Christmas! Christmas!

The holidays are upon us and visions of sugarplums are not dancing through my head.  I think Scrooge lives at my house and our names are synonymous.  Frankly, by the time Christmas rolls around I am kind of tired of it.  It’s hard to focus on the reason for the season when the retail establishment starts decorating the stores and pushing the advertisements as soon as the “back to school specials” are cleared off the shelves.

Every year I tell myself I am not going to get sucked into the commercialism and I am going to keep things simple.  I do a pretty good job of not buying presents; years ago we decided to cut back on gift giving and take turns choosing a charity to contribute to as a family.  None of us needs to be giving/receiving another sweater, and hopefully our Christmas money supports a worthwhile cause.  However, Shane sometimes tries to suggest a more self-serving charity, and he and Alex definitely win the prizes for awful Christmas sweaters.

I don't have any words . . .

Of course the holidays bring back memories of childhood Christmases.  There was always a lot of anticipation in my home; my Mom put out gifts without name tags . . . she used a distinct gift wrap for each of us so only she knew which gift was for whom.  We were always trying to guess which gift was ours.  One of my favorite childhood memories is Dad taking us into the mountains to cut a tree; it was a lot of fun and remembering those times makes me miss my Dad.  I don’t actually have many of my childhood photos but found this one of my first Christmas.

I don't look too happy!

Bob shares a story about the Christmas his parents put the kids to bed and went to the neighbors for a Christmas Eve cocktail party.  Their parents came home and found the boys riding their new bicycles throughout the house; so much for a Christmas morning surprise!  One of his favorite memories is of visiting Santa in a Richmond, VA department store.  This Santa actually did have the real hair and beautiful beard, and it’s a classic Christmas photo that graces our home every year.

Rob, about age 4

I don’t think I really began to experience the joy of Christmas until I became a mother and could see it through my children’s eyes.  They were full of hope and wonder and curiosity.  It was always a lot of fun, even the year the tree fell over!  I don’t know what their favorite Christmas memories are but I know that the one piece of decorating I continue to do is put out childhood photos of Amy and Shane at Christmas time.  Truly, it warms my heart. 

Amy & Santa, 1971

Shane, 1973

Shane, Santa, & Amy, 1975

Amy & Shane, 1980

Bob and I were married in 1981 and the “kids” and I moved out to his house, which allowed us to decorate in a bigger way.  We had a fireplace for hanging stockings; a high ceiling for a tall tree; and the family favorite was to decorate the side of the house with a simple tree shaped lighting.  Amy and Shane always cooked Christmas breakfast, a German apple puff pancake.  Yummy!

1981

Our house "tree" 1983

1984

 At Christmas 1985 we moved from CO to WA.  It was one of the coldest and snowiest late Decembers on record and we let barely sixteen-year old Amy drive a vehicle (in caravan) from CO to WA.  She had gotten her driver’s license only three weeks earlier!  I don’t know what we were thinking but she did a great job and probably learned a lot about winter driving from that experience.  That Christmas we stayed in a motel with our two cats (boarded the dog) and we tried to enjoy the holiday in our new surroundings.  It was challenging and yet I think it reminded all of us that the reason for the season has nothing to do with the decorations, gifts, and festivities.  We made up for Christmas day by celebrating New Year’s Eve in our new home and a nice traditional holiday dinner. 

1986

In 1988, Bob took a job in Zambia, Africa and our lives changed forever.  Christmas took on an entirely new celebration.  The Zambians wished us “Christmas! Christmas!” and Bob and I continue to refer to the holiday in that manner.  It was strange to be in the Southern Hemisphere and have warm weather at Christmas.  The Zambian mining company provided us with a tree that was probably 20’ tall; we cut the top off for our tree and our houseboy (Valentine) and gardener (Jotam) hauled off the rest of the tree to share in their homes.  We didn’t have lights or decorations so for the first time in years we made paper chains and popcorn garlands.  We hosted a Christmas tea for Valentine, his wife, and their five little boys and also for Jotam and his younger brother, Nojus.  They were ecstatic when we gave everyone a pair of shoes (I’d bought them while home in the US) and food boxes of sugar, tea, biscuits, a chicken and fried caterpillars.  Yes, caterpillars and there is a much longer story there.  That Christmas changed Christmas forever; I think I truly experienced that joy is in the giving more than receiving.

