Visiting Neighbors & Their Stories
This is the last time you’ll see my kitchen and dining room before I begin holiday decorating.
I had Greg haul the Christmas bins out over the weekend. And I’ve been slowly winnowing through them.
I’m trying to decide what I’m going to use and what I’m not going to use.
This year’s decorating (I think, don’t quote me on that) will be more modest. Because it takes me longer to get things done.
However, I’m home more. So I might get itchy and keep adding after I tell myself I’m done.
And I’ve tried to scale back (but we’re talking about Christmas, so please don’t quote me on that!)
But once I get going, sometimes it’s hard to know where to stop. The story of my life.
Truly.
Vignettes For Christmas Decorating:
I’m planning (yes, but don’t quote me on that) to do mostly vignettes this year.
Vignettes are simpler and less intrusive.
I don’t want to have to push things out of the way just to eat a meal at the table.
You may be happy (or possibly unhappy) to know that I’m digging around in the reds again.
Yes, I have missed my reds!
First I found myself digging around in the many dishes stored in my dishwasher. But now my eye is going to other things that are red.
So if you thought I’d retired the color red, you thought wrong. And so did I.
Red has always been a tantalizing color to me. It draws me like a moth to a flame.
It’s shiny and mesmerizing.
So yes, you’re getting to see more red.
Did you shake your head when I began putting the reds away? Did you think: Well, how long will this little decorating decision last?
Yeah, I shook my head at myself too. But I plunged ahead and stacked the red decor and dishes away anyway.
Probably an impulsive decision on my part. One of many I’ve made over the course of my life. And lived to tell the tale.
When I wrote “lived to tell the tale” I got to wondering where that came from. So naturally I Googled it and found it was actually in the dictionary.
It means: To successfully deal with or continue to live despite a difficult situation or experience.
Which means when I use that phrase, it is more tongue in cheek because I’m not truly in that type of situation. And not for anything serious.
The Calmness Of The Color Green:
But the greens are SO relaxing. I’m going to have to curb my enthusiasm and just dot a bit of red here and there. Not everywhere.
But hey, Christmas calls for red, doesn’t it? What would the Christmas season be without the color red?
I doubt I’d recognize a Christmas without reds.
Neighbors Chatting:
Neighbors drifted in and out yesterday, deftly walking around all the plastic bins of Christmas decor out on the patio.
First it was Peg, then it was Steve. He forgot and left his mail here yesterday when he came to see me.
Steve will stand up ready to go to what he calls “the other side of the wall”. He looks about him to make sure he has everything.
Last time he left his water bottle. Sometimes it’s his keys. Or his phone.
Yesterday Steve sat down and I prodded him to start telling stories. Steve is a great story teller.
I urged him to tell about the woman he used to work with who got caught in a barbed wire fence. I’d heard it, but Peg had not.
Remember, he was a biologist for the U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service.
The Story About The First Female Hire:
This woman was the first female hire in their office, and she was out to prove herself.
She made it clear that she didn’t want any special consideration.
But then they were out in the field one day, and both Steve and another guy stepped over a barbed wire fence. They reached out to help her and she quickly told them she had it covered.
Steve has long legs and could easily scale the fence. This woman had short legs and really didn’t have a chance to clear the fence without help.
The men reached out to help her, but she chafed at the idea that she couldn’t get herself over the fence.
You guessed it. She got caught on the barbed wire fence in, of all places, her crotch. Then she was stuck.
So they had to help her and she was none too happy. She made them promise not to tell the others at the office about it.
But of course they did.
That’s not the whole story, but you get the gist of it.
When Steve Was A Helicopter Pilot:
Then I had him tell the story about when he was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam.
There was this big concrete courtyard type place.
The men grew bored one day, and what ensued was a cockroach race. All the lines were drawn on the cement and bets were made.
Unfortunately for the cockroach, he or she was set afire at one end to make he/she move faster.
Now there may have been some dousing with gasoline, but that part of it is a little dim in my memory.
Yes, it’s a bit horrifying.
But then, as Steve reminded us, there was quite a bit of beer involved.
So I kept nudging him about stories he’d told me, and story after story was then told.
There was the time he spent in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. What he saw and what went on.
I’m telling you, Steve has led an interesting life.
And when you put an interesting life and a natural story teller together, you’ve got a winning combination.
He regaled us with story after story and we laughed and laughed.
Steve can’t figure out how on earth I can remember the things someone tells me. But somehow I do. Greg wonders too.
How my memory about what others tell me can reach back so far. Yet I couldn’t tell you what I ate for lunch yesterday.
I guess I have a knack for remembering other people’s stories.
Then later in the afternoon here comes Ron through the door. He brought back my plastic storage container from the last time I took cake over there.
And he had a slice of pecan pie in it for me.
Next time you see photos of my apartment, you will see Christmas starting to appear.
