Christmas Eve @ Mollie & Bill's

It's a couple days after Christmas, and I am beginning to get back to a regular life.

ice storm remnants

sure it's pretty, but enough of it!

Today my sister left for New York, we ran some errands and came home to relax.
We had a pleasant holiday, but  after so much work I don't even know how to relax, but I'm going to give it a go.

Watched some TV, but that's boring, fell asleep for a couple minutes, went out and shoveled the last bit of snow.  At that time the sun was shining and I didn't even mind shoveling.  It was so nice to be outside with the sun shining that it seemed pleasant.  Especially after the last 4 days when all we've had is rain, ice, snow, rain, wind, ice and snow.

But what about the pink pajamas with squirrels?

We did scale back this holiday season in keeping with the sucky economic status of the year, but we did give gifts, and my husband presented me with some excellent flannel pajamas.  They are pink with pictures of very large squirrels doing very un-squirrel like things.  Like sharing nuts, and smiling.

They're so loud I'll have to wear ear plugs when I sleep.  Tim too.
Not that the will replace the sky blue jammies as my favorites.  How could you not get a good night's sleep wearing blue sky jammies with clouds and stars.  And there's also my really old red plaid jammies.  I had those before I lost weight and they are huge on me.  I love those too.

It's all about comfort.
Speaking of comfort, for the last couple of weeks my work wardrobe has consisted of my most comfortable jeans, most comfortable shoes, and a variety of decorative hooded sweatshirts.

I'll have to get back to a variety of clothes, but maybe next week.  I'm still feeling the need for comfort... and some rest.

welcoming

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early morning shoveling

Yes, it truly is a joy to get up at 5 and have to deal with a storm like we're experiencing.
I have to say this was one of the worst to shovel that I can remember in a long time.  Very wet and heavy, where the plow went by it was very compacted.  I had to take a spade to break it up.

Tim snow blows the neighbors drive

Real heart attack snow, is what Tim called it.

 No, I'm not worried.
 Just like working out for Tim and I.  We have to take care of the neighbor's drive and sidewalks, and I really do believe after 20+ years this will be our last.
Their driveway is shorter, but they have 3 sidewalks to shovel in addition to around their front and back doors.
Sound like I'm complaining?  Yup, think I am.

spiral trees in the backyard

My boss said to stay home today.  Didn't think we'd have too much business today, and we're trying to say ourselves up for the long push closer to Christmas.
I am at least fortunate, I do have a few days off left before the holiday.  Some of the sales staff are enjoying their last day off today until after the 25th.
Brutal, you say?  Yes, retail can be.  This is really my least favorite time of year work wise.  Sure, it's exciting and challenging.  I'm counting the days.

So I think I'll take care of some things around the house that need attending to.  Hard to believe just a week ago I was headed for New York and temps in the 50's.  Winter is so cruel.

sugar coated

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The weather back home here is a bit of a shock for me.  In New York we enjoyed temps in the 50's and 40's during my trip.  Here there's snow and cold temps. Talk of big snow this week too.

Manhattan view

The first photo is a shot from in front of a cafe on the waterfront in Hoboken.
Quite the view of mid town NY, isn't it?  When my sister moved to the area the whole waterfront was still run down abandoned factory sites.  Unpleasant to look at and what a waste of that great view.
All that's changed now.  Apartment buildings, shops, and a clean waterfront.

city traffic

Saw a play on broadway on Thursday night.  Always fun to do that.  Saw big name stars right there up on the stage emoting just for me.  After the play it's a quick walk back to the Port Authority terminal and a fast ride through the Lincoln Tunnel back to Hoboken.  At that time of night the entire ride takes about 15 minutes.

me in front of a celebrity bakery

Yes, that's me in front of the bakery that hosts the TV show "Cake Boss".  No, we didn't go in.  It's always packed. It's on the main street of Hoboken, right across from City Hall.

Grand Central

On Friday we went back into the city to share the seasonal joy with thousands of other people.  We stopped into Grand Central Station because I'd never seen the inside.  It certainly is grand.

