Winter is Now Here

And we are cold.  I mean, really cold.  It might be in the 40s, but all of us are feeling like it's about 20, even the children, and they usually hardly notice.  It's the cold wind in the face that gets me, because I can layer and have warm feet, but nothing helps that wind in the face.  I saw a sweater with what's called a funnel neck that looks like it might do the trick.   This sweatshirt with the drawstring might work even better.  I could pull it up and tie it over my nose.



I was actually kind of joking about that funnel neck, because I hate turtlenecks and high necks on clothes, but this has gotten me interested.

Mount Si had a little dusting of snow yesterday morning.

Katherine has Pajama Day at her school all week, and she's loving it.  She wore her Paw Patrol nightgown on Monday that Grandma and Grandpa Bindert sent her, and yesterday had five pairs of pajamas laid out in a row.

This is what happens when you have hand-me-downs - a full wardrobe of Christmas PJs.  I embroidered some of these when I was living in Montgomery, so they do have some age on them.  Just glad I didn't get carried away with the monogramming.  That's Graysen's foot showing off her dog bone Christmas socks.

When I got upstairs, Katherine had put the day's outfit up on her bed and told me that was a stack.

Graysen was showing me her class assignment - to disguise their gingerbread person so the fox wouldn't eat it.  

The things they think and say are so funny, just things you never even think about.  I was asking about what some other disguises were, and the only thing she said was, "I was a little bit scared because people were saying there was a real gingerbread man on the playground, and I didn't want to see him.  But Rachel told me there wasn't, so I wasn't afraid any more.  I reminded her that the Gingerbread Man was just a story and not real, like TV movies and cartoons weren't real.  She said, "Oh, but Gingerbread Men are.  Last year at pre-K, we put our gingerbread men in the oven and were working on our calendar (what a memory!), and when it was time to get him out, there was just a note saying - I saw what you were working on and knew you were going to eat me, so I ran away.  Here's a clue.'   We all went downtown to look for him, and I was afraid of seeing him."  I also reminded her that when she found him, she ate him, so that wasn't real.  She just smiled at me knowingly.  Katherine was sitting there listening to the whole thing and storing up who knows what anxieties about the gingerbread men to go with her fear of nutcrackers and Santa Claus.  

They found a perfect tree and decorated it Monday night.  Emily sent me so many pictures.  I think they had a pretty good time.  I'll try to download some.  

Monday afternoon, Emily came over to help me decorate my balcony, which is much easier than all those wreaths and garlands I used to hang on various houses through the years.  I had a hard time doing it myself, but she whipped it out in a few minutes and then did a Christmas cheer to celebrate.

She does get into the spirit of things.

I had made the sausage balls I promised for Thanksgiving and failed to do, so that lured Ryan over here in a hurry, and I got him to bring up my Christmas decorations.

I put the tree on the table, and the lights went up without Layla seeming to notice. It needs  a lot of work, but we'll see if she jumps up and turns it over before I add any ornaments.  Nothing shows light misplacements like a photo.

I had to shoot Layla once with the spray bottle of water, and she hasn't been back in that area.  She tries so hard to understand, and we do have her using her scratching posts more than the ottoman finally.  After a hard afternoon with the children, this is what she wanted to do.

The activities yesterday included putting her under a plastic box and hand-feeding her treats.  

This carpet and kitchen floor are awful, but even though I've been here 3 years, the manager says they won't replace it until I leave.  Thanks a lot!  

It's 4:00 a.m., so I think I'll go to bed - for the second time.  The first sleep was from about 6:00 p.m. to 10:00.  I got up and got a glass of tea and worked on a court dictation and some other things, so now I'll go sleep another 3 hours.  If I can.  I know it's not healthy, but when I have to sleep, I have to sleep.

Can't Live Without Them

My StoryWorth question for this week was:  What Things Do You Think You Cannot Live Without.

At first, I seriously named the things that I can't physically live without and then started thinking about the things I would find it hard to live without and be happy.

So I made quite an extensive list.  I'm finding it hard to keep myself in a happy place lately, and so naming these things made me seem not quite as bad off as I  see myself some days, so I thought I would copy them here, so I don't lose my ability to see my blessings.

And it beats complaining.

The things that give me pleasure nowadays are:

A quiet place to sit and think and read - and nap.

A warm clean bed to get into every night.

