witt's Blog

OK. I have figured out my New Year's resolution. One resolution, which has a dual purpose.

KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT:  gain friends and lose inches. 

Well, I'm all behind schedule again today. We were sleeping in! We didn't get up until 6 a.m.this morning. I got all my Christmas decorations down yesterday and put away. Things look so different after you take out the tree. It's funny how you can get used to something so quickly. I'm hoping that I haven't left something up or out by accident. 

When I finished that,  I started hemming some of the pants that I received for Christmas. (Yeah, I know. I bought them for myself, but what can you do when Hubby can never think of anything to get me?) They were all way too long. Of course, all my pants are way too long, even petites most of the time. I'm only 5 feet tall. I got three pairs done and have one left to do. That sound excessive, but I haven't bought anything new in about 3 years.

Today is our anniversary. I wanted to get my seafood that I love, but that didn't work out. Son came to put the new wheel on the old wheelbarrow. Neither of the guys wanted seafood, but as it turned out, the restaurant wasn't even open today. We went to the next best place--the local greasy spoon and had cheeseburgers and onion rings. I suppose that my next opportunity for seafood will be Valentine's Day. But if Hubby isn't very romantic about our anniversary, how can I expect him to be romantic at Valentine's Day? I'm not complaining, though, because everyday with him is like Christmas, birthday, Valentine's Day, and all the rest of the holidays all the time. I have never been happier.

The large gray-haired man got off his four-wheeler and came toward us with his shotgun in hand. He was a little hunched over, wearing a red-checked flannel shirt and a floppy old hat.

John got out of the truck. I stayed put. They walked off and disappeared behind the junk. They were gone for quite a while. I happened to spot a pick ax leaning on a tree right next to our truck. Oh, no. Has this wild man disposed of John and now he's coming back for me??? Finally, they returned with John carrying a big bag of pecans. Whew. I was never so happy to see anyone in my life.

As we were driving off, John asked me if I knew who that was. It was Mr. McGowan. He's the one who owns all kinds of property and grows peaches, strawberries, evidently pecans, etc. and used to work for the state in some capacity. He invited John to go to Rainbow Lake sometimes. He owns that, too. We pass it everyday going into town. What a hoot. Talk about not knowing your neighbors. I don't know where he lives, but I'm sure that he doesn't live in that house. That's just where he plays with all his junk. What an adventure.

What a wonderful Christmas we had. I hope that everyone enjoyed the special day.

Son must think that we enjoy gardening. He gave Hubby a tire for the "good" wheelbarrow. It's one that will never deflate. I think that Son may have gotten tired of always having to inflate that tire!

He gave me a beautiful book about the flowers and plants of the Carolinas. I can't wait to cuddle up under my blankie and read, read, read.

I dread taking down the tree and decorations, but I'll just do that when the urge hits me. Today will be a lazy day snuggled on the couch, knitting on my slippers, and enjoying the Christmas leftovers.

What a great business/holiday breakfast we had. Everyone got a huge bag filled to the brim with goodies--a luxurious throw blankie, cookies in old-fashioned tins shaped like treasure chests, small cakes, homemade mints, and a book. I didn't get a book, but I got something better. A Panthers shirt! 

As far as the smoke detector beeping, we had just put in new batteries a few weeks before. That wasn't it. I told that story at breakfast. One of the writers, who also directs plays, told me that they do detect the particulates in the air. He said that he had set off the alarms many times right in the middle of a production! I guess I'll just follow ccat's advice. I won't sweep so vigorously, or perhaps I'll just sweep more often!

Dbjc, I'll just have to start doing that. I'll tell them that I have to buy the particular thread if it's tatting or yarn if it's knitting.

I hope that everyone has a peaceful Christmas eve and a silent night.

Thanks for the support, you guys.

I did a little housecleaning, very little, but I shined the place up a bit. As I was sweeping the kitchen, the smoke alarm went off. I'd stop, and it would stop. I'd start sweeping, and it would start beeping. Does a smoke detector detect dust? What a hoot!

Wouldn't you know that it's one of the coldest days of the year and we have to go out to a breakfast meeting with my publisher. I have on a heavy fleece tunic, and my feet are double bagged! I ought to stay warm enough.

At 4 p.m. yesterday, Hubby decided that he'd better get the rainwater dumped out of the bed of the truck, so he drove it down our hilly lane to check the mail. He didn't want his chicken feed to get wet when he picks it up later today. When he came back the water was still there. It was frozen solid! He had to get into the back, bust it up, and kick it out.

I started knitting myself another pair of slippers. I'm making these extra thick (three stands, two are like baby yarn and one regular). This may be a mistake, but we'll see how they turn out. It is rather difficult and very tiring on the hands, but if it works, they would be great.

Remember those sailboat washcloths that I designed for the lady to give as Christmas presents? Well, she changed her mind. She said that she didn't have time to come pick them up. Too busy. Like I wasn't too busy to design them and then knit them. I put a picture of it in Over the Garden Fence under "Another dumb knitting question." I was so proud of myself that I created the design. I guess it'll keep. Maybe someone else will need an inexpensive gift for someone sometime.

I'll be venturing out shortly. Ya'll stay warm.

Ah, the busiest time of the year. The time of year where one does not need problems. Well, I sure wish that someone had told Mr. Gremlin that it was Christmas because he sure did visit me. One of the first little problems was a huge tree fell across all three of our chicken pens. It scared my girls so badly that they haven't laid an egg since. That's forty girls were talking about and not one egg. The guys stayed busy outside sawing, building, and cleaning debris so that I could get my Christmas baking done with store-boughten eggs.

The next little problem was the hot water started to run very hot. That's no big deal. Just be sure to turn on the cold along with the hot. Right? Wrong. One morning while I was busily reading Garden Guides, I heard and felt an explosion. Yessiree! The water heater blew up. Dear Mr. Plumber Man came right out. We also had a problem with our toilet that we asked him to fix while we had him there. Sometimes the tank wouldn't fill until you gave the faucet in the sink a quick blast. He replaced all the "guts." He and his helper got a laugh out of how old our plumbing was. He had to come back the next day with a new water heater. Believe me it's no fun taking a bath in a soup pot! I won't even tell you about the leak afterwards.

Another little problem was my internet people or the server people or whatever you call them went out of business. I had to get service from another business and fast. That was no big deal, but getting everything set up was another story. Thank goodness for pleasant support people. They talked me through how to do things, and helped me over and over and over again.

Then I was going to print one of my poems and attach a snowflake motif to it for my husband's doctor for Christmas. I went to the wrong place to print it and forgot to tell the printer that it was cardstock. Yep, you guessed it. A huge laser printer jam. The first thing the instructions said was to take out the ink cartridge. Take it out? I don't even know how to put it in. But in the end, I got that fixed, or at least I got the paper unjammed. I haven't had the guts yet to test it!

Next my darling daughter decided that I needed to clean out my pooter. It hadn't been done since 2004! No wonder it's so slow. After she did that it threw me out of Garden Guides, and it took me (and yardgranny) forever to get me back in!

All in all I can't complain compared to what we were going through this summer, so if one stops to think about all the blessings that we've had, it's been a wonderful Christmas season.

Merry Christmas everyone!