"Bits and Pieces" (for January 10)

Just a few bits of this and some pieces of that in my world on January 12....

1.  I have finally finished the Defensive Driving online course!!  At last!  Now I will admit I did procrastinate on getting it done.  Sometimes having a deadline that's  too far away just seems to encourage sloth.  Time is such a funny thing.  It never lasts as long as you (well, I) think.  One day can last an eternity and three months can disappear in a blink!  I didn't exactly wait until the last minute.  I have been working on it in sections since weeks.  I just didn't build in any extra time for problems.  What a dunce!  There are always problems when a computer is involved!  I know that or at least, I should. 

So I was working on the last section and it took me three times to get through it because my computer kept conking out!  And then once I finally got it finished, the silly think wouldn't print what it was supposed to print.  When I called the company to find out how else I could handle it, they have NO back-up system in place to be able to get the documentation to you if you cannot print it!!  What??  Really??  Their advice?  Go to another computer and try it there.  Well, I don't know about you, but I don't happen to have an extra computer laying around waiting for emergencies.  I would have to go to the library and deal with an unfamiliar system in public use.  I would have bet money that once I got there all the computers would be in use or broken.  Ok, let's come up with Plan C.  Call daughter, talk her through process and see if the documentation would print for her!  And, it did!!  Now all I have to do is pick it up.  Then wait for the Completion Certificate to be overnighted, take it to the Court, wait in line, hope that everything is there and finally, get my record clear!  I have to have it done by the 25th.  Piece of cake, right?  We'll see!


2.  It is hard for me to believe it, but the show I've been rehearsing since before Thanksgiving will open a week from Friday!  Having the holidays come in the middle of the rehearsal period really make the time fly by!   Sunday we start Tech Week (or as some call it, Hell Week.....because it can be!)  On Monday evening we start will full costume runs.  Now that doesn't matter much to anyone but me!  The entire rest of the cast has one costume.  Their part of the show takes place all in one day with several different scenes, but still just one day.  I, on the other hand, am in three scenes and I have three different costumes.  At least none of them are quick changes as I open the first act, open the second act, and finish up in the final scene!  I'll have lots of dead time back stage while everyone else is onstage.  Strange construction. 

I actually think it just might be a really funny show.  Of course, predicting what makes an audience laugh is like  telling fortunes....sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don't.  It is also true that no two audiences react the same or  laugh at the same things.  It's live theater, that's part of the territory!   Tickets are available!  (If any of you from this area are interested in coming to see it, let me know and I'll shoot you a flyer with the info.)

You may not hear anything from me next week, because we could end up having late nights and we go right into performances Friday and Saturday.  Just so you know....


3. I got some great news!!  Because the show will be running for four weekends, Little Sis was able to arrange her work schedule so that she can come and see it!!  Yahoo!  She hasn't seen me on stage for twenty years or more and she has never seen me in a non-musical!  Living so far apart for so long, she wasn't able to see any of my favorite roles, which is too bad.  This one won't be at the level of some of the others  (it's just a piece of fluff), still I am so excited that she is coming!!  Whee!


4.  Christmas is slooooowly disappearing, verrry slowly!  From the outside it looks like Christmas has left the building, but inside is a whole other story.  I've been dealing with a little bit (a very little bit)  each day,  When you have as much stuff and Mikey and I do, it takes a long time.  We store most of it in storage bins (around 15"x17"x12") and they are all lined up on shelves along the side of the garage. The large things (mostly outdoor stuff) goes up to the attic.   Because I keep acquiring more stuff, we keep having to add bins too!  We will probably reach full capacity this year once it all gets put away.  Of course, I've said that before.  We just keep reconfiguring things to maximize the functionality.  I suppose I really should make it clear to Ratchlet that she may not get much of a monetary inheritance from old mom and dad, but boy, will she have Christmas stuff! 


5.   Someone asked me yesterday, how my winter has been this year.  It made me remember that just like every year, the fact is that there is still 3 more months of winter AFTER Christmas.   I have always thought that was just so unfair!  Christmas and winter can be pretty (from the inside) and some folks even are disappointed if there is no snow, but once January hits, I am ready for Spring!  Right away!  Enough with the cold, enough with the grey, enough of the rain (or possibly snow or ice).  Enough of sweaters, and socks, and scarves. I do not want to wait until March for Spring!!  I want to see the little daffodils and irises poking up through the soil.  I want those cute little buds that suddenly pop out on the trees.  I'm ready for my Spring coats and brighter colors.  Let's skip right to Easter!  Anybody with me?


