A State of Neglect

Woe, this is the longest I've ever gone without a record of what we've been up to.   It appears I started this a while back, but couldn't get the pictures to load, so I abandoned it and just never returned.  I do know I'll likely be sad whenever I am trying to remember when something happened and there is a big blank spot here.  So, I'll go on with this one I started on Christmas Day and try to get up to speed. 

As is usual, by the last day of school, before break, I could have said, "So long Christmas, see you next year!"  After a couple of days, I got my groove back and started home Christmas. Monday was with Ol' Mother Hubbard and the Cupboard, black bean omelets, home fries and lots of fudge and shenanigans. Now they are 12 to 17, but they do an awesome job making our few hours a priority of joy and laughter and watching our traditional "The Light Before Christmas" one more time.  We think this might have been year thirteen. 

For now, my own kid Christmas is moved to Christmas Eve.  We had brunch on Christmas Eve morning and enjoyed the day. I tried a new recipe for Hawaiian Sliders and we're all fans. 

Well, I don't know if these three are fans. They exited pretty quickly. 

Earlier in the month I had a friend over for lunch. 

We visited a German Christmas Market one Saturday

I used a Sunday dinner to sort all of the plastic pieces and part with all the lids and containers that didn't find a match. We are just a barrel of fun around here. 

Covid has been relentless hasn't it. Since the return from Thanksgiving, my students have been sick. For most every day I've had one to five students out, up until we left on Wednesday with an ice storm on the way. Also, over Christmas break we lost our 38 year old, mother of four, music director to Covid.  So awful.   Most of  my kids have had it, Handy Man has had it and now both my sisters have had it.  I am so relieved that they weathered it without medical intervention.  That leaves me.  There is so much controversy about the vaccines.  All the ways we judge each other is just heartbreaking to me sometimes. I had the vaccines in the spring and had an immediate reaction, as well as what might be an ongoing reaction of vertigo and super sensitivity to fruit, veggies, spice, vinegar, etc. At my yearly appointment in December, I requested an antibody test.  So, I have no antibodies to Covid and the doc isn't comfortable with me having anymore vaccines.  Wow, considering I live in a petri dish were every kind of everything contagious is being breathed on me six hours a day. When I think I know what I want to do, or when I don't have a single clue, the result is the same. Pray about it.  I speculate that I may not have good receptors for Covid due to my blood type.  I also consume a lot of anti-viral supplements. Still, as I prayed, I don't want to be foolish or cocky, but I also don't want to live in fear. My sister procured me some better masks and I continue the supplements.  I really don't like snow/ice days.  I feel my students don't really benefit from e-learning days, but after so many tested positive last week, I was honestly relieved to be off this for four days.  Hopefully, every one being house bound will slow things down. This ice storm wasn't as bad as the one in 2009. So far, no problem trees down and we have power. 

I am always looking for something to beef up my immunity and help my achy joints.  I ran across the benefit of seaweed, Irish Moss in this case.  On the one hand, I absolutely believe in the benefit of many things found in nature, on the other hand, people are very clever car salesman these days. 

Anyway, I ordered some and followed the procedures. 

It came stuffed to hilt in a sealed bag, very dry.  You have to start with a rinse and soak. It looks like a hunk of ramen noodles before you cook them.  I started these yesterday afternoon. 

This morning, I poured off the water and poured more in. Now it looked like a bowl of tiny antlers. 

So another rinse and into the blender.

This what you get. That little clump of weed in the first picture becomes one pint of, umm well, goo. 

It actually has no taste.  Now I can't really wrap my head around how something that has no color and no taste could possible have all the nutrients they claim, but what do I know. 

They say you can stir into anything, but I stir it into my aronia sludge. 

I grew an aronia bush by mistake, thinking it was a blueberry.  Quite unlike the blueberries I've tried to grow, this was a roaring success.  

Wonderful right?

Well the berries taste like grainy dirt and are as astringent as unripe persimmons. It turns out they are one of the most nutrient dense berries around. Awesome, but umm, how do you eat them?  Anyway, I froze them at the end of the summer.  I decided I'd try to figure out a way to get them down during flu season and this onslaught of Covid. I take a cup, blend it with two apples and some honey my brother provided. I slurry it up and stick it in the frig. I pour one fourth in a cup, stir in the above goop and drink it down.  It isn't horrible. 

Here's to God's provision keeping nasty bugs away!

