Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Giving Tuesday 11/29/2016

It is "Giving Tuesday".  In honor of this day, I want to share two things my husband and I did today.  These were not big events in the grand scheme of things, but for my husband and I it was the idea that we might have brightened someone's day.

Before we had left for my doctor's appt. I was cleaning out my wallet and I came across 4 $25 gift cards for Starbucks.  Now in order to understand my story you need to know that the Starbucks in my city is a good half hour away.  I don't get in there as often as I would like.  The gift cards had been given to me when I was teaching school because every parent knew that I loved my coffee especially my vanilla cappucinos.  I was looking at the cards and thought to myself how they were going to waste.  I decided I needed to give them to someone who could use them.  There is a Starbucks on the campus of our university and I figured that college students would be able to use the cards more than me.  I took the cards to an organization that works with the students.  I asked them to give them out to the first 4 students who came in the door and there was no need to tell them who donated them. 

Then my husband and I went to the doctor.  As is his habit, he dropped me off in front of the medical building and went to park the car.  I sat on a bench to wait for him.  He was walking toward me when I noticed he stopped and walked over to a woman who was struggling to get her walker in the trunk of her car.  They spoke for a moment and then my husband picked up the walker, folded it up and placed it in the trunk.  However, from the struggling he was doing, the walker was not going in as easily as he thought.  He adjusted things in the trunk and tried again....nope.  He turned the walker another way and tried again...nope.  Finally, he gave up and put the walker in the back seat of the woman's car.  She shook his hand and thanked him before getting into the car and leaving.  He walked back to me with a big smile on his face.

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Well, winter has finally made its appearance.  After having a November with temperatures in the 50s and 60s with no snow in sight, I awoke this morning to this.  Now I see winter as a half good, half bad thing.  The first snow of winter is very pretty, very calming (and goodness knows, we need calming after the recent presidential election).  But for me, this first sign of winter is only the beginning of a season which will last till April.  A season of cold, wet and gloomy hibernation.  Does it sound like I don't like winter?  You're right!

Thursday, November 10, 2016

Veterans' Day


A big "Thank you for your service" to my husband (top) and to my dad (bottom).  You make your family proud everyday.

Nov.10, 2016

I have tried very hard not to express opinions on my blog about politics.  It was a mean nasty campaign and by speaking to it on here, I felt like I would be feeding into it. 

Yesterday I spent the majority of the day trying to understand what happened and how anyone could find that person capable of running a country.  I admit that I cried a lot and felt like I was mourning a death.

Today I read statements from many people in all walks of life.  They are saying we must unite together and go on with our lives and hope for the best.  That is all well and good for them.  For me, I am mourning...I am grieving....I am angry.  I am not ready to unite together and go on.  I love this country and everything it stands for.  Making America great again was never a slogan I prescribed to because, in my opinion, America has always been the greatest country on earth.  I am not ashamed of being an American, I am ashamed of some of its people.

So to all of you who, just 2 days after the election, can put aside your feelings of disappointment, anger and grief and hope for the best, I commend you.  For me, it's going to take a lot longer and if that makes me less of an American than you, than so be it.

Friday, November 4, 2016

Autumn is here...the good and the bad of what comes next.

Autumn is once again upon us and yes, it is a beautiful season.  The trees have exploded with leaves of gold and red and yellow.  The air is crisp and brings thoughts of apple cider, homemade soup and warm quilts.  I like Autumn even though, for me, it is a signal that my favorite season of summer is over.  But there is a downside to Autumn.  It reminds me that my least favorite season is around the corner. 

I believe that Winter has its good points as well as its bad points.  Good points include, at least for me, figure skating on tv.  I enjoy watching the competitions on Sundays especially my favorite skater, Ashley Wagner.  I love the sight of freshly fallen snow before cars make their messy tracks in it.  I love to listen to the sounds of the trees crackling in the cold as the wind moves them and of course, Christmas isn't Christmas without snow.  But that's where the good stuff ends for me.  After Christmas, I wish the snow would go away.  I dislike the freezing cold, snow shoveling, fear of falling just going out to get the mail and the feeling of being trapped in the house until April.  I am not into winter sports and my days of playing in the snow ended with retirement.

Of course this is all my own preferences.  There are many people who love winter and wait for it all year.  I give them a lot of credit.  They see joy in the winter weather where I do not.  To me, winter is a bridge we must cross to get to the good stuff...spring, summer and fall.

So I will patiently wait to cross the bridge and see the first signs of spring.