6.  You may have notice, that not only is my house still full of Christmas, so is my blog!  I just haven't had time to play around with the background and stuff to move it into January.  One of these days,,,,maybe I'll go right to February!  

I keep telling myself, be careful what you setup in life, it will become a requirement and you'll need to do it all the time.  Do I listen to myself?  (That, my friends, is what they call a rhetorical question.)


7.  I have noticed over time, that the first few days of a New Year can really set the tone for what the rest of the year will be like.  On New Year's Day, our dryer went kaput!  It took nearly a week to get the necessary part (the whole circuit board!!) to fix it.  But fixed it is.  I started the try to catch up on the mountain of laundry tonight, found I had no fabric softener stuff....aaand, the ceiling light blew out.  Can't  reach it myself and can't do laundry in the dark, ya know?!! 

2012 could have gotten off to a better start....but then, it could have been a WHOLE LOT worse! 

"The Best Gift"

It's not that we have an official competition or anything. We don't really. On the whole, we're not that competitive. Still we all (that would be the Big Guy, Ratchlet, and me, the official Christmas shoppers), try very hard to find gifts that are suited to each other....books by favorite authors, the newest CD from a favorite artist, a canister set that would be just perfect for a newly-remodeled kitchen (but wasn't), the toy a child just can't live without....I'm sure everyone does that kind of thing to some extent.

We go a step or two further than some.  If we should happen to stumble upon something we had never even thought about, that would be absolutely and completely right for someone in our family, well, that is a definite mitzvah, a blessing!  (Hey, I'm playing a Jewish mother in my upcoming show....it wears off, you know?)  If we find that something we know in our hearts, will touch the recipient with some emotional connection, well, we know it will be "The Best Gift".  I wrote about this breifly in a previous post, (from a Christmas-Past.)  The ultimate, most successful and wonderful-est gift is the one that brings the tears.

Please don't think we are weird! It isn't that we want to make each other cry! It's just that we each hope that one special gift (always the last one to be opened) will be truly perfect! We do this with all the love in our hearts for each other. It doesn't happen every year for every one of us. In fact, some years no one gets a "best gift". And that's okay. It is a matter of happenstance or serendipity or divine inspiration or possibly just good luck to come across the best gift. It is rarely the most expensive thing received. The monetary value has nothing to do with it. It doesn't come from the most exclusive store. In fact, sometimes it has been purchased in a thrift, resale, or consignment store, it might have been found in some random catalog, or a small specialty store, or a big department store.  It may be not much more than a small memento of some event or experience or interest.   There’s no planning it.  It’s one of those “know it when you see it” kind of things.  It might be new or it might not. It might mean absolutely nothing to anyone one else in the world, but for the right person....ahhhh, it brings a lump in the throat and tears to the eyes and great joy knowing that someone in your family knows you so well, that they managed to find a best gift just for you.

Over the years, we have hit it many times with Ratchlet, we did it frequently with my mom, occasionally with my sister, even few times with my dad. I am an easy mark....I cry more often than anyone. If you've never had a similar experience, this may not mean much to you. But in our family getting a "best gift" is the ultimate in happiness and love. I know that M-t-G is still too young for us to identify a "best gift" for her, her tastes are still forming, she is not overly sentimental, she is enamored of everything she gets….to her they are all “best”.  TA is another story.  Gifts are not important to him.  His family functioned differently and sometimes he just doesn’t quite get the whole gift thing at all.  His enjoyment comes from the togetherness and family.

My mom was a magician at Christmas.  She was able to give us all a wonderful Christmas every year, no matter how low the coffers might have been.  She started this “tradition” many, many years ago.  She was the most loving and giving woman, and at Christmas, Mom was at her very best.  She always went overboard as far as numbers of gifts and she, too, would hit with the “best gift” for one of us nearly every year.  So this has been a part of Christmas for my whole life.  Mikey and I have always tried for the same loving and happy Christmas that Mom gave us.  We love our family’s Christmas and all it’s traditions. 

And this year, there was a “best gift”.  It was perhaps, the best “best gift” ever!  And it was for someone who frequently was able to give “best gifts”, but had never experienced one himself.  Yes, the  recipient of the best gift this year was my Mikey!  Despite years of thinking that maybe this year will be the one.  This will be the time, I manage to find the perfect gift for him, the “best gift”.  There have been many times that he has really liked one gift or another, but the ultimate indication of the “best gift” never occurred.  No tears.  No “crying for happy.”  No special feeling of sentiment and emotion all tied up in love and joy.   And year after year, I felt let down when my hopes were dashed again.  I just never hit it quite right.  I wanted to find the perfect thing that would let Mikey feel the same happiness that the rest of us had felt knowing that we were loved so much and known so well!  It didn’t happen.  It was frustrating, but I kept trying.