The big thrill for me was to go the the Morgan Library.  Situated on Madison Avenue it was once the Morgan mansion, now remodeled and updated, parts of it still are authentic.  Like Mr.Morgan's study and library, where we saw the original handwritten copy of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.  The original!!! in his own handwriting!!!  You get to see a page of it.  They open it to a different page every holiday season.  Hard to read his handwriting, but I studied it for a couple of minutes and found a familiar passage.

It may sound dorky, but I was excited to see it.  I love that story, and I love Dickens too.  Upstairs they had a display of lots of Jane Austen items, letters, rare first editions, stuff like that.  There were by far many more people viewing that display.  I enjoyed the authentic surroundings of Mr. Morgan's library.  Just amazing what wealth can by.

The tree

Of course we had to see the tree.  Wow, what a lot of people.  But it is fun.

Skating on a Friday afternoon

Here's a shot of some of the ice skaters there in front of the NBC studio building.

30 Rock, as they call it.

Really giant lights

It may be deceiving, but what looks like string of lights in the photo were giant, and were probably half a block long.  Very cool.

Bagels on the Hudson

  Had to get a shot of our favorite bagel place in Hoboken.  Couldn't get quite a whole dozen in my luggage, but brought back enough for a bagel fix for my husband.

Bloomfield St.

Back home again yesterday.
Amazingly the flight was half empty, no delays, I arrived home on time, even if it was cold it certainly was grand to be home again.
Glad we put up the Christmas tree last weekend so it was here to greet me and remind me how beautiful the holiday season can be.

It's fun to go places, good to come home with stories to tell of adventures in the big city.

It also sort of resets some attitudes and gives you a break from the every day.
Of course tomorrow it's back to the daily stress.  But I have some fun memories to ponder on.

on the way home

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We just finished decorating the Christmas tree. I think I put more ornaments on a tree than is really necessary, but I like a balance of color and shape and size.  Sort of the way I do a floral arrangement. 
Lots of lights too.  Of course lots of lights. 
For someone who doesn't really celebrate Christmas much I do enjoy it.  I like holiday music too.
Long ago I reconciled with sad memories and long work hours and the like.
If you don't enjoy what's in front of you, well, what else is there?

Last night we went over to a friend's house and we brought soup and we watched "White Christmas" on their big screen TV.  Sang along with all the songs and loved the outfits.  A simple evening's entertainment, but it was fun.

On our way now to meet friends for lunch.  It really all goes better when you share... good and bad.  once again there's that balance thing.  Friend's will celebrate with you and commiserate with you.

I'm on my way to New York for a couple days this week.  Going to go to a play of course, and do some big city shopping and walking with the throngs of people.  Of course we'll go see the tree and probably some of the windows in the shops on 5th Avenue.

That really sounds glamorous, doesn't it?  Well, it is.  And fun.  I could never do this if my sister weren't living there, and if she wasn't generous.  It's an expensive town to visit.  Of course to us small town folk it's a little intimidating too, but people are just people, right?  There they're just louder.  You have to be.  No body could hear you otherwise.

Tons of other stuff to do in the next couple of days.  Work of course, and I want to play my new guitar, oh yeah, I'm thinking about getting a ukulele.  Why, you may ask?  I just don't have enough things in my life I only do half way.  I need another hobby I don't have time for I think.
Balance, balance in all things.....  time to go..... Sunday adventure is waiting. 
 

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Husband Tim and I were discussing life the other day.  Our place in it, our age, our observations, and the way Tim put it:"life's like a conveyor belt were you just keep moving along at a speed you might not even notice and sooner or later you reach the end of the belt and it dumps you off ".

We were specifically thinking about age and how change is more noticeable now that we're in our 50's.  Another generation is stepping forward.  The only people who look like us on TV are the ones in laxative and adult diaper adds.
Not time for us to dry up and blow away, but we can definitely see the last quarter of our lives starting.

