I guess they’re saying today is the coldest day of the year. Since we’re only 1/2 way through January, there’s not a lot of competition so far. Still, it’s cold enough for me and probably 99.9% of those living in Indiana. And I’ll bet you never thought you’d hear me say this… but I’ve had enough snow for awhile.
The hounds without thick coats of hair agree.
Dharma is great with the cold because she has the thickest undercoat of any dog I’ve ever owned. Merida and Hugo have a fraction of the body coverage as Dharma.
Memories are wonderful — BUT they’re also a reminder that you’re old as dirt.
Facebook has a “memories” thing that pops up what you posted on the same day throughout the years. When it’s from a couple years ago it’s fun. But when it’s more than a decade and a half ago… holy cow! Perry had hair and I had fewer wrinkles by at least a gazillion…
Now you know: Thomas Edison’s son, Thomas Edison Jr was an aspiring inventor, but lacking his father’s talents, he became a snake oil salesman who advertised his scam products as “the latest Edison discovery”. His dad took him to court, and Jr agreed to stop using the Edison name in exchange for a weekly fee.
I’m taking the next 4 days to simply enjoy the aftermath of Christmas. That translates to starting the decoration removal on Monday. Of course, removing Christmas from the barndo also means cleaning as I go so everything is back in order for the new year.
Treat yourself to a relaxing activity because you’ve earned it!
I know I’ve earned a couple days to simply not get out of my pjs, and I’m sure you have too! From high expectations (preparing food and choosing the right gifts) and tons of social interaction — to traveling (for me it was riding in a car for over 3 hours), late nights, early mornings, and a disrupted sleep schedule — it’s exhausting.
And that’s not even touching on the stressful photo battle I fought and lost…
4 Tips for cleaning up after Christmas:
They say you should break Christmas clean-up down into one room at a time to stay organized.
I never do that… I take down and pack up everything first, and then go to war on the house cleaning.
They say you should declutter as you’re packing decorations.
I never do that… I can’t part with some of my ornaments — even the ones that are too broken/ratty to put on a tree.
They say you should clean decorations, wrap lights carefully, and store everything in plastic totes.
I never do that… I cram everything in boxes (they are labeled for the most part) and figure I’ll untangle the lights next year or buy new.
They say you should make it a team effort and involve the whole family.
No way I could do that! If I waited around for my family’s help, we could just leave everything out for next year.
I’m ZERO for 4. 😬
Some do it early and some wait…
There was a time I had my house totally put back to normal on Christmas night. I don’t do that anymore but I never leave the decorations until after the new year.
While there’s no definitive statistic, a significant number of people take down their Christmas decorations after the first of the year (TYPE “A”) — and many simply aim to have their homes back to normal before 1/1 (TYPE “B”).
So are you an “A” or a “B” — and how many did you score on the 4 tips above?
Now you know: “Project Iceworm” was a top-secret 1958 $2.7 billion U.S. plan to convert part of the Arctic into a launchpad for nuclear missiles, including a nuclear reactor. Due to shifting Greenland ice sheets, the plan was scrapped in 1967, & the massive underground structure thereafter collapsed
Christmas Eve was with my family at the barndo, and Christmas Day was spent with Perry’s mom in Rising Sun. Of course, photos are important as a keepsake of memories. It’s especially important to have decent photos taken during special gatherings with families.
Christmas Eve Photos at the Barndo…
Christmas Day Photos at Perry’s Mom’s House…
The Christmas Lesson: Don’t take photos under florescent lights and expect them to be any good at all.
I hope the spirit of Christmas filled your home with warmth, laughter, and love, and your holiday season was filled with cherished moments and blessings. And, I hope your photos were not taken under florescent lighting. 🙂
I’m sure Seymour had wind, but I swear I don’t remember it being so freaking windy there all the time. The pool cover is hanging in there, but it’s not happy about it.
Today is the first day of winter 2024!
A few flurries yesterday is all we got and the forecast for Christmas Day here is above 50°. My favorite brother, now in Fort Wayne, IN instead of Vegas, got about the same amount. To hear him tell about it is like reliving my Dad talking about walking 10 miles to school uphill and barefoot. 😉
Now you know: The idea that caffeine makes you dehydrated is largely a myth.
With Christmas rapidly approaching, I jumped in the time machine for a trip down holiday memory lane…
We’ve never been a big family when it comes to holiday celebrations, and that hasn’t changed. But this year, even Katie won’t be with us now that she’s living in Tennessee and working two jobs. Over the years, it’s not been possible for even our small family unit to gather every single year for various reasons. I can’t imagine how big families do it.
The ghosts of Christmases past…
If you’re like me and have lost loved ones, you probably miss them during holidays most of all. Pap-pa died when Ben was just a baby, but Nanny was still around for almost another 30-years after that. She was doing holiday celebrations 5 years longer than Dad and 4 years longer than Scott’s Sheri. She’s still hanging around during the holiday season here…
Christmas is my favorite holiday, but I’ll admit it can be stressful.
Too bad Ben didn’t didn’t have 4 or 5 kids so we’d have little ones to spoil. Scott has ZERO children but shares grandchildren with his wife Tammy and of course, they have their own Christmas gathering.
Maybe I should’ve had 5 kids — with at least a couple of them being girls — so the hosting and preparation could fall to one of them. My friend, Julie, would say that way of thinking is wrong. Her Thanksgiving was spent with the parents of her daughter’s husband that no one likes. 🙂
Now you know: Dogs have been banned from Antarctica since 1994 due to fears that they could spread diseases to the native seal population.
