Our trip to North Carolina for Thanksgiving SHOULD have gone well, you would think. We left early enough to avoid the early rush hour traffic in Chattanooga (which was the first major city we had to travel through) and pretty much avoid the rush home even in such minor areas as Murphy, NC. Alas, it was not to be.

What we hadn't foreseen was the fact that a lot of other people would have the same plan in mind. I think many people took Wednesday totally off, kept their kids out of school and set out with the same thought in mind. The end result was a gridlock BEFORE we even hit Chattanooga and it lasted totally through the city. *sigh* The best laid plans and all.....

We had to call the motel and let them know we wouldn't be there by their six o'clock check-in time (we forgot about the time difference) but, since we had prepaid with our credit card, they told us we could *check-in anytime*. It also helped that there were six other rooms booked by his family members at the same motel.

Upon arriving, we checked into our motel, dropped off our luggage and I got our clothes hung up for the next day so I wouldn't have to (horror of horrors!) iron anything. We then hit the proper spot on Louise, our GPS nag, and off we went to Aunt Marge's to meet up with everyone else.

We got there just in time to eat before everyone was finished and give hugs and kisses to those we hadn't seen in a long time. We also discovered to our shock that KIDS GROW UP! I mean it! Our memories did not jive with these little kids that had turned into actual teenagers! It was a real wake-up call to our growing older without realizing it. Well, maybe we did realize it when we couldn't avoid looking into a mirror but it certainly didn't seem like it.

We ate, had several glasses of wine and finally made our way back to our motel rooms to get some much needed sleep. The Beast and I were up with the chickens, as usual, and headed for his aunt's house so we could help with any last minute things that needed to be done.

AM (Aunt Marge) was getting ready to shower and I took on the task of making several pounds of bacon for the whole bunch that was due there in about an hour and a half. We decided that we would have scrambled for everyone since there were over 20 of us and that didn't include friends and neighbors that were dropping by. We had the bigger kids entertain the little ones with various games, got most of the guys out of the way and had a nice hot breakfast for all in short order. I was glad we had gotten the bacon done early and kept it warm in the oven. We also had hot rolls with breakfast and some toast for the diehards. We used paper plates so clean-up was a breeze. With so many hands helping, we were ready to put the last of the Thanksgiving meal foods in the various ovens so we would be ready by 3pm.

The weather stayed nice for us (although a bit brisk) but the sun stayed out and helped make it seem warmer than it was and kept everyone's mood cheerful. Dinner was a success and there was plenty for all, including the *orphans* invited that had no family nearby. We have always had a few of these *orphans* at every celebration since food and good fellowship is ALWAYS available in our families. We also sent home plates of food with them so they would have ample for later in the day.

We feasted on turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccolli au gratin, a cranberry jello/veggie/nut mold that was incredible, succotash and, of course, stuffing. There was even stuffing with oysters for those that wanted it and fresh, hot dinner rolls to top it off. Desserts were the traditional pumpkin pies, apple pies, blueberry pies, a peach cobbler, cranberry nut bread, nut cups (supplied by yours truly and they had been seriously depleted somehow during the previous evening) and mini-muffins. I know I am forgetting a thing or two but nothing important. Suffice it to say, there was food aplenty. Oh, and thank goodness that the town was no longer a dry town since the county had gone *wet* the previous spring because we had to send out troops for more refreshments after we depleted the stock of wine and beer. I had plenty of vodka for MY libations, thankfully.

Everyone was loathe to leave that night. The company was wonderful and there was something going on somewhere for everyone's tastes in relaxation. I sat down in the living room, watching football with some of the teenagers and the men, and crocheted to my heart's content.

When we finally departed, along with lists of everyone's current addresses, phone numbers and email addys, it was very late. Exhausted, we all went gratefully to our beds.

