Winter Wonders - Oreo Snow in the Frozen World

Much of the United States is in the grip of an arctic blast.  For us, it is the Frozen World.  They are saying that 200 million Americans are experiencing below freezing weather.  My beloved Charleston, South Carolina might be getting six inches of snow.  Already, in Northern Florida, some areas are getting freezing rain.

Another blogger in New York State reported on her neighborhood and its Frozen Season.

We in my part of upstate New York are far from the worst as far as predicted cold.  Saturday, for example, our predicted high is zero F (-17.7 C) and our low -11 (-23.8 C), which is slightly better than what they were predicting yesterday morning.  But yesterday, parts of North Dakota were in the minus 40's.  And that's the same, whether you use F or C to measure your temperatures.

When it's at zero or below, you experience Oreo Snow.   When we woke up on New Year's Eve, it was zero.  The snow glistens like diamonds are mixed in.  Your feet crunch in the snow, and sometimes, you can smell a sweetness in the air, just like the cream that fills Oreos.

When it is really cold, the sky is really blue.

Bushes covered in snow have such a beauty.

And, you wake up to footprints.

Welcome to the frozen world.

So hard to believe that, in four months, early flowers will be blooming.  I can hardly wait.

Day 3 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost 

Sweet Tea

Welcome to day two of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost and #FlavoursomeTuesdays.

In reviewing 2017, I realized I had never blogged about the several days my husband and I spent with our adult son, traveling in separate cars (but together) from upstate New York to Columbia, South Carolina. It was the first vacation together we had in 11 years.

Our son helped us when the entire state of Virginia turned into a parking lot, with seemingly the entire East Coast of the United States having the idea of  traveling to South Carolina to see the eclipse. His young nimble thinking ran rings around what suddenly seemed like our senior thoughts stuck in concrete.

It's kind of funny - I had chosen the word determination as my word for both 2016 and 2017.

And now it was my son showing the determination, as one hour of avoiding stuck traffic stretched into hours.  My son led the way, as we kept in touch by cell phone.  He found secondary roads to escape Interstate 81, which had turned into a parking lot.  At one point we even thought of turning back.  That thought never entered his mind.

When had we become quitters, more interested in comfort than adventure? Yikes.

Fancy Gap, Virginia

Finally, past the traffic jams, we entered the mountains on the Virginia/North Carolina border and my son asked me to take a picture of the runaway truck ramps.

We got to our first stop, Mt. Airy, North Carolina, a couple of hours after my son arrived.  We had called the motel to tell them he would be getting there before us.  And the desk clerk complimented us on our "nice polite son".

The man who made fun of our garden as a teen admired the gardens of the South Carolina state capital after we arrived the day before the eclipse, and took this panoramic picture for me of the African American mural.  Yes, my son had to show me how to take a panoramic picture with an iPhone.

It doesn't look it in this picture, but it was a brutal, humid 95 degrees F (35C) Sunday with a heat index of 100.  The central South Carolina sun beat down upon our Northern heads (although I had protected mine with a hat).  After a few minutes of gazing at what the grounds of the state capitol offered (it was our second visit, and I highly recommend it, incidentally), we fled, trying to escape terminal roasting, to find some good air conditioning. (I must add here that I've lived in Florida, Texas and Arkansas, and summer heat is not unknown to me.  But I am no longer used to it.)

We made our way to a local restaurant called Rush's After ordering some broasted chicken, a young server came to our table and offered us some sweet tea.

Here, for my foreign readers, I have to pause to explain.  In the northern United States, iced tea is drunk without sweetener.  However, in the South, it is assumed you will be drinking sweet tea unless you specify "unsweetened".  My son had never had sweet tea.  I must admit, I do not like it, but then again, I am not a true Southerner.

If you want to try it out, here's a recipe.

But son said "yes" to the tea, as we all gulped mass quantities to quench our thirst. He loved his broasted chicken dinner, too - so much so that we ate at Rush's again the next day, after the eclipse.

not our family

Dear son, who hated the history museums I took him to (I love history, while he was a science person), explored the South Carolina State Museum with great enjoyment, while waiting for the eclipse to begin.

That afternoon, we used our tickets to view the total eclipse of the sun with hundreds of other people on their front lawn.

And the eclipse itself - our third, his first, we felt wonder together.

The horizon during totality, Columbia, South Carolina

At totality, I yelled with other participants while son exclaimed over and over "This is crazy!"

