Happiness: (in no particular order)

Your hair looking good and staying that way for the whole day (history is made!)

An email from a friend.

A potent libation- when you really need one.

A find of some new makeup that  makes you look better.

A long, hot shower.

Small cup of strong coffee in the morning with a lemon biscotti.  What a way to start the day...

A good report from the doctor's.

Finding a great bargain on something you really like.

Snuggling into the "woolen market" on a cold night with a good book, the radio, and getting your pillows arranged just right.

Checking your Facebook page and finding out that someone has requested to be your friend.

The great way you feel after a really long, miserably hard run.  Like a million bucks!

Scheduling a nice 5 day vacation in Door County - before or after the hordes arrive/leave.

Arriving early for a good movie - picking out the perfect seat way in the back away from everyone.

Going out for an early dinner to your favorite restaurant before everyone else gets there.  Getting your favorite table.  The lighting is perfect, the food is great and the company is relaxing, fun and comfortable.

Going into a dimly lit old church with just a few people in attendance, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Do you talk to your parents?

I do.  Of course they have been deceased for 25 years but I still talk to them every day.

First thing when I get up and say my "Morning Offering" I pray they are with God and ask him to watch over them and protect them.  Then I speak directly to them and tell them how much I miss them every day and ask them to watch over all of us for the day.

I tell them I wish I had been a better daughter and 'had listened to all the wise things they told me as they were RIGHT I have come to find out through bitter experience (!!)

Then I tell them other stuff and say good bye until tomorrow.  It makes me sad to do so but I feel I have to do it for them.  I love you mom and dad.

Meet "Miss Evilia."

Do you know someone like her?  Maybe you do but just to be sure I'll describe some of her inimitable qualities:'

1.) She is the center of the universe and you are but a gnat on the arse.  Get used to that feeling.

2.) She never has made a mistake - in her whole life while YOU, well, you never do anything RIGHT!
Get used to feeling like a loser!!  Enjoy the pain.

3.)  She has the unique ability of making the person she is speaking to feel like they have mustard on their chin.  Get used to it and wipe that chin!

4.) She won't like you - count on it - and the more you try to please her the more contempt she will have for you.  Its just the way she rocks!  Get used to feeling like two cents.  Got any spare change?

5.) She will challenge anything you say and, eventually, you will just get tired of arguing with her and let her win.  This happens to everyone - that's why she's the center of the universe.  Get used to observing her gloat! 

Well, that gives you a little sense of what our charming "gal" is like to be around.  Aren't we lucky to have her in our little circle??

Am I the only one that ever left Santa a shot and a beer?

and some carrots for the reindeer?  All three would be gone in the morning!

Lose one Friend - gain a new one!

Such is life on the internet.  One old standby fell by the wayside and, out of the clear blue, a new one pops up from 40+ years ago - someone I went to "Viz" when I was a mere tatertot.
The Lord taketh and the Lord  giveth - blessed be the ways of the Lord.

Is teased hair making a comeback?

When I first spied teased hair it was in my homeroom at Viz.  I thought "How did she do that to her hair?" as it was all messy underneath and was bigger than normal hair should be.
Then somehow it, finally, sunk into my tender cranium that it was done deliberately to create a big head.
Now, on the cusp of the "ten's" decade - I'm seeing the young girls, again, with the large hair.
Way to go, girls, back to the future.

Cold running out there today. Pet peeve included...

And don't we ancien folks out on the trail just love it when some pony tail whipper goes zooming by, heels up, as we are dragging up some little hill only to find them walking a few blocks later! Grrrrrrr......

I remember the Christmas that dad was working so hard from early in the morning to late at night at those big corner retail/flat buildings. That was one of the bad winters of the '50's and it was so cold and there were tons of snow yet he stayed up half the night on Christmas Eve to assemble a big two story metal dollhouse for me. Thanks so much, Dad.

Today was a walkie walking day - about 6 miles

and I got my hair done, too! Down to Clark & Fullerton and back. The weather wasn't too bad. Can't complain for mid December.

I hate this time of year.

