Sunday Stealing

Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Stolen from the League of Extraordinary Penpals

 

 

What did you do last year that you had not done before?
Played Wordle.  Also had surgery.

What song will always remind you of last year?  Doesn't have to be a song released last year.
I don't listen to music, generally, so I can't think of a song that reminds me of 2022

What do you wish you would have done more of?

I read 50 books in 2022.  I would like to have read more

What do you wish you would have done less of?
grieving for friends, mother, and dog who all died.

What was your favorite new TV program? Movie? Album/Songs? Or if you didn't pick up any new ones, what are you still watching/listening to? Any recommendations?
I checked Google for new TV programs and have seen none of the ones they listed for 2022.  But I watched all of my favorites, ike Better Cal Saul and all those medical programs ... plus too many Food Network shows for someone who doesn't cook any more!

What did you do on your birthday and how old were you? Did you feel differently? 
I turned 79.  Ned made a special breakfast, I went to lunch with my friend Kathleen, Ned fixed a special dinner.  He and Marta gave me a little camera and I couldn't figure out what it was for, but he told me it was to post in the squirrel house so we can watch the activity in there (and hopefully the birth of babies).  I even managed to get a fairly good night of sleep.  And no, I didn't feel differently other than realizing that I will be 80 in 2023 and THAT feels "old" where the 70s didn't.

What political or social issue stirred you the most?
Obviously the Jan 6 debacle and the committee's investigation of it.

Who was the most interesting new person you met?
I haven't gotten out much in  2022 and other than the medical crew at Kaiser during my hospitalization, I don't remember meeting any new person.

What changed at your job?
Nothing changes when you are retired!

What changed in your home? 
Not much.  Our dog Polly died and we adopted Bubba, a 6 year old terrier mix who is a lap dog.

Describe how a relationship changed. 
Again, I've seen so few people because of COVID and my surgery that I don't think any relationship has changed.

Do you think you are still the same person that you were at the beginning of the year?  How so?
Other than living life without a gallbladder, I'm pretty much the same I was at the beginning of the year.

Summarize the year in three words or less. Bonus points for doing it in one word. Explain.
 Death, health, writing.   Too many people (including my mother and our dog)  died.  I had the first surgery I've had since I was 4.  And I spent a lot of the year writing to pen pals, which was my fun thing to do.

Saturday 9

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions!

Saturday 9: The Last Song (1972)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

This is the last Saturday 9 song of 2022. 

Thanks for another great year.

1) In this song, the lead singer admits he leaves the light on when he goes to sleep. Do you leave any lights on in your bedroom? Or do you prefer it completely dark?

I have a wall of blue lights that is on all the time.  And there is a light on in the kitchen, which illuminates where I am sleeping.

 

2) He sings that he can't stop wondering where his old girlfriend is. Do you know whatever happened to any of your exes?
The guy who is now a Jesuit, and the guy who died of AIDS several years ago.

3) He says this is the last song he'll ever sing to his girl. What's the last song you sang? Where were you when you sang it?
My voice disappeared several years ago.  I have a vocal range of about 2 notes, so I don't sing any more.  I loved being in choirs for so much of my life.

 

4) Edward Bear was a Canadian group who took their name from Winnie the Pooh. As written by A. A. Milne, Edward Bear was Pooh's "proper" name. Pooh's favorite food was honey. Is there a food you can't get enough of?
It used to be peanut butter, but since I can't eat Skippy any more, that's gone.  I eat a lot of fruit and crackers.

 
5) In 1972, when this song was popular, Disney's Winnie the Pooh was quite a celebrity in his own right, appearing on the cover the 1972 Sears Christmas Wish Book. That year, kids asked Santa for plush Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore. Did you have many plush toys as a child? If yes, do you still have any of them?
I can't remember having any plush toys as a kid ... more dolls (and I don't have any of  them now)

6) Enough about 1972! Let's look back on 2022. What's something you learned or rediscovered in 2022?
I'm learning my new computer.