This video was taken by the local newspaper - I was one of the people screaming in that crowd.

I found out we had some similar things on our bucket lists besides viewing a total eclipse of the sun- visiting Iceland one day, for one thing (I'll pass on his skydiving goal, though). 

I don't know if we ever will taken another vacation together, but I do know I will remember this trip for the rest of my life.

It made 2017 for me, realizing that I enjoy the friendship (my non-word for 2018) of my son.

And there was that sweet tea....something to bond over.

Join Bellybytes at Mumbai on a High and Shilpa Gupte at Metanoia for #FlavoursomeTuesdays. If you want to share a food related memory, why not join us?

Day 2 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost

Music Moves Me - New Years

Welcome, those who are participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge!

If you are new to my blog, a brief introduction:  I live near Binghamton, New York and have been blogging since April of 2009.

Mondays I rock with the 4Mers, a group of music lovers who participate in a blog hop called Music Moves Me.

The Head 4M'er is XmasDolly.  Her co-4Mers are:  Callie of JAmerican Spice, and ♥Stacy of Stacy Uncorked♥   The Rockin' elf Cathy from Curious as a Cathy .

Wednesdays are Winter Wonders - anything about winter. And baby, it's co-o-old outside, here in upstate New York!


Twice a month on Thursdays, I participate in a meme called Thursday Tree Love.  The next one is January 11.


Friday, I participate in Skywatch Friday, where bloggers from all over the world watch the sky and post their pictures of sunrises, sunsets, and more.


And the rest of the week?  Let me surprise you!

And now, on to the first Music Moves Me of 2018.  This is a blog hop and you'll never regret it if you visit the other members:




Today, on Music Moves Me, our theme is New Years Eve and New Years. 

"Mr. New Years Eve", Guy Lombardo, rang in the New Year for much of my early youth.  I grew up in New York City but have never made it to Times Square for New Years Eve.  

This clip is of his last NYE performance (1976) and is about 14 minutes long.  Directly below is a shorter one.  This 1976 into 1977 NYE was Guy Lombardo's last New Years Eve, as he died in 1977.

If you start around a minute in on this second 1976 video, you will get the flavor - the special effects may seem cheesy now, but this was 41 years ago.  Not quite the same ball drop as the one at midnight last night, was it?

Guy Lombardo was succeeded by Dick Clark, the former host of American Bandstand, and the show he started still goes on each New Years Eve (with a slightly different title) although Dick Clark has also passed on.

It took me a long time to find a video of Dick ClarkI wanted to show, and I finally decided on this tribute.


So now, let's move on to some New Years oriented music.

Barry Manilow, from 1977 - It's Just Another New Year's Eve.  I have to admit, although I normally love Barry Manilow, I find this song so sad.

New Year's Day - Taylor Swift

New Year's Day - U2 (a totally different song) performed live.

And finally - Happy New Year by Abba.


This is first day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost. May you, my cherished readers, have the happiest of New Years!  And again, visit the other members of #Musicmovesme for a rockin' New Years Day!

The Word for 2018

The last three years, I had chosen a guiding word for the year, a word that would represent my goals for the coming year.  I haven't made New Year's resolutions for years; I figured one word shouldn't be hard.

For 2016,  I chose "Determination" and then promptly forgot about the word.

For 2017, I decided perhaps I was a year too soon with that word, and chose Determination again.  In part, I said:

"DETERMINATION - not to stay silent if speaking out against hatred is needed.

DETERMINATION - to stand up against events that need standing up against.   I think about authors who have written books that have changed the world.  It is possible.  I must remember that one person CAN make a difference.  Could a blog post change the world?

DETERMINATION - to make my voice heard if the quality of life of my brother in law, who is developmentally disabled, is threatened.  

DETERMINATION - once again, that I will grow my writing, and my photography, no matter what my personal challenges are this year.  Even if it only grows a little, it will be a victory. "

And then I promptly forgot about the word. 

No focus.

So, what did 2017 hand me, and others I know?

One of my first cousins died.  At that time, I learned that he was in the early stages of Parkinson's, which contributed to the cause of his death (choking on food).
A co worker's mother died on Christmas Day.
A fall my spouse took that he may not ever heal completely from.
Someone I went to high school and college with was diagnosed with cancer. 
My family faces many challenges with future planning for my developmentally disabled brother in law.

