New Memories

Making new memories

Christmas 2008

Memories

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Amost Friday

It is almost the end of another week. And I haven't accomplished much.
A pipe burst in the wall behind the closet in my hobby room. So everything in the closet had to be moved into the main room so the carpet could be dried out. Stuff is spread everywhere and it is very chaotic. No sewing has been going on and I have Christmas presents to finish.

Today I went to downtown Cincinnati to have lunch with Lily, Karen and Bonnie. I didn't take any pictures of my own because it was too cold and soggy to be outside. But I did pull some pictures off the web.
We had lunch on 4th Street at McCormick and Schmick where Maureen worked when she and Ray lived here. They have a drink on the menu - Molicious - which she invented and is named after her. I didn't have it for lunch since I was driving but I did have some delicious rainbow trout.

We sat in the bar where we could look out at Fountain Square where the Christmas lights were shining and people were on the skating rink. Lily was fascinated with watching the Mounted Police and how still their horses were. Three were standing together; an ambulance turned its siren on behind them and they didn't even flinch. They were beautifully groomed and added to the ambiance of a bustling, vibrant city. If it hadn't been so cold, we could have walked around the stores and maybe I would have caught the Christmas fever.

Whenever I am downtown I think of what it must have been like when my parents and several aunts and uncles lived there, worked there and shopped there. The stories they told of Daddy, Uncle Dave and Uncle Russell getting a job at a garage; Daddy didn't have drivers' license but he didn't tell them that. So down the main street he would go driving the customers' cars just like he owned the whole city. Or Mother living up on Mount Adams, hearing the train whistle and thinking of how lonesome it sounded in the big city because when she lived down home; the train whistle made her think of adventures the train would take her to. I wonder how different our lives would have been if she hadn't talked Daddy into moving back to Letcher County??????

Would it have been better? Or worse? Would we be the same people? We'll never know but it is something to ponder. And I'd rather ponder than rant and rave.

The North Wind is blowing

The North Wind is blowing and it is snowing!! This is the first snow we have had which left white on the ground. So, of course, Lucilu begged me to pull out her snowsuit! Although she didn't think it was deep enough for snow boots yet!! LOL Being crazy is one of the privileges of getting older. Ever read the poem When I am an Old Woman? I live by that poem.

We had a busy but uneventful week. Monday we went to the Taft Museum for lunch with Ric and Sam. It was bitter cold but good conversation warmed us up.

Lily and I collaborated on a small wall hanging. She made the yo-yos; I made the background. Don't you love the buttons she put in the center. It's ready to be put in the mail.

Thursday we went to Beechmont Ford for an oil change. They overcharged me and didn't charge Lily anything. Figure that out!!! They did correct my labor charges but Lily still got hers free since they didn't have any oil filters for a 2009 Escape in stock and had to go out for one. Since we had over an hour to wait for her filter, we made a run to Big Lots. Since I watched the show on Food Network about gourmet shopping at the Dollar Store, I now check out the food section and check expiration dates carefully. I bought something by Hershey's called Bar in a Jar - it taste just like if you had a Milky Way chocolate covering in a jar. I added it to my Cool Whip/peanut butter concoction and it's in the freezer now. It taste like cold, soft peanut butter-chocolate fudge to me. At 8:30 at night I need a dessert to send me off to bed happy and that does it - very tiny amount of carbs. We ate at Olive Garden and felt righteous for ordering the soup and salad and skipping the breadsticks or at least I skipped them.
Friday I drug along with Lily to meet a group of her fellow high school classmates at General Butler State Park. I'll write more when I get some pictures to post. Not that they have changed much in the past 50 years. Yea, right. Who had the best plastic surgeon? Where are the canes? Who can get to the bathroom first? Why can't you have caffeine? Can you back up your wheelchair? Do they have an elevator - the stairs are hard on my knees? Can you help me get my coat on - my shoulders don't work too well now?
Vicky, Mahala, I did find out Sonya Boggs is moving from Illinois to Shelbyville. Maybe we can have lunch with her when she gets settled in.
Today's trip to the Cincinnati Art Museum was canceled because of the slick roads. Guess I'll have to be satisfied with watching UK play basketball.
Snuggle up and keep warm. Before we know it, dogwoods and redbuds will be in bloom.
A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for the coffin. H.L. Meneken

Love to see them come; love to see them go

You love to see them come and you love to see them go!!!!! Or at least that is the way I feel about it. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and our time together was fun-filled. We started eating about 2 on Thursday and by 3:30 - thanks to Annie - everything was put back together.

Dolls are something I'm not use to having around. But Em is all girl from head to toe. She was a little afraid of Lucilu when she first came but by the time they left, Emerson and Luci were best buds.

I don't think Jake sat down the entire time while they were here. He seemed to be a whirlwind. But what a joy!

When they left, Lucilu wanted to know who was going to chase her now and who was going to give her treats! She was lonesome without her best buds.

And I was happy to have quietness again but lonesome for them after two hours. There is nothing better than to get those grandbabies on your lap and snuggle.

This week will be devoted to the purple quilt. My cousin Freida sent me a quilting magazine for my birthday and they have a flower applique that I think I will add to the purple quilt. I like the purple and a certain shade of green together. We are going to the Taft Museum for lunch tomorrow and the Cincinnati Art Museum for lunch on Saturday. I enjoy spending time with my new friends. Ina and I are going to the Quilt Box, a fabric store I have never been to in Dry Ridge. I hope you have a productive week as well.