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Friday 5 January 2018

Holiday Memories Of The Non-Sentimental Kind

In view of the difficulty I had coming up with a Christmas memory for Poetry Monday a couple of weeks ago, I'm doing a highlights post from the holiday season just ended. That way I'll have something to prompt me next year. Assuming that I remember I wrote this.

~ This isn't really a highlight, but I hurt my knee playing Scrabble. Don't laugh; if you're getting on in years, it might happen to you. It appears to have been a result of simply sitting awkwardly for the ninety minutes it took our son to whup me. I was not aware of it at the time or I would have changed position. It's been a week now, and I'm still hurting. While I'm at it, I will add in a whiny voice that my fingers are also still hurting from my October 31 fall. That was nine weeks ago. This has to stop soon or I will have to get cross. Is this an age thing, this getting hurt easily and taking forever to heal? Or is it a fitness thing? That's probably what it is. But how can I get fit when I keep hurting myself? I know; I'll wrap myself in used Christmas tissue paper. Many, many layers of tissue paper. Bonus: I'll have the whole sidewalk to myself when I go for a walk.

~ Does having two similar things represent a collection? If so, I'm now collecting outdoor wooden deer/reindeer. I impulse-bought one at the hardware store for twelve bucks, to avoid having to figure out where the outdoor extension cord for the lights had gotten to, and then saw another of a different style at the thrift store. It cost $2.50. Best money spent EVER. It does have rather large googly eyes and its antlers are wiggly, but husband has assured me he can fix the antlers and we'll just live with the eyes. However, it kind of makes me wonder what Rudolph saw or what substances he was into.

Here, you be the judge:

Rudolph (back) and . . . unnamed deer (front)


Here is Rudolph, enlarged a bit:

Yep, his pupils are definitely big


~ When you were in elementary school, did you get the post-Christmas writing assignment every year to write about your holiday? My composition was always a list of the presents I got. Since I don't seem to have aged mentally very much since then, here is my list for 2017: three wall calendars, two books, two boxes of chocolates, a Christmas cushion, a beautiful necklace, a red polar bear, and various forms of cash/gift cards. I don't have enough walls for three calendars, but I love the thoughtfulness behind them. Maybe I can hang them in rotating shifts.

And here's the red polar bear. Were you expecting a real bear? A stuffed bear?

A wooden bear! With a Canadian maple leaf cutout



~ This year I finally got my table centrepiece made. I had the supplies to make it well before last Christmas, but my excellent procrastination skills saved the day and kept me from using up my crafting opportunity until this year rolled around.

Well, actually, I didn't make it in time for Christmas dinner this year either, but I did complete it in time for our second dinner on Boxing Day. It took longer to dig the tray out of a high cupboard than it did to arrange the items on the tray. Isn't that the way with procrastinating most of the time? What we think will take forever and require a lot of effort ends up being fine. Oh, that sounds an awful lot like a pep talk for this procrastinator, doesn't it?

Here is my centrepiece. There was supposed to be a battery operated tea light candle in the red dish, but I had no idea where I might have put it, so I put those little shiny balls in it instead.

All supplies except the tray came from the dollar store. Not everything at the dollar store is a mere dollar, which seems like a lack of truth in advertising to me, so this might have cost as much as $6. Then again, it might have been only $4. Next year I'll use a square tray instead of a rectangular one, and it will be like a BRAND NEW CENTREPIECE and the cost per use will be half of what it is this year. And the year after that I might use a ROUND tray. Can you stand the excitement?? This is what you get when you cross a crafter with an accountant.



~ Speaking of work, I didn't go to work, I didn't consider going to work, I didn't even think about work for ten days in a row. (I'm talking paid, job-type work. I did quite a lot of other, unpaid work at home.) Actually, I did think about the job for a bit on January 1, but then I ate more chocolate and made the thought go away again.


So that's it for another year.  We're back to the routine here, which is fine with me. I do love the season overall, but I'm always glad to return to sanity after the new year rolls in.

What passes for sanity, anyhow.

Question: What would YOU call that wooden deer if you were responsible for naming it?




51 comments:

River said...

Prototype Rudolph and the real Rudolph better watch out, he seems to have a target on his antlers.
I love your centerpiece and really like the idea of changing things up with different shaped trays. Star trays, triangle tray, the possibilities are endless when you think of different colours and maybe Christmas themed ones as well. Plain, patterned, glossy, matte, sparkly...

Marie Smith said...

Lol. Great holiday season by the sound of it, Jenny.

Elephant's Child said...

I have no idea where it came from (and hope the Freudians won't tell me) but that second deer looked like a Clyde to me from the moment I saw him.
I am super impressed at your table decorations. This year it was all too hard and only the cards on mantlepieces and tables revealed it was Christmas. And the excess of food. And I feel very little guilt.

Geo. said...