As we age (I am officially a senior citizen now), people we know sicken, or, sometimes, die.  We will go down that last path one day ourselves, and that realization has hit me hard in the past year. That realization makes relationships more important than ever. 


We like to think of ourselves as independent.  But when my spouse fell in October, and ended up in the ER, I suddenly found myself being helped with various issues, and I am grateful for each and everyone of them.  In fact, we are all interdependent.  

I need to pay this kindness forward.

Tomorrow, I join, once again, the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  I am thinking of how I cherish some of these blogging relationships - I look forward to making cyberfriends this year through this and other challenges.

So I am not going to choose a word this year.  But I do have some goals that I need to work on.

I hope I can be a good friend to my friends, old and (hopefully) new.  I hope I can be someone who will be honest, someone who will make you laugh, someone you can trust, someone who will stand by you.  And, in my own little way, perhaps I can start to change the world with one little ripple.  

One little flap of my butterfly wings.

Courtesy of my guest photographer

Happy New Year to all my readers, near and far!  

 I look forward to interacting with some of you this January, in the Ultimate Blog Challenge #blogboost.

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Two days left to 2017.  Two more days before the beginning of 2018, and a new Ultimate Blog Challenge.

There are so many "my year in review" posts, I thought I would write one today, too.

But, at first, I went blank.

At my age (65), the years pass by like a rapidly unwinding roll of toilet paper. Days run into weeks into months.  It seems like just yesterday that I was watching the Tournament of Roses parade on New Years Day 2017. Now, I have plowed through an entire calendar again.

So, I did what many moderns would do, to recapture my memories.

I turned to my camera roll.  And, before my eyes, I saw the year I discovered Virginia wine.  Only in Virginia can a bust of Thomas Jefferson coexist with a portrait of a cat and a wreath made from cork.

February snow angel asking "why do I live here?"

We got more snow after this picture

And then came March 14....winter storm Stella. (Erie, PA, we feel your pain.)

We live between Endwell and Binghamton

April, and it was time for the first spring flowers,

April crocus

then May brought the majesty of trees in full spring bloom.

May 1 cherry blossoms

Then, summer arrived with warmth and the green you would wish would last forever.

June Korean dogwood

And then I got to mid August, and an unforgettable trip.
I never blogged about the several days my husband and I spent with our adult son, traveling in separate cars (but together) from upstate New York to Columbia, South Carolina. It was the first vacation together we had in 11 years.
A lot happened in those few days we spent together, and it could be worth an entire week of blogging.  The last time we had vacationed together, he was in full teenagerhood.  Now, we were adults and (I hope he feels this way) friends.

I'll save that story for the Ultimate Blog Challenge, which starts Monday.

But it was amazing, the flood of memories those photos brought back.  The years may move quickly, but they still have the same amount of content.

Many "year in review" blogs concentrate on the writer and how she or he persevered through many challenges, and grew as a person.

Me?  I just want to stop and smell the flowers.

Sky Highlights 2017 #SkywatchFriday

We've come to the end of the year and it's time to review some of the best skies of 2017.  I don't think I featured these exact photos in Skywatch before, but they called out to me from my camera roll.

A January sunrise in Binghamton, New York.

June 2, clouds behind trees (their leaves now a distant memory).

During the total solar eclipse (not quite at totality), Columbia, South Carolina, August 21.  It started out with clouds covering the moon from time to time, and we feared we might not be able to see the eclipse, but the clouds receded before our eyes.  The sky has a sunset like glow, but it was only early afternoon.

And a sky reflection, December, downtown Binghamton, New York.

Happy 2018 to my readers, and to my fellow #SkywatchFriday participants.

See you in the New Year!

The Clouds and the Bridge #ThursdayTreeLove

What is it like, to shed your leaves and sleep, seemingly oblivious to the cold of winter?

You don't have to shovel snow, or slip on ice on the way to work, when you sleep through winter.  I thought, as a tree,  I would escape all that.

But the tree me realized I would also miss the beauty around me, such as this sweep of clouds one day in downtown Binghamton, New York.

It sure is cold, though.

Join Parul and other bloggers in the twice monthly #ThursdayTreeLove.

The next Tree Love will be January 11, when I will also be participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  Will you join me in both?

The Mystery Christmas Day Photo

I originally published this post in May of 2011.  I have never had this mystery solved, so I am republishing this post just in case there is a historian out there.

And yes I could contact the Broome County historian, but what is the fun in that?

