The grass (or the snow) is always greener on the other side.

I am now on Snow Day...the "Day Two" edition. 

I have always loved snow. Always. To me, it makes the world peaceful, and it makes the world seem like a place where everything is perfect. Growing up in North Carolina, snow days were rare, and definitely a treat. We would get our sleds that were sitting in the closet beside the breezeway getting dusty, and head off to High Point College, where my sisters and my friends would take our lives into our hands as we sped down the hill. The biggest danger was running into people, and occasionally the big oak trees around the hill. In North Carolina, the schools shut down more for ice than they did for snow..but any mention of snow usually paralyzed the city. 

I was totally surprised when I moved to New Mexico that it was so cold here. The only reference I ever had to New Mexico, however, were the Bugs Bunny or Roadrunner cartoons. They showed a barren desert..and no one wore coats in the cartoons, I might add. So it was a delightful shock when I moved here, and it was cold, and there was snow on top of it. Bonus.

(My backyard yesterday in the snow..even the birdhouse is covered).

Rio Rancho got hit with a big snow storm yesterday..and it was a really big one. We got a half a foot of snow. It was strange, for parts of Albuquerque (which is less than 15 minutes away) got none. Absolutely nothing. I understand this happens a lot because of the winds that whip in from the mountain, and drive the snow to other places. In this case, the other place was Rio Rancho. I will mention that other years Albuquerque has gotten a butt load of snow, while Rio Rancho got nothing. So fair is fair. 

So Monday I woke up to a lot of falling snow, and many calls that informed me that we were delayed..and then school was called off. So I had a day that was total bliss..snuggling up in a blanket, watching Christmas movies, drinking hot coffee and Russian tea, and....

Taking Kitty for a walk. Several times, in fact. Some things in your life NEVER change. 

It was fun to walk, however. Nothing clears your mind and makes you appreciate the world more than walking in fresh snow that is sparkling like a field of diamonds, and watching a 12 year old dog frolic and prance like a puppy in it.  Loved it...just loved it.

As you may know, I have a lot of time to think, since it's just usually me and the dogs..and this past four days, it's just been me and Kitty..cause Tila is on her "shared custody" weekend with Whitney. And that gives me even more time to think because I am not on watch from the snatching jaws of Tila..or throwing her wubba for hours on end while trying to read a book or work at the same time. So double thinking time was involved.  

So here it is. We all want things that we do not have..and when we have them, we want the things we didn't have.

The snow day(s) are a perfect example. Everyone wants a day off of school, but when you get them off, then you start thinking about all the things you need to do at school, so then you start wishing you didn't have the snow day, and were back at school. And THEN when you are back at school, you start wishing you had a snow day off from all the stuff that is going on at school. 

It's just the nature of us humans.

Families are another example. I remember thinking when I had four children at home that a day in you know where for me would be at a Pizza Hut, washing clothes constantly. And a day in heaven would be an afternoon all to myself, instead of spending 5 minutes in the bathroom, and hearing the word "Mom?" constantly.  Of course, now that I have lots of minutes to myself, I miss the chatter of a thousand voices (perhaps I exaggerate a bit, but you get the picture) around me.

It's human nature once again. 

So in my new "Learning Life Lessons" of life, I try to keep in mind that whatever situation I am in, I need to enjoy the situation of what the "now" is, and not worry about the "what ifs" and the "I need tos". Because school and the stuff you need to do will always be there...your family and the things you "should do" will always be there. But the unexpected moments where you have a chance to sled with your children, and walk with your dog will not always come..so be in them when they're here. 

Cause it's the "now" that matters most of all. 

Wonder where my sled is now?  :-)

The Very Simple Christmas of Me.

I am amazed.

Now to be honest, it doesn't take much to amaze and make me happy. I had a student give me a "Professional Sharpie" yesterday, and you would have thought I got a new Coach purse.

Mine even had yellow grips on the side. I know, I'm pathetic.

Besides the fact that it doesn't take much to please me, I have continued to be amazed about Christmas this year.  In fact, I have stopped at times today to just feel the feelings that surge through me...kind of like finding a great sweater at Ann Taylor Loft. You are tickled and amazed that you got such a wonderful sweater that not only feels and looks good on you, but it's also on sale. Bonus.

That's what Christmas is continuing to feel like for me.

I wasn't sure really what getting ready for Christmas would look like this year. After all, I have been used all my life to have people involved in getting ready for Christmas, My mother, my sisters, my children, my husbands. And although Whitney helped me get all the Christmas tubs into the house, this year it has been all me. I wasn't sure how I would feel about that.