We took our leave of the motel, headed over to the Beast's AM's house and discovered we were NOT the first one's there even though we had awakened early (as usual) and packed up the car to head home. One of the Beast's nieces and her hubby had been unable to sleep so, at 4am, had headed to Walmart to do some Christmas shopping since

that was the start of *Black Friday* at Walmart. It enabled them to buy their daughter some Christmas presents without worrying about her finding out what they had gotten. They put her things in a compartment in their minivan that was already partially covered with luggage and kept out the things they didn't mind her seeing that they had bought for others and for themselves.

The trip home was uneventful but cold, cold, cold and overcast. I called my niece, Tara, to tell her once we were about an hour away from home so that she would be able to bring Baron to the house without worry. When we got here, she had already brought him home and he awaited us in his kennel. As soon as we let him out, it became immediately apparant that he had missed us. He kept trying to sit in our laps and our faces were awash in his *kisses*. The Beast took him outside for a long walk so that he would calm down a bit before we brought in our luggage and I started washing the clothes from our trip.

Like a kid when staying at someone else's home, we were told that Baron had been a model guest. He is now big enough that he terrorized the baby at Tara's just because he now stands over her in height. He had others to play with, though, and left her pretty much alone.

But, Baron had come away from that experience just a tiny bit smarter. It was the second time we had left him with Tara while we went away without him. He'd learned that the luggage was a clue. Until I finally put it away in the closet where it's normally stored, he was like a velcro dog to the Beast. He wasn't going to let us go anywhere without him if he could help it.

Even now, days afterwards and with the luggage put away, he automatically becomes alert if it looks like either of us are headed towards the car. He let the Beast get out the door and he actually cried when he saw the car drive away. He couldn't believe the Beast left without him and spent the time until the Beast returned laying on my feet so I couldn't get away from him. It was really funny.

The trip the Beast made without Baron was to Lowe's to pick up paint chip samples for his new project. He has hated the flat paint that is so prevalent in homes north of the Florida border it seems. So, we looked, we compared colors to the one currently on the walls. We like the beige but would have loved one shade lighter and in a satin or semi-gloss. We finally found one we agreed to try. He bought a gallon of that color and painted this one small wall so that we could see how it looked when it dried. It SEEMED the right color at first. Upon waking the next day, however, we discovered it was quite a bit more yellow than beige. Back to the chips and we selected ANOTHER color. A trip to Lowe's and repaint that same wall and wait another day. This time it was a success. We found the perfect color and the Beast, as usual, overbought things to *help* like a trim pad (he bought three), a couple small brushes, four or five roller pads, a roll of painters blue tape and a half dozen or so stir sticks. At least THOSE were free.

So, the Beast has the living room and small hall almost completed. There's just a little bit of those finishing touches along the baseboard and around the doors to complete and that part is done. The original gallon of paint the Beast bought? Well, we are going to use it in the bathrooms where it will be perfect since we have green and gold accessories and shower curtains up. The yellower beige satin paint will help brighten up both baths. Those two will be his next project. He wants me to consider a *color* for our bedroom and my computer/craft room so I will have to give it some thought. I am not a believer in vivid colors, preferring subtle shades. I hope that is what he has in mind because I really don't want an argument to ensue over this. I would rather divert him into crafting some shelves for display if necessary. Besides, I hate the smell of fresh paint in a house, especially at night when you are trying to sleep. Latex is not as bad as oil-based paint but I still remember that smell from when I was a kid.

It's time for me to start preparations for dinner. I'm really only going to make tuna ala king but I do have to make the hard boiled eggs and get those peeled. It's the most time consuming part of the dish but I have mastered how to make it for two meals for the two of us instead of for an army.

Have a great day and be happy. Christmas is coming and I will be starting to put up my Christmas lights tomorrow. I will share the excess with my niece, Tara, who really doesn't have any. Since she has kids, such things are a necessity for the Holidays.

Love you all and wish you only the best of everything. Enjoy life and each other. Reach out and touch someone who may be lonely or just alone.

Ahhhhhh....sweet silence. The Beast and Baron departed this morning for Centralia, Illinois where he will be helping his brother unload the trailer we lent to him (I told you about that in an early blog). His brother had a lot of help loading it up North but no one on this end at new house.

