December 21 2017 - Unusual Christmas Trees #Christmas #tistheseason #Christmas2017 #boomerchick

I have a story. Years ago when I was but a wee lass, my sister and I were living with my grandmother and we were what I would call hard up. My grandmother tried her best but she was alone trying to raise two children all over again on an LPN's wages. She had a mortgage and was paying on a car to get her back and forth to the hospital so times were a bit tough. One year I decided to take it upon myself to go into the woods to the back of the house and cut down a Christmas tree. There were no cedars, which we usually used. They were all pine trees. But I didn't care. It was getting close to Christmas and I wanted to be the one to get the tree this year. I was only 12, but I knew what was going on. I found the tree and although I was quite proud of it, pine tree needles started dropping and it was then I discovered that people usually didn't use pine trees. But it was okay. We got through it like we did all Christmases.

It made me wonder if there were other Charlie Brown-ish trees out there and the more and more I looked, I found some quite unusual Christmas trees...

 

 

December 20 2017 - Wordless Wednesday

December 19 2017 - Christmas 2017 at the Boomer Chick's House #Christmas #boomerchick

I can't believe Christmas is less than a week away. My my my. What are my thoughts right now as I'm juggling a mental list of food I still need to get, have I bought enough presents for everyone and will I actually be ready in six days? Ugh. Too little time, but like in Christmas pasts, it'll get done and before you know it, spring will be here and summer and then Christmas rolls around again. Time sure has a way of doing that. You would think that after all the Christmases I have had, the holidays would get old after awhile and there for a few years Christmas was really rough - emotionally and financially - but for me anyway at the point I am now Christmas is magical. I am appreciating each day I have left on this earth whether it's Christmas or an ordinary day when nothing really major is going on. I have to because you don't know if a car can strike you down or you get some incurable disease - you just never know. So as long as I have my health and I have my wits about me, this is the way I'm approaching life and not taking any day for granted.

With that said, I thought I'd share a few Christmas pics with you:

 

 

December 18 2017 - Lemax Christmas Village 2017

I want all these!

December 17 2017: Embracing Winter Like a Trooper

So instead of winter coming in like a lamb, it roared in like a lion. We've had snow flurries and it actually did stick to cars for a little while but then melted. I used to hate winter with a passion. I'm a summer baby. Whenever cold frigid air hits, I'm down for the count so I try not to get out in it too much. You can't help it with the Christmas season here and you have to finish your gift-giving responsibilities, but dang last night it hit me. Started out with a sore throat but I took an Alke-Seltzer Cold & Flu pill...actually it was dissolved in water...and slept like a baby. Highly recommended.

I think I'm all decorated. Put up a few finishing touches last night - added the lighted garland to the back steps, plopped some batteries in the little wreath I put on the back door and turned that on. I guess I'm through buying anything else to decorate with.

But back to being a summer baby and hating winter. Last year, I tried something. I decided to embrace winter instead of dreading it. And you know - it worked (mentally). I had a bad bad case of winteritis before, you have to understand. So I'm really proud of myself for being able to switch gears and appreciate the seasons for what it was. I can't live in Florida or Arizona so it is what it is.

But you know, that was the best thing I ever did for myself. I live in an all-season area and have been missing out on the beauty of it all. Instead of closing my eyes when winter rolls around, I see the patterns the frost makes on the car windows. I watch how the weather has an effect on my summer plants (a slow murder). I am able to observe the ways the leaves change color and drop and you can admire the nakedness of the trees knowing in a few months they'll be full again. I now feel the crunch of frost on the grass and I love that feeling you get when you walk back into a warm house after a stroll in the crisp air.

One thing I do every day except for when it's too cold or raining is take Booder down to get the mail. I put his hoodie and coat on and let him do his thing in the yard, then we make the trek down to the mailbox. It's our daily walk, but it has spiritual connotations like you wouldn't believe. Just Booder and me. Sometimes the elderly neighbor is out and if it's warm enough, we stop and have a chat. He's a cool dude I'm telling you and when I grow up I want to be just like him. He's in his 80s and is as spry as anything you can think of. He's our neighborhood eyes. He sees all; knows all. He was one of the first people to move into these townhouses so he knows a lot of what goes on and takes great pleasure in telling me all about it which I devour like Cheez Whiz sandwiches. I love him.

Back to winter, though, the only thing that would make me hate winter again is if we had nonstop snow or the lights went out because of it or my heat pump went up. And of course I'm writing this in December which means we've only gotten a taste of winter so it's still all brand new so we'll see how this embracing thing goes.

