My Tireless Retirement – Week 143

Hello!  How was your Christmas holiday?  I had a wonderful time this year.  My holiday began last Saturday and it was a nonstop celebration until yesterday.  Perfect!  Good food, good wine, good coffee, good people, good feelings.  Absolutely delightful!

 

I began this last week by working all day on Friday riding the bus to and from work and on the way home I enjoyed the nicest conversation with a family visiting from the UK.  They had spent the day downtown, gone to the Discovery center, which the children loved and excitedly told me about it, and then were on their way back to their hotel.  As we passed Albertson’s they mentioned they had walked there from the hotel to pick up a few groceries.  I asked them what they thought of our grocery prices and the mom said it was horrifying.  I agreed.  She said in the UK groceries are very low priced and much more affordable, but their petrol is very expensive, much more so than ours.  It was so much fun to get to talk with them.

 

She loves to tear up paper

Saturday I tackled a project I wasn’t planning to do until next month, but I was feeling restless so I cleared all of the shelves in my LTFS area and relocated them so I could then relocate little Miss Bunny.  Daisy has a habit of running between my feet every time I go into that room so I felt it imperative to get her moved over and cordoned off before I step on or trip over her and we both end up seriously hurt.  She isn’t very happy with me not having full run of the room anymore, but I’m sure in time she’ll get used to it and forgive me.  It was a huge undertaking and in the process, of course I gave the entire room a good cleaning.  She will have plenty of opportunities to run the room, but we are both much safer now having her in her own little area.

 

I spent most of the day Sunday with a friend.  I got out my spritz cookie pressed and we baked and decorated butter cookies which were absolutely delicious.  I had never made that recipe before and I was so impressed I believe it will now be my go-to Christmas cookie from here on out.  After baking cookies and visiting for a while we walked up to one of the restaurants in my neighborhood and enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner together before walking back home and saying good buy.  It was a perfect day in my book!

 

I wrapped up fudge and butter cookies and made little packages using some brown paper lunch bags I had in the kitchen drawer and bows I had bought on clearance a couple years ago.  Then I set about delivering them to friends and neighbors along with some of my homemade Christmas cards.

 

I worked a few hours on Monday and after work I went to dinner with a good friend and her husband.  The three of us have known each other for ages and it is always so nice to get to spend time with them.  We all have the same sense of humor so there is always a lot of laughing.  On Christmas Eve morning I got to get up at 3:00 and take them to the airport so they could fly to Florida and spend the holidays with her family.  I was very happy to do it too.  What are friends for?

 

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was a revolving door of visits and phone calls from loved ones.  Christmas morning I discovered that one of my friends had snuck a little gift under my tree.  I had a couple small gifts, a lot of good experiences and promises of more experiences to come.  There was a lot of time spent with those I cherish.  My heart is full.  It was a wonderful holiday and I hope all of you were blessed as well this Christmas.  One more holiday to go as we button up the year and enter into a new one.  Where does the time go?!