It's been wonderful.

Today I actually got out a ladder and put things up outside. Now anyone who knows me (even slightly) knows that I am not the most graceful person in the world. I did take ballet, but I don't think it taught me anything except my best look is not in a tutu. And my experiences with ladders since I've been on my own have been less than stellar. In fact, a lot less than stellar. In my "Recovery House" I was trying to replace something in the ceiling of the hallway...most likely a smoke detector battery. They are sneaky..they beep at you just enough to annoy you, but if you have more than one, it takes skill to figure out which one beeped.  Highly annoying.

(The Evil Ladder)

Anyway, I was up on the ladder when I slipped, and somehow managed to bump down on my feet on every rung of the ladder, so that when I hit the carpet, my feet were bloody and quite owwie. And the carpet was light beige, so I hopped quickly to the guest bathroom, where I stood for a bit, trying to figure out how I was going to fix my feet when there was blood gushing out of them. You can't get blood on the carpet you know..that would be a big time disaster.  So I found some towels in the cabinet, and hopped like a deranged rabbit to my bathroom, where I found gauze and stuff to repair the cuts. (Another tricky thing about living alone).

There have also been other incidents that would make you laugh, but that I will not mention at this time about the evil ladder that is out to destroy me. Most of my friends (well, in fact all my friends) have told me in no certain terms to stay off ladders. This is all well and good, but I can not contact my friends all the time so that they can stand on a ladder to do something that a normal graceful person could do.

I decided today would be a good day to get all the Christmas things up, and get the house decorated. To be honest, it is an essential thing to do since the Colinas Staff is invited to a Christmas party at my house on Friday. I have been told sternly by my Site Specialist that it "better be decorated". Who am I to question a Site Specialist, especially one who gives you "the look". So I took my life and feet into my own hands, and used the evil ladder...outside..and by a tree.  I actually got the wreaths on the garage door lights, and somehow managed to wrap Christmas lights on a tall evergreen (well, taller than me) beside my house. I didn't fall off at all. Although I did somehow manage to squish a couple of the bulbs on the strand. Who know they were so delicate? So if they don't work out tonight, I will have to go back and buy new strands, for it seems as if the Christmas tree light people are in a conspiracy to make you buy new strands when bulbs get accidentally squished by a certain someone who loses her balance and steps on them. They simply don't sell them...so this means you have to buy new strands if you want Christmas lights. Wrong on many levels.

(This is what my outside tree would look like if it was taller, there was snow outside, and my bulbs actually worked...)

Then I tackled the Christmas tubs. This is a perilous task for me, because in the past, bringing out Christmas ornaments left me like a puddle of jello, and on the sofa for the rest of the day. I also had to be strategic about it, because I can not put delicate and keepsake ornaments anywhere near Tila's reach. Because if she destroys them, she will be ...well, dead. And that is not a pleasant thing to do to a dog..especially at Christmas time. 

(She looks so innocent, doesn't she? Do not be deceived). 

This year, I actually had fun. I went through the Christmas ornaments, picking the ones that would survive Tila to be on the lower branches, and the ones that need to stay out of her reach on the top of the tree. A lot of the ornaments stayed in the boxes.  I apologized silently to them, but they just didn't need to be exposed to the "Tilanator" this year. For example, my Hummel Manager scene figurines. They are worth more than all the medical bills for Tila, and it is best to leave them resting in their boxes this year.  Perhaps next year they can make an appearance.

(The manager scene cow thanks me).

So I am happily putting out all the Christmas things that make me happy, and protecting the ones that wouldn't make it through a Christmas season with Tila.  For example, my snowmen plethora.  For some years, I was very fond of collecting snowmen, although at this time I do not know what in the world was wrong with me that I had such an obsession about them. Because I am becoming suspicious that they get together and multiple each year. There seem to be more coming out of the tubs every  year. And it's very hard to keep them in the tubs..they look so happy when you pull them out. One can't disappoint a happy snowman.  So they will perch here and there throughout my house...out of you know who's reach, you know. 

Believe it or not, I have these....

And these.....

And this one as well.

Serious snowmen intervention are in order for me. Wonder if there is a support group? 

So now I am happily putting up small Christmas trees in the rest of the house, and the rest of the things that will make my house like Christmas. And it's simple, it's just me, and it's more than ok.

Tra la la la la.  :-)