Confessions of a Grandma

 I have always been a walker. Now that I have a high energy dog there is no excuse for not getting out there. And the weather is not an interfering factor here. Early morning and early evening are our preferred times so even when it gets hot we should be okay. We can get quite a long walk going around the neighborhood, greeting neighbors out working in their yards or walking their own dogs. But the landscape changes quickly just beyond the confines of the housing developments. It could be described as natural Florida or as sites of future housing developments. I do prefer the first option. And I really enjoy being out in natural areas so I often opt to head to a nature setting. I would have liked to put a picture here. Unfortunately my iPhone has made a unilateral decision. It will no longer be sending my photos to my computer. Why? I have no idea. However, we may be walking along happily enough -- me listening to the birds or trying to identify wildflowers and other plants while L...

 We went shopping for a new couch. I liked this one, the first store we went to. Of course it would be an impulse to buy the first one so we trekked around to other stores -- something we liked more, a better deal? No surprise that we ended up going back to that first store the next day and purchasing that couch for our living room. Also a matching love seat for the den where we watch TV. Because I had replaced my old love seat with two recliners. We couldn't keep three households worth of furniture after all. Well, my recliner was not big enough to accommodate both Levi and me. Poor boy had to watch TV from his bed on the floor. There! This is much better! Spoiled much? The little tail on the floor belongs to his toy squirrel, Buddy. It's like having a toddler with the need to be picking up toys or risk tripping over them. But his very favorite play thing is that bathmat that can be found anywhere but the bathroom floor.

 I went for a walk on Sunday afternoon and noticed there was a pile of white paper bags in the driveway at the end of our street. I mentioned to Don that our neighbors were going to line their drive with luminaria. He'd never seen that done before -- thought it was something made up for the movies! It turns out, at dusk, the couple lined the whole street with the bags and put tealights in each one. They lit the candles after the sun set.  It was a beautiful sight: Even more beautiful with the backstory we learned. The family that lived in the house across from ours (moved to a new house just after we moved in) have a severely handicapped son. His dad lined the street with luminaria every Christmas Eve as a special gift. There are eight houses on the street and in thepast year five of them have changed hands (!) since last Christmas, but the tradition was honored still.

  No matter where your name falls on the list. Happy Christmas.

 The UU church I attend in Florida had a cookie decorating/carol singing gathering this past weekend. I made some sugar cookies on Saturday morning. I don't remember if I blogged about making cookies last Christmas. Don had asked me to make some Christmas cookies so I made the cookies I associate with the season -- rugelach and Scottish shortbread. Don was startled since he meant sugar cookies shaped liked Christmas decorations and decorated with icing and sprinkles. I no longer have cookie cutters so I just made roundish cookies and took them to the gathering to decorate. There were also sweater cookies to purchase that could be decorated -- ugly sweater contests ate not part of my traditions though. I'm on the upper left.  There were about a dozen of us decorating cookies. Don was quite pleased with sugar and Day-Glo icing. Quite a few more people came for the carol singing but I left before that started. It's one of those situations where the congregation pays me to just...

 I found Christmas decorations. I have downsized each year for a few years now. I have some candles in the windows and a few other touches around the house. I do have some Santas, but angels are a theme as well. A gift from my niece. A gift from my friend, Donna. I made paper cut trees a few years ago. I found this fungus on a forest walk and turned it into an angel. I bought this in a craft shop and choose to call it a Santa.  No fireplace so the old stereo will do.