The Quiet Week

Saturday evening our neighbour dropped by with a hand delivered Christmas Card, and an invitation to visit. We were delighted, and were ringing their doorbell thirty minutes later. The visit was so much fun! We talked and talked and talked. At last Attila asked the time, it was after 1:30 a.m.! I am usually asleep by 10:00 p.m., so this was really “going wild”. The time had flown by, for all of us.

We were up early on Sunday morning. Attila wanted to leave early, so that he could begin recharging the masonry heater during the afternoon, and turn off the electric heaters that had been turned on during our absence.

Things have been quiet here at the little house in the city since Attila drove away early on Sunday morning. He arrived safely at the country house in the early afternoon, having made a few stops to shop along the way.

Mist and I have been keeping each other company. On Sunday Terra stopped by for a short visit. She works out at the gym in town, and visited after her workout, then dressed for work here, and off she went to work the night shift.

I have been puttering about, reorganizing the little things, putting up a string of lights, cleaning the kitty litter box. Attila usually cleans the kitty litter box, so this is an assumed duty on my part. If Mist feels the kitty litter box needs immediate cleaning, she will find the responsible human, and throw up in their presence. This afternoon she wandered into the kitchen as I was eating my lunch, and announced in her special way that the kitty litter needed cleaning, immediately. I will need to keep a closer eye on that kitty litter box! Or at least check it before I sit down to eat a meal.

This Christmas Attila and I bought full fledged Christmas gifts for the Grandbabies. Until now we had been buying disposable type items at the dollar store, which were colourful and fun. This year, we decided to spend all of our Christmas funds on the Grandbabies. It was fun. Last week I wrapped the gifts, as well as carefully chosen gifts for Terra and Lares, and Luna and Janus. They sit in the corner of the living room, by the window, under the new cafe curtains. They are such a cheerful sight! Next weekend we will celebrate Christmas at Terra’s house. Then the Christmas presents, that sit cheerfully in the corner, will be gone to their new homes. I always find that things look bare when all the decorations have come down after Christmas!

The Christmas corner at the little house in the city. There are Christmas lights at the window, and the gifts for our daughters, their husbands, and the grandbabies are piled joyfully in the corner. This does it for me!
Those are our living room chairs, purchased recently for next to nothing. We have two other chairs, both worn out relics that we brought to the little house when we bought it. That gives us four chairs, which we need when company comes calling.

Yesterday, Tuesday, began with a glass of water, a chat with Attila, and a visit to the health lab. Time for a blood test, a routine blood test. Attila went last week, as there is a lab close by, at the little house in the city. I went this morning, as this seemed like a convenient time to fast, as my blood test required fasting. At the country house the health lab is an hour away by high speed highway. It is time consuming and expensive (fuel) to have a blood test there, while here at the little house it is a short trip, simple and inexpensive.

In the last few years my stomach has become very demanding. I need to eat a little a lot of times a day, to keep it happy. Fasting is, quite literally, painful. Since I rise early, 5:40 a.m. this morning, it is a long wait until 8:00 a.m. when the health lab opens its doors for business. The last half hour or so of waiting was unpleasant, unpleasant enough that I tend to procrastinate on getting my blood work done.

After spending all day Monday in the house with Mist, today it felt good to get out and about. After the blood test I came home for coffee and breakfast.

And that leads to today, Wednesday. It is still dreary out of doors, the snow has melted away in the rain, and I am grateful for that! It was an errand day. Tank needed fuel, and I checked that off the list. Milk and Rice Crispies were needed, and I checked them off the list. Disposable baking pans were needed, and I checked them off the list. A small gift for Attila was also purchased. Our Christmas gift to each other this year was Attila’s time off work, which was an unpaid vacation, so we went without an income for a week. It was an expensive gift, but one we both enjoyed and were glad of. Still, I will wrap a few small stocking stuffer type gifts for Attila, things I know he will enjoy.

I had an odd experience yesterday. There is a human being who became obsessed with me at one point in my life. This was not a healthy interest, nor was it welcome. This person’s actions had devastating effects on my financial path in life. I only recently mentioned him to someone, which is something I haven’t done for twenty years or more. And then yesterday, as I was sitting in the waiting room, waiting for my blood test, there he was. I did not recognize him, but he recognized me. He stared, and stared, and stared at me, rudely, wanting me to look at him, to acknowledge him. Since I did not recognize him, I thought him merely a strange and creepy old man, possibly a disabled man, I ignored his rude stares, and did not acknowledge him. And then, the receptionist called his name, and I knew why he was staring at me, he recognized me. I had hoped never to see him again in this life. Such was not to be. It was the coincidence of having mentioned him, and then running into him after twenty years, that bothered me. Was this a version of the “evil eye”?

I am back working on my genealogy book. Goodness, distractions abound with this book! I have found numerous spelling errors, typographical errors, bits of information that were erroneously included and should not have been, and bits of information I wish I had! I stop to search for those bits of information I do not have, but there is a good reason I do not have them, no primary records are currently available.

Worldly Distractions

Weather

2°C
Date: 5:00 PM EST Wednesday 17 December 2014
Condition: Light Rain and Drizzle
Pressure: 101.0 kPa
Tendency: rising
Visibility: 16 km
Temperature: 2.4°C
Dewpoint: 1.5°C
Humidity: 94%
Wind: WSW 23 gust 35 km/h

Quote

“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”
John F. Kennedy (1917 – 1963)