What have I been reading? Three that I have finished, Taste by Stanley Tucci, Brave New Words . . . by Salman Khan, and Old Age by Michael Kinsley, Taste is the best of the three. I am almost finished with Six Walks.
Where do I need to go soon? The library to restock the reading stack.
What happened around the house? I brought the tree and a couple of cases or ornaments up from storage, we put the tree up and a few other decorations. Low Key this year. I finished and mailed the last of my planned Christmas cards for the year.
When will I do my Christmas shopping? Finished, a few things ordered online, the last delivery should be today.
Who have I talked with? Sweet bear, lifeguards at the pool (they are bored most of the time), a few neighbors, one of the gardeners at Mt Vernon who was planting spring bulbs.
What surprised me? I won a door prize at the Arts gathering, a vase by one of my neighbors who is an incredible potter.
How am I feeling? Good. At peace.
What am I worried about? We are finally spending faster than income is coming in. We have retirement savings to draw more income from that we have never touched, spending more than the base income is a part of the plan. But it is scary when you start to do it. My father did it for 25 years and still died with more money than he had when he retired.
Who was easiest to buy gifts for? Owen, he will be a year old in April, a fun age to buy for.
When did I write this post? Tuesday, I usually start it the weekend before, now that I am retired I can ease up and do things the day before. I have eight posts written for 2025 - I am starting a new series on the 50 states in 52 weeks, and the first seven are written and scheduled, Maine is written but not scheduled. I only have a few photos from Maine so I wrote that one when the photos were handy.
Who was out this week to have his photo taken? Travel Penguin.
The tree is beautiful!!!! I spied the tree shirt. Was that a homemade skirt from the legendary Anne Marie?
ReplyDeleteMy sister made it about 30 years ago.
DeleteIs there still the gay group in your condo community?
ReplyDeleteYes, the first Friday group
DeleteLove the tree and skirt! Would love to see your door prize.
ReplyDeleteI should take a photo of it.
DeleteYour ability to plan ahead with your blog is most impressive. Generally-speaking I have no idea what my next blogpost is going to be. Even my "Quiztime" posts appear quite randomly.
ReplyDeletePlanning ahead, avoids last minute chaos.
DeleteYour tree looks beautiful, ethereal and magical!
ReplyDeleteSB redid the lighting this year, we went simple in all red.
DeleteLove your tree; Carlos has opted for a decoration-less Christmas this year because, as he said ominously over breakfast last weekend, "I have something planned for us."
ReplyDeleteI'm excited AND scared.
I also read Tucci's book and loved it . But I love all things Tucci.
Nothing more frightening than "I have an idea" or "I made in improvement"
DeleteThe tree looks very festive. The lights are brilliant.
ReplyDeleteIt is a little bright.
DeleteThe tree looks great! My son brought the Christmas bins up from the basement so now I will work at getting it all put out. It's quite a lot but it brings many happy memories of past Christmases as I put it out...
ReplyDeleteWe could spend all month with all of the boxes,
DeleteYour tree is bright and beautiful and your tree skirt gives it a comfortable and cozy feeling. I love how Christmas trees bring the past and present together.
ReplyDeleteI have glass ornaments downstairs that are from before WWII.
DeleteYour tree looks beautiful. I think our tallest one is less than 24 inches.
ReplyDeleteThis one is about 7 feet. We have had it about a decade.
DeleteTell us about your local library. Please.
ReplyDeleteThe Martha Washington Branch of the Fairfax County Library https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/martha-washington is about a ten minute drive away. It is clean and modern, I would guess about 20,000 sq ft of stacks. The staff are kind, and fun, and committed to their work. I can always find three or four books that need reading. I struggle a little with finding specific books, especially older stuff (books from 30 years ago that I would like to reread.) They can order things in, there is another library in the City of Alexandria about a ten minute drive in the other direction that is older and larger.
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