Children who love to read and love to have me read them stories.

Kissable cheeks and hugs and expressions of love from my babies.

Family members who are so comforting and comfortable to talk to honestly and without reservation.

The library and being able to get any book I might want to read in a very short time, sometimes the next day.  

Money.  The security that Mike left me so I won't have to be dependent on others and the ability to earn a little bit more.

Coffee and mocha creamers and the quiet time to be able to drink it any time I want to.  Cinnamon roll coffee during the holidays.

Technology and the little bit of it that I understand that's changed my life.

Phone that I fight with but that allows me to be in touch with anyone almost any time.

Computer - my new one that allows me to work with pleasure now and go anywhere I want to and learn anything I want to.

Friends, although very few of them that I really talk to any more.  Enough though and good ones.

Necessities when I need them - toilet paper, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion.

A safe place to live.

Warm/hot showers and clean towels to dry off with.

The ability to have comfortable shoes and clothes and warm coats and gloves.

Smiles and kindness from strangers.

Laughs and giggles from children - my babies' the most precious.

Good schools for the girls with excellent teachers.

A snuggly kitty cat and good memories of all pets I've loved in the past.

Logic problems and puzzles.

Freedom and the ability to live without fear.

Inside jokes with family.

Conveniences like the microwave, dishwasher, instant heat, car, credit cards, ATM machines.

Ability to fly without too much anxiety.

Good care to keep Mama comfortable.

Memories of parents, grandparents, in-laws that make me smile.

Memories of Mike that keep me going every day and the ability to talk to him when I have a problem.

Faith in God and faith in myself, although shaky, that is still there.

A mind that lets me learn new things every day and shows me new ways of looking at things.

A good sense of humor.

Weather - all kinds except extreme heat and cold.  Rain (luckily), nice windstorms, thunder when I can get it, a little snow (but just a little), springtime warmth.

Comforting things, like my soft throw, down comforter, fuzzy warm socks, my favorite coffee mugs and favorite coffees.

Good health - for the most part - and the ability to get out of bed every day.

This is a long list, but I know there are other things I enjoy and can live without - but would find it hard.  I guess a blessing list.

Now for the complaining!

I've gotten more forgetful lately, and it's bothering me.  I know it's having too much on my mind, because my thinking is usually clear.  I just really started doubting myself these past couple of days.  Yesterday, we forgot Graysen's backpack and lunch box.  I know it's up to her to pick it up on the way out, but I'm still supposed to be there to remind her.  We still had time to go back and get it and arrive at school on time.

Yesterday when I took them home at 5:00, I forgot her backpack at the apartment.  No problem.  I would just take it over to the house the next morning.  And, of course, I ran out this morning in such a hurry that I forgot it - because I had hidden my glasses from Layla who likes to knock them off the table - and then I forgot where I hid them, so I was running a bit late.

Again, no problem, we would stop by the apartment on the way to school and pick it up.  We got all dressed and out the door and halfway there when I realized I had not only left Graysen's lunch, library books, and water bottle but also Katherine's lunch box and water bottle on the couch.  So back to the house - talking all the time about how it was okay, we were not going to be late, Mimi is just having a crazy day.  

Ran in, got all those things, went to the apartment and brought down the backpack, packed Graysen's lunch and books into the backpack and got her to school on time.  Then delivered Katherine (over protests) to school.  But got honked at because I refused to turn left in front of an oncoming car and made the car behind me have to wait an extra 10 seconds.  I knew I could have made it, but it seems rude to me and a little dangerous to cut in front of a car going full speed, and I shouldn't let it bother me, but it just added to the morning's doubt.  After I took Katherine in and left her happy in her fox dress, I just sat in the car and cried - not much but just let the whole stressful morning out.  

At times like this, I forget all the good things and just concentrate on the bad, so it was good that I decided to get my StoryWorth writing out of the way before Sunday.  It does make me realize all the good things I have in life.  

Just to end with a funny.  The girls and I turned Layla's Chewy box into a fort with little windows and toys inside, but she hardly ever used it, and it's really not pretty in the living room, so I decided to take it apart and put it in the recycle bin.

But, of course, cat-like, it was much more interesting to her in the current state.

Too bad, Layla.  You've lost your fort.  She had to go in Time Out yesterday, her carrier, because Katherine was trying to paint, and cats and little cups of water do not go well together.  