What he's doing is something like what they do on *Sell This House* on A&E tv on the weekend. He's decluttering his house up North to ready it for sale. He's spent a lot of money and time getting it painted, putting new rug and tile down and new wall moulding. I think the Beast told me he had even put a couple new doors up since they were a bit worn being the original doors. This was the first time the house (interior) was painted. He had put aluminum siding up on the house two years ago so no problems there. It still looks like new.

Today the Beast and Baron will spend the night in a dog-friendly motel in the area. His brother has a dog (German Shepherd named Heidi) and they will spend the night there also. His brother made reservations in both their names. The Beast left a little later than he usually would because you can't register until after either 2 or 3 pm. It's a 6-1/2 to 7 hour drive from here (with stops) so it should work out fine. The closing on the new house is this afternoon and, depending on how late it is when his brother gets the keys to the new house, they may be able to start moving things in tonight. His brother and sister-in-law drove down there last night so they could make arrangements for all the utilities today before the closing so the electric, water and other basic services wouldn't be turned off. Good thing because I can't imagine them trying to get beds and things set up in the cold. Baron, especially, wouldn't like it being a doberman. In the summer, they can get sunburned. In the winter, they shiver and shake if out in the cold for very long. Somehow, I can't see being an owner that buys a winter coat for their dog. They look so stupid.

The post-surgery report on my eyes is wonderful. I have learned to really appreciate how wonderful sight is since having it. I love looking out the back door and seeing the colorful leaves on the trees clearly. It still amazes me how much I was missing. And driving is no longer scary. I can see the stop signs WAYYYYY ahead in areas I am not familiar with driving. It's something I couldn't do when I still had the cataracts.

I decided that I would start making my nut cups when the Beast left. His aunt specifically asked me to make them for Thanksgiving and I know everyone loves them. That means that I have to make a LOT of them because they aren't all that big and it seems like everyone will eat six, seven or more over the day. My niece, Tara, is going to help me make some this weekend because I know I will poop out after a couple hours of making the darn crusts. That's the tedious part....you have to pat the crust on the bottom and side of the mini-muffin tin...not too thick, not too thin. But the raves from people and looks on their faces when they taste 'em is very satisfying. I may even pack up a tin to send to my sister *C* who loved them, too. That would be a big surprise to her.

Well, time to get back to my nut cups. Everything is ready. I just need to get started. Even the oven is ready so I have to get off my duff and just DO it.

Love you and have a wonderful day and great weekend. I'll be thinking of you all and hoping you are looking as forward to the upcoming Holidays as I am. I'm even going through my Christmas stuff to make sure all the lights work, etc. Bye for now.

I spent a week watching just before the first real cold snap we had and the hummingbirds were no longer feeding. I even asked the Beast to keep an eye out before I took down the hummingbird feeder to put it away for the winter and he agreed that the hummingbirds were gone. I read last year that they actually migrate to warmer climes so I hoped ours had gone to South Florida or even the Keys for the winter. They missed the bitter cold that hit us earlier in the week. Well, for US it was bitter cold because it dropped down into the mid-20's and there were all kinds of warnings out so people could protect any plants that needed it. If they need protecting from cold, they shouldn't be planted here in NE Alabama. It does get cold here. We just don't get much in the way of snow and no below zero weather although people have said it FEELS like it when we get brisk winds. I have news for you. In Florida, if we had brisk winds and it was in the 50's, it felt like below zero to us. That's what high humidity does for you after years of living down there.

I had my left eye cataract surgery yesterday. The four days previous to it, I had a regimen of using special eyedrops four times a day and then a third one added the last day that was an antibiotic solution. The strangest part of the regimen, though, was washing my face with baby shampoo! I kid you not....baby shampoo. I guess it's because it doesn't cause any eye irritation if you should get some in the eyes. You had to pay special attention to the eye area. Is this a problem for some people? Maybe it's aimed at those people who use makeup on a daily basis. Yes, that would make more sense than thinking people don't wash their eye areas. I just can't imagine someone avoiding their eyes and looking like a raccoon after weeks of not washing. Can you imagine?