Zambian Christmas tree, 1989

 Between 1990 and 1997, our family was busy spreading its wings and Bob and I decided to take a back seat when it came to the holidays.  We tried to celebrate Thanksgiving more and leave Christmas for the kids to celebrate in their own homes and in their own way.  Sometimes we celebrated by what we called “whacky tacky” Christmas where we exchanged gag gifts at another time of year.  We did come together in 1993 for a family holiday celebration and the entertainment was Shane’s miniature dachshund, Gucci.  She provided joy to all of us for over sixteen years, and she endured her Christmas sweaters or hats with little complaint.

Vail, 1990

Gucci, 1993

 As mentioned earlier, our exposure to the holidays in other countries started from our living in Zambia.  It peaked our interest, and we were fortunate to enjoy Christmas in a few other nations 1997-2007.  We loved living in Calgary, Alberta Canada; the entire country looks like a winter wonderland. 
 

Banff Hot Springs Hotel, 1997

 One year we visited Guadalajara and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico over Christmas.  It was very interesting, and sincerely devout in the religious experience and celebration.

Guadalajara 2000

San Miguel de Allende 2000

   







We moved to the Lake District of England in 2005 and our holidays were spent in England and Scotland.  It was nice to be exposed to the British traditions of mince pies (gesture of hospitality) and plum pudding deserts, holiday crackers (party favors) and greeting one another with “Happy Christmas.” 

Carlisle Christmas Parade 2005

Cockermouth 2005

Edinburgh 2005

St. Andrews 2005

York Minster

While living in England, some of my friends and I traveled to the Cologne Germany Christmas Market.  Europe is known for its Christmas Markets, and Germany is particularly known for their nutcrackers and Christmas pyramid carousels.  My carousel has become my favorite decoration and along with Christmas pictures of my children it is the one decoration I always put out. I love that carousel nativity scene, and the trip to Cologne was wonderful.  

Christmas Market Pyramids

My Nativity Carousel

Good friends visit Cologne Germany

Bob and I also spent a Christmas on the southern Algarve coastline of Portugal. We traveled to several small towns and also to Seville, Spain.   I remember lots of nativity scenes and the beautiful Christmas linens; one decorates my kitchen table every year.

Estoi Portugal

Christmas Linen

In late 2007 we moved from the fells of Cumbria, England to the hills of Greenville, SC.  It was a difficult move; we didn’t want to leave England and Bob had to face a cancer diagnosis.  Good friends came out to visit before the holidays and my brother and sister-in-law came for New Year’s.  Both sets of company bolstered our spirits, and of course we were reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.  We visited the beautiful Biltmore mansion in Asheville, NC, which is decked out to the nines at Christmas; it is a “must-see” for any visitors to the region. 

Biltmore Mansion, Asheville NC

Charleston SC

Also, we made a trip down to beautiful Charleston, SC; especially lovely at the holidays.  Christmas week 2010, before moving from SC back to WA, we made one last road trip through parts of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.  At a friend’s suggestion, we stopped at beautiful Bellingrath Gardens outside Mobile, AL.  Christmas Eve we celebrated in a hotel restaurant with many people of other faiths who were enjoying a quiet weekend.  The view was beautiful and the camaraderie enjoyable.

Bellingrath Gardens, Mobile AL 2010

Pensacola FL 2010

Returning to the Pacific NW was an opportunity to enjoy our family again. Last year we were blessed to have my Mom with us for Christmas.  I opened this blog post by admitting I have a bit of a “bah humbug” attitude about the holidays.  My frustration is with the commercialism of a spiritual holiday.  I’m not a big decorator but I do enjoy baking my two mothers-in-law (yes, I had two of the best!) favorite sugar cookie recipes and I’ve gotten pretty good at making my Grandmother’s fudge.  Bob makes his Mother’s garlic cereal and we enjoy sharing the goodies with family, friends, and neighbors. 