What primarily brought this to our minds is dealing with our neighbors who both had serious and severe health issues come upon them somewhat suddenly in the last two weeks.  Sure they're senior citizens, but they were both in what you'd consider pretty good health up until hospital visits for both of them.  They're not family, but we've been neighbors for 12 years or so and I hate to see this happening. 

So what else has been going on?  Well work's stressful.  Nuff said about that.
I have a new guitar.  Picked it up yesterday in Madison.  Tim and I planned a fun day around that, and it was a welcome change in the work week.
Went to a new music jam last weekend in Freeport, that was fun.
Tomorrow's our Poplar Grove jam.  Looking forward to performing with my new guitar.  (and Tim too)
Party out at friend's farm after that.  Weather should be good for this time of year and we'll be out in the country for the evening.  More fun there.

 
Going to New York in a couple of weeks.  Just for a couple days, but that will be fun too.  My sister may be moving this upcoming year, so I better get some more Broadway shows under my belt. 

So that's some of what's been going on....  listening to Christmas music, no I don't think it's too early.
This holiday season we're really doing what we've said we're going to do every holiday season.  Not much in the way of presents, just enjoying the company of friends

Right now I'm enjoying a sip of port.  Fortified wine is what port is.  And mighty tasty too.  As Tim said, boy, it slaps you in the face but it's doing it with a mitten on.  That Tim....  what a way with words.

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That about sums up the past week.  Unusually pleasant weather for November, and my sister Mary visited.
It was so warm we went for a quick bike ride on Sunday.  During the whole month of October I don't think we had any opportunity to finish up the bike riding season.
Felt kind of strange because I'd already sort of put outdoor activities out of my mind till next spring.  Here we were doing yard work and all manner of things without jackets and mittens.
As a matter of fact during our bike ride around the neighborhood everyone was out with some sort of impliment of leaf collection.  Sort of looked like a movie set.

Dropped Mary at the O'Hare bus at 5 Monday morning and back to work.

Time for Tim and I to get back to playing some music.  What with the cold I had and company that's been on the back burner.  And it's really a necessary part of our lives like excercise and work.  Well, that didn't come out the way I wanted it too.  Made music sound like some sort of punishment.  I meant that it's part of a well rounded life.  And it is a form of excercise too.  Have to keep the fingers and vocal chords in shape.

Other than that not much to report.  Just getting by like most of you.  Must be a lull before some flurry of activity. 

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on the Coronado stage

You think there's an old ornate theater in the city where you live that's remarkable?
I'm sure it has nothing on the Coronado Theater.
Built in 1927 it's an "atmosphere" theater.  That means it has stars in the sky that sparkle, clouds that float across the night sky and a moon too.
Not to mention the oddest assortment of designs styles ever collected in one building.  Funny thing is that it works.
This fine old theater was scheduled for demolition and one of the few good things this town's been able to do right is bring it back from the edge of extinction and improve it without ruining it's character.

So what better way to celebrate Halloween than to take a ghost tour?  After all a place like that just has to be loaded with spooks. There were a couple stories, mostly it was a fun informational tour.  Had some spooky organ music played for us....

the original organ

  The organ was originally used to accompany silent films,

We've had tours there before, but this one took you into the orchestra pit, behind the scenes and on the stage.

Along the way there were some ghost stories, but he most remarkable thing is the theater itself and the story it has to tell of the passing years.

in the organ loft, yes, that's a real drum

  Even got to see the workings of the organ behind the scenes.

Not exactly a typical Halloween event, but it was entertaining.

gold leaf dragon detail in the ceiling

We'd had about the regular amount of trick or treaters.
Some cute costumes, some with no costumes, but it really doesn't bother me.  After all, that's one of the good things about Halloween.  It's all about the candy and how much a kid can get.  I can't eat it, so someone else might as well enjoy them.

a trove of cupcakes

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IMG_1283

So we did have our mid-week adventure last Tuesday. 
Saw Arlo Guthrie and family in Madison.  It was out of the ordinary to wake up in the morning to find out you're going to a concert that night that you hadn't even heard about.
We had dinner right across from the theater, very convenient.  The photo here was taken from during dinner.