Rae and I are trying to take a pottery class. So far we've had two classes cancelled.  It really is something I need to do again and again to even have a hope of getting the idea of how it works. Oh well, I've enjoyed a different winter activity, the time with my kiddo and when I'm there, I really can't worry  much about anything else. Nice. 

Phil's Mom has been hospital to rehab to hospital three times now over six weeks.  Ceece's grandma broke her hip.  Prayers for them.

2021 Gingerbread House

 5:00 am- time to start December off with a little Christmas Magic.

48 cinnamon rolls, 1 gallon of hot cocoa, one and a half gallons of sausage gravy, 32 biscuits and 30 hash browns, and too much candy is ready to go. 

We were able to be inside this year, but I took a few precautions.  Each child had their own little icing bag, instead of multi colors to choose.  And they picked out their candies as Lilli and Annabelle loaded up a little Christmas container. I plated up breakfast, so fewer hands on fewer things.   As with many things, I foresee that this tradition likely is winding to an end.  With no more babies coming up and another one every year not making it due to other engagements, the hand writing is on the wall. But, I enjoyed it today.  

That growing up business sure doesn't take long. 

Thanks Gwen and Lilli for getting some pictures whilst I was occupied. 

Thank  you Lord for strength for the day and for good sister help!

Ah, November

 Another precious person joins the Patron Month of Lost Mothers and, in this case, such a good friend. 

I'll miss you so. 

It doesn't seem possible that this was just 13 months ago. We were so happy to be together, even though it was on the front porch with a heater.  I remember how much you loved your lunch. You took a picture to send your sister and told her how spoiled you were by all the little doings.  How grateful am I for those times, and for all the times you straightened books, ran copies, strung weaving boards, worked one one with  student who had tried my patience to the bitter end. For all the smell good candles, anti-stress lotion, sweet little pins and pumpkin bread every October for years and years. The way you wore an angel sweatshirt I made you when Rae and Tim were in third grade thirty years ago when they were popular.  All the times you told me what a wonder I was. All the way you supported me through many losses.  The way you loved my kids and grandkids.  The way you were the example of unconditional love.  What a loss to this ol' world. 

Old Man Autumn

 This popped up on FB this week- Old Man Autumn by Christopher Bell 

It startled me.  I've had Jimi on my mind, well even more than usual.   He loved trees and sticks and the kids at Halloween. Of course, he always had a walking stick in his big hand.  Those look just like his eyes looking at me. 

He would have loved that costume.  

Actually, this is a better pick from the Gingerbread House Party- With his stick.

Of course, November has become the Patron Month of Lost Mothers. Mine, Ol' Mother Hubbard's (who was a mother to me) and Ceece's.  

Someone near and dear to me has had cancer return for the third time in a different place.  Boo Hiss.

Another beloved friend had a successful heart transplant, but has endlessly battled one awful infection after another. 

My job is really a challenge this year. And like your life, a few more other things. 

So, cry me a river, then sift the joy. 

Last Sunday, after dinner, I had the boys help me clean out my pin box.  I've never been much of a jewelry person. I settled on pins for a little bling.  A  walk down memory lane. 

Last night, Ol' Mother Hubbard held her annual Halloween party.  There were pirates and glamour girls and lots of good food and fun.  Aunt Tish's friend John and Timothy played and sang. 

I haven't spent my normal amount of time in the garden since Ol' Maple fell and killed a bunch of stuff. Old Man Autumn will really present himself this week, as we are getting close to our first frost.

Rae shared that coleus and a few other flowers could be cut and put in water to root and grow through the winter. I absolutely love coleus in the front garden bed.  This was in early summer. 

Looks a little different now. 

The nasturtiums have hit their stride.

This crazy thing was new to me this year- a popcorn plant. It does smell just like movie popcorn, but I didn't think it was ever going to show the popped corn blooms.  

I was wrong.

Even when they've drooped their heads, I enjoy sprinkling petals. 

Ahh, the hardest thing to part with.  Fried green tomatoes one last time.  Yum. 

I've tried and tried to find a plant to grow all over the little tea house.  Rae grew this little vine from seed and it very nearly got the job done. 

Gardener E. gifted me with a couple of new plants, so I got them settled in before the cold hits.  We've had some good rains and the  ground was great for transplants.  Not much left to do garden wise. I want to put in a few garlic and pull the dahlias after the frost.  That will wrap it up for 2021.

Happy Fall ya'll.