Musings on a Small Life

My wish for 2024: That All Beings are safe, that All Beings are happy, that All Beings are healthy in mind, body, and Spirit, and that All Beings live with comfort and ease. Please ...may 2024 brings more smiles and laughter than tears. Blessings and Light to you all. Images courtesy of Pinterest. 

I hope everyone's holiday was good, however you celebrated! I did have a lovely holiday; my aunt does like to pamper and fuss over people. The three days were busy, filled with far more social activity than I typically have, so even though I appreciated her efforts, I was happy to take the train home on Boxing Day afternoon, be in my own space again, sleep in my own bed. Everyone was very warm and welcoming, though, which was so kind of them (my cousin and her family, her mother-in-law, the church members after Christmas Eve service, etc.) My aunt's apartment (the upstairs of a 200-year old house) looks out over the St. Lawrence River (New York state is on the other side, very close) and there's a lovely walking path that runs between the river and the canal. I'll post pics of my two walks there another time. Right now I have cute doggie pics to offer, all snapped on Christmas Day. Below are Onyx (senior girl), and Jada (about two, the dog of my cousin's son, who cu...

Happy holidays to all, no matter what you celebrate! I sent this card out to those of you for whom I had addresses; I hope it arrived. And I hope each of you has a lovely Christmas, filled with good company and good food, and at least a bit of time to relax and just breathe and enjoy. For those who have other seasonal celebrations, I have a more generic, seasonal card as well. Thank you for continuing to visit/comment, even though all my fur babies are angels now and I haven't been inspired to post often, or about much. Happy holidays and all the very best for 2024!🎄

After Mom passed in March, I brought back only one Christmas decoration, this Father Christmas boot. I don't know where it came from, perhaps from my father's side of the family, as they were German. Whatever its origins, it's obviously very old; it has been put out at each Christmas throughout my entire life. I remember it in Gaspé, when I was growing up (it sat on a bookcase in the downstairs hall), and I remember it in Mom and Harry's house in Halifax. Mom put it out every year she was in the apartment too. So now it lives with me, though I only remembered yesterday that I had it packed away.  Father Christmas is actually rather scary, if you look too closely, and I would be very afraid to do a swab of that tinsel inside the boot, as it's original too. But it's a Christmas tradition in my family, and so it will have new life, of sorts, with me. If you have any "scary" or strange items you put out every year, any long-standing traditions, please feel...

All with a holiday/winter theme and courtesy of my Pinterest feed, as usual. Have a great day!

Santa's Village at our mall. They've moved the display to the upper level for the first time ever, and have a new display downstairs (last pic). Keep in mind it's a small city with only one indoor mall. LOL. So it's not big-city slick and professional. The fellow who plays Santa is great. I believe it's the same man who has done it for years, and he looks the part, complete with real beard. It's been very busy in there, the times I've been in! Most of the kids are good, but some poor little ones have complete meltdowns. It would take endless patience to deal with them all, IMO.🎅 The last pic is where Santa's Village used to be. Moving the village upstairs gives everyone more room, doesn't block traffic flow anymore. I know it's kind of silly/cheesy, but every time I see that village (and Santa!) it puts a smile on my face. 

It's very rare for me to post a pic of myself, I'm far too old for the "selfie" madness that so many seem to participate in. However, I had a hair makeover on Saturday -- chop, chop of the COVID hair! I have not had my hair this short since 2011, and for most of these years it's been in a layered bob of various lengths. When everything was shut down during COVID, I, like so many, let my hair grow. I did get it trimmed from time to time, but I was tired of the bob and wanted to let it grow. I started having layers put back in over the past 12 - 18 months, still keeping the length, but after my last trim at the end of September, I knew I was done. I have a long face and it takes a lot of work to make my longer hair look half-decent, not just hang straight in my face, making me look even drearier and older. So Saturday morning I went in to my stylist with some pics of what I liked--and what I didn't--and put myself in her hands. It's not what I expected, but ...

Happy Friday, all. I'm counting down, with some degree of desperation, the number of working days until our holiday break. (It's ten. Ten week days after today.) So, if you need a smile, here are some "funnies" from Pinterest. Take care, everyone, and have a lovely day!

I came across these pics from December 2009, of all three cats (Annie, Nicki, and Derry) enjoying the tree and the general festivities. Nicki enjoying some packing material...under supervision, of course! Annie with her laser on high. Nicki checking out the tree box. Derry looks innocent... ...but even he couldn't resist the lure of the tree when he was young. Derry...such a sweet baby bear. Nicki, below. You'll note that there were no ornaments on the lower branches...for good reason! Annie chilling on the footstool. Derry in the foreground and Annie hiding in the back. No doubt she was trying to hide from Nicki, her nemesis. Derry again, because that sweet face was irresistible to me. Lastly, Nicki taking his turn posing nicely under the tree. Cats, especially when young and full of beans, certainly make the holidays entertaining! I hope you enjoyed the jaunt down memory lane. Have a terrific day!

Happy December 1st! Below: With a nod to all the Hallmark Christmas movies I've been watching since the third week of October. LOL. (Schmaltzy, yes, but better than the news!) The cartoonist forgot to add in the requisite hot cocoa, tree selection (either a tree lot or cutting down of a tree out in the "woods"), and town tree-lighting ceremony, though.  😁 Have a great day and weekend!