7) Can you think of a moment in 2022 you'd like to do over?
My mother's memorial service was lovely, but I'd like to do it with Walt and Marta there...they both tested positive for COVID.

8) What are you looking forward to most in 2023?
Looking forward to Jeri and Phil's visit next month and some legal justice for all of 45's crimes.  I want a 2023 perp walk!

9) Random question: Who received the last email you sent?
I sent a thank you note to Tom, his wife, and granddaughter Brianna for being here for Christmas and for all of their gifts.

Relaxing

 After Tom et al. left, we all took naps, I think.  It was a quiet day with time to sit and remember what a good time we had.  I talked with Jeri, who suggested we watch a movie together, which means each of us watching it and then having a phone call to discuss it.  We watched "Green Onion" and will be talking about it tomorrow.

I got all my photos posted to an album on facebook,  I realized that this photo of Ned and Tom was one of my favorites.  My two sons, all grown up.

Christmas is over

 Christmas is finally over.  After Christmas eve with Marta's family, Christmas day with her family here at our house, Boxing day at our friend's house and then Tom and his family arrived on Tuesday for our Christmas celebration with them (they had been her Laurel's cousin's house for Christmas day).

They got here around 2:30 and we spent time in the living room having hors d'oeuvres and tossing hoops at antlers on Brianna's head.  Ned taught the girls how to use our bidet.

Bubba dressed up for the occasion.

We had leftover Christmas dinner for dinner and it was delicious, as it was on Christmas night.

After dinner, we listened to the "Santa Rhumba" and then opened gifts.

I was so pleased.  I had gifts for both Brianna and Lacie that I wasn't sure  they would like, and gifts for each that I was pretty sure they would like.  As it  turned out. the gifts I wasn't sure about they each liked, a kaleidoscope for Brianna that she had to assemble herself (she did it in minutes) and a bracelet making kit for Lacie, who made some beautiful bracelets in the morning.

After dinner we watched Die Hard 2, which isn't exactly a Christmas movie and not really a movie for kids, but they had watched Die Hard the night before and were anxious to see the sequel.  Entirely too much violence for me!

Everybody bedded down for the night and we all slept well.  Ned fixed breakfast for everyone in the morning and then the group got on the road.  They had to drive all the way to Santa Barbara today because the weather today is clear, but it's scheduled to be raining for the next three days.

We managed to get a family photo before they left.

We all took naps when they left!

Boxing Day

 We were invited to a Boxing Day party at the home of our friends Stephen and Rich.  Walt had been to their new house before, but I had not because I was just home from the hospital at the time.  But they had a beautiful tree.

It was a small group of people (maybe  dozen), but some of our best friends in Davis.  

I had a  great talk with a man whose late wife published a book called "Rhino Dreams."  It was a great story and a wonderful look at Africa.  I found out after I read it that neither she nor her co-author had ever been to Africa.  He said they had tons of books they read which helped them write the book. I think it was my only conversation with him--ever, though we have been to social gatherings together for years.  But he is very shy and hard of hearing.  However we managed to sit together with nobody around and neither of us had problems understanding the other.

I had to take a picture of Rich's gift to Steve, which was a selfie painted and signed by Joan Baez.

(They have another painting of hers of Ruth Bader Ginsburg)

We stayed a couple of hours and then came home.  I felt so good getting out and seeing so many people I have not seen for two years, what with my surgery and the COVID restrictions.

Christmas Day

 We decided to open gifts before breakfast.  Ned was thrilled with his Saul Goodman figure.  You don't get clothes for Ned...you get toys!

I had found a book about "The Play" in the Cal-Stanford game in 1982.  Not sure how they wrote a whole book about it, but I had to get it for Walt.

As for ME, I was thrilled with my new sweatshirt!

Ned fixed a special breakfast for the four of us and then we watched The Wizard of Oz, and had the rest of  the day free, until 6, when the Wilsons arrived for dinner.

We've never had the Wilsons (Marta's family) here for anything, though we have been to their house many times.  But when we found out they were going to be alone for Christmas, we had to invite them.  It made it nicer for us too, because it was just going to be the four of us.

