Post Christmas Un-Wrap-up

Overall, it was a lovely Christmas. All things considered. The totality of reality included. But we will look at a smaller scale and see what we find - shall we?

I am working on an animated gif of the Christmas tree - maybe one day I will get it posted. Weirdly, where I used to post things quickly - or at least work through them and get something passable up and out, I start a post and then just rarely go back and finish it. Sigh. I must have fifteen to twenty posts in various states of completion on my various blogs. Which, honestly, I will probably never complete. Anyway, I digress - which is one reason that my posts don't get finished - digression.

So, the tree got up, the presents wrapped and put under the tree. The past three years (or is it four) I have tried to make things sort of like what used to be a traditional Christmas in the Schoen-René household: opening presents on Christmas eve - Christmas music on the stereo, candles everywhere, little snack foods and a decent amount of alcohol, followed by a yummy dinner. At least that is what I think it used to look like back in the day. This year - nothing like that at all...

A good friend invited us to her home for a buffet dinner - featuring a baked 14lb salmon! Mom likes salmon! We got moderately dressed up - I even wore a tie - and headed to the festivities. There were a bunch of people that I knew, a few who knew mom and no one that mom recognized. People were very nice to her, coming and chatting with her now and again. I fed her two plates worth of food and a decent helping of dessert. And I didn't have to cook! Yay! We only stayed a little over an hour, I think.

Back home, my plan was to put on a couple of movies and open some presents. And maybe snack a little. Mom got comfortable while I puttered a bit. The first movie I put on was "Holiday Inn" - one of my favorites. While that was playing, we opened presents - this may have to suffice for thank you notes:

Juliet and Paul gave mom a lovely new nightgown, gave us both a puzzle (which I think is going to be too much for mom to be able to handle - I have put it out - but she hasn't even made a move to try to work on it) and gave me a great New Yorker Beer Snob cover (all framed and everything). Joe and Ginger gave mom a lovely woolen blanket and gave me two great pairs of socks (I love socks in case anyone else wants to give me a post-Christmas gift). Ernst and Betty gave mom a lovely soft big blue blanket and some candy (which she ate in about two hours) and gave me money - which I plan on spending on something for myself - maybe a massage. Oooh, that's a great idea! Thank you all for taking the time and effort to pick stuff out and send it to mom and me! I know she appreciates it - as do I. She keeps talking about writing Thank You cards...

I also gave mom a few things: some dvds, a book, some marzipan. She was pleased at the moment - though she probably couldn't tell you who gave her what at this point. She does remember the things - just not who gave them to her. And she remembers the marzipan now and again. (I have put it out of sight so she doesn't eat the whole box in a couple of hours.) I also gave her a very weak scotch and soda which she took a sip of but didn't finish.

All in all, a successful Christmas Holiday! Oh, the second movie was "It's A Wonderful Life" through which mom slept mostly.

Looks like a muddy Christmas (Mish mash post)

Yay! Mud for everyone! The snow we had here in beautiful Geneva, NY is mostly gone. We are not really expecting enough new snow in the next few days to make for a white christmas. This isn't really a surprise since the first day of winter is December 21. Yippee!

Meanwhile, I have made it through a full year of being the Technical Director at the Smith Opera House. Balancing that job with taking care of my mom, who continues to decline, has been an interesting challenge. We shall see how we fare in the new year.

Nothing really too exciting to report. Let's see... Tomorrow is laundry day. Today, I am working on some forms for mom's health insurance and slowly putting the Christmas tree up. And trying to survive a few hours without Facebook.

Yes, that's right, I am trying to survive a few hours without Facebook. Mainly because I have a huge crush on someone and that is the only way that we have been "communicating." Sigh. For those of you who know me well, you know that I love email and mucho communication in general. (Well, most of the time.) So not checking Facebook is proving to be something of a challenge. Anyway, I am leaning towards believing that my crush does not reciprocate my feelings - which is not a surprise, but sad nonetheless.  Oh well. This too shall pass.

I have been posting on and checking Instagram a lot which is a poor substitute for Facebook. Glarg.

Let's see - more mom news? Not really anything to report there. I took her out to help buy the tree yesterday. Then dinner at Friendly's. That went pretty well.

Now I think I will take a shower and head off to Lake Drum (a new beer place in town) and maybe some grocery shopping. Speaking of groceries, I am all confused now. A friend has invited mom and me to her house for a Christmas dinner buffet! So when do I eat Peking Duck? Hmm? Anyway, Huzzuh!