The Mystery Wartime Photo (May of 2011)

On my almost daily walks through downtown Binghamton, New York I frequently pass a number of historic buildings, among them the Security Mutual building.

Several weeks ago, scaffolding appeared around the building.  Some window work is being done. Two or three weeks ago some banners appeared, strung between the supports of the scaffolding.  One of them features a photo it says was taken of employees, right outside the front entrance, on Christmas Day 1943.

It's hard to see the photo (I had to stand in the street to take this and I tried to get the entire banner into the shot) but the photo contains mainly women.  There are only a few men, and they are old.  This tracks with the fact that this photo was taken during World War II.  The young men were fighting overseas.

How many Security Mutual employees went off to war?  Did they all return safely?  I don't know.

Were all of these women working there before the war?  Or did some take the place of the soldier employees, to disappear into the home again after the fighting was over?

Then, I had still another question.  Right now I have no answer to this question, either.

What were they doing there on Christmas Day, 1943, instead of being with their families back at home?

Did Security Mutual ask them to come in for a company sponsored Christmas dinner?  Or, because of the war effort, did they have to work?

Why the photo, to begin with?  Was it sent to soldiers overseas?  Was it done to boost morale?

I would love to know the story behind this photo.  I hope that someone knows.

Peanut Butter and Jelly for New Year's Eve #FlavoursomeTuesdays

When I was a teen, I developed a strange custom for New Years Eve.

By the time I turned age 13, it was just my father and I, living together in an apartment in a housing project in the Bronx, in New York City. Several times, in my teen years, I was invited to spend part of the Christmas/New Year's school break with relatives in Brooklyn (and I am still close to my two cousins, who are slightly younger than I am.)  But eventually, I found myself alone.  Well, for an older teen, being alone with her father can be considered being alone.

Kept company only with my father and Guy Lombardo (although not in 1946 per the above video), I came up with my own New Year's Eve custom.  It originated just after I turned 16.

The year before, my father had called his brother, my uncle, right after midnight January 1 our time.  But in the time zone my uncle lived in, it was still December 31.  I loved the idea of talking to someone living in another year.

So, why not do it with food?  Symbolically eat something from the old year just after midnight?

About all I had available and easily made was a jar of peanut butter, some bread from the store and some jelly.

So on December 31, that year I had recently turned 16, and right before midnight (and the New York City ball coming down), I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  And after the New Year rang in, I ate it.

I did that for the next several years, believe it or not, until I had a steady boyfriend.

I feel a little foolish admitting this custom, but why?  It isn't that ridiculous, after all.  About an hour or so from where I live, someone is going to have a family friendly New Years Eve bash, including peanut butter and jelly sliders.

I was just years ahead of my time.

Join Bellybytes at Mumbai on a High and Shilpa Gupte at Metanoia for #FlavoursomeTuesdays.

Caroling - #MusicMovesMe

Today, on #Music Moves Me, the theme is Christmas music, or anything Christmas.  It isn't too often that Music Moves Me coincides with Christmas Day.

In celebration, I'd like to show you some local holiday caroling held the last work day before Christmas at a local insurance company here in Binghamton, New York. This has become a tradition in our city, as employees line two staircases in the beautiful marble lobby of this ten story building (the third tallest in Binghamton), built in 1904.

For professional coverage, here is something from our Binghamton, New York newspaper.

The day was overcast and the lighting yellowish but the Security Mutual building was ready to hear some fine singing.

Sorry for the lighting, and the iPhone zoom isn't that great, so I apologize for the blur.

This shot shows the majesty of the lobby.  The three murals (there are also three murals on the right side of the lobby) are later additions to this historic building.

Here is a closeup.  Just imagine passing these murals every day on the way to work.

And now for a selection from the 30 minutes of caroling.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

What Child Is This, with a beautiful flute solo (be patient, the song didn't start on cue).

 Silent Night, again with a beautiful flute solo.

Thank you, employees of Security Mutual!

If you love music, why don't you take a few minutes out and join Xmas Dolly and the other Elves under the mistletoe this Christmas day?

The Head Elf is XmasDolly.  Her co-elves are:  Callie of JAmerican Spice, and ♥Stacy of Stacy Uncorked♥   The Rockin' elf Cathy from Curious as a Cathy !


Join us every Monday for Music Moves Me, and visit some of the other 4Mers this week!

The Eggnog Riot of 1826 and Other Signs of Christmas

All over the Christian world, it is Christmas Eve.

