2024 Is Out The Door!

 My final post for a lean posting year.  This year has flown by as it seems all do these days and just uttering the numbers 2025 makes me shake my head.  I still can't believe I'm "in my seventies"!  It's been a busy month even with not working as much as previous months.  Christmas came so quickly but these days I've had the chance to sit still for a minute and enjoy the decorations and quiet.  Jack is finally going to be able to close the office door for the last time.  It's taken 3 months to wrap it all up.  He practiced for 47yrs and part of that was with his dad, so clearing out the office also meant clearing out items that were there when Dad was alive.  It's been hard work and emotional work.  His Mom worked there too as the office manager back in the day and there were items there that will always remind me of her.  I got a little teary eyed as I vacuumed up the rooms.  We filled a dumpster, took furniture to a church mission, sold some things and gave much away.  His patients will miss him.  He had 4 show up yesterday and since he still had an adjusting table available, he took care of them.  One of his patients showed up this morning as we were cleaning because they saw his van in the lot and he hoped to get an adjustment.  We chatted for a bit but had no equipment left to do anything.  Yep, this chapter probably goes as the hardest part of this year for Jack, but we're hoping for new adventures in 2025.  Yesterday I did take time to make my Greek New Year's bread.  It's called Vasilopita and it's baked with a coin inside.  When it's cut on New Years, whoever gets the coin in their slice will have good luck for the year. 

I made enough for us and one for a neighbor down the street and one for my BFF Donna.  I wish everyone a very happy and healthy new year even if you don't get the coin in your slice of life tomorrow!  2024, you're out the door!

Has Spring Sprung?

 No, Spring isn't here but it sure feels like it!  We've had temps in the upper 50's to 60de the last few days. A little sun here and there was nice but mostly we've had rain.  I know we were in a drought this summer, so I won't dis the rain.  This is not really unusual weather for our area as I've looked back over the years on my blog and found warm temps this time of year.  I can even recall a January time when we had a 70de day when my BFF Donna and I used to walk.  I know the cold is coming this week, so I'll enjoy this reprieve!  Last night I finally took the walk around our "Candy Cane Trail" at Freer Field.  It was pretty amazing.  It first started last year but they really upped the beauty factor with tons more lights and sights.  Annabelle came with me as Jack was a little under the weather.  I wish I had remembered to put my memory card in my camera to get better pics....senior moment!  So, here's just a little taste that I took with my phone:

Start at the beginning:

Annabelle enjoyed the trek and lots of kiddos stopped to pet her.  She's a good sport and loves people so petting her was a bonus for her.  

The lighted trees and little vignettes like gingerbread people were beautiful.  There were many other cute stops for a photo moment or just to look at like a Nativity set up or a reindeer looking for Rudolph!  It's about a mile or more and we did win a place in the Guiness record books for the most lights on metal trees or something like that.  If you go to Facebook for Candy Cane Trail, I think you'd get a much better depiction of the event.  

My pathetic pics sure don't do it justice.  However, it was a nice, warm night with no wind and Annabelle and I enjoyed our walk.  There's only a few more days to blog before closing out 2024.  I hope everyone has a good Monday and a Happy New Year! 

Merry Christmas A Day Late!

 You know the saying, "A day late, a dollar short"?  Well, that's me today.  Late and lots of dollars short! I have been bad about blogging but dealing with blogger and sign ins and such has become a bit of a pain. We'll see how the new year goes with all that.  In the mean time, Christmas day went well here at the Pines. It was a little different this year.  We've always hosted Christmas celebration on Christmas day.  When our grown kiddos had littles it wasn't bad.  Most of the in-laws did Christmas Eve and then we had the next day.  But the littles aren't little any more and a few are married and have their in-law traditions to deal with.  So we sort of had a gathering that came in different times. Phil's girls came early because their other Grandma was having her Christmas that fell into ours.  Our Granddaughter Lexi was ill so it was just Phil and Rae and her sister Aria that made the trek.  They opened gifts and ate some of the snack things I had set out before  heading out on their way.  I was a little miffed that this was happening but couldn't really do anything about it.  It was a quick fun time with them anyway.  Next, most of the crew came at the appointed time with just a few coming in a little later.  I had all the gifts pretty well organized into family boxes and it went well.  I think everyone liked the gifts and no returns are necessary!  We had some fun laughs along the way before heading into the food zone.  Ham and a million sides were served and then we played a game and tried to eat dessert even though we were still full! Ha!  

Gathering around the food!

