mudpies's Blog

Preparing for Christmas
Dec 13, 2009 | 7:48 PM PST

November was really mild here, but Old Man Winter has finally caught up to us.

I went north to visit with my Mom on December 3rd and she had a long "Chores List" for me to get through.  She wouldn't be able to continue to live independently if my siblings and I didn't do the things she needs done whenever we visit.  After a brief visit with my youngest sister, I made a dump run.  Mom's beginning to catch on to recycling, but sometimes she mixes glass with plastic or plastic with metal.  As a result, we have to re-sort when we get to the transfer station.  Because Mom's an avid reader, there are always tons of newspapers to lug.  I was happy to make dinner and relax afterward while we visited.  That three-hour drive always tuckers me out.  Both Mom and her little dog, Zoe, desperately needed their hair done, so I contacted a groomer at the next town north and made an appointment for Zoe the following afternoon.

The following morning, I got up and permed Mom's hair.  I've never had any training, but I've been doing Mom's hair for more than thirty years and I've gotten to know how to handle it.  But I'm slower than molasses in January.  I feel bad that Mom has to sit still for so long.  Then I drove Zoe to the groomer's.  It had been several months since she was groomed last.  I was embarrassed that she was such a mess, but the groomer was very pleasant, warning me only that it would be a "do-over" grooming and a little more expensive than usual.  While I was waiting for Zoe, I did some grocery and Christmas shopping for Mom.  Her lists weren't too long and I needed to go to only two stores.  When I picked Zoe up, I barely recognized her.  The groomer did a wonderful job and she was as cute as a button.  I always have a hard time choosing a Christmas gift for Mom because she has so much 'stuff' already, so I paid for the "do-over" and bought gift certificates for two more sessions.  Mom was really pleased with that. 

Taken on Mom's 90th birthday.  Yet more proof that dogs tend to resemble their owners, or vice versa.  Ha ha.

I dropped Zoe off at Mom's and headed to the next town south to pick up a parcel from the Post Office and buy some special dog treats before picking up some Chinese food for dinner.  After dinner, I cut Mom's hair before climbing into my pyjamas to relax for the evening.  Mom was bored, so we played three games of Scrabble.  The little old rascal beat me twice!

The weather was threatening the following morning, so after making lunch, tidying up and emptying the vacuum canister, I headed for home (and a rest  :-)  That was a good decision, because the weather has been nasty ever since.  Mom's area got 27" of snow over the past three days.  It's not as bad here.  We got only about 6", but the winds have been unbelievable, dumping piles of the stuff in the most inconvenient places.  I've been wanting to finish my Christmas shopping, but don't want to drive in nasty weather, so it'll have to wait.  In the meantime, I've been baking and making carrot pudding for the big day.  I also got my tree up.  The forecast is calling for clear skies after Wednesday, so I should be able to get my shopping out of the way then. I get almost as excited about Christmas as a little kid.  I love big noisy family celebrations.  I hope each of you is equally joyous at this wonderful time of the year.