Christmas seems to be everywhere, from a religious display at our local shopping mall....

to decorated trees at the same mall....

to a lovely tree in a mall store....

and even a bag from a store near Syracuse, New York (although I have no idea what canned corn has to do with Christmas.)

But none of these are as exciting as the Christmas Eve Eggnog Riot of 1826.  (If you have about nine minutes, you can watch the above video, although there is a long ad at the beginning - and sort of, at the last three minutes.)

Basically, after alcohol was banned from West Point (an Army military academy in upstate New York), the cadets took matters into their own hands on Christmas Eve of 1826, with somewhat predictable (to us in the future) results.

This riot story would have been so perfect for my Sunday Civil War posts I used to do between 2011 and 2015, as two men who ended up in high positions in the Confederacy less than 40 years later took part in this riot.  Just think, if they had been expelled, as some other cadets were, history may have changed.......

If you observe Christmas, have a wonderful Christmas Eve.

And here's a little coming attraction for tomorrow.

Local Saturday - Festivus For the Rest of Us

As someone who majored in cultural anthropology, I am fascinated by holidays and their origins.

Festivus may be the only holiday created by a TV show, a Seinfeld episode from 1997 called "The Strike".  I don't formally celebrate it, although I do know a couple of people who do. But this year, for some reason, it is appealing to me.

Festivus is a holiday for the "rest of us", the people burnt out by the total overchristmasization (is that a word?) of today's United States. 

For those not familiar with Festivus:

Festivus is celebrated every December 23 and has several aspects. 

First is the Festivus pole, always made of aluminum.  It is undecorated, as opposed to a Christmas tree.  But strong.  It should have a "high strength to length ratio".  No tinsel is allowed.

Then is the Festivus dinner.  At the beginning of the dinner is the Airing of Grievances.  "I've got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it!" is how it begins.

Each participant then tells each family member and friend how that person disappointed him/her.  However, if you extended this to other aspects of life...well, again it may just be my sour mood but I could really dump on some aspects of my daily life. The airing of grievances is a welcome change from the constant "be grateful for your life!" refrain you hear every day.

I could recite a long list but it's become obvious our society is becoming more and more mean spirited each year.  The haters gain power.  We are trying to tear ourselves apart.  We have become selfish, self-absorbed and a few other things.  We follow every detail of the Hollywood Stars lives, and musicians who don't even deserve the name, but we ignore those in our back yards who need friends more than ever.  We have lost our will to fix our problems.  (Some would argue that we are also fighting back, but this is the Airing of Grievances.)


Then is the Festivus dinner - meat loaf on a bed of lettuce, with peas.  If you drink alcohol, you must do it from a flask.

Which brings us to the last event, the Feats of Strength.  After the head of the family is pinned to the ground in a match of strength, dinner is over.

Perhaps we will wake up, one day, and find that our health care is a model for the world, that our infrastructure has been repaired, and we are once again a country not trying to tear ourselves apart.

Just think.  It would be a true Festivus miracle.

Solstice - #SkywatchFriday

Photos from Wednesday in Binghamton, in upstate New York.

Seeing the sun isn't a common occurrence in December.

Is that contrail saying "no sunny skies?"

No worries. It is snowing now.

Join bloggers from all over the world for #SkywatchFriday, where we gather to post pictures of the sky from all over our world.

The Cure for Bah Humbug

If you are burnt out, and yelling "Bah Humbug!" at the world, you may want to check this video out, on this, the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

If you have never read Charles Dicken's classic A Christmas Carol you can get it online at no cost. 
It's been made into movies several times, and has been performed as a play perhaps millions of times.  It is a holiday tradition in Chicago and elsewhere.

You don't need to be Christian to understand its message.

One of the most popular Christmas classics comes to life in a special way.

On this CBS Sunday morning segment, Lee Cowan met Paris Strickland, the first female Tiny Tim in a Chicago production of Dickens' miraculous "A Christmas Carol," who is something of a miracle herself - she survived a brain tumor at just four months old.  Click on the link above to see this report.

It will only take about five minutes out of your life.

It will stay with many a lot longer.

Manicotti Traditions #FlavoursomeTuesday

Yes, it's Wednesday  I'm a day late.

We never thought a tradition would end this way.

In 2015, I blogged about my in law's traditional family Christmas.  We would all travel downstate, some 190 miles (305 km) to a city near New York City, and visit my mother in law's in laws.   But in 2015, we had to move my mother in law (who is now 90) up here to be near two of her sons.  We weren't able to make the trip.