But for now...I'm embracing winter and feeling really blessed I am able to do it.

Outer Banks Vacation 2017

My goodness I forgot to post pictures from my OBX vacation last month. We had a blast. Took the pooch, too! I'm telling you it was HOT but we had fun. Here are a few pictures. I have a fireworks video downloading at YouTube. As soon as it's finished, I'll post it.

Here Booder and I are at Morris' which is a humungous I want to call it fruit stand but I'm sure there's a better name for it. Like Booder's 4th of July hat?

Booder with his 4th of July outfit on. He was so cute!

Oh forgot to post this one! This was at Morris' with the friendly ice-cream ladies. Look at that face!

 Ronnie and Booder ;o)

Giving Booder lots of smooches!

Fireworks!

March 21, 2017: A Day in the Doggie Park #Chincoteague #dogs #dogwalk

Ever since Max died, I have thrown myself into giving Booder (aka Cody) more attention. Every now and then I'll designate the day to being a Booder Day.  Today was the day.

As the island is limited to where you can take your pooch, I opted for the Island Nature Trail (we call it the doggie park). The Island Nature Trail - which I have talked about before - is a paved winding trail through the woods. There are benches placed strategically to where you can rest if need be.

This time of year, you'll only catch a few passersby with their own doggies. I passed a lady and her husband I'm figuring carrying a beagle. I was carrying Booder too because I have to watch it with his arthritis. As we passed, we exchanged hellos, then I said to them, "Lazy dogs." They both laughed. But that's about it.  It was just the woods, Booder and me.

I let Booder walk a little but he never took eyes off my legs. If I stopped, he climbed up them, but he was a good sport and walked some and I was a good sport and carried him when I thought it was too much for him.

We stopped at one of the last benches so I could try for the millionth time to get a picture of him looking at the camera. He's a quick little doggie - it took a million times for sure but here he is wearing his Love Machine hoodie.

We walked the full length of the trail and I treated him to a McDonald's cheeseburger (don't be hating on me). I think he had a good day. I know I did. BTW, in this picture, it looks like they're clearing out the dead trees from storms so forth from over the winter. They've got a lot of work to do that's for sure.

March 20, 2017 - I almost died yesterday...

I need to write this down so that I will be reminded of it in case I'm still alive to read it. My life almost changed for the worse yesterday. I wanted to Facebook it but I'm going to tell you about it here so people don't think I'm a drama queen of which I'm not and they have the choice to come over and read it here if they do desire.

Since this blog doesn't have dates at the top, for the record today is March 20, 2017. It's a Monday and the sun is shining. I look out my window and wonder if yesterday was one of those moments when you thank God you're alive. I know I'm not a spring chickiedee but I have a lot of life left and I truly believe that I have a lot more to do and am not going anywhere anytime soon as far as the great beyond is concerned.

Yesterday, my son and I were coming back from grocery shopping. He was in one of those moods where he wasn't in the mood to do grocery shopping. He wasn't alone believe me, but it had to be done.

We were in the southbound lane in a 45 mph zone - just about at the scales in New Church. I was probably doing 50, not more. I heard my son gasp and without turning my head (it was that close I could catch it out of my side vision), a big red truck was barreling my way across the median street. Actually there is a road on the northbound side and in order to get to the road off the southbound side of the highway, you had to cross northbound traffic, through the middle, then cross the southbound lane. This truck was barreling; in other words, he wasn't stopping for anyone and I was in its path. Like I said, I could see it out of my side vision it was that close. He was either on drugs, drinking or running from someone.  I had about a millimeter of a second before I was going to be hit. So I floored it to get out of his path thinking that that still might not be enough. My heart was beating faster than I had ever felt it and I clutched my chest.

We made it. For the love of God we made it. I couldn't even talk. Still clutching my chest, my speed slowed down and I could barely drive it was that upsetting.

My life didn't flash before my eyes so I guess it just wasn't my time, but if there was ever a time for it to do so, that was the time. I dropped my son off and cried all the way home.

Last night in bed, I was thinking about all this. I was thinking I might not have a tomorrow. This tomorrow is a gift.

So I look out my window today and I'm still thinking about yesterday. All my books I need to finish. All my tours that have been paid for from people that might not have been very happy if I weren't here today.

But mostly I thought about my children. Like I said, I guess it just wasn't my time. Thank you God for giving me one more day.