We probably have the most species of deer in the U.S. here, in California –-six: California mule deer, Rocky Mountain mule deer, feral mule deer, southern mule deer, Columbian black-tailed deer and a hybrid black-tailed-mule deer. So, when encountering any of them in the woods, I simply say "Hello, Dear". They look at me, I look at them and we leave each other in peace. Their mere presence can teach us much about being gentle and graceful --beyond that, only THEY know their names.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I would call that wooden deer Blitzen. Why should Rudolph get all the fame and glory? Blitzen works hard, pulling that damned sleigh along while Santa bullwhips his reindeer ass. It's just not fair.

By the way, I am impressed that Canadian bullets leave maple leaf-shaped holes in your bears.

Joanne Noragon said...

I'm laughing too much to name a wooden deer. You also have age/fititis. I notice it any time I stand up from a chair. Suck it up, buttercup.

Red said...

Now did you pick your blog name from your actions or did you name your blog and then behave like the name???? When you list things in this way you realize how busy you were at Christmas.

only slightly confused said...

Fido.

Steve Reed said...

I love your thrift store deer and your Canadian polar bear! It's great to have a blog where you can record important seasonal reminders for later reference, isn't it? :)

jenny_o said...

Yep! Are you a crafter, too, River??

jenny_o said...

It was, Marie :) Except for the knee part - I could have done without that!

jenny_o said...

Clyde . . . I love it, EC. I have no imagination when it comes to names, so I'm glad for other people's.

Don't be impressed. It took two minutes if you don't count the half hour in the dollar store narrowing down the possibilities :)

I'm so glad you listened to your inner advisor and did only what you could do and wanted to do without guilt. We have several boxes of decorations in the basement that haven't been put out since our kids were young. It just got to be too much. Freedom to choose and freedom from guilt are gifts we give ourselves.

jenny_o said...

Why Blitzen? Why not one of the other eight tiny reindeer? Why a reindeer name? It's a plain deer, not a reindeer!

So many questions, YP. So many questions.

jenny_o said...

LOL! I'm trying, Joanne, but I'm new at this game :)

jenny_o said...

The blog name was chosen because I am and always have been a terrible procrastinator. My very first post explains the blog name in more detail. Maybe I should write another post about that :)

jenny_o said...

Hahaha! I once knew a big dog called Bear. It's kind of the same, isn't it?

jenny_o said...

Yes, I'm beginning to see that! The down side is that I will have no excuse for slacking off the poetry next Christmas!

dinthebeast said...

Um, Caribou, maybe?
Stores with items that cost more than one dollar shouldn't be able to call themselves the "dollar store" any more, if you ask me. There's a really nice one in Berkeley that now has stuff up to $4.00 now, and it just seems wrong.
We tend to go to the one in San Pablo since it's close to us, and has these bags of candy called caramel coconut tips, which are so good that I think I'll go get a bag of them from the kitchen right now...
I hope you are feeling better soon. My knees seem to be OK (except for the left one that still doesn't work right from my stroke, but doesn't hurt or anything), but I have problems sometimes riding in the car with my leg "falling asleep" so I'm even less mobile than usual, and far slower at getting out of the way of traffic...

-Doug in Oakland

Jono said...

Sorry about the pain. Just keep moving and walking.
The deer needs a name like Bette Davis on a Bender. There must be other appropriate names for something with a red nose and blown pupils.

kylie said...

I'm a fan of Rudolf and Clyde! I also like the bear. Timber decorations are so nicely tactile.
I love your line about crossing a crafter and an accountant! I always thought crafts were not very economical!

e said...

Howard...

Mr. Shife said...

Happy New Year! Hope the knee is feeling better. I wake up mystery ailments all the time after I hit my 40s. It's wonderful. I'm glad you had a wonderful holiday season and everything looks great. I do love the bear ornament. As far as a name goes, I think Bob or Ted would be swell names for your wooden reindeer. Take care.

Janie Junebug said...

I would name the deer My Life Sucks Because I Keep Getting Hurt. Or maybe name him after a favorite writer or poet. Or name him Herbert. I think sometimes that after we get a major ouchie-type injury, that it's downhill all the way. That's probably just me, though. You'll be fine. A few years ago I injured one of my knees when I was giving one of my dogs a shower. It took about six months to get better. I expect the rest of my life to be one ridiculous injury after another. My kids will say, Mom has never been the same since . . . and they'll name one of my injuries. Then I hope they'll put me out of their misery.

Love,
Janie

Martha said...

This post made me laugh and I needed that. I love the red polar bear. So Canadian! Thank you for stopping by my blog today and leaving a lovely message. We are full of grief but at least we've stopped flooding the house with tears :)

Diane Henders said...

It's no wonder poor Rudolph looks wild-eyed - that's one heck of a target on his antler. And you made me laugh with "... I ate more chocolate and made the thought go away again." I like the way you think!

jenny_o said...

Now, being slow at getting out of the way of traffic seems like a definite problem, Doug - be careful out there!

One of our dollar stores has some things that are as much as $18. More commonly, though, items have increased from to anywhere from $1.25 to $3, which still seems like a pretty good bargain most of the time. But I'm with you, the name is misleading.

My husband would like those candies. Myself, I found some Reese's peanut butter Santas that hit the spot :)

jenny_o said...

