It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
With the kids jingle belling,
and everyone telling you,
"Be of good cheer,"
It's the most wonderful time of the year.

There'll be parties for hosting,
marshmallows for toasting and
carolling out in the snow.
there'll be scary ghost stories and
tales of the glories of Christmases
long, long ago.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.
There'll be much mistletoeing
and hearts will be glowing,
when loved ones are near.
It's the most wonderful time of the year.

I don't know what's wrong with me this year ~ I'm actually in the Christmas spirit, something I haven't felt for quite some time....
I used to love Christmas ~ I was the Christmas Lady :)  My house was always decked out with knick knacks, lights, snowmen, santas, elves, reindeer, etc...  I wouldn't put anything on my tree unless it was homemade ~ most by me, but some by friends.

In June 2005 my husband passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly and this will be my 6th Christmas without him.  I faked the first couple Christmas' with friends quite well ~ although I didn't want anything to do with it, I wanted my son who was only 10 at the time to have a great one....so I made sure he did ~ Christmas 2005 if he wanted something ~ he got it :)  He didn't have to mention anything twice, it was under the tree for him.  The next year was good for him but I didn't go quite so crazy.    I met my husband now ~ Ray in August 2007 ~ Christmas 2007, 2008, 2009 were good, but Ray had lost his wife the same way I lost my husband, so both of us were very happy when the Christmas season ended and we could go back to our every day life.  Each year we talked about going away and just forgetting it was Christmas ~ but I wouldn't do that to my son ~ who despite all he'd been through with losing his dad, he still LOVED Christmas.  In fact, during those years, he was the one who decorated the house and put up the tree each year.

This year I have my house decorated the middle of November and I'm looking forward to the season.  Spending time with family and friends, turkey dinner and opening presents.  I'm looking forward to December 1, putting the tree up and having it decorated.  I've started shopping for the special gift for everyone, and I'm looking forward to wrapping them and putting them under the tree. I'm not sure what's come over me ~ but I like it :)

As much as I hated the saying (when people said it to me repeatedly after losing my husband) ~ Time heals all wounds, I guess it's true ~ it took a lot of time, but I'm ready to have a great Christmas this year!

Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson....

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know (Wo, wo, wo)
God bless you please, Mrs. Robinson
Heaven holds a place for those who pray
(Hey, hey, hey...hey, hey, hey)

Sung by Simon and Garfunkel

            

at 18 years old a beautiful young woman,

                                           as I met her at 79  still beautiful :)

I only knew her a 3 years ~ but in that short time I grew to love her.  She was a very kind and beautiful woman ~ she was quiet most of the time, but could stand up and speak her mind when necessary.   


She was recovering from a broken her hip when we learned the cancer in her bladder returned, and although she put up a good fight, she lost her battle November 21.  She is no longer in pain and is in Heaven with the husband and 2 children she lost much to soon in this lifetime.
God bless and keep you Mrs. Robinson ~ I will miss you <3

Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine....

He said old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes
God bless little children while they're still too young to hate
As he moved away I got my pen and copied down that line
On old dogs and children and watermelon wine

Sung by Tom T. Hall

I love this dog.

His name is Theodore ~ He came as a bonus when I married Raymond.  He is the best dog I've ever known.  He listens, he's very gentle and patient, and he couldn't be more handsome!  We don't know his age, but guess it's 10 or 11, although by the way he plays you'd think he was much younger.  He was given to Ray for company when his wife passed away ~ they used to look after him from time to time when his previous owners went away on vacation.  

Lately, he's showing his age, he's slower moving and has a hard time jumping up on the couch or into bed at night, he limps due to sore hips.  We went out and bought him a big comfy bed, which he seemed to love when we brought it home, but he still insists on jumping on the couch and laying beside me instead of snuggling into it.

He loves going in the truck and camping with us ~ 

He's very patient with me when out for a walk, and I have to have a potty break!

My favorite photo of Theodore, I used my little Canon SD750 and just picked up the color green...  

Sorry No Song ~

I started this on Monday Nov 15 ~ posted it Nov 20 ~ it's a difficult thing to go through never mind write about.....

I have had a run of bad luck lately so haven't posted.  My mother-in-law is in the hospital and has been since September. She is 81 years and lived in her own house until she went into the hospital with a bladder infection that turned out to be a lump they took out and biopsied and told us it was cancer but they got it all...(what they didn't tell us was over 50% bladder cancer comes back).
While she recouped in a assisted living home, she fell and broke her hip ~ our medical system sucks ~ the hospital in her city couldn't take her so they phone hospitals in the lower mainland until they find one that will take her and the only one willing to admit her for surgery to fix her hip was an hour away!!  She got the surgery she needed, a couple screws in her hip and she went downhill from there, to the point of what I would call the closest thing to comatose you can get without actually being comatose ~ she didn't recognize anyone the few times she was awake ~ mostly she slept a lot and would open her eyes now and then, not 'see' anyone.  Her feet and hands were so cold and looked blue.  Her ankles were so swollen they looked deformed.  Her arms started to swell and she lost a lot of weight.  We were told the swelling is due to the kidneys shutting down ~ and the Dr. ask if we had arrangements for her as she wouldn't be much longer in this world.
Then one day we went into the hospital and she was sitting up drinking tea (on her own) and said Hi Ray, how are you?  We were flabbergasted ~ no more swelling, no cold blue hands or feet.  She couldn't walk or even get out of bed on her own, but it was so nice to be able to talk to her again.  She had no clue what she'd been through the last 2 - 3 weeks.  She wanted to go home!  We put her back on the wait list for Surrey ~ we'd taken her off as we thought she wouldn't survive long the ambulance ride.  So another 2 weeks and she's back in Surrey, thank God ~ and we've learned the cancer is back.  My husband had the horrible task of telling her and asking her if she wanted them to try and fix it ~ her answer ~ NO let me go.  She's now failing once again, and with no meds  or feeding tube or any measures to save her.  The dr. has ordered her some pretty stong medication to keep the pain at bay, and it's all a waiting game now....we try to keep her comfortable and pray she goes peacefully.  I will miss her, she is the sweetest lady I've ever met.