Thanksgiving weekend...we spent a very quiet thanksgiving at home, taking it easy, doing absolutely nothing, didn't even get dressed. when I bought groceries last Sunday I picked up some ham steaks and that's what we had for lunch (neither of us like turkey). Ken got to watch football and I got to sew - it was a great day. Didn't hear from any of the kids/grandkids, but that's not unusual.
If anyone had ever told me that the children I raised and loved and who were so loving growing up would turn out to be so cold, unforgiving, and inconsiderate, I wouldn't have believed it. But being alone on all holidays is not new. Since my two daughters left things have been this way. (My son is AF, so he doesn't live close.) If and when I ever got to see them it was only when for some reason they could not be with the other side of the family. Even when I was single I was left alone on all major holidays and spent the das crying and depressed. I refuse to do that any more. So Ken and I decided to enjoy the day and do our own thing.
Not too terribly long ago I told Ken that since I'm retiring the end of this year that I wanted to get myself a "foo foo" doggie - a little bitty toy dog - one I can dress up like a girl in pink collar, harness, dresses. I wasn't planning to get one until January, but we started looking. We fell in love with a teeny tiny 7.5 week old female Maltese and brought her home on November 12. Oh my gosh, it's like having a new real baby in the house! She doesn't sleep all night, and she's a live wire, faster than greased lightening, but smarter than all get out. She's all white with undertones of pink, with tan/lemon ears. Her face is tinted pinkish brown because of the overflow of tears which stain the face. Hopefully this will improve when the teething is complete.
She had her first visit with our vet a week or so ago - and believe it or not, Ken took her in her pink carrier with her pink blanket, etc. And she loves her Daddy - just like the other fur children in the house. And the other fur children are adjusting to her. She's been good for Bennie Joe (doxie) who will be 6 years old on December 17. She's actually got him up, running and playing. and that's a good thing - he needs the exercise. And she's catching on to potty training, too. She's helping to enforce training for Bennie. She knows exactly what outside means, and starts running in circles when she needs to go. Of course she's so little that she's still having accidents in the house so it's constant clean up duty. But she's also figuring out what a pee pad is for. We wish we didn't have to have one of those, but our old spaniel, Maggie, was trained by somebody to use one of them. We hate it and would much rather they let us know when they need to go outside. (Can't have a doggie door - we have cats, too.)
So, what else has been happening? Well, I'm so busy at work I don't have time to stop and clean out my crap so I can leave my employment! I've got hot jobs to do -- they've discovered they do not have someone to take my place or my co-harts place -- no one knows how to do what we do. We've been telling them for a very long time. After all, I'm 63, and my partner's about 81. The back ups that we had are leaving, too. I finally told the execs I would be willing to stay, but that I want to go thru the layoff process so I get the severance, want to officially retire, and then come back as consultant or part time. There's no way I want to continue the current employment. I'm tired, burned out, ready to go. My partners been there 56 years, and if I add up all my time I've been there 44 years. Time to go.
I went to a job fair -- dang, I don't want to get hired!! I'm looking for part time, easy work. I do not want project management and the headaches that go with it.
Let's see, I haven't really been doing any sewing the last few months - not since I went to a class where I was told everything I was doing was wrong. But earlier this year I made a Christmas quilt for my youngest daughter out of the Christmas bear fabric from the dress I made for back in 1990. I actually entered it into a show in August. I pulled out the judges remarks from that show and they weren't so bad - not nearly as haughty as the instructor I had! So, I got out the fabric from my oldest daughter's dress from that same year and am just about finished making a quilt top for her. It's really cute -- it's Irish chain pattern. I'm trying to get it completed today so that I can take it to work with me on Monday. The long-arm quilter lady that I use is located close to work. I want to get this one professionally quilted like I did the one for my youngest daughter. While that's being done I will work on the pillows to go with the quilt. I put a rod pocket on the back of the first one so that it can hang on the wall instead of being thrown on a chair or sofa. The youngest daughter has dogs and this is not meant to be a dog blanket. It's actually not even supposed to be washed as it is considered an "art" quilt. So, better to hang it.
Not sure yet I will even give these to the girls for Christmas. We don't have the funds to buy Christmas for kids/grandkids this year. All our "discretionary" funds go toward prescriptions now days. And, since I gave everybody homemade gifts last year, I think I would be embarassed to do that again this year. None of my children are the kind who particularly care for the "homemade" stuff - preferring new electronics/gadgets instead. I can't afford those so we probably just won't do gifts at all. I had several things in mind, but honestly, I just can't see doing all the work on things nobody wants.
What else is happening? Ken goes to court on Monday - we're not expecting the outcome to be too bad. He's been enrolled in a program with MHMR most of this year, is still under the close watch of a psychiatrist, is careful to take his medicine, but still tends to explode at a moment's notice. And he still gets "hung up" on things. And I notice that his memory is worse. Unfortunately, on top of everything else, his diabetes and that dang pump he wears are defeating him. Seems to be a never ending battle.
We went to "movie" night at the home of friends Jim and Terrie last night. The social group we belong to, After 5.0, got together with good food and wine to watch the Sordid Lives. I had never seen it before but it was funny. OMG, reminded me so dang much of my own redneck/hillbilly family!!! Perhaps our drama is not exactly the same, but it is exactly the way our family would carry on!!!
That's about it for now. I'm going to grab some lunch (left over ham?), and then get back to working on the quilt top. All I have left to do is press itand then sew on one more border. I have the cutest backing fabric to go on it -- cats and kitty Christmas fabric. Ken picked out the backing fabric over a year ago -- it reminds us of my daughter and all her beloved fur babies. Unfortunately she had to give them all up when she went thru an emotional/physical/financial downturn in life. So the fabric will be in memory of Batman, Thunder, Max, and Ginger.
So long 'til next time.
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