I am almost reluctant to tell you what it was.  It wasn’t incredibly expensive, it wasn’t all that exotic or rare, it wasn’t something that everyone would want, or even something that would be special for most people.  But it was special for my Mikey. Mikey's heritage is Irish, his grandparents came here from County Mayo.  His Dad had spent some time in Ireland as a young man.  That heritage is imporant to Mikey.  The last present he opened this year was a genuine,  Irish Shillelagh, made by hand from blackthorn wood harvested from remote areas of County Wicklow, Cork, or Kerry in Ireland  along with a certificate of authenticity.  It was beautiful in a gnarly sort of way, highly polished, and just the right height for a walking stick.   He absolutely loved it. 



This isn't it, but it is very similar!

 It was a great moment!  After forty plus years, Mikey finally got his “best gift”!!  And he cried for happy! 


Merry Christmas, Bunky!

"The Twelve Days of Christmas"

(The first of my make-up posts.  Warning:  It is loooong!)

One by one I have watched my neighbors and friends put away Christmas, sometimes even starting on Christmas Day itself! By New Year's Day nearly everyone has dismantled Christmas for the year.

It is our feeling here at this house, that we have until the day before Christmas Eve to get all the decorations UP  for Christmas. But after Christmas Day, there is absolutely no thought about taking things DOWN until the day after January 6.  "The Twelve Days of Christmas" are the days to enjoy the lovely things one has. It is so much more pleasant then. No rushing around, no special cooking, no grumpy guests who don’t know when to go home!
Here in one swell foop (I just love that Spoonerism, don't you?)  Are a few of the photos from Christmas 2011 at my house.  Now you all know what a miserable photographer I am, so I basically took about four times as many photos as are included in my collage, but these are the ones that didn't go all blurry! 

Going from left to right (mostly) these are captions for the individual pictures:  (If you click the collage, it will enlarge, I think.)

Some of our Christmas favorites this year!

1)  The large free-standing Christmas Girl Ratchlet gave me for Christmas.  Goes along beautifully with the white, ivory clear, and gold on the white tree.

2)  One of "our" first ornaments, circa 1966.

3)  A charming small Nativity ornament given to me by a dear friend of our family, Mrs. L.  She's been gone many years now, but I remember her fondly every time I put it on the tree.

4)  Our main tree.  It looks a little sparse this year because so many of our ornaments ended up on our White tree. 

5)  "Santa and the Phone Call" figures.  Another thing we've had since our first Christmas together.  They are so sweet!

6)  One side of our mantle with a vintage photo I found in the Antiques Mall, in mid-December.  It too is very sweet!

7)  Our white tree (inspired by Susan at Ash Tree Cottage http://ashtreecottage.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas-in-moms-solarium.html?showComment=1323417120373#c4491435746232471206.  The gold is much more prominent in the photo than it is in reality.  Thanks Susan, I love how it turned out!

8) A handmade memento from one of my actor friends after a production we worked on together.  Suits me to a tee!

9)   Another view of the white tree.

10)   Some random ornaments to show how varied our collection really is!

11)   I finally added two cloches to my growing collection of vintage-look things.  Here is one dressed with a little pink-cheeked angel.

12)  The very first Christmas ornament made by Ratchlet at Nursery School, when she was four!

13)  Some of my collection of white ceramic Santas, along with the new snow globe featuring a white Santa (another lovely gift from my darling daughter.)

14)  (I can't believe it, a duplicate!!)  The corner of the mantle again!

15)  The sofa table dressed for Christmas....first thing you see when you go into the family room.

16)  A photo of my mom (along with the antigue snow lady, just out of sight) in the place of honor on the white tree!

Yep, the 12 Days of Christmas are my favorite part of Christmas. My house never looks as good as it does at Christmas time. Why is everyone in such a hurry to put it away??

As I said, we don't start taking it down until after the Epiphany (Jan 6).  That is also known as Three Kings' Day, because that represents the day that the King's arrived to present their gifts to the Child.    In addition, it is the actual twelfth day of Christmas.  So, as far as I'm concerned Christmas is still ongoing until this day. 