She also stayed there during lunch, because that little tray is where the girls like to eat, but didn't seem to mind it at all.  She never fussed about it and just sat there and watched us.  Maybe she needs a Time Out from people sometimes.

Later on that day, Katherine was mad with me about my insisting she pick up her toys.  K:  You're mean to me, Mimi.  I'm going to tell my Mama, and she's going to be sad at you.  M:  That's okay.  Mama wants you to pick up your toys too.  K:  Well, then I'm never going to eat breakfast with you again, and I'm never going to eat that soup you gave me for lunch.  I'm only going to eat Paw Patrol cookies here and bananas and apple slices and yo-gret.  And a foot stomp for emphasis.  

I love her so much and try not to be too mean.  

November

It was such a busy and happy month, and once more I neglected to document things.  I did better when I tried to write at least one sentence a day.  Even though most of it was boring, I got me here to post the important things.

I'll see how much time I have today and get a few pictures posted.

It's windy and rainy and 49 degrees, a good day to stay inside. On Mondays, Emily works at home, so she does the delivery to school, and I do the pickup.  Sounds fair to me!

This was my summer-looking balcony this morning.  This geranium is just the cheeriest.  Too bad it's too chilly to sit out and enjoy it.

The Christmas/Thanksgiving/whatever cactus blooms whenever it pleases.

We've only had one freeze so far, but it's coming this weekend, so I'll gather it back up and bring it in.  I might bring in the geraniums too.

That kitty cat I was wanting came to live with us this month.  It got too confusing for me to look at shelters on line and figure out where they were, so Elise finally took matters into her own hands and drove to the Bellevue shelter and brought home Layla.  Graysen named her on sight after a sweet friend she had last year.  It's fine.  She seems like a Layla.

I've had gray tabbies off and own since 1967 and kind of wanted a different color, but this is the one who reached out to Elise and won her heart.  And we're so glad she did.  I've never seen a kitten come into a home and just be comfortable stepping out of the carrier.  No ears back, no running and hiding, no fear at all.  

The girls were here when she arrived, and we had to keep them from rushing up to her, but she didn't seem to mind.  It's like she had been waiting for little girls to love all her life - all 9 weeks of it!  I know the girls had been waiting for a kitten for a long time.

She's so patient with them and is content to ride up and down the hall in a plastic box pushed by Katherine, just sitting there and enjoying her trip.    This is the first day she was here - not bothered by anything, even constant chatter and giggling.

I ordered her cat food and litter from Chewy along with some toys, and it paid off, because as I left Friday, this nice strong young man was bringing up this 50-lb box - running - and one more time I won't have to bring it up those stairs step by step.  

For me?

She plays with her scratching pad, ball-chasing apparatus a lot - mainly when we're trying to sleep, but that's okay.  She's a little afraid of the feathers on a wand, but the laser is, of course, an obsession already.  If I pick it up and jingle it a little bit, she magically appears and looks at the floor waiting.  I have to keep it in a drawer, because she'll go and drag it off.

We really do love her.  She purrs very loudly and head butts you and just sits and looks at you sometimes.  I have to be careful walking, because right now, she takes every step I do, darting in front of me.  I think one step-on will get her changing her habits.  Graysen took the Chewy box and made her a castle with her toy and blanket inside and all kinds of embellishments, but here's where I saw her sleeping last night.  That can't be comfortable.

Oh, and puzzles.  Emily and I can't have a holiday season without thinking we can put together puzzles.  We overdid it last year and did not apologize for it.  We'd prefer to do them together, but there's a limit of time we have to spend together, so I brought one of them home to work on.  BIG mistake.  There's no way a cat can not pull all the pieces onto the floor.

I decided to put this one out on my table before the Christmas decorations come up and work on it here and there.

Whoa, 2000 teeny tiny pieces!  The first time I worked on it and tried to find the border pieces, I woke up the next morning to find them scattered all over the table and floor.

So this is my solution.

But not good enough.  This is what I found this morning.  Unfortunately, cats do not honor boundaries.  I'll be pulling out the rest of my cutting mats. 

It's a losing battle and a mindless activity for sure, but I do enjoy spending a few minutes here and there searching for a particular piece.  It keeps me from the depressing news I can't help be bombarded with on Facebook and Google News.