Three Generations, 2014

We enjoy making a browsing trip through our local nursery which always has beautifully decorated trees, lovely nativity scenes, and resident reindeer.

Red Tree

Gold Tree

 

Beautiful Nativity

Santa's reindeer in Richland?

I look forward to spending Christmas Eve with Amy and Mike where we will enjoy a simple enchilada dinner before attending services at their church.  Christmas afternoon we will go to Port Townsend and enjoy a week of natural beauty and tranquility. 
 

Port Townsend "reindeer"

 Shane and Alex will be relaxing in Mexico.  I may not go “all out” for the holidays but I’m fairly certain my family has good memories of Christmas.

Welcome to our home!

Obviously, we celebrate Christmas.  But having lived in foreign countries, I am aware that not everyone celebrates it like we do.  I’m also aware that other faiths also have religious holidays in December and they celebrate in their own respectful and traditional manners.  To offer a bit of personal insight, I think Starbucks got it right this year with their “controversial” holiday cup; a simple red cup honoring the holiday season throughout the world.  So on that note, Bob and I want to wish all of you “Happy Holidays”  and hope each of you is blessed with good health, happiness, prosperity, and peace in the coming New Year. 

Happy Holidays!

Thankful for Family and Medical Care

I’m a bit late in getting to my Thanksgiving holiday post; let’s say life got in the way and explain later.  Bob and I hope everyone enjoyed a Happy Thanksgiving, filled with family, good health and many blessings.  Thanksgiving has long been my favorite holiday; I get frustrated with the fact that Christmas starts at Labor Day, but our family has plenty to celebrate around Thanksgiving.  My daughter, Amy, and son-in-law, Alex, have birthdays on the 24^th and 28^th respectively. 

Amy's Birthday, 1983

When Amy was young she thought the entire TG dinner and family gathering was actually all for her birthday; sometimes it still is and that’s always fun.  I'm already looking forward to Amy's birthday 2016, also Thanksgiving Day!

Alex's Birthday 2013

We hosted Thanksgiving for the family this year so naturally there was a lot of shopping and preparation for the day and dinner.  Bob and I had been shopping for weeks in a phased approach . . . baking staples, non-perishables, liquor, freezer items, Costco run, and finally the turkey and fresh produce.  We’d pressed all the table linens, decorated the house, chosen the wine, washed glassware and polished silver, organized serving dishes and utensils, and everything was ready to set the table on the big morning.

Thanksgiving table

We’d organized the kitchen in preparation for all the baking and cooking; set baking pans and ingredients together, casseroles arranged and waiting the addition of the side dishes, turkey roaster out along with the meat thermometer, bar and beverage area organized . . . let’s just say that I am a bit overly organized when it comes to preparing Thanksgiving dinner.  You’d think we were having dinner for twenty when in fact our guests were our immediate family . . . Amy & Mike, Shane & Alex, three dogs and my ex-husband, father of my children, John.  I know what you may be thinking but we make this work just fine!

Shane & Alex, and the pups!

John

Mike being a bit awnry!

Mike working up an appetite!

Anyway, it’s a good thing that everything was organized and our Thanksgiving game plan was in effect.  Because I became ill on Monday and became worse as the holiday approached.  If Thanksgiving was going to happen it was because Bob took charge and did nearly everything.  He made pumpkin and pecan pies, organized appetizer platters, peeled potatoes, chopped the vegetables, prepared the stuffing and got the turkey in the oven. 

Bob's pecan pies

Bob, the chef!

  

Amy & Shane jumped in and helped with the preparations.  My only contribution was to advise about the timing of everything.  Dinner was lovely, one of the best ever!  Mike cleaned up the kitchen; Alex made after dinner coffee and helped with dessert.  It was a family dinner in every sense of the word. 

Daisy and I resting after dinner!

All of us were looking forward to visiting with Shane who had been in China for business; it was his first trip there and we knew he’d have some interesting experiences to share.  Shane is the human resources director for a large cyber security company.  Everyone loves Shane; he just has one of those gravitating personalities and apparently his Chinese colleagues agreed.  He visited Beijing and Chengdu, and thought they would be interesting places to live . . . except for the extremely poor air quality.  I wish I could have traveled with Shane, he’s a fun travel companion, but he doesn’t need his mother to go along on a business trip!