There are a few stalwarts around that still have their lights up and their tree twinkly, but not that many.  When I was living in Chicago, it was more of a rarity to see it taken down sooner.  I think it probably has to do with being raised Catholic (or maybe certain nationalities like German or Irish.)  For Catholics, January 6 is a Holy Day and is the official end of the Christmas season on the Church Calendar.  But then Chicago has thousands of Catholics, Austin not nearly so many and it doesn't appear that many of the Protestant churches recognize Epiphany with anything special. 

Anyway we've enjoyed our Christmas decorations very much this year.  After years and years of pretty much the same things in the same places, after inspiration from other bloggers who put together beautiful displays, we have changed things around and added more new stuff than usual.  And even though, my photos don't  do it justice (big surprise!), our home looked wonderful.

I was so pleased with the way our white tree turned out, even though after four cans of white spray paint, plus one can of "snow", it still wasn't really white but more of a green & white!  Here is a better picture of the finished product.  The gold still looks too prominent than it really is, but I just love it.  I think it will become a permanent part of  our Christmas tradition!   Oh, by the way, do you see the green tree skirt under the tree?  My mother made that for us some years ago and I didn''t have a place for it for the last few years.  I am thrilled to be able to show off her handiwork again.  Mom will always be a big part of our Christmas.

I have to admit that even I can't come up with any legitimate reason to hold on any longer.  All of the Christmas cookies are gone, both the lovely meal Mikey prepared for us for New Year's Day (a day late) and the different leftovers are long gone.  There is still a small amount of fudge left but we are rationing that and it should last a few more days, but I can't stretch that into a reason for keeping Christmas going.   It was a wonderful Christmas, but its really truly over.

Now all we have to do is put it all away......hmmmm, wait a minute, a lot of the things are red or white.....do you think anyone would notice if it all stayed around til after Valentine's Day??

Okay, Okay, it was just a thought!

"A Capella"

Hello dear ones!  I have been seriously remiss in my posting for the last two weeks and at Christmas time too!!  Shame on me! 

The Big Guy was on vacation for the last two and a half weeks and that just messes with my routine.  Don't get me wrong, it was nice to have him around, but what with his presence, the rush and bustle surrounding Christmas prep, the actual holiday, then a "quiet" week leading up to New Year's (we went to a party for the first time in YEARS....it was Ratchlet's party, but still...)  We had a great time.

Then on top of all that rehearsals, this stupid driving test that I am taking in chunks, and the cold-ish weather that makes me want to stay at home in front of a lovely fire in the fireplace, well, the bottom line is that nothing got written.

It's not that there wasn't anything to write about.  I started several times to draft a post, but it just wasn't happening.  Too much distraction I guess.

At any rate you all got gypped on my lack of Christmas stories and photos and stuff.  I am sorry about that, especially for the sweet souls who keep checking every day even though the cupboard was bare!  Might I suggest that you go back to Christmas 2009 and 2010 (look in my archives in the sidebar) if you really need a Christmas fix from me!  Ha!  (If I only had a ego, I would be perfect!  Silly me!)

Well, I am bound to get back on track now that all of that holiday whirlwind is over.  If you can stand it, I will try to catch up with some "make-up" posts over the next few days.  In the meantime, just so you know, we had a WONDERFUL Christmas....I'll share some stories, I promise.

(I feel like such a slacker, but the truth of the matter is my brain can only deal with a certain number of thoughts and concerns at a time...and I guess I hit that number and something had to give, sigh....)

See you soon!

"May You Always"

"Auld Lang Syne" has been the semi-official song for New Year's for decades (centuries?), but not many really know what that means.  I think "May You Always" is a better choice for sending best wishes to all the new friends that I've met through blogging.  "May You Always" is a song of farewell to a lost love, but for tonight, it works pretty well as my wishes for you!

So, dear friends, I hope you all have a wonderful and Happy New Year, and for all of 2012, here is what I wish for you!

May you always walk in sunshine,
Slumber warm when night winds blow;
May you always live with laughter,
For a smile becomes you so.

May good fortune find your doorway,
May the blue bird sing your song;
May no trouble travel your way,
May no worry stay too long.

May your heartaches be forgotten,
May no tears be spilled;
May old acquaintance be remembered,
And your cup of kindness filled, and

May you always be a dreamer,
May your wildest dreams come true;
May you find someone to love
As much as I love you.

Happy New Year!

Hugs and kisses,

Mellodee