Bubba was not happy having to wear a bow tie.

The Wilsons left before pumpkin pie, so Walt and I were the only ones who had the pie I made (which meant there would be pie for breakfast as well), and we were able to turn in early for the night.

Christmas Eve

 We went to Marta's parents house for their annual Christmas eve taco dinner.  It was my first time socializing since surgery and it felt weird to be around so many people.

But dinner was good and it was nice to have someone other than Walt, Ned and Marta to talk to.

We got home in time for me to make pumpkin pie for dinner tomorrow night.

Sunday Stealing

Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Stolen from the
League of Extraordinary Penpals

 

What did you do last year that you had not done before? 

I had surgery.

Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions/goals for the year and will you make/set more for next year?  What are they? What are your new ones?

I never make New Year's Resolutions, but this year I resolved to read  50 books -- and I did.  I won't be making a resolution for 2023.

What was the best book you read this year?  How many did you read?
"The rainbow comes and goes" by Anderson Cooper and "West with Giraffes" by Lynda Rutledge

Did anyone you know die? Or have a serious illness/injury?
Several people, including my mother, died.  I had a serious illness for which I required surgery.

What places have you visited? 

Other than Santa Barbara, we haven't been anywhere this year.

Any new pets? Lost a pet?
Our chihuahua died in May and we got a terrier mix, Bubba, a couple of months later.

What would you like to have next year that you lacked this year (doesn't have to be a physical thing i.e. love, job security, peace of mind...)? 
Can't think of anything.

What date from last year will remain etched in your memory and why? 

February 18, the day my mother died.

What was your biggest achievement last year?
reading 50 books and starting to learn my new computer.

Did you get sick or injured?

As I said, I got pancreatitis and had gallbladder surgery.

What was the best thing you bought? 

My hearing aids.

Where did most of your disposable income go (money leftover after you pay for food, medical care, basic clothing, transportation and shelter)? 
My disposable income pretty much always goes for Kindle books.

Saturday 9

here.

.

Sleep like a dolphin

I was checking out other blogs on Holidailies and came across one (which I don't remember now) which talked about sleep and led me to a page that discussed sleep and said that everyone sleeps like some kind of animal.

The American sleep scientist, Michael Breus identified a total of four types of sleepers. Whoever knows what type of sleeper they are can optimise their daily routine accordingly, thus improving their performance.

The whole article is interesting.  The sleepers are Lion, Wolf, Bear and Dolphin.  The first three all start with explaining when the animal sleeps and when it wakes up, none of which relate to me. However, I perked up when I read about the dolphin.

Dolphins wake up frequently during the night and therefore feel tired. They get a surge of energy at about 7 pm. They go to bed shortly before midnight. Dolphins are intelligent and tend to be perfectionists. They are rather anxious and introverted.

Who knew I was a dolphin?  This pretty much describes exactly how I sleep, waking up every 2 hours to change to a different location, "do something" active and then go back to sleep for another 2 hours.

This morning I woke up at7, when the Today show was starting and heard them say that it's December 20 and there are only 5 days to Christmas.  I thought surely I heard it wrong.  It wasn't in the 20s yet. I woke up to check my phone to see if I had mis-heard the show and no, it is the 20th. So even though I have very little to do, I woke up in a panic and today I have Christmas music playing on DISH and I'm wrapping gifts. I was going to make cookies, but after walking on the treadmill and standing to wrap gifts, I can tell my legs won't last to make cookies...so I'll do that tomorrow.  

Ned tells me that Marta's father and stepmother will be joining us for dinner on Christmas, so it won't be just the 4 of us, which will be nice.  Ned has ordered a sugar-baked ham and Louise is bringing spare ribs, so the feast is getting more festive.