Shane in China

Amy continues to inspire us with her work at a major northwest cancer research center; she’s a philanthropy advisor and her job is fairly social.  Interesting.  She goes to all sorts of events and asks people for contributions.  I think that would be difficult but Amy is a natural at it; trained in drama, educated in English literature, an excellent communicator, she’s dedicated and passionate about the cause, and is always charming.  Again, she’s our Thanksgiving birthday girl so we always enjoy showering her with special attention on the holiday.

Amy

 I pushed through the day and collapsed that evening, early to bed, and thankful beyond measure for my husband and family.  Friday morning I gave up and didn’t resist at all when Bob insisted on taking me to the ER.  We’d called our doctor’s office but all the doctors were enjoying the holiday weekend so off we went expecting to be told that a nasty something was going around (it was) and told to drink fluids and get plenty of rest; maybe they’d start an IV for a couple hours rehydration.  But after about seven hours and multiple tests the doctor admitted me to the hospital with a suspected intestinal blockage.  Yikes!  Oh, by the way, we had gone across town to the remote ER, thinking it was a “walk-in urgent care” center.  So, now that I’m hooked up to an IV and have a horrible intubation down my nose into my stomach, I have to be transported via ambulance back across town to the main hospital.  Let’s just say that the day unfolded in a scenario I hadn’t anticipated.

Getting better?

After consultations with the gastro doctor I underwent an endoscopy.  The CT scan had definitely shown a possible blockage so we needed to know what was going on.  The anesthesiologist decided to put me completely out, rather than light sedation, since I had the nasty intubation down my nose and throat . . . all I cared about was hoping that it would be removed while I was under.  It was and I “came to” hearing a nurse say “I was all clear, and maybe I’d eaten some Costco chicken salad.”  I was relieved, mostly about the tube being gone, and no, I hadn’t eaten any chicken salad.  All the cultures for bacterial infection were negative, my tummy and gut were clear of any blockage, and the foregone conclusion was that I had a nasty gastro intestinal viral infection.  So much for my preventative flu shot!

For the record I want to say I had wonderful care at the hospital, both in the ER and throughout the two-day hospitalization.  All the nursing staff (RNs and CNAs) was kind, caring and competent.  Continuing with the Thanksgiving theme, I remain very grateful and appreciative.  As for the bills, well it will be interesting to see what Medicare and my supplemental policy cover.  My insight for the day is blatantly obvious . . . good health and family are everything.

Our first snow of the season came a few days after Thanksgiving.  The Farmer's Almanac is predicting a very snowy winter for the Pacific Northwest.  I’m not a big snow fan; I prefer looking at it on the mountaintops rather than the streets.  However, it was pretty and reminded me that the Christmas holidays are nearing.

Bet those koi are cold!

Early morning on the golf course

We are looking forward to a quiet getaway week in Port Townsend, WA.  Amy and Mike will join us for a few days of walking the beach and enjoying our favorite Victorian seaport town.  Shane, Alex, and John will be going to Playa las Tortugas, Mexico to celebrate Feliz Navidad.  Our family will be 2500 miles apart from one another, but our hearts will be together in the spirit of Christmas and warm with memories of another memorable family Thanksgiving.

A Day in the Life of Bob

The most common question we have gotten since Bob retired is “how do you spend your time?”  It’s a reasonable question.  I think we are both surprised at how busy we have been.  If you have been following the blog you know we have done a lot of travel since May, and that has consumed many weeks’ time.  But in between trips we aren’t sitting around twiddling our thumbs.

I’ve always suspected Bob would love retirement.  He has lots of interests and now he has time for them.  Bob is also a pretty disciplined guy so no real surprise here but he makes time for the activities he enjoys as well as the tasks or chores on his list.  Yes, sometimes it’s a “honey-do” list from me!

