Cold November Rain

 

Doesn't this Christmas tree in the piano room look nice and cozy?  Just to the right, outside that window is a freezing cold place we call "outdoors."  The wind and temperatures came to visit last night, howling throughout the hours and reminding us thoroughly that there in fact four seasons each year, and guess which one is coming to stay for a while.  It was cold outside, and it was raining at first, a super cold sort of rain.  And then for a time, there were slight flurries.  That's enough to get everyone excited.  Forget the fact that there are no accumulations - just the sight of the white fluffy stuff gets everyone happy.  

Today we saw another Christmas tree, this one down in Alpharetta.  In the lobby of the building where we go to the dentist.  Mommy had to go there because a cap came off, and what started out as a simple procedure became the discovery of a cavity, and ... well, let's just say we're coming back.  Nana and I were out in the lobby, waiting under the tree there.  We'll see it again soon, I think.

On the way home, we stopped by a few places for shopping, but then we raced back home where it was nice and warm.  The weather is quite cold outside.  Mommy helped by cooking up some wonderful warm meals for us.  

Madison was doing Shakespeare in drama class today, and I've been waiting for this one for a while.  It's one of those things most of us hated reading, and of course the running joke about most of the plays he wrote is that everyone dies.  In honor of this reading, I have a Shakespearean version of "Star Wars" that I pulled out, and we were reading a few excerpts from that for laughs.

I was proofing today, and Nana was having a few breakdowns throughout the day.  We changed the subject a few times by going off to taekwondo again, where Madison had her leadership class.  Also, we saw "Babes in Toyland" tonight, the version with Annette and Tommy.  We saw the Laurel and Hardy version earlier.  We will not see the one with Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore.  Sorry.  That's a toss-up as to which is worse, the Star Wars Holiday special, or that Christmas movie.

We finished our book tonight about Walter the Miracle Christmas Dog, and everyone really enjoyed it.  Madison and Mommy were laughing at the end, and I'm not going to spoil anything here except to say that everyone liked this book.  We'll have to figure something else to read next!

We said our prayers, and along those lines, prayers for myself.  I have high blood pressure and it is concerning.  I've been taking medication, changing the diet, but things are still a bit off.  I'm hoping all of this, plus rest and walks will temper the symptoms, but they are not pleasant.  We said our prayers, and not long after that, all of us were asleep.

Cool Sunday

This morning started out with KidPak and Free Chapel's main service for Madison.  She was up in the main sanctuary, right up there in front as always.  The favor she has right now is pretty amazing, as you can imagine.  People get there early right now, waiting in line outside for the doors to open, and a lot of them are really wanting some of these prime seats up front, but Madison goes up and sits with one of the security ushers right up there in the front, and she gets to see all the messages each week.  God's Word will not return void!  

Here's a picture from backstage tonight.  I thought it was funny, because it was all guitars on their wall hangers, except that one squirt gun there.  Mom painted that earlier, and we're using it this series as our Blobfish Ray, a weapon that you zap other characters with, and they temporarily think they're a blobfish.

She comes down to KidPak afterwards, and that's where I was all morning with the cast, doing a final skit of our Spy Games series.  It went better than expected, this after a lot of travailing over the script, which was another one of those ongoing moments where I had a bit of writer's block.  The good news is that it went really well, with the kids really following along.  These series go by so quickly, just like they used to, lasting only a month.  And then we're off to the next one.  Lately, we've been doing six to eight series per year, but this year we actually will have twelve series under our belt.  All of them were from a previous year, although "Faith Over Fear" was a variation of the "No Fear" series we did some time ago.

The church is decorated pretty much as it usually is, with a few new items near the entrance inside, a few photo opportunities.  It looks nice.  Madison took these pictures above, and many more as she was waiting for me to get the car.  

I took this one, of course.  It was cold and a bit rainy outside.  Tomorrow is supposed to be colder, and the day after that colder still.

We were at home the rest of the day, doing a bit of decorating still, and also doing a new puzzle we picked from the library.  It's a jigsaw puzzle that is an image of at least fifty different Christmas ornaments all packed together, which basically means this one will take a lot longer to do!

We watched "Meet Me in St. Louis" finally, a movie we picked up from the library yesterday.  I picked it up because it is the source of the song, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," which is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever.  I thought it would be nice to see another new Christmas movie, and the movie was okay.  It wasn't our favorite, although it has a lot of familiar songs in it.  Story-wise, not much happens in it, but that's okay.  There's something about it that reminds me of "The Carousel of Progress" in the basic house structure and characters, and even the fact that there's a World's Fair involved.  

Okay, I just literally looked it up, and there's still World Fairs going on.  The next one is in Dubai, so I don't think we're going to make it.  For one reason, Dubai is a little bit of a drive away.  That's a joke.  The other reason is that I'm not sure if these things are the ginormous enterprises that they used to be.  From what I remember, the World's Fair was like some sort of mobile EPCOT center, complete with visions of the future, rides, and lots of advertising.