 

Peanuts

 I almost forgot to write an entry today.  I don't know why I was thinking about Peanuts cartons yesterday, but I went looking for a specific cartoon and by golly I found it.

https://www.gocomics.com/peanuts/1960/06/05

I can remember being in my bed on a Sunday morning and my mother coming in with the paper to show me this cartoon, the two of us laughing so hard we couldn't stop.  I haven't seen this cartoon in years, but it brought back such fun memories.

I haven't purchased Christmas music in decades.  We have lots, but of course they are all old, like Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and other crooners.  I think we may have a John Denver.  but we don't really play Christmas music.  But I saw a cool interview with Andrea Bocelli about a Christmas album he has just put out...his first.  It's Christmas music with his son and 10 year old daughter.  I'm disappointed in the recording.  I expected more of dad and less of the kids, but I think Andrea only has two solos and the rest are either duets with his kids or the kids alone.  Virginia has a nice voice, but she's not ready for prime time yet.  I especially was disappointed in her "Over the Rainbow."  But Dad is obviously very proud of his kids.

Sunday Stealing

 Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves!

Stolen from the League of Extraordinary Penpals

1. My plans for December 
There's not much left in December, but what I have planned for the rest of the month is wrap my gifts and work with Ned on Christmas dinner. We have invitation to a party on Boxing day and a memorial on the 30th.  We have no plans for New Years Eve.

2. How energized I feel at this point in the year
Less than at the start, much less after surgery, but fortunately getting more energized since my release from the hospital. 

3. The best things about the holiday season 
Getting together with family.

4. Something that changed my perspective on life 
Learning about death, following the deaths of my friend Gilbert and our son David.

5. What I seem to get the most comments about 
For many years people asked how I managed to raise 5 kids, then lately it was about reviews for shows I'd written that appeared in the paper  Now, I don't get many comments at all.

6. The changes I’ve made to my style 
Since COVID, I'm more casual, since I  rarely leave the house.

7. What gets in the way of my success 
My lack of ambition.

8. News sources I trust the most 
I trust Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper

9. Fictional characters that would easily fit into my life 
Probably most of us could get along with Jo March from "Little Women."

10. My relationship with spirituality 
I consider myself spiritual, but not religious (I believe there is some higher being [for lack of a better word] but not one true church.)

11. How I feel when I’m being retrospective 
These days sad.  Too many wonderful things that are no more.

12. My thoughts on AI technology 
Fascinating.

13. The odd/weird things I do when nobody else is around 
It used to be having spoonsful of peanut butter for lunch, but not on my current diet.

14. What I do when I can’t sleep 
That would be every night.  I sleep in 2 hour increments, starting in the recliner, then moving to the couch, then back to the recliner and sometimes back to the couch again.  In between each move I am doing something, like working Wordle, watching something on TV or listening to podcasts.

15. The winter/holiday season tasks I enjoy
Trimming the tree and it used to be making cookies, but I may not make them this year. 

Oops

 I fell yesterday.

It was silly.  I  tried to weigh myself ... I lost about 14 lbs since I left the hospital and I was curious to see if I'd lost any more, since I'm eating so much better.  I stood up and went to get the scale, which was heavier than I expected and it threw my balance off and I tumbled over backwards, landing on my butt next to the recliner.

Now, for most people this wouldn't be a problem.  Just turn over onto your knees and use the chair to help you stand up again.  But when you weight as much as I do, "turning over" is a difficult thing because your body doesn't have enough strength to move that many pounds.  It feels so silly not to be able to turn over.  I tried.  I also tried to hang onto the recliner and move myself  to where I might be able to pull myself up, but no luck.

Fortunately, I was able to reach my phone, which was next to the recliner, and I called Marta, who was working upstairs.  She came down and tried to help me, but neither of us was able to get me to turn over...and I would have to get on my knees and I'm not sure my knees could handle it.

Ned was at his friend Greg's house here in Davis, so Marta called him and he came home and the two of them were able to lift me up.  If they hadn't been here I would have had to call 911 to get the fire department to come over and lift me (I had to do that once).  

I won't be bending over by myself again, at least not without a telephone nearby!

Saturday 9

 

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here are today's questions!

