Friends and Fun at Holiday Time

We're closing in on Christmas and perhaps the best part is spending time with friends and doing some fun things, a bit out of the box. As I mentioned in the last post, my friend Suzanne came for a short visit and we did some Christmas shopping. The stores are looking good!

 

One spot we like offered snacks (they sell sauces and rubs and such, so it was good marketing!). It made for a nice treat on an impossibly frigid, windy day. They also had a couple of singers with an accordion come in and sing holiday songs. They were rather off key at times (but then, who isn't?) but very holly jolly and it was a nice touch.

 

After dinner, we drove by the state capitol building for a look at the tree. 

 

From there, we took a little holiday tour of lights in our old neighborhood. Some were incredibly elaborate and those photos were terrible! Suzanne couldn't really stop because there were people behind us! But here is the house I grew up in. Very simple but festive. It was nice to see it. (But I liked my mom's wreaths and such a little more!)

 

The park had a drive-through light display too. Very festive. I wish they did this when I lived in the house above -- the back yard looked into the park and we would have been able to see these fun displays in the distance.

 

To exit, you drove through an arbor of lights...

 

And then said farewell to Santa!

Seeing Suzanne was probably the best medicine I needed after the past few weeks. It has taken more than a bit to get some mojo back from the surgery, and then over the weekend I went into afib again, which is disturbing. But we had such a good time! As other good friends before her have done, she did Sherpa duty when carrying heavier bags was involved!

  

It was my turn to host the monthly lunch with my friends Jane and Susie. I wanted to make party favors because it's the holidays (we usually don't) but since I hadn't been shopping I gave them treat bags of medical supplies. (hot and cold packs that you shake or break for instant heat), eyeglass cleaner cloths and cough drops! Probably more useful than whatever else I might have come up with otherwise!

 

We have the best time and the deepest conversations. We're all dealing with the same issues of "what do we do with our stuff" along with thoughts of moving in a few years. We talk about kids and grands, health and well being and always a bit of theatre talk. I treasure these two and one of my great joys is that in the past couple of years we have reconnected and become more than acquaintances but deep, true friends.

I made a wonderful curried chicken salad -- basically 3/4 c. mayo, 2 tsp. curry, 3 cups of chicken and 1 T. lemon juice. Then I added green grapes, cashews, red onion, celery and parsley, just winging it. Next time I might put in a dash more curry but it very tasty served over greens with a wedge of lemon. I used a rotisserie chicken and it went together quickly. Susie brought bread and Jane dessert. Take a look at these absolutely amazing gingerbread cookies Jane made! Delicious and too cute for words!

 

I am so lucky to have wonderful friends. Kate took me grocery shopping, Carol took me to a doc appointment, and our friends Mark and Jan came to sit with Rick during my surgery. Mark also picked me up from one of Lizzie's vet visits and took me to the pet food store. Jan took off on a Christmas market cruise and Rick went to Toledo, so Mark and I enjoyed dinner at a favorite restaurant. We made mincemeat of fajitas, topopo salad and cheese dip. Messy but marvelous!

 

Cork Popper friend Barb was going to host Kate and me for cutting greens at her house in the country but that morning her husband was taken to the hospital and things were topsy turvy. Of course we canceled. But the next day, en route to the hospital, Barb dropped by with loads of greens for both Kate and me, along with a big vat of homemade soup and muffins. Overwhelming.

And where are those greens? Presently they are in the old toilet that is sitting next to my garage till we can find a way to get it to the dump. It's not pretty, but at least with the greens, it becomes useful. Maybe I'll keep them there till spring. 

 

I don't open gifts before Christmas unless I'm with the person who gave it to me. The other day I learned that someone in the family has far less self control. 

And, if a minute of "cute," a look at Cat Bliss! (Sorry about the fast "out" on the music! I'm learning!)

 

And finally, Rick and I made to to a beautiful holiday play called "All Is Calm," which recounts the Christmas Truce of 1914 when British and German soldiers put down their arms and celebrated Christmas together. It was almost all music and mesmerizing. I liked our production better than this one I found on youtube -- we had an all male cast and their voices were magnificent. But this one has closed captions (more or less) and if you have an hour and would love a thoughtful and lovely video, I recommend this one.    

It's hard to believe we are about a week out from Christmas. Appointments and visiting friends are part of this week and a week from tomorrow, Kevin and Molly and the boys will arrive. This is the first time they've been to Christmas here since Carson, now almost nine, had not yet turned one! I leave you with a photo from that time.

 The happy Christmas child!