Madison, you haven't been to one.  But I've been to the New Orleans one back a few years ago, and it was okay.  I remember riding in a gondola over the Mississippi River, and seeing the space shuttle Enterprise.  I still have a program from the visit, and I remember seeing a huge storm coming in, driving by some of the scenery of New Orleans and that was it.  We enjoyed it, but I think the World's Fair has lost a lot of its luster since the days of St. Louis, and of course New York's epic events.  Mom went to the World's Fair in New York and frequently talks about it.  That was the one where Disney stepped in to do some great exhibits.  One year, Mom got me a few recordings of those for Christmas, and of course we can go to the Magic Kingdom to see Lincoln speak, "It's a Small World," and of course "The Carousel of Progress."  What a wonderful thing it must have been to go see all that.  It had a profound effect on many, that World's Fair.  You can see a bit of that in "Iron Man 2," "Tomorrowland," and "Men in Black."  

No one was ready for sleep tonight, so we watched another movie before bed, "Rise of the Guardians."  Having just read one of the books, we were more prepped for this one, although we watch it on and off each December.  It's a good movie though, so full of imagination.  I love that author and illustrator for all the other things he creates, and this one is special too.

One more Christmas Tradition!  The Gävle Goat had a ceremony today, as it was put up on the square there in Sweden.  We didn't catch the celebration, but we did peek in at the live cam.  We'll be checking in on that all this season!

We continued reading tonight from our Christmas book, and we said our prayers tonight.  I am feeling better.  I am cutting a lot of food out of the diet, and have to make some big changes.  And hopefully the stress will go down a bit too, or at least I can manage it more effectively.  The effects I've been feeling for weeks, the dry eyes and tingling in the skin... all of that wasn't as bad today.  Hopefully that trend will continue.

Madison was tucked in and I think she slept rather quickly tonight.  She's getting up early again tomorrow, because of school.  She got a shower tonight, and she's ready to go back.  It'll be a nice week.

Christmas Tree Farm

We went out to the library this morning to return one movie, and then pick up another we haven't seen yet, "Meet Me in St. Louis."  We didn't see that today, but we will soon.  On the way home though, we stopped by the farm that's nearby, and wow, that place was packed!  We were just stopping for atmosphere - we have three trees up already in the house.  There were so many people there looking for trees, all of them lined up in the same place the pumpkins get lined up just two months earlier.  The parking lot was filled with people.  We stopped for the animals though:

You can purchase some crackers and feed the animals, so I got the girls a few packs of these, and together we were over to the one section there feeding different animals, like this goat above, or this horse below.  Madison took that picture of the goat above, by the way, and it's such a good picture!

We sat there feeding the animals for a bit, and then we walked over to look at the trees some more.  We haven't bought a cut tree in some time.  Actually, it was 2002 that we got that artificial tree that we still have to this day, one that we spent a good bit on because it looks like a real tree.  I always remember the date because we immediately went to see "The Santa Clause 2" right after we got the tree in Marietta.  We figured we'd save $80 a year if we got the artificial tree, and within a few years we'd save enough to justify the extra expense.  And that has really paid off, as we've had this as our primary tree for eighteen Christmases now.  Wow.  

Madison took this picture, because she loves close-ups, but I like it too.  I think the one thing that is missing from having a cut tree in the house is the smell of pine.  We tried to replicate that with something you hang within the tree to add a pine smell, but it was so strong it gave us all a headache!  Mom has something for her diffuser that produces a pleasant smell, and that seems to be a bit better this year.  

I took this picture at the barn.  They had things decorated there very nicely, and the weather was very pleasant outside.  There's talk of it not being pleasant next week, and in fact, feeling something like winter.  We'll enjoy this weekend while it lasts!

Madison spent a good deal of time on her piano practice today, repeating "Victor's Piano Solo" over and over again, as she has a recital coming up.  She also decorated her tree today too!  I got that tree up and ready, and brought the ornaments up too - she spent a little time hanging the ornaments on the tree, and it looks very nice again.  Meanwhile, we were putting decorations up outside too, including two small lit trees by the door, and garland over the door and railing.  It looks nice - we'll add the wreaths tomorrow.

Today my blood pressure was up to a point of discomfort.  Madison and I were at the grocery store getting some ice cream, and while there I checked my blood pressure.  It was unsettling. 

Tonight's feature was "Santa Clause 3," which may not be as good as the previous two, but has a few pretty funny moments in it.  It grows on you somewhat.  We watch these movies every year, and in fact, we're watching a lot of these and it isn't even December yet.  What's going on here?