Saturday 9: The Christmas Song (1964)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

 

1) While this song was published as "The Christmas Song," many people refer to it as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire." Have you ever roasted chestnuts (in an open fire or in the oven)?
I don't think I've ever seen a chestnut and definitely have not tasted one.  I'm curious about whether they are as good as songs like this make them sound.

2) Ricky Nelson sings that turkey helps make the season bright. Many of us just had turkey last month for Thanksgiving. Do you enjoy turkey all year around? Or do you consider it a seasonal dish?
We eat turkey a lot.  Marta doesn't like hamburger, so when Ned cooks a dish that calls for hamburger, he uses ground turkey.  As for cooking the whole bird in the oven, that's more a seasonal dish.

3) He wishes "Merry Christmas" to kids from 1 to 92. Who is the youngest person you will celebrate the holidays with? Who is the oldest?
The youngest will be my 11 year old granddaughter.  The oldest will be Walt (~83)

 4) "The Christmas Song" is a perennial favorite and gets lots of play this time of year. Is there a holiday song that you think is overplayed, and that you hope to not hear again (at least not until December 2023)?
I'm not overly fond of "Feliz Navidad."

5) This version of the song is from The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, the sitcom that ran from 1952 to 1966. There were 435 episodes in all. Is there a series whose every episode you've seen?
Oh many!  Recently Big Bang Theory, Better Call Saul, The Good Doctor (and all the other medical series)  (I also probably saw all the Ozzie and Harriet episodes too!) 

6) Life magazine coined the phrase "teen idol" to describe Ricky's popularity. In your younger days, did you have a crush on a teen idol?
Not really the actors I had a crush on were not "teen idols"  (You wouldn't call Judy Garland a teen idol!)

 7) Do you have a funny/ugly holiday sweater?"
Not really.  I have a few holiday sweaters (more sweatshirts), but nothing that qualifies as an ugly holiday sweater.

8) Have you received many holiday cards this year? Did you send many?
Maybe a couple of dozen.   I send out a pdf file of my annual letter.    I have about 10 people to whom I send cards because they don't have email addresses.  I"ve also sent cards to some pen pals this year.

9) If you were Santa, what cookie would you like kids to leave for you on Christmas Eve?
Mexican wedding cakes.

All Healthy

Well I went to the dentist on Monday and today I had lab tests taken and got my latest COVID shot.  I have no upcoming medical appointments until January.

I was worried about getting blood tests done, given the problem that they had in the hospital trying to find a vein before my surgery.  I brought the picture of what my arm looked like after what they told me was an hour trying to install a needle before my surgery (that may have been an exaggeration!)  they told me the doctor had to find a way to get the needle in.

When the nurse came for after-care when I got home from the hospital, she tried to take blood and was not able to do it.  I used to donate blood regularly but I remember that the last time I tried, a couple of years ago, they were unable to get into a vein.  I'm now classified as a "hard stick."

But, miraculously, the nurse taking my blood today only had to try once to find a vein and she was able to fill all those bottles. I will be interested to see what the results are.  I haven't had a blood test since I've been regularly monitoring my blood sugar, which has been normal for several weeks now and I'm going to be anxious to see what my A1C turns out to be this time.

Doggie Alzheimer's

 Bouncer will be 16 next month.  She's a lab mix and they usually live 12-13 years, so she's an old dog.  Her vet is surprised that she is still alive.  It's probably due to the excellent care Ned  takes of her and the special food he feeds her, which he makes himself.

But she is slowing down. Her back legs aren't happy and she kind of drags them when she walks down the hall.  And we've decided she has developed Alzheimer's.  She has selective deafness.  She doesn't listen to anything anybody but Ned says to her.  Even if you call her to give her a treat, she doesn't  respond.

When she moved in here, she wouldn't  let me pet her on the head...she prefers to be petted on the rump so whenever she comes to me and I start to pet her, she turns around and backs up.so I can pet her where she wants to be petted.  Now she lets me pet her head.  

