Thursday Catch~Up

I've been doing a little decorating around the house. Not as much as I did when my kids were still home however. Since my family Christmas dinner is always up in the Clubhouse here at the mobile home park, rarely does anyone actually come to the house. So what I do is for my benefit and for those who pass by.
We all have dusk to dawn lights on the post that holds our mailboxes. So I took off the round white globe and put my plastic Christmas soldier on my light.
I found this mat in a closet~it was still new & unused It most have been one of those after Christmas bargains I got one year.
I decorated my old milk can with a few silk poinsettias and bright red bow. This sits at the top of the porch steps and greets the UPS guy or anyone who might stop by.
I took the usual cat theme wreath off the front door and put the Christmas wreath there instead.
And I put some silk poinsettias on the little white table that sits out on the porch. My hanging baskets are still blooming but our friends in Canada are sending a cold front our way & we are being told to expect snow this coming weekend. My precious flowers are doomed!
These little snowmen sit on the white table in front of the pot of poinsettias. I found them at our local Goodwill Outlet. They are new, still had tags on them. The GW Outlet sells everything by the pound, so the snowmen probably cost less than $1.00. I got 2 big sacks of stuff including some Christmas dishes for just under $12.00. Bob put the icicle lights on the outside of the house. It doesn't look as good in the picture as it does in real life. Since my house is blue with white trim, it really looks nice with the lights.
In this picture you can also see my Christmas tree. My house has minimal outside decorations compared to some in the park. There's a place down the street from me that is totally covered with lights and has a large Nativity scene, plus Santa, Snowmen & other figures all lit and many of them are moving. Then there are some houses that have nothing.
And I'm happy the little birds have finally found the bird feeder I hung out last week. They sort of line up on the porch railing and take their turn at the feeder. I took this picture thru my sliding glass door and it's screen so it's not real clear.

Today I'm thinking of my dear Grandma Smith. (She was my dad's mom). Today would be her 116th birthday. She was born December 11, 1892. She passed away September 24, 1978 and lived here in town. In fact, after she retired from the Milwaukee RR, she and her father lived across the driveway from our family home in a duplex my dad created for them. (My great grandfather died in 1958 and then grandma's sister moved into his side of the duplex) She wasn't the apron wearing, cookie baking grandma like my other grandma but she was a great lady. She made the best peanut butter fudge in the world and my cousins and I don't have a clue where that recipe is. I can remember her taking me downtown when I was little. After shopping we'd go to Manning's lunch counter and get these fat, yummy tuna sandwiches, served with a big pickle and potato chips. For dessert we'd cross the street to Woolworth's and sit up at the counter and she'd order each of us a Cherry Soda. She would also take me to work with her during the summer months from time to time. She was a telegrapher for the Milwaukee and the shack where she worked was between Milwaukee & Union Pacific tracks. She worked the graveyard shift and I loved being out there with her all night. Although, when she had to walk out into the darkness to change a switch~it was kind of scary for a young girl. But grandma would carry her lantern and a Billy Club with her on those walks. Grandma Smith was near by when my daughter Julie was growing up. Since my mom babysit Julie, all she had to do was walk across the driveway to "great-great's" house to get treats and spoiled. Grandma was older of course when my son was born, so other than when he was a baby she didn't have as much interaction with him. He was 7 yrs old when she died and by that time she was in a nursing home. However we visited her frequently. Happy birthday grandma~I sure miss you.

I've received so many lovely cards and I want to thank you for them. I have to admit, I didn't send many out this year. I've barely started wrapping...but I'm going to do better here soon. It seems like I keep getting distracted. Bob is leaving for California Sunday or Monday (but he'll be back for Christmas~it's a long story). Once he's gone, I'll do better except by then Barbara will be back from her trip to New Orleans, and there's lunch out with the girls next Thursday and a doctor's appointment next Friday.....it doesn't look good does it? In the old days, when I was working full time, I could get the wrapping done in a day or two. Now, retired, I have all the time in the world and can't seem to get anything done in a timely manner. Too many distractions, me thinks.
Well I hope everyone is having a good week. Like I said earlier, they are telling us that a cold front is coming down from Canada and we can even expect snow here in the lowland this weekend. That will take some getting used to after the days and days of moderate temperatures. Until next time, Linda and Gabi

P.S. I haven't updated my travel blog for awhile. Perhaps this weekend or the first of the week I can continue. The next entry will feature our day (October 1st ) on Catalina Island. http://packyourbagsletsgo.blogspot.com/