Drafts, beautiful music, shopping, parties, and giving

So apparently I have five drafts that I have not posted. Mostly I just don't have that much to say. And if/when I do, I tend to reread it and decide it is just too disjointed to a post.

So, here comes yet another attempt, which will be yet another bulleted update on my life, for the two of you who still stop by occasionally. :-)

I finished most of my Christmas shopping yesterday. Hooray! The snow falling and my playing Bach's Wachet Auf (Sleepers Awake) made the day pretty darn good. If I could find a way to upload the version the string quartet at our Lessons and Carols did last year, I would. I am telling you it is hard not to listen to that song and feel a a sense of calm as well as an appreciation for the beautiful music. Google it (or find it on You Tube), and you probably won't be disappointed.
I went to my first building holiday party Friday. I knew only the people on my floor and a handful of people on two other floors. But I did meet a few more. The food was good and plentiful, and there was a nice, small selection of beer and wine. One guy asked a coworker if I was his wife. I took that as a compliment because said coworker is nine years younger than I (no, don't even suggest that this guy just thought I was his older wife). Another guy asked that same coworker why he did not bring me downstairs for the "early start" to the party. Sounds as if I am "in" next year.
The Steelers have a losing record. Yeah, newsflash, I know. What I find weird, but I guess not surprising, is how people have jumped off the bandwagon. Normally there are at least two dozen people at mass on a football Sunday wearing some type of Steelers garb. Today I did not notice a single person. Now, maybe someone had a shirt underneath the coat he/she did not take off, or maybe I just missed a person or two. But the dearth of Steeler attire was quite noticeable. I did, however, notice two people wearing Pirates clothing. Never thought I would see the day that Pirates gear would outnumber Steelers gear in December.
I am probably the last person to sing the praises of technology. And you can bet I will always be one of the last people to try anything new. But I so love that you can upload a picture for a Christmas card online, and have your cards ready in a couple of hours. I remember years ago going to Target and getting J's Christmas pictures, along with our cards, done. I think it took about a week, maybe 10 days. One year, I was picking up the Christmas cards the day before Christmas Eve. This same-day thing is all that and a bag of chips!
As much as I fail as a parent, at least I am teaching my child the importance of generosity and appreciating what we have. She told me the other day that she took money out of her bag at school (she keeps $2.75 in there in case she forgets her lunch or lunch tickets) because not that many classmates contributed to the collection for a boy in the community. J told me that he really wanted clothes, and with the small amount of money, he would not be able to get much. She had already turned in money, but I was glad she wanted to do more and felt empathy for that boy, whoever he is.

And that, to me, is a big part of what the holidays are about. Even if you have no religious beliefs, this time of year you can be a little kinder, a little more generous, and a little more understanding. I am really trying to do my part.

Peace and blessings to you.

What a year 2021 has been (Day 7)

I have almost no words for what happened yesterday at the Capitol. Protesting is one thing (though I truly think it is and has been time to move on). But to storm the Capitol? A friend on Facebook said, quite simply, " Almost 20 years ago a group of people on an airplane sacrificed themselves to protect the Capitol. How far we have fallen!" Indeed. And, yes, it IS storming the Capitol. I have seen numerous videos of people knocking down barricades/fences, pushing police officers, and breaking windows and climbing through them. That is beyond protesting. And even if a protestor did not do those things, if they followed those seditionists past those barricades and into the building, they are just as guilty. I did not support the violent protests this summer that resulted in damages to businesses and public property (I was in full support of the actual protests). But I also acknowledged as a white person, I cannot truly put myself in the position of a black person who is angry a

Melancholy and Gratitude

A few days ago, I decided to do gratitude posts on FB. I was good the first two days. Day 3 I got a little snarky as I posted about "doing the right thing" in regards to Covid. The Covid cases in Allegheny County have been on the rise. For a while, we had daily counts between 50 and 100. After July 4, we saw a spike for a few weeks, and then cases were back below 100. Unfortunately, other than one "low" day this week, where "only" 288 cases were reported, we have had between 500 and 620 daily cases. Fortunately, only a few people have died this week. But of course, any death is too many. I started to keep track of cases, deaths, and hospitalizations on 6/12/20. On that day, since 3/12, Allegheny County had had 2,034 cases, 352 people had been hospitalized, and 172 people had died. On 11/19/20, the county has seen a total of 22,042 cases, 1,724 people have been hospitalized, and 465 people have died from Covid since 3/12. In just over 8 months, we have had

What, me worry?!

Although I don't like creepy, crawly things, I am not afraid of them and am perfectly able to kill them when I see them. I like the dark, heights don't bother me too much (though I don't love them), and ghosts don't concern me (not sure if they are real, but have not ruled them out either). So what worries me and sometimes keeps me awake at night (or infiltrates me dreams)? This first one is really, really strange, and kind of gross: overflowing toilets. This goes back to a time when I was in high school, and upon flushing the toilet in the "big bathroom" of our house, the water starting pouring over the seat. I freaked out! I can still picture it happening and my subsequent panicking as water flowed onto the floor. I don't recall who was at home who came to my rescue and, presumably, turned the water off. What I do recall is being afraid to flush the toilet when I was home alone after that for weeks if not longer. Fortunately, I have never overflowed a

Facie’s Ramblings

Search This Blog