On Being Grinchy

Sorry, Folks, but I've been a bit on the Grinchy side through the holidays. I just haven't been able to get into the holiday spirit much and I can't even tell you why. I guess things have piled up on me lately and I haven't handled it very well. I've been losing a lot of sleep for some reason, averaging only about three to four hours a night. I guess that could have a tendency to make one a bit on the Grinchy side.

Normally I love decorating the house and putting up the Christmas tree, but not this year. All it meant to me was just a bunch of work I'd have to undo again in short order. Ole and I took down the tree last night and the rest of the stuff is getting packed away today. I can't wait to get back to some form of normal if I can.

I should be looking forward to packing up the RV, and I guess I am - kinda. It means getting out of here - for awhile at least. And I do look forward to that. But there's been a bunch of things around here that have kind of beaten me down a bit; kind of like trying to swim in mud. Doesn't work very well. Why is it that if someone has an issue with something you do or say they don't have the guts to discuss the issue with you to your face? They'd rather go Pssst Pssst Pssst behind your back and talk about you and then when you happen to walk in on the conversation they're having they act all surprised and go on the defense? What a bunch of putzes.

Oh, well, enough of that. I'll get over it. I always do - it just takes me awhile sometimes.

So I apologize to all of you - I haven't been doing much reading of blogs so I'm way behind on everybody. If I've missed something important in your lives I'm sorry. But I won't tell you I'm going to try to catch up because when I look at the number of entries I would have to read in order to catch up it's overwhelming. Some of you have really been productive with your blogging throughout the Christmas season. Me? I've got nothing here.

Santa Claus was good to me though. Somehow he manages to blow me away every year with something totally unsuspecting. We've been putting off getting an LCD flatscreen TV because none of our TVs in the house were very old and all worked fine. So this year one just happened to show up under the tree and I must say it's really nice to watch. I guess that's what makes a good gift - something you wouldn't go out and buy for yourself and you really don't need but really like.

Ole got a wonderful gift from Lovely Daughter and Lars. They had a formal portrait taken of themselves with the two German Shepherds - Daisy and Beau. It is absolutely gorgeous. I'll have to post it - maybe tomorrow. Then they had a portrait of just the two doggers. I think people who can capture the personality of animals in a picture are some very special people. It takes a tremendous amount of patience to do that. And the personalities of these dogs shine through- Beau as kind of a little imp, full of mischief and fun; and Daisy very intense and somewhat neurotic. It all shows on their faces.

One of my fun things this year was buying fiestaware for Lovely Daughter. She has been interested in it for quite some time so I decided this year would be the year to get her started. I started her with two place settings, one scarlett and one evergreen, with a sunshine yellow pitcher. I had given her a cobalt blue gravy boat some time ago. When I went shopping for it I wanted to start my own collection, but I've already got four sets of dishes in the house already so I certainly don't need another one. I've got some beautiful complete sets left over from my mother, some that I've collected myself, and still I only use my plain white Correll. Isn't that boring? Maybe fiestaware would help spice up my life and change my attitude, huh? That sounds like a good excuse to me to go out and buy some.

But then maybe I better save my money because our goal is to pack the RV this weekend and be out of here by no later than Monday - depending on the weather of course. One always has to take that into consideration when you live around here. We're supposed to be hit with another storm tonight that will drop 4-6 inches of additional snow - AAAACCCCKKKK! Maybe all that white stuff is what's making me feel Grinchy.

Enough already, okay?