welp, yesterday I lied

welp, yesterday I lied

I posted yesterday morning how I wasn’t ready to take the trees down. I didn’t REALLY lie because at that time, I wasn’t ready. By 4:30 PM; however, I was.

Me and those pesky neighbors are opposites.

I took down the inside decorations and even carried everything upstairs myself. It’s all put away. EXCEPT… I’m leaving the outside lights on until 1/1/24. The pesky neighbors, on the other hand, have all the outside stuff in and are leaving the inside decorations lit until after the new year.

I don’t think either of us are right or wrong — just different. πŸ™‚

Foggy, cold and beautiful.

This morning is nippy, but isn’t this pretty?

Now you know: It took Germany 92 years to pay of its WWI debt. In today’s money, the cost was approximately 500 billion dollars.


it’s the day after Christmas and my trees are still up

it’s the day after Christmas and my trees are still up

I love the way the house looks when I decorate for Christmas. I love the lights, I do. But I’ve been known to have everything down and stored away by Christmas night. Done is done, right?

As I sit in the silence looking at the glow in the office/family room, I realize I’m not ready yet. And I’m already a day late.

Have you noticed how rooms grow in size once the decorations are gone?

Funny that when I put up my Christmas trees (I have 3 inside this year), I don’t feel like it makes the rooms look smaller. But the second they’re gone and packed away, rooms instantly get a lot bigger!

It’s supposed to turn colder mid-week so I should bring in the outside stuff. But even that is staying put for awhile. Having a loft storage room that’s about 600 square feet is wonderful. No more making Perry pack boxes up a rickety ladder in the garage and through a small opening to find a spot in the attic. πŸ™‚

Someone may get coal next year.

Both puppies had packages under the tree shaped like big candy canes filled with toys. ONE of them has already destroyed a couple items beyond recognition. Guess which one?

I hope the Pesky neighbors miss today’s post…

The Pesky neighbors bought me a beautiful poinsettia just after Thanksgiving. I promptly killed it — all the leaves fell off. I didn’t tell them and just before Christmas, I bought another one with the same colored foil around the pot. No one mentioned it during Christmas and the only way they’ll know is if they read about it today.

It’s a test. πŸ˜‰

Now you know: Myrrh, one of the Three Wise Men’s gifts, is a medicinal herb still in use today.


merry christmas – not white, but merry… sort of

merry christmas – not white, but merry… sort of

It’s not often you can go outside on Christmas Eve in Indiana without a coat. This year was the year!

The winter wheat is coming up nicely giving me some Christmas green as a view. Y’all know I wanted snow, but the chances weren’t that great — and it was certainly a fail this year. Guess I could move to Michigan — they had 18″ last year?

Perry’s looking for employees and a new job. πŸ™

Poor Perry had to work last night on Christmas Eve. We’d planned to have a few people over and play cards, but that was spoiled when his assistant manager didn’t show up or call in. Yes, he also has to work today on Christmas, and his relief person is… guess who!? Yup, same one that was a no show last night. He may be pulling a double. Again.

Heartfelt Christmas wishes to you and yours.

May this season be filled with the warmth of love, the joy of shared laughter, and the magic of cherished moments with family and friends.

Now you know – 5 fun Christmas facts:

  1. It’s a tradition in Japan to eat KFC for Christmas. Orders must be placed two months in advance.
  2. 1 in 3 men wait until Christmas Eve to do their shopping.
  3. Bing Crosby’s version of “White Christmas” is the highest selling single of all time.
  4. The abbreviation X in X-mas is not really an abbreviation. It stands for “Chi”, meaning Christ in Greek.
  5. The city of Vancouver, Canada claims to be the birthplace of the first “ugly Christmas sweater” party.

gratitude is powerful: merry christmas eve

gratitude is powerful: merry christmas eve

Traditionally, our family holiday gathering is on Christmas Eve. But not this year! Here I am on Christmas Eve morning and there’s not one present left under the tree.

And although the lights are still twinkling, there’s not one present under this tree either!

But I’m grateful!

Just because we didn’t celebrate this year on the same specific day and was minus a sibling, many of our traditions were still intact. I always cherish the moments our tiny family spends together. The warmth of these relationships are a precious gift.

Being able to celebrate Christmas in good health and with a sense of well-being is also something I’m grateful for. And expressing gratitude — especially during the Christmas season — is a wonderful way to appreciate blessings.

Here’s to creating beautiful memories and embracing the love that surrounds us.

May the spirit of giving and kindness fill your homes — and warmest wishes for a joyful Christmas. 🎁


Now you know: Candy canes are shaped to resemble a shepherd’s staff as a way to remind children of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus.


if you don’t want to get fired for attendance, pick a biz that’s short-handed

if you don’t want to get fired for attendance, pick a biz that’s short-handed

Poor Perry is pulling a double today. He runs a store that’s about to be torn down to build back bigger. One employee was terminated recently and one quit to take care of child care needs. Their work week starts on Friday and at the end of today — Saturday — he’ll already have worked 32 hours.

He’s burning his candle at both ends…

Excuses.

Just in the past 2 days, one employee couldn’t do a shift because of a family emergency — the husband was struggling with their child. The double today is because the employee scheduled had to pick up their daughter in Fort Wayne. Wouldn’t you think you’d pick a different day/time or arrange for someone else to do that if scheduled to work? Nope.

Thing is… some help is better than none, so the risk of repercussion is zero.

And then businesses wonder why they can’t keep the good people?

No help from corporate for reliable ole’ Perry. They’re even dragging their feet on getting back with a background check for a new hire because of the holiday season (that translates to others are actually taking time off to spend with families). So he’s scanning other job opportunities in his limited time not at work. Do you blame him? Sure, he’s compensated well, but that’s far from everything.

Now you know: The hacker group anonymous tried to hack a Mexican cartel and had to back down after the cartel hired counter hackers to hunt them down.