Hodgepodging Insomnia

 Getting the Christmas Tree


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1.  What's something blogging has taught you about yourself?

I find blogging to be much more difficult with cats than with dogs.

Tommy, inserting himself into the conversation

2.  Leftovers...are you in the 'reheat and eat' camp or the 'put them in the fridge until they spoil and then toss them' camp? What's your favorite thing to have leftover? What can you not abide as a leftover?

I'm totally in the reheat and eat camp, as long as the leftovers don't get shoved to the back of the refrigerator and resurface later with fur on them.  I try to keep track of leftovers, but sometimes... I mean, when the refrigerator has a ton of produce in it, it's not that easy! ANYway, my favorite thing to have leftover is beef pepper steak. What I can't abide as a leftover is anything eggy. Ewww.

 View from Highway O

3. 'Me time'...your thoughts?

My 'me time' is divided between 'God and me time' and 'cats and me time' - in that order. I read a lot during the day - and again at night when I can't get to sleep or stay asleep. My brother told me that he read that sleep deprivation is the No. 1 factor (even above diet and exercise!) in predicting (or getting?) dementia. I wish I could figure out a way to sleep more and better. I also pray when I can't sleep, so at least that's a good thing. Now you know what I'm doing in the wee hours between 3:30 and 5:30, or for about two hours after I've had five hours of sleep. I then usually get another hour or so of sleep after that, before Tommy wakes me. What would be my favorite thing to do during 'me time'? Find answers.

An old barn near Hayward, WI

4. When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with?

I think they simply want someone who will listen to them, someone they know they can trust not to take the conversation beyond the two of us. And maybe someone who will help them mull things over and see things from a different perspective.

 Sunrise on November 28, 2017
The heavens declare the glory of God

5. If your childhood had a smell what would it be? Tell us why.

Well oddly enough, the first thing that came to mind was the solution used in the milking parlor to dip cows' teats in before putting the milkers on them. That iodine? smell mixed with whatever other cleaning stuff was going on in the barn. And probably cow bodies mixed in. For someone who spent little time in the barn except for occasionally doing milk dishes, it's remarkable that it was my very first 'smell' memory after reading that question. My second would be furniture polish. I was the designated polisher and had that job every Saturday morning before I could go play. I don't know what my younger sister was doing during that time, but maybe cleverly escaping Saturday morning chores. I might have been watching cartoons while dusting the living room furniture very, very slowly.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

So far I have the Advent wreath ready and waiting, the real Christmas tree on the porch up and lit, a star that a friend gave me last year is hanging on the porch wall, and the little fake tree is up in the living room. I have it decorated with lights only, but will probably take them down until the family is here at Christmas. Why? Because Tommy and Smokey enjoy getting into the tree, dragging the strings of lights down, etc. I really don't mind.

From anglicanpastor.com: 

THE WAR ON ADVENT:

"You have heard of the supposed War on Christmas. But the real war is not about whether retailers use the word Christmas during December or not. In fact it is not even the Christmas season until Christmas day anyway. The real war is happening in many American churches. Its not a war on Christmas, its a war on Advent, and I want to enlist you on the Advent side. We need an Advent army that fights not with boycotts or browbeating, but with an invitation to a quieter, older path." READ entire article.

The chimes went wild yesterday.

***

Smokey, watching me make supper

I hope you're having a great week, everyone!

***

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Sunrise Photos, Christmas Tree, Waiting for Spring

Yes, folks, the Christmas tree is still up on the front porch. Want to make something of it?  We've heard a complaint by someone who thinks we don't own a calendar. Well, this has been such a snowy, cold, LONG winter, and that little bit of cheer on our front porch is staying right where it is until the snow melts. That may be a while.

 The backyard, photo taken March 2

We're not like other places that have huge snowstorms followed by warm days that melt it all. No, we get our snow starting in November (if we're lucky to avoid it in October) and then it merely accumulates throughout the winter until sometime in March or April when we get days that are warm enough to begin to melt it. So far, we're still getting mornings well below zero degrees (yesterday minus 29 degrees F.), so the Christmas tree on the porch is staying put. Back off!

 Sunrise creating thousands of tiny white ice lights

 No, it's not the same photo, but maybe I'm the only one who thinks it looks different.

Today I heard a guy on the radio say that the difference between Wisconsinites and other people is that other people, when summer is over, roll up their beach towels and put them away in the closet. In Wisconsin, we roll up our beach towels at the end of summer and put them at the base of our doors to keep out the draft. Sometimes we put them on the window sills for the same reason. There they stay, frozen in place until April. - (That's not an exact quotation, but the guy was Michael Perry, a Wisconsin author, born and raised just down the road a spell.)

Sunrise, On the Piano

Stairway Landing, Sunrise Window

 Waiting for Spring

***

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Although I usually forget to do it, there is an outside chance that this post will be linked to one or more of the following:  Mosaic Monday and The Marketplace  and Market Yourself Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and  Making the World Cuter Mondays and You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Treasure Box Tuesday and Tuesdays with a Twist and  Knick of Time Tuesday and  Creative Showcase and   Tweak it Tuesday and  Coastal Charm Tuesday and What we Accomplished Wednesday and  Adorned From Above  and Rurality Blog Hop and  All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday  and  Friday Fences and Weekend Reflections and  Freedom Fridays and From the Farm and   Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and  Serenity Saturday and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and The Charm of Home and  Share Your Creativity and A Favorite Thing Saturday and Weekly Top Shot and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday

Putting up the Christmas Tree

Our happy little 4' balsam

I decided to leave more seating space in the living room, so we got a short tree this year and set it on the window seat in the [former schoolroom] library. Once I had the lights strung, the grandsons did all the decorating. It was so much fun to have them here for the weekend!!!  It does their grandma's heart good to have them around.

The following photo represents a set of Christmas ornaments that refused to stay on the tree. Through no one's fault but their own, they ended up in the trash can.

 the casualties of hard work

When the first one dropped, it was kinda 'awww'. When the second one broke, we were laughing. I swear those things were suicidal!  I decided to keep broom and dust pan close by. What a silly idea to have glass balls on a tree anyway! The boys will be amused to know that when I came downstairs the following morning, there lay yet another smashed glass ball on the floor - due to the curiosity of Tuppence!

Me? Curious??

 The tree decorators

one of my favorite pics - with their grandpa,

taken last May

♫ O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Please keep your needles 'til New Year's Day ♪

Looking forward to the family being here at Christmas!

Don't forget the stocking stuffers!

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