You think "oh, it's only eye drops four times a day. How hard can that be to remember or do?" Well, it is easy to forget when you are busy and time seems to fly by most days. You also have to wait five minutes minimum between the different drops so you are forced to sit still (or use a timer if you don't want to get too distracted and forget like I sometimes do). Plus, I am still on an eye drop regimen (although different) for the first eye that was done. The day of the surgery, I no longer have to use the antibiotic drops in the right eye and I now only have to apply the other two drops TWICE a day. For the next week, I have three different drops that go into the left eye. Two of them are applied four times a day, and one is applied only twice a day. The right eye gets two different drops twice a day. Next week the left eye will be getting drops three times a day and the right eye will be down to only once a day but that one will be at bedtime. Then I can stop the drops in the right eye but will still have drops for the left eye for another two weeks after that. I swear I need a special calendar and time table put up for me so I remember what I need to do, which drops I need to use and how often. I do have the sheet the nurses gave me, which includes the dates so that will help as long as I remember to look at it. I finally decided to put it here by my computer since I am here most often than anywhere else in the house and am calm when I AM in here.

I was complaining to the Beast yesterday that my computer room was cold compared to the rest of the house. He swears there are no gaps or leaks in the ductwork under the house but critters CAN get in there and who knows for sure unless he crawls under there. I didn't ask him to do that, I just wanted him to kick up the temperature on the thermostat a bit. Today, he bought me my own little heater for my computer room! It's really neat and seems to be doing the trick. My hands got so cold last night while I was playing bingo on Pogo that I actually had to put the heating pad on and wrap it around my hands. They were so cold they HURT! At some point during the night, I had changed my position and woke up with the heating pad on my chest and part of my back and I was sweating! It was turned on low but we have our down comforter on our bed. The last thing I needed was a heating pad on me while I was under that. I remember turning it off and laying it down between the bed and nightstand. My hands weren't hurting any more (obviously) and I slept well the rest of the night.

We had to be at the eye doctor's office bright and early this morning (at 7:45am) and went to leave around 7am. We went into the garage and what did we find but a flat tire. Thank goodness we have both a truck and our car and the hubby has an air compressor. We filled up the tire, I drove the car while the hubby drove behind me in the truck and dropped off the car at Walmart for them to locate the leak while we headed for the eye doctor's office. I called them to let them know I was going to be a little late and why so they wouldn't head out to breakfast or some such thing before I got there. I know the doctor doesn't start his regular appointments until 10 or 10:30am so it wasn't unlikely that they might do something like that but thankfully I wasn't the only one that was late getting into his office. I saw two other people that had their surgeries yesterday when I got there but one was just leaving and the other was just being taken into the exam room. I was in and out of the office within 10 minutes and I don't have to be back to see him for a follow-up on both eyes until the Monday after Thanksgiving. Since I agreed to go with my niece, Tara, to her hearing on that same day but at 9am, I made the appointment for the afternoon. We can be in and out of Huntsville long before the rush hour starts so it will all work out fine.

I couldn't see as well out of my left eye this morning as I had seen out of the right eye the day after the surgery on it. I was really a bit disappointed since I had such a wonderful experience with the right eye that morning. I mentioned it to the doctor and he said to me, "Of course you wouldn't see as well. Your left eye is still dilated. You will notice a marked improvement after it returns to normal." I was surprised that it was still dilated but he wasn't. He said he had thought the other eye responded much quicker than this one and faster than he had expected. I felt better when I left since I now knew why it was not as clear. It's now 2:30 in the afternoon and I am elated to tell you that my vision now seems sharper and clearer than this morning and the Beast says the eye is not dilated like it was earlier. So, all-in-all, I would say the surgeries have been successful!

