Confessions of a Grandma

 Santa made a stop at our house this year. We must have been very good. Or was it very naughty and he reached in his back for a lump of coal? Either, way, if I haven't bee attentive to reading blogs, it's because I have been busy. Very busy!!

 Don had a Christmas night dream. When he woke up this morning he started immediately looking for the lottery ticket he had purchased on Friday. He said he'd dreamed that he won $500 and he was talking about how he was going to spend what sounded like maybe $1000. You know how that is. He finally found his lottery ticket and scanned it on an app on his phone. And, darn . . . Wasn't it a winner! Not $500, though. $3.00.

  A very Merry day to those who celebrate Christmas!

  Darkness gives way to light and Winter Solstice sets the new beginning…..  Blessed Be

  To those who celebrate, wishes for the warmth of family gathering and the joy of traditions.

 This is a new one for me in my run of being lured into the world of scams. I am "rewarded" for my business at all different stores by gifts and cash that I only have to click here to receive. Then there are the ridiculous high ticket items that I "ordered"  but if that was somehow a mistake I can contact just the person who will help me put my credit card right again. So helpful! Now this. I got a package in the mail containing a three months supply of weight loss gummies and an invoice for $171! Don, are you trying to tell me something? These are nothing I ordered! The charge was already showing on my credit card, which I checked on right away. Don looked up the company. Amazon sells these but it is nothing I ordered. Interestingly, it doesn't appear on my Amazon order history. Something didn't pass the sniff test.  I called my credit card number and told them a.) there is a fraudulent charge on my account and b.) close down my current card and send me a n...

Thi is the rear window of my 2020 Ford Edge. Parked in my driveway with a perfectly intact window one minute. Hit be flying stones from the lawn mower/weeh whacker and shatered a minute later. Gotta love those lawn care guys! There is also a small dent in the front bumper. We really think it was an accident that the equipment operators were not even aware of, but we did notify the company and the owner came right out to apologize. I think he was really nervous at first. Don is a big guy! We told him we understood that accidents happen and we were not trying to make a stink. We just wanted the workers to be more aware of hazards and try to be more careful going forward. Insurance considers these things an act of God and doesn't quibble about fixing broken glass.

 The front of my Florida home gets full sun. It's been a struggle to find anything that will grow there. I have tried for 12 years now, making annual trips to the box store garden centers and local nurseries. I buy plants that are labeled for full sun but few have made it through a Florida summer. Mexican petunias have survived quite well.  Anything else, not so much. This year I read about a place in Sarasota -- Florida Native Plants Nursery. Don and I took the ride to check it out. I wish I had heard about this place a long time ago! Sophie, the nursery manager, could not have been more knowledgeable and helpful. Here is what we bought: yellow sundrops and white native sage I have full planting and care instructions. I won't have time to plant today but I look forward to getting my hands dirty in a day or two. We just might attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Hope springs eternal!