A cousin of my spouse's hosted the dinner for years.  Even during her two bouts with breast cancer, she insisted on hosting.  She made her specialty.  She told me she timed it around her bouts of tiredness and other side effects of the medication she was taking.

Tradition.

"I am not an accomplished cook." she told me once.  "But all you need to do is learn to make one dish, and make it well.  Make it better than anyone".  And so, she developed her specialty.

Manicotti.  The kind of manicotti that is pronounced "mon-i-gaut" (accent on the final syllable). Perish the thought anyone in my inlaw's family would ever pronounce it "man-i-cotti".

I hate the lighting in my house sometimes - gives everything a yellowish cast.

No, manicotti is not the stuff served in pasta tubes in some clueless Italian restaurants (and you know which ones they are).  No.  Manicottis start with light as air crepes, each painstakingly cooked by hand, spread out.  Then they are filled with a pillowy mixture of ricotta, mozzarella, eggs, parsley, and love. Covered in homemade tomato sauce simmered with meatballs and Italian sausage, they are a dish worthy of Christmas dinner.

In 2015, the thought of missing her manicotti hurt us almost as much as the fact that we would not see their maker or the other family.

So I begged my spouse to call, and get the recipe from her.

I didn't know if she would reveal the recipe. But she likes us.  After some hesitation, she gave the recipe to us  She emailed it to us.  But first, she cautioned that my spouse (the family cook) really had no business making it.  Perhaps she would come up and visit us, one day.

My spouse promised he would not embarrass the family.

He cooked the crepes.

He mixed the ricotta filling.

He assembled the manicotti.  On Christmas Day 2015, he served it.

Now, in 2017, due to a combination of various situations, my spouse won't be making manicottis.
Instead, he will make a standing rib roast.  I'm sure it will be delicious.

Maybe one day the homemade manicottis will be back on the menu.  But for now, we have to let go of tradition.

Welcome to #FlavoursomeTuesday.

Join Bellybytes at Mumbai on a High and Shilpa Gupte at Metanoia for #FlavoursomeTuesdays.

Random Acts of Kindness Past

I first blogged the following in 2010, with an update in 2014.  Now I want to update it still again.

This year, 2017, I want to thank co workers and fellow bloggers/relatives who have shown me support in the last few days.  It means a lot to me.   Thank you, all who have commented.

In 2014 I wrote this:

Yesterday, shopping for a card for a friend who is about to undergo surgery on Wednesday, I received a random act of kindness that was so special, that both of us ended up hugging and crying right in the middle of the store.  I don't know the name of this woman, but I am tearing up again just thinking of her.

I don't know if I will ever meet her again (I only shop in this local store, a gift shop, several times a year) but if not, I hope she finds out, somehow, how much what she did meant to me.  And, may she receive much goodness in her life. (2017 update - I have never seen her again).

In November of 2010, I also experienced a random act of kindness.  I've experienced some since but this one, in a way, also was special.  Maybe, I shouldn't say this one was special - all of them are special.  But, I wonder how the man in this story is doing.  Is he better off?  Despite what must have been hard times for him, he had such an upbeat attitude.

Here's the post from 2010:

 ******

I saw something inspiring, as we get closer to the Thanksgiving season, this afternoon.

I had gotten out of work early for a couple of appointments.  After the appointments, spouse decided we should get our Thanksgiving turkey.  We did so, and then remembered that a nearby Aldi had good sales on fresh cranberries and also celery.

I don't know if you have an Aldi's where you live.  If you do, it is an interesting concept.  Aldi is actually a huge chain in Germany, with stores in various stores on the Continent and also in Great Britain.  In the United States, for some reason, they initially came in as a "bargain" store, with (in my opinion) dirty, ill lit stores.  I would not shop there for years.  You couldn't get a shopping cart without paying a deposit. You had to bag things yourself (and if you didn't bring bags, they would gladly sell them to you.)  The employees "did it all", the same people doing store cleanup, stocking, and cash register.

When my son took German in school, his teacher came in one day with an Aldi ad from Germany.  What a difference!  Aldi in Germany is almost like a combination grocery/department store.  But meanwhile, back in upstate NY...

