Just 15 Days Until Christmas 2021
It’s now just 15 days until Christmas 2021. It won’t be that different from me, as I like to stay home with the kitties and prepare my own meal.
I love my family, but there are other family members of family members that end up coming. That’s a bit too much social involvement for me.
We’ve been doing things this way for years.
Nope, I’d rather stay at home with the kitties.
And that should be your prerogative. Spending a holiday the way you want to spend it and not feeling guilty about your choice.
If you go to all the Christmas family dinners and other functions and you hate every minute of it, then stop doing it.
Life is short. You should do what you truly want to do. A holiday should be something that makes “you” happy.
One year Kendra said to me: “Why don’t you just not send money for the kids for Christmas. They get far too much from the others to even notice.”
So I took her up on it.
Kendra’s Duplex Flip:
Oh, and Kendra has finished renovating the duplex she purchased to rent.
Each side has 1100 square feet and she has made it truly beautiful. She tore down trees, laid sod, and fixed the whole inside up. There was a lot of wood rot she had to deal with.
And then she added all new appliances and a nice washer/dryer set.
When I saw photos of it online I was amazed at all she’d done. She doesn’t leave any stone unturned in making sure a home is all it could be. Each side has its own yard, deck, and a one-car garage.
She’s been so inundated with people calling and texting her about renting it that she had to take the listing down. She has many showings this weekend. One side has already been rented.
But the side where the owner of the duplex had lived needed a lot more work, she told me. So that side she has just finished up and it’s ready to rent.
Gracie Lately:
So I’m sure you’re wondering about the kitties. Gracie is growing like a weed.
She is getting into more stuff all the time. It’s like she suddenly just discovered things that have been here all along.
This is where she often goes at night when I’m in bed reading a book. To this sideboard that serves as a nightstand on the other side of my bed.
She doesn’t tend to stay there more than an hour or two. Then she’s off to see what mischief she can get into after her nap.
Ivy did that for a while herself, but she stopped doing that some time ago. Now she prefers her cat tower where she can keep an eye on what’s going on on the patio.
Ivy Lately:
Ivy has never been a cat that wants to snuggle up as Gracie is.
She sometimes likes to sit at the end of my chair.
But more often than not she wants to get on the other side of the window blinds and stare out the front.
She likes to keep watch over what’s going on outside.
There in the background behind Ivy are the boxes of Abi and Charlie’s ashes.
Maybe some wouldn’t have them placed so prominently in the living room. But that’s where I want them to be.
What I’ve Been Reading:
I’ve been reading more books. I finished “The Caretakers” by Eliza Maxwell last night. This book was published in 2020.
Before that I read “The Secrets Of Midwives” by Sally Hepworth. It was published back in 2015, but I had not read it.
And before that was “Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King. I know I’ve read that one in the past, but over time forgotten I’d forgotten the plot. Like many of King’s books, it was quite long.
Stephen King:
Salem’s Lot was only his second book written and it was in 1975. Before I began reading it, I wondered if his second book was as good as what he’s writing now. If his skills have developed even more.
One thing about Stephen King, he’s quite prolific and churns the books out with regularity.
But I have to say that the second one was every bit as good as the other dozens of books he’s written. He wrote “Carrie” in 1974.
That book and “The Shining” are well remembered in my mind!
Did you know that he’s 6 foot 4? And he’s been married to his wife Tabitha since 1971. So she’s been along for the whole journey. And she’s an author herself.
What I’ve Been Watching:
Last night I finished watching “Luther.” There were at least 5 seasons and there’s talk of a film.
Tonight I’ll have to choose something else to stream. I’d watched all I wanted to on Showtime and canceled it. I still have Prime Video, Hulu, Britbox and Acorn TV.
Daughter Kasi is bringing lunch today. Not sure about Kendra. She can’t often get away long enough to have lunch with us.
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It’s good to know your own mind and do what makes you happy. Maybe Kendra will let you share photos of the places she renovated. I had two cats with two totally different personalities, just like Ivy and Gracie. Hard to believe it’s on 15 days till Christmas and 3 weeks till it’s 2022! Sheesh!
So excited for you that you’ll soon be moving into your new big place! You and the kitties will have so much space to create a brand new cozy nest. It’s great to hear about your daughters and grand kiddos and it’s amazing how quickly they’re growing. How is Andrew? He’s probably half grown by now. Let’s slow down time just a teeny bit! 🙂
I liked the first couple of seasons of Luther, but found the rest of the seasons descended into disturbing evil and darkness …. It reminded of Criminal Minds. Too much cruel and gratuitous violence imo,
On Hulu have you watched A Million Little Things? It’s very good…
I also like Harrow, Big Sky & Dopesick…Nine Perfect Strangers….Little Fires Everywhere…
I read Nine Perfect Strangers. Maybe I’ll watch it. I read so many books I’m sure I’ve forgotten some of it.
My husband & my son don’t really enjoy all the big get-togethers around the holidays but they do better with smaller family times. But they both go & try to be an encouragement to at least one person.
I’m just relieved we not longer feel obligated to travel for the holidays. For close to 30 yrs any time my husband got a few days off work we were expected to go visit family….in three different directions. It always meant an overnight stay, usually at least two nights to a week. Only to come home so tired & facing work again. We stopped traveling for Thanksgiving & Christmas once our son was old enough to want to stay home. It was so much easier.
So going to a meal close by is no big deal after all of those years driving in holiday traffic & having no place at all to find your own space for days on end.
I can’t believe Christmas is in just 15 days! I swear time is speeding up as I get older! I, too, would love to see some pictures of Kendra’s flip house, if you can share them with us. I hope you and Kasi had a nice lunch.
I’ll have to ask her if she has any to let me use.
I love your cats! They look so healthy and well groomed. Do you feed them any special cat food?
Nope. Just regular stuff.
I can’t believe how quickly this holiday season is flying by. Time seems to have turned itself into a supersonic jet. I prefer to spend my holidays alone, have for many years. I cook and eat exactly what I want, I don’t have to “play nice” with someone I’d rather not see but for family ties, I don’t have to watch movies I don’t like or a football or basketball game I’m not interested in, and I have peace and serenity in my home. Before the COVID pandemic, I would often travel to see my friends in Las Vegas and often spent holidays there along with my partner before he passed away in 2012. Now, even if the threat of the pandemic disappeared I wouldn’t travel on a commercial airline for a million bucks, too many people causing incidents making travelling unsafe and unpleasant these days. It’s called “Home, Sweet Home” for good reason!
Totally agree!
I just finished Elementary on Hulu…it was quite good and I really liked it. You should give it a try.
I always enjoy hearing about your daughter’s renovating spaces. Would love to see pictures some day of her work. Love the two photos today of the “girls”. They both are adorable…Oh, wanted to tell you, I have Cleatus’s ashes in my living room also. Her little box is in a small crock, with a few of her favorite toys (mice). Hugs from WI, we are expecting 9 to 12 inches of snow tonight. Yikes!
It will be fun to see what they pick as their favorite spot when you move!
I love hearing about and seeing pics of Ivy and Gracie. They have their own personalities and are adorable.