Haha! But we are naming the OTHER one, Jono! Keep up, man! lol

jenny_o said...

Mostly crafts are NOT economical at all. You have to love doing it because you sure don't get rich doing it :) I look at it this way: I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't gamble - I craft. That's my vice :)

jenny_o said...

Another good one! I'm so glad I asked for suggestions!

jenny_o said...

I guess the important thing is to keep waking up. But I miss the days when only an intense exercise class ever made a difference in how I felt the next day!

Bob or Ted definitely fit that guy, which, by the way, my husband now says he thinks is a dog. What??

jenny_o said...

LOL! Janie, you sound like a pessimist after my own heart :) I saw too many cases at my dad's nursing home (and I'm guessing that your former job affected you this way also) where I could just picture the downhill slide that got them there. And it's all too easy to wonder with each injury if this is the one I don't come back from. My husband says "when I get like that, just shoot me" and I'm starting to understand why :)

jenny_o said...

Aw, Martha - you've had a rough day, and it will take time to get through the grief. The suddenness is hardest, I think. It's traumatic, it's a shock, much like being in an accident or receiving an injury. Take care, my friend. It's true what they say, that time will help.

jenny_o said...

Chocolate is my other vice besides crafting :)

Chicken said...

Happy New Year, Jenny-I love this post. That reindeer kind of reminds me of the elf who helped the misfit toys on Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, so I would call him Hermey and pretend he became a reindeer, not a dentist. Or you could call him Hermey the Reindeer DDS. Totally up to you. Did any of those calendars feature Mermen by any chance? Hmmm? My Merman calendar came in the day after Christmas just AFTER my sister left, which bummed me out because she was the one I was targeting. I mean, she was the one I thought might enjoy it. I'm going to visit her next week, though, so it can be a late gift. I love the Polar Bear. What books did you get? I got a Barnes and Noble gift certificate and bought two books. One is about loving the home you have and the other is called "Pogue's Basics". It's a compilation of technology tricks, hacks and less well-known helpers. Love the centerpiece-it came out very well.

Chicken said...

So I went to a dollar store in Maine a while back and I asked a sales person how much something cost. She kind of rolled her eyes and said, this is the Dollar Tree....everything is a dollar! And for that store it was so I bought three pairs of sunglasses and promptly lost two, but that's not true of all the dollar stores. Some have non-dollar items. I would ask that you both be careful out there. Which probably means that I'll slip on the ice later today and break something.

jenny_o said...

Good advice, Chicken - you be careful too. Can't have a broken Chicken, that will not do!

jenny_o said...

I haven't see that movie but I do like the name Hermey, especially with DDS after it :)

No, not a Mermen calendar in sight here. I'd love to know your sister's reaction to the one you give her!

The books I received were Ismael, by Daniel Quinn (a Doug in Oakland recommendation), and The Glass Castle, by Jeanette Walls. Are you going to do an assessment of your books on your blog? I wrote "blogue" at first there, thinking about the word "Pogue"! lol

Janie Junebug said...

I think the biggest reason that people ended up in the nursing home was a fall at home and not being able to get up. Many people wore those buttons you can press to get help. Every single one of them said, I couldn't remember how to press the button.

Lisa Southard said...

I like the tinsel boa, makes me think this deer can shimmy and should have a showy name, like Delilah Mistletoe. Although I also like Clyde.

jenny_o said...

I believe that's the first girly name that's been suggested - I like it :)

jenny_o said...

That is frightening. I wonder if the confusion came before or after the fall.

River said...

Not at all, the crafty gene skipped me and went straight from my mother to my older daughter and my granddaughter is even craftier, making most of her own clothes since age twelve, now making fancy dress costumes for herself and friends.

Janie Junebug said...

I think they were headed toward confusion before the fall, and the fall made it worse.

jenny_o said...

Geo., I was SURE I replied to your comment, but my computer has been having issues, so it must not have gone through. You are so right that deer are gentle and graceful, and I think you're also right that only they know their names. But if they won't share, "Dear" is a good substitute :) You have a lot of kinds of deer there; I believe we have only the one, the white-tail deer.

jenny_o said...

That is excellent - clothes-making can save a lot of money and get you a one-of-a-kind outfit.

Geo. said...

White-tailed deer appreciate "dear" and other terms of endeerment as much as other deer. Their spelling is nearly as bad as mine.

baili said...

Lovely write up dearest Jenny!!!

i loved the deer reindeer and particularly the polar bear .

i am so sorry for your pain specially in fingers and i can imagine how tough it must have made for you to do routine chores even sorry again my dear friend!

i don't think you are lazy if you really were you would have avoided to call yourself i know this all the part of your excellent humour .

jenny_o said...

I must say I've never considered deer's ability to spell before, much like I hadn't considered what they call each other :)

jenny_o said...

You should not feel sorry for me because I solve the problem by not doing as many chores, baili! I figure that in the long run it is better to ease up now than cause permanent damage. I am just about ready to make a visit to the physiotherapist, though :)

The Happy Whisk said...

Looks like you're a collector. Have fun!

jenny_o said...

It can be a really small collection, though, right? :)