That's all my time today.  I have to get myself out in the rain to go pick up sweet girls.  Looks like a hot chocolate and kitty-playing afternoon to me.

End of Autumn

Pretty much the end of the beautiful red and orange leaves with all the wind and rain this weekend.  This is on our street Friday morning with the rain just starting.

It's still mild enough to walk around without a jacket, but there's a definite chill toward the end of the day.

Just half of this amazing Japanese maple is left.  This is its good side.

The back yard on Steller is over fall - just completely over it.  This maple tree is  beautiful in 3 seasons but it's looking a little wintery now.  It had way more leaves fall than I would have thought possible.

And this little Japanese maple didn't mess around.  One day the leaves were there, and the next, they were gone.

This was last November 3rd.   I had prepared myself not to be surprised at anything, but it's looking pretty good this year.

I notice I had a geranium last year too, but it's nothing compared to my monster one this year.  I can't even remember where I got this unless it was one day when we all went to Fred Meyer and got overexcited about spring and bought too many things.

I hardly remembered to water it, and it didn't care.  It just makes me happy. 

Even with the neglect a scraggly fuchsia that I saved from another pot has thrived.

We don't get a drop of rain on the balcony, and as much as it rains, there's a false sense of well-being, that your plants are getting enough water.  I've let more than a few things die that way.  To have a patio tomato, I pretty much have to water every day, and I do get tired of that.

I have Halloween pictures and even ones from my trip to Andalusia, but I'm not in the mood to write about them.    

I'm looking for a kitten and a car in no particular order.  I NEED a car, but I WANT a kitten.  I know which one will be easier to find.  

October Gloom

Not gloomy like the weather because it's been lovely and red and yellow with blue skies.  But gloomy like my mood.  I'm trying to keep my spirits up over the state of the country and try not to think about it so much, but I sometimes can't sleep for worrying about the evilness of people and how hopeless it seems that our government will ever straighten out.  Emily keeps telling me to stop Facebook, and I do want to in a way, but then I feel like I'll lose touch with the few people I enjoy just because of the ignorance of some.  I've just unfollowed loads of people and kept the ones I really care about, the ones who give me things to smile about and make me laugh and keep me up with their families.  Maybe that will help.

So, on to important things.  Yesterday, Emily came in from work with a cup of water, like she usually does and asked me to try it. It was nice.  Sparkling water.  She said that it was plain water put through a Sodastream machine (or something similar).  That was all that was said about it.  Just now, I went to Facebook, and the first thing to greet me was an ad for Sodastream.  How?  I had forgotten about it and certainly didn't do a search.  My computer was nowhere near us.  It had to be my phone eavesdropping.  Pretty scary stuff.

Halloween is creeping up and can now commence since Katherine has her Skye costume.  She was going to be a purple cat this year since that's her favorite animal and favorite color but then, no, she didn't want to be that.  Then a black cat or a purple fairy or SKYE from Paw Patrol.  We realized on Wednesday that her Halloween parade was yesterday at school, so I ordered an Amazon next-day delivery of a toddler Skye costume.  It came hours before the parade, but she had been feeling bad that morning, it was pouring rain, and we just didn't want to do it.  Katherine knew nothing about it, so that was no problem.  We came home and unpacked the costume and got busy making a little girl happy.  Graysen was about as excited as Katherine was.  Emily always wants to make their costumes or put them together and never considered how happy a store-bought one would make this girl.

/

That helmet gave us all kinds of trouble because it wouldn't stay on, and she was resorting to lying on the floor whining and kicking furniture.  Luckily, my excellent sewing skills came into play, and I ran home and found a piece of pink elastic to sew under the chin to hold it on.  On the Double - Mimi saved the day.  

Emily had planned a tea party for the afternoon after she got home, and that was nice.  It's a sneaky way for us to have a cup of tea with little fuss.  They had lots of guests and used their sweetest and most polite voices - except when Katherine was yelling for more jelly beans.

 Only the most special friends were invited.  That pink bear was recently rescued from a donation box in the garage and has not been out of Kate's sight.  He waits in her car seat while she's in school and then sleeps with her and is just always there.  Also, the sister dolls were gifts from Debby when Katherine was was just a baby.  I think the hair bothered them a while, but now "the girls" are right there in the middle of it all.