We'd been to the Barrymore theater about 15 years ago for a concert.  It's an old movie theater and has a casual atmosphere.  Casual in a sort of run down way.  I don't mean that in a really bad way, it has lots of character. And sticky floors, and the seats are starting to sag.  But the bathrooms were clean, and to me that's a sign that people really do care.  
Indeed it was fun to step out of the ordinary work week and do something spontaneous.  It helped that the tickets were free too.  Arlo is a great story teller and is a hoot to see, even if you don't know his music.  This tour is more about preserving his father's music and starting the next generation on their way.
It was okay, but Arlo by himself is much more entertaining. 

The rest of the work week passed okay even though I was suffering from a light cold/flu thing.  Not really bad, but bad enough to make me want to lay my head down every couple of hours or so.

Saturday we headed to the wilds of southern Wisconsin for a Halloween event.

Jan & Tim perform squash surgery

Pumpkin carving for everyone!  And food and music too.  What more could you want for an event?  Al & Claudia's home is situated in a lovely spot, high on  a hill overlooking  a river.  Even though the fall colors are not what they should be this year it was a pleasant trip through the countryside getting there.
Nice to see the sun too.  We've had more gray rainy days than I can ever remember for a season.

spooky collection

I'm glad we went even though I was dragging.  You have to have fun when you can.  Fun waits for no cold/flu thing.

meow

The cat face pumpkin is the one I carved.  From a pattern, no it's not my own design.
Enjoyed playing music, but I couldn't sing because of my scratchy throat.  Still waiting for that to get better.
But today's the first day in a week that I have some energy.  Already put away some laundry and did some stuff around the house.
Have to make the ever popular grocery run.  Don't want to, but it's one of those things you might as well do now because it has to be done sooner or later.

Everybody wore a hat but me!

Sunday Tim was helping Mollie and Bill with their computer, and since I find that kind of stuff as interesting as watching paint dry, Mollie and I went for a walk and then I headed home for some rest time.

So it's another Tuesday.... I'm headed off for my errands and I don't think there will be much adventure today.  At least I'm not expecting any.  And sometimes that's good too.

greetings of the season!

good night for a fire

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Cutting Mike off from the bar...

We enjoyed our Saturday afternoon at the Grove.  Think we performed well and had a good time and that's what it's all about.

Mollie and Bill returned from the wild West and we took a drive to a nearby orchard for some cider and donuts.  Sounds like a fun trip and we're looking forward to seeing the photos.
Upcoming this weekend is a Halloween/music party so when I was out and about today I picked up a couple pumpkins to carve at the event.  Very cool when everyone gets theirs done and they're lined up outside.  These pumpkins are huge!  bigger than I would normally buy, but they were cheap and the only size the grocery store had.  So big we go.

Jan, Mike, and Mike...

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It' Saturday morning, and we've run through some our songs and getting ready to head for the monthly jam where we'll do a half hour set and then hopefully play along with others too.

The sun's out, which is positive considering the dreary cold wet week we've had.  Temps are running about 15 degrees below normal so that means freezes just about every night.  Doesn't look like fall will redeem the weather balance for this year.  I'm holding out hope for some normal fall weather this upcoming week.

Yesterday I did my annual "soup-er" day at work. I made 4 different soups for lunch for everyone and lots of folks brought treats and add-ons.  Made for a fun lunch time.

Just trying to move forward and keep all the plates spinning.  I did pack all the yard sale stuff away and took more than half of it to GoodWill.  It was hard in a way.  I'm used to getting rid of stuff, but this was different.  I gave away some things that had been with me for a long time.  Like I was putting a period at the end of a sentence I can't erase.

I'm ready to take a break from responsibility for a while.  It's hard to turn everything off, but I need to take a step back from all this relentless scrounging and purging and cleaning and getting rid of.  Not that I intend to get more stuff, just take a break.

Well, better get the guitar in it's case, we're on our way to a musical afternoon.

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