She's always in the way whenever I walk anywhere and it used to be that all I had to do was touch her and she moved.  Now she looks at you as if to say "Yes?  Is there something you want me to do?" and Ned has to drag her away.

She is usually under  the table at dinnertime, but now she sometimes seems to be lost and not know how to get out.

Ned takes her outside to pee during the night and they go out the sliding glass door. . During the day, she uses the doggie door in my office.  Yesterday she came downstairs and went right to the sliding glass door, and then turned around to wait for Ned to open it for her...but he was upstairs and she didn't seem to know what to do.

She has a bed upstairs with a cover on it and she sleeps under the cover.  Marta lifted the cover for her and she stood in the bed, but wasn't sure what she was supposed to do.

Sometimes when someone goes to give the dogs a treat, she isn't sure what is happening and you have to remind her that there is a treat coming.

That she does as well as she does is pretty amazing and Ned & Marta are lucky to have her this long -- Ned says it's the longest he's had a dog. We're keeping her as comfortable as possible, despite her Alzheimer's....just like my mother.

Exercise

 No need to get on the  treadmill today (I recently got a pair of Crocs to wear when I use the treadmill instead of my slippers!).  I definitely got my exercise today.

I had a dental appointment at 11.  Ned took me there and helped me get into the office with my walker.   I had an hour cleaning and then met him and Walt outside when it was over.  We were going to the bank to get the money I have to take out from my retirement account each year.  We drove to the bank and Walt got his check and then they asked for my ID.  My drivers license was not in my purse and they wouldn't accept any of the other dozen or so things with my name on it,  I don't have a clue what happened to my driver's license, which is not a big problem since it expires in February and I'm not going to get it renewed, since I don't drive any more.

So we piled back into the car and drove home,  Ned went looking for my license and Walt went to use the bathroom.  When they came out, Ned couldn't find the license and Walt had lost his license.  Ned found a very old, expired drivers license of mine and Walt got my passport, which expired in 2019 and we hoped the bank would accept one of  them.  Walt also hoped that he had left his drivers license at the bank, since that was the last time he had it in his hands, to give to the teller as ID.

The teller looked everywhere and couldn't find the license so while she was making out the cashier's check for me (never looked at the expired date on my passport, thank goodness ), Walt was looking thru his pockets and Ned was going through his wallet -- again.  Ned finally found it in an odd place in his wallet.

So by 2 we had it all done and I had done enough walking to count as 2-3 weeks on the treadmill.

* * * *

My big accomplishment of yesterday was that I finally finished answering all of the letters that stacked up while I as in the hospital, and those which have arrived since I've been home.  Fortunately, I received more mail today, so I have something to do tomorrow.

Tom's Dogs

Who is Tanesha?

 It's December and Tanesha is getting more mail than usual.  Mail from loan companies and offers of great sales she might be interested in.  She has also been named as a winner in some contests and has been welcomed to Medicare.

I don't have a clue who Tanesha is, but about 5 years ago, mail started coming to my email address (basykes@gmail.com) addressed to Tanesha (no last name) and I've been getting her mail now for years. I don't have a clue how someone named "Tanesha" has my email address.

* * * * *

We decorated our little Christmas tree last night.  Our family tradition is to have egg nog and listen to Bing Crosby Christmas carols.  Marta bought pumpkin egg nog (which was delicious) but we were behind on the last episode of Survivor so instead of listening to Bing, we watched TV.

Our little tree has a bunch of ornaments in memory of loved ones.  There are the collars of three dogs, the ball that our dog Seymour always chased, a black leather jacket ornament for our son David and then a smiley face necklace for our son Paul.  Paul and I had a joke about smiley faces and we often gave each other things with smiley faces on them.  He gave me this crazy necklace, which I would have buried with him except I left it at home the day his ashes were buried.  But I was glad I did because now it's a memory of Paul on the Christmas tree each year.

After David died, I wanted a black leather jacket ornament since he loved his black leather jacket.  But I couldn't find one anywhere.  I even went  o San Francisco to see if some shop in the Castro district had one, but none did.  I complained about it on Facebook and a friend found one, with "bitch" written across the back.  I'm not all that happy with "bitch" but I'm glad we have a black leather jacket ornament.