I’m so glad you live in such a nice place with wonderful neighbors. I will be starting my Christmas decorating this weekend, too. Though every year I do less and less. It is so much work to get it all out and then pack it all up.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and Ivy! I hope one of your neighbors or your daughters bring you some food and visit with you for a bit.
How do you do it. I have a cat Rosie and she is active , climbing the curtains, etc. How is your cat Ivy? Are you putting a christmas tree up? Please let me know.
How blessed you are to have such loving neighbors. Sounds like your move to this apartment was one of the best decisions you’ve made. Happy Thanksgving!
Oops … I can spell Thanksgiving if I control my fingers. 🙂
You have fantastic neighbors! That is something definitely to be grateful for!!! I chuckle at the red… I have opposing decorating LOVES… cabin, cottagey-retro. So how does that work? LOL. Either way, any color green goes with red and it’s automatically festive!!!
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You have the best neighbors! Steve’s stories are hilarious! I hope he lets you take a picture of him. It’d be nice to put a face to the name. I can’t wait to see how you decorate for Christmas. This was such a fun post.
Brenda you do write happier. Your neighborhood is such a good support system.
Brenda, I want to echo J.’s comment about you living in a place with neighbors who visit and help and tell interesting, funny stories. So much better to be where you can enjoy a community of people. You were so isolated in the other place. I hope you feel the new situation more than compensates for the loss of your beautiful patio. Although, I think it would be too much for you now and you have made your smaller yard very lovely, too.
I will look forward to seeing your Christmas/Holiday decor. I like some red at Christmas time, but I also like a lot of green and white and silver, too. Whatever you do will look lovely, I know and we all will love sharing it’s beauty. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Decorating!
I did love that patio, but the concrete got so hot it sometimes burned the plants. Yes, I’m glad I’m here.
What a happy start of holiday blog!!! Enjoy your wonderful neighbors and decorating! Looking forward to the pictures of your home.
I did feel happy writing this as I thought about all of Steve’s stories. I’m going to have to pressure him to get a photo so you’ll know who I’m talking about. He doesn’t want me to take his photo, though he’s a nice looking man.
Can’t wait to see what you do Brenda, I’m scaling back this year and need some inspiration. Glad you’ve found a nice group of friends to hang out with 🙂
I hope to give you inspiration. Plus I’ve been working all day on The Love Of Home #7 and a lot of good stuff to show you on it. Haven’t done any decorating. Everything sits around me like a storm blew through.
I love red here and there. My favorite decor colors run between blue, sage green, gold, and red. Red always makes me happy.
Red is indeed a happy color and is also considered a warm color. Warm colors rev you up!
I agree with J, it’s nice to see that you have a group of neighbors to associate with and you sound very happy.
I guess I didn’t realize how isolated I was.
Always fun to see what you do…cannot wait…I cut way back this year …especially love my mantel. Not putting up my tree.. and only did our gathering room instead of the whole house.. but it is very pretty anyway…did that other lady ever get moved in that had the nasty neighbor? Happy Thanksgiving to all💕
Nope, Peg is still on the fence about keeping her house. No telling what she’ll end up doing when her lease is up in June.
I’m glad you’re going to be decorating for Christmas and are bringing out some of your beautiful red items. Looking forward to seeing what you do as the weeks tick down to Christmas. I decided that I’m going with red, black, white and gold. When one of my sisters and her husband visited for Christmas last year Duke the Black Lab was a guest too, and it took me some time to remove all of his soft black hair from my creamy white sofa when the visit ended. My fault, I didn’t cover it. This year I bought a stretch “velvet” slip cover in black and it looks good, I wrestled it on the sofa a few days ago. No worrying about Duke’s black hair. I’m using already owned red and gold throw pillow covers and color coordinated plush throws – I did buy a new one, a super soft and plush red and black Buffalo check. I’ve also been looking at red “velvet” stretch slip covers for my four Parsons style dining chairs, Amazon has some tempting deals. The Christmas tree will be erected on Thanksgiving day and I’ll spend a couple of days off and on taking my time decorating it. It’s one of my favorite things to do, with Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV in the background.
That color combination should be beautiful. Good for you for being proactive about the dog. You put a lot of thought into that and it sound like it’s going to work. Better to work with the dog than worry about it.
I’m so happy for u Brenda that u have neighbor friends to do things with! I’m the one that said it’s not good to be alone all the time! Now look at u baking cakes and making meals to enjoy with your friends! U even sound a lot more happier!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!🦃
You were right. I’ve gotten more social since moving here. Didn’t have any choice in the matter really! Our patios face one another all around.
I love that you have such wonderful neighbors. Such a nice community in that apartment complex. Since you have the lovely green throughout your apartment, I think adding some red for Christmas will be great. What is more traditional at Christmas than green and red? Should be very pretty. Looking forward to seeing it.
Last year I remember putting up the tabletop tree with silvers and golds. You all told me it needed a little red, and you were right. Not putting a tabletop tree up this year. I’d never sit down for having to fuss over it.