The end.

Goodbye 2018. Not a bad year. Weddings, funerals, birth...life has happened.

I end the year nursing a cold. It isn't terrible. This morning I donned my rain boots and coat and headed out to the DG for some tissues and cold medicine. Then, since I already had on the gear, I picked greens out the garden in the rain for our New Year's repast. Greens are in the pot cooking. I will reheat them tomorrow. I will cook peas I purchased at the farmer's market last summer along with pork chops from the Kroger. I have a few pieces of left over cornbread that will get reheated, also.

I picked up two movies at the Redox for viewing this afternoon since it is such a dreary, warm, and rainy day. I doubt I will make it until midnight to welcome the new year. But live it I will! Much to anticipate in 2019. So far we have two concerts and a big vacation on the calendar. Two births in the family are on  the calendar (two nephews' wives). No weddings planned, yet.

Mom continues to be busy living, though she is slowing it down on a daily basis. She has actually opted to not attend Mass for the last two Sundays. That speaks volumes to me. She is so tired. I would love to run down and see her but will not with the germs I am carrying.

No words of wisdom nor any resolutions right now. Just gonna live, try to be kind, and always seek adventure. Even if it is of the small variety.

Happy New Year.
Shalom.

Leading up to Christmas: weekend pictorial...

Mom had requested pics of the weekend and so I snapped these as our family arrived...

Daughter and family.

Out of Town Son and family. 

Beach Boy and family. 

Baby Alice was passed around and loved on by all.

Cici (I like this spelling, but it isn't how we usually spell it) and Dean. 

Little amigos! 

Oh these two! 

Cousins.

Saturday was our fiesta Christmas. Children got turns on a piñata, then the adults took whacks at a second piñata! Ole!

Feliz Navidad from our crew. 

Back at our house "Tiny Hands" was one of the dirty Santa gag gifts. They were hilarious.

Funny poses were struck. The hands were staged in several different venues before the weekend was over. 

Towel turbine were in the small girls gift bags. 

They were a hit. 

Today Macho drove and stopped to let me pilfer greenery from roadside fence posts. 

Tonight we will attend midnight Mass. This is not tradition. It is very out of the ordinary. 

Music program to begin at 11:00. I will clean up after Mass and so it will be 1:30 before we leave the church. Tomorrow we will be worthless.

We will rise at some point and exchange the two gifts left under the tree. 

Yes, Christmas will arrive. 

In a whisper. 

Come Lord Jesus, fill our hearts with peace and hope.

"Backward, turn backward 

O time in your flight;

Make me a child again

Just for tonight."

-Elizabeth Akers Allen

Shalom. 

Pictorial catch up...

I have been remiss at keeping up with the blog lately. It is the most wonderful time of the year and the  most busy time of the year. I've celebrated another trip around the sun.

 

 Daughter took the day off and spent it with me. She treated her Dad and I to lunch. It was a great day. 

 Macho has completed a bed to bench project that has been on hold since the storm named Katrina. It is done and this bench will soon reside in Daughter's home. When she was a little girl she asked her Nana if she could have this bed when Nana died. Well, Nana tricked her and just kept on living. But the bed is now Daughter's, only in the form of a bench. 

Little brother attended and art function that featured some hometown vintage photos. This collage includes a close up of my father. Top row second picture from right. Boy in the back. 

That's my dad. He was 14 or 15 years old. 

Monday night we attended Miss P's basketball game. She scored her first three points ever and her team won the game! It was such fun. 

This week I have gotten to visit Mom every day. It has added to my Christmas joy. I have seen old photos for the fist time. Some were of Mom when she was little, along with some of her siblings. Some were of my grandparents. This photo is of my mother's parents. 

We ate in Bay St. Louis. I enjoyed some char-grilled oysters. Salty. And delicious. 

Millie's Christmas program was just right. She was already out of her angel costume when we took this photo with both sets of grandparents. 

Last night we celebrated Miss P's #8 birthday (though it was actually the day before.) After a Cracker Barrel meal we enjoyed a yummy pound cake with lemon glaze. 

Today the weather has taken a turn for the worse. It is nasty and rainy. It held off until afternoon. This morning we got a good walk and I washed a load of clothes at Sister Mimi's house. Then we drove over and treated Mom to a Wendy burger and chocolate shake. I watched her savor that shake from across her dining table. We took our leave when she started to fall asleep. It was nap time. 

We hugged for a long time at her front door. 

It felt like a last hug. 

This was the same time of year I hugged my Dad for the last time.

So the weather and the hug and the old photos have me feeling a little low at the moment.

Tonight we will attend Miss P's Christmas program. 

Tomorrow we will take our leave and head north.

I think Christmas, may in fact, come in a whisper this year.

Listen closely.

Shalom.