in front of our school, when I was in sixth grade. I remember the entire experience like it was yesterday. I also remember what I had for lunch yesterday — but what I had the day before…not a chance! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  11. I’m chastising myself once again for not having any Christmas decorations up. Yours are very nice – the perfect touch. Next year I’ll put some up for sure. My cute Boyd’s Bear tree languishes in the top of a cupboard. I collected bears for years so I had some fun bear holiday items. I hope your new hearing aids pair well with your get-together with friends – tell them to keep it down to a dull roar!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

      • I have stuff everywhere right now – I’m ashamed how this house looks and when I had the plumbing emergency on the 18th, after it was over, I looked around and realized how cringeworthy it must have looked to the plumber. My toilet overflowed – it was clear water, but still. I have wall-to-wall carpet, which I am happy to report was salvaged after having the carpet folded in half in the bathroom with fans blowing underneath. It was quite the week as I only have one bathroom! Now to find a home for a carpet cleaner with attachments and a huge high-velocity fan.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply ↓

        • I’m not much of a “keeper” but my husband is. We both downsized a lot of stuff when we moved (sometimes it was something we could have used) but there is more to do. There are certain parts of our life that are over so we can let go of the stuff. I don’t ever expect to garden like I did. I’ve even downsized bird feeders!

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply ↓

          • I have kept all my work clothes all these years I’ve worked from home. My clothes were pantsuits and skirtsuits mostly and tailored/classic so would not be out of style, but dresses and dress pants are all hanging in there as well. I don’t dress up to go walking, nor for work. I loved going shopping back in the day. I will keep some of it, but not all of it. I never knew if I would get another job that was in-person. I have been doing this job remotely since 2011. I look at the garden every morning when I check for new groundhog burrows (none so far thankfully). I glance back there and with all the burned debris and two trees cut down, it does not feel like “my garden” anymore. I don’t have that spark to continue and climate change is too weird. In fact, this morning when I went outside, with warmer temps again, my neighbor’s magnolia bush was in bud – probably the third time this year. It USED to bud/flower every May and in May only. This is just weird and we will have temps in the 50s on Friday – I’m sure the buds won’t open.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply ↓

  15. I like your tree and your Christmasication. It is just the right amount of decorating, I think, and is akin to what I do for me. I have a small tree on a tall, thin trunk. My brother says it was made to keep cats out of it. If I had the right space for it, I would just take the ornaments off and leave it up all year. It goes in the guest room closet with the lights still on it.

    I enjoyed the Rhythm of the Rain. I haven’t heard that in a long time. It made me realize that I can’t hear the rain here unless it’s a big storm. That’s a testament to good windows but you’d think with my lack of significant insulation in the attic that I would hear it on the roof.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  16. Yes, I remember “The Rhythm of the Rain.” I think we used to dance the “chalypso to it–sort of a combination cha cha and calypso. I need to get a new smaller tree. The one I have is beautiful, but I need someone to help me put the complicated, heavy three parts together.

    My week? I had a large back tooth pulled, so there was that. Still healing and a little painful.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I hate teeth work! We had a heavy 3-part tree at the last house. We downsized that starting with only using the two top parts, then we got a smaller light weight skinny one that fit here better. We also put the ornaments on with pipe cleaners so they are there to stay. So easy although if it weren’t for my husband, I doubt I’d have a tree.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  22. I was reading through other’s comments and your responses. When I got to your response where you said you do most of your cooking in your head, I wanted to hug you! That’s how I do most of my cleaning, and I get that! living alone, and knowing that no one will visit me in the entire month of January and probably February as well, I’ve gone minimalist on holiday decorations. Some of my favorite snowman and snowflake pieces will make their way out and around, and I am pretty sure I will leave them up for all of January and into February. I think myself wise for decorating for winter more than Christmas because I can leave up and about longer!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I do a lot of stuff in my head these days! Yes, when we are not expecting guests, I go minimalist too. This year we will have at least two groups. Not big and not at all fancy but enough to inspire some decorations.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  23. I love the sound of rain when I go to sleep especially, particularly since dog walks are done for the day!! Walking dogs in the rain isn’t so much fun. We’ve been so busy getting the new foster room ready that we haven’t had time for xmas stuff…but it is on the list. I ordered a new wreath this year with kitties on it playing with ornaments. Can’t wait for it to arrive. I hope the hearing aid test goes well.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓

  25. Your holiday decorations are gorgeous…..I’ve always used my mantel as the “focal point” in our family room – our tree is in the library and is a focal point so I suppose we are now “multi-focal” decorators? Anyway, most presents bought and wrapped – stockings hung by the chimney and bulging, and a sleeping cat under the tree……lying over the railroad tracks preventing hubby from playing with the train (and me hearing the “woo woo” and chugging sounds). Life is good.

    Hugs, Pam

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  26. I promise, if you keep wearing them, your brain will become readjusted and the background noise will filter out. The first 4 to 6 weeks are tough but I am so thankful that I persevered.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I am committed to give this a full try. Yesterday I wore them all day (I don’t usually). By the end of the day, I didn’t feel them and they didn’t itch. Hoping they filter that background noise soon. Can’t stand to wear when emptying the dishwasher. It’s like nails on chalkboard.

      Like

      Reply ↓

  27. Good week here. We’re decorated for the holidays at the “just right” level ~ nothing too “over the top.” Packages arrived safely in Seattle, San Francisco, and Fort Collins.

    Played Bridge a couple times . . . making a couple of $’s in the process. Not exactly a “get rich quick” scheme, but “getting paid to play” is fun.

    Good meals. We segued from Thanksgiving sides and pie to more ethnic fare, including some Indian dishes (Dal and Chanas and Spicy Lentil Soup). Also made homemade egg rolls, steamed broccoli, and stir fry veggies to go with take out vegetable Lo Mein. YUM!

    Today, we’re going to the planetarium to see:

    Big Astronomy: People, Places, Discoveries is a story of the people and places who make big astronomy and big science happen. This award-winning planetarium show highlights the diverse people who enable discoveries at world-class observatories in Chile.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I love planetariums and if we visit an area that has one, we try to make it. Space is so cool! Thinking about making some ethnic traditional cookies this year. Haven’t made them since before the pandemic (bought house, moved, kitchen under construction). Anyhow, these days I often do a lot of cooking in my head instead of in my oven so we’ll see! Unfortunately I can’t buy them like my mom made them so if I want them, I have to make them. 🙂

      Like

      Reply ↓

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