We also have Wizard of Oz ornaments, Star Trek ornaments (including a Star Ship Enterprise with a recording of Spock wishing everyone a merry Christmas) and a set of 7 dwarf ornaments that my friend Kathleen made for me a couple of decades ago.  We've lost Dopey, but we keep the remaining 6 in a special box so we don't lose any more.  The tree wouldn't be right without the 7 dwarfs.

Now we just have to wrap all those presents and hope Bubba doesn't tear them open.

Sunday Stealing

Hi! I'm your host Bev Sykes of the blog "Funny the World". . Welcome to Sunday Stealing. This feature originated and published on WTIT: The Blog. Here we will steal all types of questions from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent questions. Cheers to all of us thieves! 

Stolen from Facebook

1. Wintertime comfort foods, habits, hobbies
Can't think of any that are different from the rest of the year, except, of course, thespecial foods for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

2. Favorite seasonal/holiday music and songs 
I do like Christmas songs.  When we decorate the tree, we have to have Bing Crosby singing, as we did every year throughout my childhood.

3. The people I want to spend more time with next year 
It would be nice to see more of Tom and his family next year, though given the distance (~400 miles), that is probably not possible

4. How much I could change my life in 1 year if I focused 
Probably a lot.  Given how my life has changed since my surgery and how it has made me a healthier person in just a couple of months, think what I could do if I really devoted myself to it.

5. The valuable lessons I learned this year 
I'm learning a lot about my health that I've been ignoring for years

6. How I’d describe 2022 in 10 words 
bad, good, quiet, lots of letter writing and a lap dog!

7. My favorite Reads of 2022 
:"Funny farm" by Laurie Zaleski; "The Rainbow Comes and Goes" by Anderson Cooper; "West with Giraffes" by Lynda Rutledge, and all the Harlan Coben books I read.

8. Best movies I saw in 2022 
I haven't been to the theater to see a movie in 2 years.

9. Favorite TV shows/episodes of 2022 
Better Call Saul was a big  winner in this house this year.  The finale was perfect.  I am also a big fan of most of the doctor shows, probably my favorite New Amsterdam.  And of course we can't forget Jeopardy.

10. Memorable experiences from 2022 
My mother's death, finding Bubba (our new dog), my hospitalization, Ned's care of me.

11. Three people I enjoyed spending time with this year 
Daughter Jeri was here a couple of times and I always enjoy spending time with her.  Also, we went to Santa Barbara in July and I love being with our son and his family.  

12. How I handled challenges this year 
Calmly and responsibly, I hope

13. What I’m leaving behind in 2022 
My gallbladder

14. How I changed most from beginning to end of the year
I lost my gallbladder.  

15. What I want to tell myself before the New Year
Trump will get what's coming to him...and I don't mean the presidency.

Saturday 9

Welcome to Saturday: 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love to answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions!
 
Saturday 9: Just Because (1956)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) In this week's song, Elvis complains that his girl has confused him with Santa Claus. This time of year, Santa is prominent. Did you more recently hear Santa referred to in a song, see him in a holiday decoration or ad, watch him in a film or TV show, or maybe even met him in person, ringing a bell or asking kids if they have been naughty or nice?
Probably most recently saw him in a holiday decoration, or in house decorations on a news broadcast.

2) Finally Elvis just can't take it anymore and breaks up with her, just because. Is there anyone in your life who has a way of pressing your buttons and getting on your nerves?
Not these days

3) "Just Because" is one of the last songs Elvis recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis. TripAdvisor recommends a Sun Studio tour as one of the top things to do in Memphis. Have you ever been to Memphis? If yes, what did you do?
No.  Never been to Memphis

4) Elvis left Sun for RCA, a much bigger record label. As part of the deal, RCA negotiated for the rights to all his unreleased Sun songs. "Just Because" is one of them, and it was included on Elvis' first RCA album. Have you gotten a good deal on anything lately?
I've purchased so much stuff for Christmas gifts and some of the things were good deals, others not.