The one concession to not having a schedule is that Bob lets himself sleep until he awakens instead of jumping out of bed when the alarm goes off; it doesn’t go off anymore!  He spent the last many years getting up at 4:30am and being at his office by 6:00am but even at that early rising hour Bob found time to do some exercise before leaving the house.  He still does start every morning with stretching and tai chi exercises.  Then he heads out for a morning walk.  He’s dedicated!  We live in a good neighborhood for walking and he enjoys it.

Stretching

Tai Chi

 

Foggy morning walk

During breakfast Bob’s glued to the iPad reading the news, watching the stock market and getting caught up on email.  What did we ever do before we had email or social media? 

Breakfast & the stock market

Then time for some chores . . . he claims he actually enjoys them.  Generally he is out gardening or cleaning out the filter to the koi pond and changing the water. 

Gardening

Koi Pond

Like anyone, there’s always something that needs to be done around the house.  We have a pretty traditional split of chores, always have had, and it works for us.  However, I’m very pleased to disclose that Bob has taken over vacuuming inside the house.  I hated doing it; he does a much better job and I appreciate it.

Vacuuming

Generally, I’m more “the errand runner” so often I’m out and about while Bob putts around outside.  One lesson quickly learned after he retired is that we don’t have to spend all our time together.  At first, I felt I should invite him to go to Target or the grocery store and he felt he had to say “sure dear.”  That got old pretty fast and now “I’m going to Target” is sort of code for I need some time to myself.  His code is “I’m going to Home Depot.”  I’m sure many of you readers, retired or otherwise, can relate.

One of the things Bob loves to do but hasn’t had much time for in many years is painting.  He has dabbled in many mediums but seems to enjoy watercolors most.  Now he has the time and we just need to find a designated space for him to indulge.  Our house is fairly small so he seems to rotate between the dining room, the kitchen or the office.  I think Bob is quite talented and I’m happy to have several of his pieces decorating our home.  We often joke that we may hit the road displaying at regional “art in the park” events.  Who knows what the future will bring?

Acrylic

Watercolor Petroglyph

 

Almost a "Monet"

 

Lately we have been brushing up on our Spanish, spending a few minutes after lunch every day practicing.  Our next big trip is to Costa Rica (snowbirds for two months!) and we won’t be fluent but hopefully we can make an effort to speak the pleasantries and understand what’s being said to us. I studied Spanish for six years in school and am not fluent; it’s a skill I wish I had kept up with.  Language needs to be used, or you do lose it! 

Como se dece?

 

 Who knew Bob was harboring a desire to be a rock star?  I didn’t, and we’ve been married nearly 35 years!  One morning he came out of the office after spending time at the computer and announced he just bought a guitar.  I’m envisioning an acoustic guitar but a few days later a beautiful electric guitar arrives.  Then an amplifier arrives.  I ask if he is going to take lessons and I’m informed he is taking an online course.  I guess you can learn to do anything online these days . . . and actually, each day I can hear improvement and am beginning to recognize a tune.  Bob, the rock star!

Bob, the Rock Star

Practice, practice!

 

We recently ran into Bob’s boss who immediately asked if he was ready to come back to work.  Without hesitation Bob replied “no.” Then his boss asked if I was ready for Bob to go back to work.  Again, “no.”  We are enjoying this time and each other.  I guess the point about Bob’s retired life is that he is disciplined, dedicated, and never idle.  There’s always something that needs to be done or he wants to do.  He approaches every day as an opportunity and blessing.  I’m not worried about him filling his time; his dance card is full.

We rather spontaneously headed out to the OR coast for a couple days “ocean fix.”  We love the community of Gearhart and always enjoy a walk on the beach.  The weather was quite stormy and the ocean angry but you just have to appreciate the dynamics of nature. 

Gearhart beach

Tillamook Head, south of Gearhart

After the storm passed we happened to come across an unlikely site . . . a large herd of elk grazing at the city park on the edge of Seaside, the neighboring community.  Who knew elk like to go to the beach also?  It was a very special treat!

Just a few of the cows

Who's looking at who?

Our insight into retirement for now is that it has been helpful to have a plan, have some interests you want to do, and let yourself enjoy!  Also, be open to trying something new . . . you just may become a rock star!