This is Hazel smiling for YaYa.  She's my daughter-in-law's Grandbaby who's become a favorite visitor here and we are happy to be step "Great Yaya and Great Pawpaw"!  She has a 1yr old little sister, Tatem, but I don't think I have any pics of her from yesterday. 

Granddaughter, Summer with her constant companion, Happy!

Wait, I do have a Tatem pic...standing by her Grandma, Evelyn.  

Jordan with his girlfriend, Brittany and her little girl, Haylee.  It was nice having tiny kiddos again around the Pines!

Driana and her hubby, Jonathan.  Driana is an RN and works at a University Hospital in Cleveland.  I work at University Hospital, Samaritan, here in Ashland and she just starting training doing EGD's and colonoscopies at her facility..hmmm....just like YaYa does down here in Ashland! We had a lot of colon stories to tell each other!  I did a bit better with photo taking this year.  I'm usually pretty busy with food prep, talking to my family, organizing the gifting and such and forget to snap a pic.  Oh well, I will show this one photo that did make me laugh.

This is a bad shot of Evelyn and Sam's back sides but the little girls were excited to look out and see a couple of Santa's reindeer in the back yard.  Yep, three deer showed up and I couldn't resist telling them that the reindeer were visiting to say good-bye for this year and to be reminded to be good for the new year ahead. I think the adults even bought that story! Ha! (no one noticed the "reindeer" had no antlers!) 

Here's a pic of the quiet before the storm as we got the livingroom set up for the family.

I found these green chair covers on line and they fit my yellow chairs to make it look a little more festive.  I sort of like to decorate for Christmas!   Last weekend Jack and I went and helped the Salvation Army by ringing a bell by the red bucket.  Annabelle came with us.  I promised Jack I wouldn't put this on Facebook but I hope he doesn't mind this pic on the blog:

We were laughing at the tiny size of the bell! However, Annabelle looked cute in her sweater.  She loved all the attention from the shoppers. Even though we were indoors, this is the exit for the grocery store and it got pretty cold with the door opening and closing.  We were assigned for an hour but after 45 minutes we noticed poor Annabelle shaking.  It was cold on that tile floor so Jack took her to the car and warmed her up until I finished the last 15min.  I think I'd rather do the Christmas in July bell ringing next year!  On a final, not so jolly moment, I want to mention a sad note from this past week.  We had a boy, 13yrs old, in our Church pass away.  He committed suicide because of being bullied so bad at school. Such a tragedy for this family and his friends at Church.  I think social media is the worst for kids when it to gives access to constant bullying and encouraging suicide.  I don't know what could have been done for this young boy to help him but being vigilant about checking kids phones and hopefully taking action if necessary to stop this.  Prayers go out for his family and his older brothers.  This can be a tough and cruel world for kids.  We certainly had bullying in our day but face to face where you can duke it out, get it over with, and walk away.  Times are different now.  Well, I hope this new year ahead can bring peace to everyone and hope for better things along the way.  Have a safe and happy rest of your holiday season.  

December Is Almost Half Over!

I started this post last weekend but it's now Friday the 13th but not unlucky!  No work so Jack and I did some final shopping and running errands.  Our December started out pretty chilly. We got the wood stove up and humming along  only to shut it down last weekend as temps were in the mid 50s! Cold came back yesterday along with snow but the sun has shown the last 2 days and I can take cold when it's so pretty and sunny out.  Ashland had it's annual parade and tree lighting last Saturday.  The crowds were crazy so we watched it on TV. I'm grateful they stream it for us old folks! They have fireworks afterwards and we could hear the booms all the way in our neck of the woods..  Our Freer Field Candy Cane lane got into the Guiness record books with the most lights on metal trees....or something like that!  Well, we have few lights here at the Pines but not in the Creep Woods.  Before our snow came this week I walked the woods with Annabelle when the temps were mild last weekend.

The lights here aren't the Christmas ones, just the Mother Nature type with the slowly setting sun. We will have the beginning of Christmas activities that include a Church social tomorrow, caroling during the week, cookie making, gift wrapping, and hopefully some Christmas movie watching.  I bet all of you are busy too or perhaps just enjoying the peaceful music or going to see Christmas lights.  What ever your activities I hope it's a good weekend.  I'll be posting some pics of our adventures.  Here's a little pic of the house and my decorated new fence:

Here's the snow from yesterday:

I want to put a quick shout out to my BFF Donna who made me the cutest wreath:

Thanks Donna!  Happy mid December folks!