So now I am going to sit here in my toasty computer room and enjoy my new heater while I go play for a while on Pogo. Then *sigh* I will have to leave my cozy nest and make dinner for us. Tonight it's spaggetti made with ribs and some nice garlic bread, hot out of the oven. I already have my cucumbers, onions and tomatoes marinating in a nice olive oil, vinegar and garlic dressing so it should be a good meal.

Ya'll have a great weekend and I wish you all mild weather. It's not supposed to get any further down than the mid-40's here tonight and might even make it to 70 tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that. We were going to go to Little Tree Canyon tomorrow up near Fort Payne but the doctor doesn't want me out in the open for a couple days so we will have to wait on taking pictures of the fall foliage for another week. I DID make the reservations for our stay in North Carolina over Thanksgiving at the same motel that the rest of the family is staying at so we will have breakfast together Thanksgiving morning before heading over the the Beast's aunt's house. She and her daughter are going to join us so there will be no breakfast mess to worry about with so many people being there and we should all make short work of finishing up what needs to be done for our dinner. It will be like a mini-reunion for the Beast's family and should be fun. I'm actually starting to look forward to it a bit since we won't be in everyone's lap for two days. We also won't have to worry about Baron since my niece is going to keep him for the two days we will be gone.

Love you all.

Well, I went to orthopedic doctor, had an xray taken and was pronounced healed. No more brace. Unfortunately, my wrist feels fragile to me because it's weak. I know this will pass in time as I use it more and more but I have had a couple times when I almost put the brace back on just for the added *strength* it gave my hand. But, I resisted and am working on using it normally.

I have been doing some crocheting. The doctor said it would be good exercise (non-stressful type) and I haven't gotten tired even after an hour of crocheting so I felt good about that. My darn thumb, though, is painful. I kept having to pad it because of pressure points that were numbing it so I think a nerve in it has to heal now that the pressure is gone.

I found out the Beast is going to be making a trip back up to Chicago on the 16th.....well, actually he's going to Centralia. That's the day his brother closes on his new house and he will have a full trailer to unload so they will have the stuff they need to set up housekeeping. The Beast said he would meet them there and help unload the stuff and assemble the furniture. They will have help loading it (the brother's wife has older kids that will help) but no one in Centralia. His wife is handicapped with a bad back injury that has required several surgeries. She's in constant pain and I give her credit for what she manages even so.

Since Baron took the trip with the Beast the last time, he's decided that he is going for a ride whenever he thinks we are headed to the car or truck. It's hilarious really. All you have to do is rattle the car keys and he will stop whatever he is doing....including come out of a sound sleep and he's at the door, ready to go. The Beast was outside and remembered he had left something in the car. When he opened the door, Baron jumped in, sat down calmly and was ready for a ride.

We take him with us whenever we can and that included the trip to my eye doctor today. I found out my vision in that eye is almost (whatever THAT means) 20/20 and it's healing well. My other eye gets operated on next Thursday and I am really anxious to get that done and get rid of the problems caused by the cataracts.

After seeing the doctor, we stopped at McDonald's and got some lunch to go then went to a local State Park in Huntsville. It was a wonderful place. Very scenic and lots of trees plus room to let Baron run off some energy. He just LOVES McDonalds french fries and he seemed to like the couple pieces of my fish sandwich that I shared with him. We walked around to see the overlook (yes, it's up in the mountains so it was really breathtaking) and Baron ran back and forth when we weren't fast enough for him. By the time we headed back to the car, he was ready. He ran ahead and was sitting patiently by the door. As soon as he got into the back seat, he laid down and put his head on my arm (it was on the center console) and went to sleep. When we got home later, he walked right into his kennel, curled up and went back to sleep.

He's still a puppy (now almost five months old) but we are seeing signs of his calming down. Oh, he still gets full of piss and vinegar but he also has a lot more calm times than he did even a few weeks ago. We have to make arrangements for him to be neutered soon because I don't want him *marking* his territory, which he will do once his testicles descend fully. That will be within the next month or so.

Well, it's time for bed now. I am very tired tonight. Love you all and hope you have a great weekend.