5) In 1956, when "Just Because" was released, non-stick cookware was first introduced. Do you have any Teflon in your kitchen right now?
I don't think so.

6) Elvis thought peacocks were beautiful and commissioned stained glass peacock panels for his living room. Do you have any stained glass in your home?
I have a window

7) He tried to keep peacocks at Graceland. One of the birds saw its reflection in Elvis' gold Cadillac and started pecking, ruining the car's expensive paint job. Elvis donated the peacocks to the Memphis Zoo. Have you ever had a bird as a pet?
No.  Never a bird.  I definitely would not have a peacock...they are horribly loud.

8) Elvis decorated the long Graceland driveway for the holidays with blue lights. His father teased that with the airport nearby, pilots might confuse their driveway with a runway. What airport is nearest your home?
Sacramento.

9) When Elvis was alive, he kept the holiday lights up until January 9, the day after his birthday. That tradition continues at Graceland today. Conventional etiquette tells us Christmas decorations should go up the day after Thanksgiving and come down before January 6 (the 12th day of Christmas). Do you think it's ever too early, or too late, for Christmas decorations?No.  Some of our decorations remain up all year.  I think it's too early when stores start advertising Christmas stuff with the 4th of July stuff!

Getting Old

 I got my driver's license in San Francisco when I was 16 years old.  I drove around the city for years, parking on steep hills (my father would not let me go for a license until I was able to parallel park on a hill, in a car with standard transmission).

I've driven thousands of miles, around town, down to Santa Barbara, and on stints sharing long drives with Walt.

Two or three years ago, Ned followed me home from Kaiser after we had taken Walt there and he told me he did not think that I was driving safely and thought I should stop driving.  I know this is a difficult thing for kids to tell their aging parent, but I was OK with it and have not driven since.  Ned has been wonderful about being my chauffeur.  I have not been behind the wheel of the car since then.

A Goggle page on age and driving I checked said this:  " older adults are more likely to receive traffic citations and get into accidents than younger drivers. What causes this increase? As we age, factors such as decreased vision, impaired hearing, slower motor reflexes, and worsening health conditions can become a problem.

You may have driven your entire life and take great pride in your safety record, but as you age, it is critical that you realize your driving ability can change. You may feel shocked or overwhelmed at the prospect of losing some of your independence, but by keeping your mind open to new possibilities, you can still maintain an active, vibrant, and rewarding lifestyle without a car.

Yesterday I got a note from the DMV letting me know that my license expires on my birthday (in February) and giving me directions for how to renew it.  I had to think about whether to renew my license or not and have decided not to.  I will have to get  an ID card, but I won't get a driver's license.

It seem strange, but at my age most people don't drive any more.  Walt disagrees.  But I am, or will be, officially a "non driver" after February.

Happy Camper

 I am a happy camper today.

Since I started using the new computer, I have not had WordPerfect and was under the impression that it would not work with Windows 11, which is what I have now.  But "Lenova," the word processor I have been using is very frustrating and I decided to do a Google search on WordPerfect to find out what was out there.  Char says she thinks she and I are the only two people still using WordPerfect, but I have been using it before "Word" was invented and I know it so well!

So I did a Google search and whaddya know...there is a version of WordPerfect for Windows 11 that cost $130.  It's actually a WP suite, which comes with other programs too (like database, which I definitely need!)

If this were a year ago, I would think this was too much money to pay but now that I have some money from my mother's estate, I decided to consider it a gift from her to me for Christmas and downloaded it.

I got it all installed and felt at home.  I immediatley wrote a pen pal letter and realized when I finished it that one of the reasons it has taken me so long to get through the stack of letters I have to answer is that I hated Lenova so much.  But with WordPerfect I'm back in business again.

Now I just have to try to remember the name of the program I used for web design and maybe Funny the  World can go back to normal, if I find something that will work.