It scares me. 24 years ago my dear mom was dx'd with advanced cancer and 'was sent home with no hope.
Her diagnosis came as a total shock to us as she went in to the hospital for repair of a hernia. When the doctors came out of surgery they had long faces so we knew something was very wrong.
My youngest brother had to go out and stay with dad. We didn't tell him what was going on as well, we just couldn't even believe it ourselves. Our hearts were not just broken they were smashed to little pieces. Even now so many years later I feel slightly sick to my stomach even thinking about those days. I remember the sun didn't shine for almost 2 weeks straight like the whole world was sad.
Mom was so sweet and unselfish the first thing she said when she came out of surgery was "Did you remember to leave the milkman his money?"

Going for a jog later on - hope its not toooo cold!

Ready, set .....go!

Its another cold day out there but I've donned my cold weather outfit -tights, knit long sleeved tee shirt, vest, thermal neck/face scarf, gloves and ear warmer and I'll be out the door in a matter of an hour or so (digesting lunch now.)

'Felt bad about not feeding the squirrels yesterday - I hope that someone else got over there. We have a few bags of crumbs and crusts for them today.

They sure loved those apple halves last week - 'wish we had some more!

We're coming guys, hang on!

Later: Wasn't that bad, actually. We did the "big circle" (35 minutes) which is one of our old paths up the multi purpose trail and 'round the service lakefront road which was nasty in that it was snowy and icy (ick!) and dangerous around the clubhouse area where there is no wall....those big stones and rocks could cause someone to tumble right into cold, cold waters of Lake Michigan. Brrrr.... It sure is good to be home safe and sound for a while but now I've got to go back out to the 4:30 Mass so the clothes (but different ones!) go back out.

No squirrels today - sorry guys! Maybe tomorrow.

Oh, there is one more reason not to go out for a run:

Being vegetarians we just can't hack this freezing cold weather but I sure do hate not getting out there - feel like a real schlub and loser.

Two times when we aren't out on the running trail:

and today is one of those times. Drat. It will have to be "Dancin' to the Oldies" instead.
Later we're going to pick out out the Christmas tree and, maybe, get another house for our Xmas village if they are carrying them again this year (the ripoff hardware store.)

Well, today is certainly a good day to test my new "gratefulness" strategy. Its got it "all" -snow, cold, grey - yuck. This is going to take some doing!

4 hours later - the deed is done! Whew! The "going out" trip was nasty, running into the wind but it was sweet coming back, with the wind behind us. Just like the Irish saying says - "may the wind be at your back." Tis true.

Secret to happiness/holiness?

"Be grateful."

Something encouraged me to tune into Catholic radio today and right at the end of the show I heard a fantastic tidbit to carry away and try to apply to my daily life. The show was about how to become a holy person and in the last minute, for some reason, the priest being interviewed said "You want a shortcut to holiness? Be grateful for everything in your life, the good and bad - all of it." This is a Buddhist thought, too. The idea of learning to live with things that make us unhappy in that they have a purpose in teaching us patience, forebearance and acceptance.

This is a great website to pursue this topic.

Yum!

Friday night, two Netflix movies, fireplace crackling, pizza margarita? Life is good!

"Schnow, schnow, schnow...."

Here they are, our first certifiable snow flakes of the year.  In the beginning they are "cute" and "pretty" and all but in a month or so (after New Year's Eve) they will be evil incarnate, grey and depressing.
Ugh!

Yuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heartburn?  Ugh!  When will I ever learn NOT to skip or skimp on a meal in order to cut back on a few ounces?  Also, ice water is one of the nastiest things you can drink.  A combination of the two?  Misery!  One of these days I'll put it all together, I hope.

Sometimes its just nice to have something big and soft to hug.

On a cloudy old overcast day its nice to curl up with a good book and a compliant companion.

Under the heading "no good deed goes unpunished...."

Its hard to draw a line between trying to be a good person and not allowing yourself become a doormat for mean/self centered people and I'm getting damn tired of it.  Three times in the last few weeks I've been blindsided by people when I was trying to do something nice for them and its really pissing me off.

What makes people act in hurtful ways?  Paranoia? Narcissism?  

I wish we would all wear little badges on our clothes that would warn people of our true natures.   Something like "Beware - here lies a bitter, bitter person!" or "Thinks only of herself!"  or "Jumps to ridiculous conclusions!"  It sure would make life a lot easier for us sensitive souls.

And some folks wonder why many of us prefer the company of animals!