Well, the answer is that we have to have something on to preoccupy Nana when she's shifting towards her "mourning mode."  This morning she woke up in tears, and even went for a walk down the street.  We didn't think she was going to just keep walking, and in fact, she came back.  But she did a lot of crying again this morning.  It doesn't take much to get her in that direction, and so we keep working hard to get her distracted, and that includes Madison, who high-fives her, or just simply grabs her attention and says, "Hi!"  It works, believe it or not.

Tonight we prayed for Nana, of course.  And we read from a Dave Barry book, "The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog."  The girls have been laughing already at this one.  I remember reading it last season and really enjoying it, and I think the girls will too.

We've got a church service tomorrow, so it's off to bed for a good night's rest tonight.  That's what I need, and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Gainesville Botanical Gardens at Christmas

 We went back to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens again, and instead of going to see scarecrows, this time we were there to see Christmas trees.  There was one specifically we were there to see, one that Ye-Ye, Nana and Mom made the ornaments for and then decorated.  My mom was over at the house, so she tagged along with us for a walk through the gardens, and it was a beautiful day as far as weather goes.  Let's cut to the chase and show the tree they worked on, and a several of the ornaments they made as well!

Here's the tree.  It's number ten, so it's a good ways in this time.  It has a nice look to it, and the ornaments seem to have lasted through a few bits of bad weather, although there's a good windstorm coming up soon.  Today was a good day to go check it out for more reasons than that, one of them being the perfectly beautiful weather outside.

Here are two of the creators of the ornaments posing with their tree.  Another couple had come by and saw us there, and they actually had Mom and Nana pose for a picture with them as well.  They did a great job with this tree. 

Here are a few of the close-ups of some of the ornaments, painted cut-outs of woodland creatures on round slices of branches.  They added some greenery to the ornaments to so that things looked a bit less three dimensional.  They turned out great though.

The next few shots are ones we took that are close-ups of the handmade ornaments on this tree.  Each one turned out really well, and we were repeatedly expressing how amazed we were at how things turned out to Nana.  She said there have been a few people wanting to purchase the ornaments already.  Maybe there's a bit of a Christmas business in the future, huh?

They all turned out nicely, and we sat there admiring the tree from different angles for a few moments, talking about all the work that went into the ornaments, and how it turned out.   

This ornament is going to be popular with the squirrels!  It's kind of funny given my dad and mom's ongoing war with the squirrels in the backyard and their attempts at getting all the bird food.

They don't have any problems with moose though.  At least I don't think they do!

Anyway, they did a great job with the tree!  We spent a few hours here today, walking through the grounds  and looking at all the other trees decorated by various local businesses and individuals like my parents.  The five of us had a great time!  

Winter tree

An Elf Tree

A tree themed to Gabriel and his announcement in the Bible.

A Patriotic Tree

A close-up of the top of a tree with gourds, and an owl.

Flowers were still in bloom at the gardens.

A nice tree nearby the blooming plants.

More flowers to see.

Mom and Nana walking along, talking.  Nana really enjoyed it!

Close-up of a bird on an ornament.  This tree had lots of birds painted on it.

This was a hiking themed tree, complete with a compass.

Fruit slices and organic decorations.

Madison takes a break on the swinging seat.

A leaf floats on the nearby pond.

The pond was calm and reflective.

Fairies topped a tree near the children's play area.

Madison takes a few pictures - you'll see them in a moment!

Madison is back on top of the dragon, taking a break.

Mom's reflection in one of the ponds.

Mom and I made turkeys with the hand painting area.

The train was still in operation, going down the tracks.

Madison and Nana at the children's area, in front of the big frog!

Nana and Mom enjoyed the afternoon on the grail.

Nana loves seeing the flowers and gardens.

Another picture from the pond, a bright red floating leaf against the darkened water.

As you saw, Madison was taking pictures too.  It is easy to take pictures at these gardens.  The next pictures you'll see here are from Madison's walk along the garden, taken with her cell phone camera.  

We had a nice afternoon together, and were there pretty much until closing time, which is a little earlier in the winter.  It was a good day - we also made a trip over to the library to pick up a few old movies, plus a new book for Madison.  She's reading "Allegiant" now, the third book in the series of books she's been into lately.  Book four is coming up afterwards, and it has a pretty creative name:  "Four." 

Tonight we watched a Christmas double feature: "The Santa Clause" and "The Santa Clause 2."  Both are historical gems.  With Nana here, we seem to watch movies a bit more, but at the Christas season, that's alright, as we have so many of them.  We're a little concerned, however, as we're going through 'em pretty fast this year!

Anyway, I was studying my lines a bit for the script tomorrow.  And we finished up the first adventure of Nicholas St. North.  We may do some more in this book series, but it really does set up a viewing of "The Rise of the Guardians" for us.  

Anyway, it was a full day, and a good one.  We said our prayers tonight, and tried to keep Nana's spirits up.  It's been difficult though.  Still, beautiful days like this are nice.