Due to that ad, we gave them another shot.  'They had seriously upgraded the stores in the meantime, with better lighting and edible produce. So we do shop there on and off, depending on the sales. You can't beat their prices, although I don't think I would ever buy fresh meat there.  But they do have a number of really decent store brands (they sell very little national brands, if you care about that-I don't) and when they have specials on German food....well, they are German.

At one time, their target clientele, to be blunt, was lower income people.  But now with the economy, you find a lot of middle class people in there too.  Times are hard.  I'm grateful for the Johnson City Aldi.  (they've even opened a second store just to the north of Binghamton).

Anyway, there we were getting ready to check out.  We only had three items.  The line was long, although the lines there tend to move quickly.  The person at the back of the line had an overflowing cart. "Here, go ahead of me."  The next person also let us in, and also let go ahead of him a person right behind us who had two items.  His clothes were a little dirty and he walked like he had a stiff leg, with a limp.

We struck up a conversation with the man with the limp.  He had some extra money because he had sold two cars at auction today.  He had been up since 5 am.  It was a good day for him, because he was able to buy another car to fix up and sell.  Best of all, it was his birthday.  He couldn't see why he should spend $30. at Texas Roadhouse [a steakhouse chain in the U.S.] when he could buy some frozen steaks and cook him at home (we don't know if he had a loved one waiting for him.  I hope so).  He was so glad to be spared a few extra minutes on line, so he could get home and rest.

I hope this gentleman had a wonderful rest of the day, due to this random act of kindness.

Blue Christmas - #MusicMovesMe

Blue Christmas, by Elvis Presley.

The lyrics don't really match what I want to blog about today, but in a way, the title does.

If you love music, why don't you join Xmas Dolly and the other Elves under the mistletoe?

The Head Elf is XmasDolly.  Her co-elves are:  Callie of JAmerican Spice, and ♥Stacy of Stacy Uncorked♥   The Rockin' elf Cathy from Curious as a Cathy !


This throwback is from December 9, 2009, the first time I wrote about "Blue Christmas".  Repeating this post has become a holiday tradition for this blog, because not everyone has a happy holiday season.

In 2015, our family (inlaws) experienced holiday death in the family again. My brother in law's mother in law passed away right after Thanksgiving.  An aunt's sister died on Thanksgiving Day (November 26) .

I was so tired, for various reasons, that I never even decorated that year.

This year, I wanted to share with my friends at Music Moves Me.   My mother in law, who is 90, had a hospital experience last week that has become the norm for too many of our seniors.  It would be too exhausting to write about now. So we are going through another Blue Christmas.

My writing has become more polished over the years but I am not going to do any editing.  This voice from the past is speaking to me, and I hope its message will help some of my readers.

Here's the post from 2009.

Tis the Season....for Sadness

Happy Holidays!

No, that's not true.

The holidays are not happy for everyone. 

11 years ago December 25.....  Spouse and I were at my in-laws on Christmas Day.  They live about 150 miles from where we live.  We had a nice day with other family members, and settled down to watch "It's a Wonderful Life"  with my mother in law and father in law.  Then we went to bed.

My father in law never woke up.  He died during the night of a massive heart attack, his third.

Imagine my mother in law, spending the day after Christmas arranging for the funeral of her husband of nearly 50 years.    The decisions that had to be made quickly, oh so quickly.  The little things, like flowers being almost impossible to come by (flowers being a part of their culture's funeral tradition).  Or us having to borrow clothes for the funeral-most people don't visit for Christmas with black clothes in their suitcase!  Those little details, in a sea of all the major details, on a holiday weekend.

The family gathered again but this time for a much sadder occasion.  Many people came to the funeral home, and it was a great comfort.  But then everyone had to go home, including us.

And then the next Christmas rolled around.  It was not easy.  But we survived, and each year it became easier.  My mother in law has established her independence, and enjoys Christmas with family.

It never goes away but it does become easier.  Although, I have never watched "It's a Wonderful Life" again.

Years ago I worked with someone whose husband died from cancer on Thanksgiving.  In my youth I couldn't understand why Thanksgiving was so hard for her.

Now I understand.

"Blue Christmas" is more than an Elvis song.  For those who have experienced loss:  loss of a loved one, loss of a relationship, loss of a job, the holidays can be so hard to survive, even if you are not a Christian.  Wherever you go, you are surrounded by smiling Santa's, by holiday decorations, by endless carols blaring at work, at the supermarket, at the mall, by constant reminders that everyone is happy.  Except you.

But, you are not alone.  And you will get through it, although it may take a long time.