Emily finished Graysen's woodland fairy costumes this afternoon just in time for a party up the street.  The glitter that doesn't fall off the leaves tonight can go to school and decorate Ms. Boyle's classroom Wednesday.   Then it's trick or treat Wednesday night and Pajama Day at school Friday.  Pajama and Technology Day.  I don't know what that is.  They already do computers and coding as part of their classwork.  I'm counting on Graysen to teach me to code.  I remember it as being really, really hard in 1995 or so.

After all the blue skies and beautiful leaves, it started raining this afternoon, and now the wind is blowing really hard.  I got out for a few minutes and took this picture.  I think the leaves will be mostly gone this weekend.

I love the sound of the rain and wind.  It's a good night to snuggle in bed and read.  I went to bed last night about 7:00.  Friday nights, I've about had it.  I woke up at 1:00, thinking it was morning and just stayed up and worked and read with a couple of short naps during the day.  I love Saturdays and being able to do what I want to.

Sick

Ugh.  Got flu shot but whatever the girls are bringing home from school is more powerful.  I had a vague sore throat earlier this week, but it was bad along with my ears yesterday and hardly any voice.  It worries me that I have to travel Monday night.  I'm hoping it's a lot better.  I'm taking some over-the-counter stuff, and my throat feels better.  Since I want to sleep on the plane Monday night, maybe I'll get some of the regular Nyquil.  I've heard that will put you out.  I have to find a happy medium between being alert when I get to Atlanta and getting some sleep.  Not a fun thing to add to my anxiety already.

When I feel bad, I don't want hovering, but this morning I welcomed it.  Elise got her Dad's empathy gene and - well - hovers.  I had coffee, a pill, blueberry waffle, and a fire.  When I got up to get ready to go get the girls off to school, she informed me she was taking over this morning.  She doesn't go into work until 3:00, so she's free most mornings.

I did protest a little bit, but she overrode every protest.  I made a whole page list of what to do to get them both out the door and where to take Graysen.  Katherine stays home today, so I hope Elise is going to be available for the nonstop talking she does.

I think I like it, a little hovering.  I've just learned to cope by myself the past few years - and all those years when Mike was working in Texas, but it's nice to have responsibility taken over by someone else.

When Elise looked at the list, I figured she would be offended that I didn't trust her to know what to do, but she didn't, and what she said made me have tears.  She said, "There's so much love in this list.  So much that you do for them."  I don't think of it like that.  Some mornings, I feel like a drill sergeant barking out commands.  Socks.  Teeth.  High pony tail, low pony tail, barrette?  Which shoes?  Which coat?  Check the weather.  Watch the clock.

Let's see how it works out with Katherine here today.  Tomorrow is Friday, and Emily is off early - and then the weekend.  I'll just concentrate on getting better before Monday night.

Leaves and Slugs

Kate was fascinated by this brown slug we saw.  She watched him going as fast as he could, and she said she was going to help him so he wouldn't get stepped on.

When she touched him, he turned into a turtle.  She said.

It was blustery all day but not cold until about 5:00 when Graysen showed me she could see her breath.  It's pouring and 44 degrees.  I'm going nowhere.

Tomorrow Graysen is going on her FIRST EVER SCHOOL BUS RIDE and is so excited.  They're going to Seattle to see The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Emily is a parent volunteer.  If the timing works out for Emily to take Katherine to school, I'm going to snuggle in for the morning.

I'm making progress on cleaning out my garage and have been hauling around boxes and boxes of stuff to donate.  Yesterday I finally got to the YMCA where the Good Will truck parks Saturday through Monday.  What a relief to unload all that.  I've enjoyed talking to the drivers.  It can't be much fun sitting there hour after hour hoping someone will come by - or maybe hoping they won't.  I don't know.  The last one asked me if I were Australian because of my accent.  That's a first, I believe.  Yesterday there was a really nice young guy who was stationed in Savannah for awhile and then lived in Pensacola.  He and his wife are renting and trying to buy a house but running into the same problem as most people here.  Sky-high prices.  The median price per square foot of King County homes is $325.

This is what a million dollars will get you.  Three bedrooms, one bath, 1600 sq ft.  One million!  I think it's on the water - but still.



Just fascinated by statistics for this area.  There are 255,000 children ages 1 to 9 in the county.  The median income for Snoqualmie is twice the rest of the country.  I probably really bring down the average!

Just rambling and enjoying being dry for the moment.