Time is your friend.  It was for me.  I hope it is for you.

Ephemeral

I have a number of readers in climates where snow is nonexistant or rare.
This is my gift of the season to you.

Bushes

Part of my front yard

More of my front yard.

And I actually got a poinsettia to red up although the plant itself doesn't look too happy.

It's only the start of winter (although winter doesn't start for another few days), as my flower garden sleeps. 

But more than that, it makes me realize how nothing is permanent; that many things last for only a short time.  That snow for example.  It may well be melting in the next couple of days.

I watch the decline of my mother in law and know that, one day, it may be me.

Is time running out?  Have I done all I can do in this world?

It has stirred up strong emotions in me; emotions so strong I couldn't believe some of them.

And that is part of life, too.

Local Saturday - Dysfunction

Life has a strange way of teaching lessons.

Have you ever thought that the experiences in your life were put there to lead you to something?  I am not an extremely religious person, but as I grow older, I more and more suspect this is the case.

It's a funny thing.  For some reason, people at my job seek me out to ask Medicare questions (for those outside the United States, Medicare is the health system for the majority of people over 65, and certain people, such as those with certain disabilities or kidney failure, who are under 65.  It is complex, and a blend of government and private insurers.  Why they seek me (untrained, and not familiar with health insurance or health care except from persona experience) out for advice is beyond me, but they do.

When I was about to turn 65, I went to a nonprofit here in Binghamton, New York called Action for Older Persons, .  One of their missions is to help people with the Medicare process.  The volunteer assisting me said I would make an excellent volunteer when I retire (this was after we chatted about something), and told me to swing around so I could see what she was doing on the computer.

So that brings me to this Tuesday.  My mother in law, who is nearly 90, wasn't feeling well.  Another family member took her to the doctor.  The next day (Wednesday) we got a call.  Bottom line, she ended up in the ER and a local hospital Thursday for various tests, and was released yesterday, weak and the worst for wear.  And I wish I had known then what I know now.

Long story short, I learned more about Medicare and budget cuts than I probably ever want to know.  I saw a dysfunctional system in action.  My mother in law was in that hospital two years ago and they were wonderful.  It was like a totally different place now.  My mother in law was not served well.  If family had not been there I honestly don't know what would have happened.  I ended up making some phone calls with another couple of family members, trying to get answers, after a nurse told me "there was no one to talk to, they are all in meetings".  As we say here, BS. (that is an abbreviation for what bulls leave in the field after they digest their meals).

I am exhausted and there are three other family members exhausted.  And, oh yes.  When my mother in law was released she was so weak she could barely walk.  Home health care?  Well, that seems to be a scarce thing where we live in December.

I had a talk today with one of my mother in law's friends (someone who does have health care experience), who had a friend who died a day or two ago in the same hospital.  I've heard other stories before, here and in another part of upstate New York I know people in, with horror stories.  Now I've seen it firsthand.

We know our medical system in the United States is broken, but one day you see it in action, and you really see the dysfunction firsthand.

That volunteer position is calling for me, although I am not ready to retire, because it may be one of the few ways I can learn the system.  As a caregiver, I must know and be aware.  As someone now a senior herself, I must know, and be aware.  That person in the hospital may be me someday.

Thankfully, I am not on Medicare yet.

I've vented enough.

And starting tomorrow, I may go into reruns for a while.

Garden Bloggers Bloom Day December 2017 and #SkywatchFriday

Today, two memes for the price of one.

My guest photographer provides a picture of the December 6 sunset here in Binghamton, New York.  There's a story behind this photo and I hope I have time to explain it one day.  But for now, please enjoy it for #SkywatchFriday, where bloggers from all over post pictures of the sky.

It's the 15th of the month - time for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.  Thank you to Carol at May Dream Gardens, for creating this meme, where bloggers gather on the 15th of each month to show what is blooming in their yards or houses.

I have a Christmas Rose (Helleborus niger) in my back yard, with nice white buds.  But it was also 7 above zero and I wasn't about to go out there and take a picture.  Instead, today I will show you mostly plants I've purchased recently.  For example, this African violet.

One of my many Thanksgiving cactii.

A red cyclamen on the left, which I won at a holiday party, and a red and white poinsettia on the right.  Yes, I know those red and white items aren't flowers - they are bracts, or modified leaves.

And finally, a closeup of my red poinsettia showing the actual flowers in the middle.

Happy Friday!  Happy Holidays!