Cranky Crone News

Our winter holidays, this year, may seem a little skewed.  With the event of the pandemic and the rise of the new variants, it seems to put everyone in a different mood.  Some folks are making efforts to climb out of the destructive capability of the pandemic and follow some sort of normalcy to their holiday activities.  Some seem simply resigned to getting along as best they can.

For me, I’ve spent almost a month with Daughter #3 and her family, assisting where and when I can with her knee surgery.  First, I’d planned to be back home with Daughter #1 for Christmas, but both daughters decided that I should stay and celebrate Christmas in Wisconsin.  So, that became the plan.

My Christmas gift to you is a set of poems that I wrote for three holidays, falling at this time:  Christmas, Chanukah, and Kwanza.  These acrostic poems were published in the Denver Gem and Mineral Guild’s monthly newsletter, Tips and Chips, December 2021 issue.

I told you, last week, that I’d do my best to have this article posted at the appropriate date and time.  So, here goes.

I may have told you that I would be traveling to Wisconsin to be caregiver to Daughter #3 while she recovers from knee replacement surgery. – I can’t remember if I’ve told you – I’m old!  An event occurred that appears to me to be what is currently being called a “God Wink.”  At least, that what it is called in Hallmark movies.  And.  you know that I watch a lot of Hallmark programming.

A God Wink is an event that happens when every thing comes together to make something work.  With nothing to explain the happening.  I was preparing to leave home, get into the car, and travel north and east through Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin to arrive at my daughter’s home in time for her scheduled surgery.  Rita, the person who has kindly been helping me with household work had carried most of the boxes of stuff that I planned to take to Wisconsin.  There were, however, a few last boxes to be taken to the car, and Rita was not at my home at the time.  Some of the boxes were heavy – certainly, heavier than I should be picking up, carrying to the door, down the steps, to be heaved into the car.  When I actually got them into my car, I could leave my city and start my travel.

My plan, as always, was to have the blog ready to post to you, this morning.  That didn’t work out.  So, I’m sending it a bit late.  But, still on the same date the post was scheduled.  I needed to have the assistance of Karl, my blog guru, to get the article ready to send.  Since I’m not using my desktop computer at home, but am in Wisconsin for a period of time, I needed to be able to access the blog from my “remote” laptop.  Of course, Karl had already explained that some time ago, but do you think I could have remembered to bring the instructions with me on my journey?  No!

First and foremost, Larry would have been eighty-three, today.  Thinking about that didn’t help either.

Also, today was the date scheduled for Daughter #3’s second  complete knee replacement surgery.  We were at the hospital at 6:15 AM.  She drove because it was dark, and I don’t drive in the dark, anymore.  Next week, I plan to introduce you to my trip of several days.  It had some hiccups along the way, but overall was very peaceful.

The temperature here is many, many degrees below the temp I left at home.  Lady spent the day in the car in two dog coats, wrapped in a blanket to stay warm.  When I would go out to let her out of the car for a short time, she always acted as though she was freezing, but I would check the temp inside her little cocoon, and she was warm.

Again, I do apologize for not getting the blog out in time.  Sometimes, life is like that – it just doesn’t let you follow your carefully thought out plan.

Be safe and be well.

The Cranky Crone

Thoughtful comments are appreciated.

First, the good surprise.  Remember when I said that the Christmas cactus that was given to me by Dolores had no buds and would probably not bloom, this year.  But, I was wrong.  After giving me blossoms three times during this year of COVID, it now has three buds – with more to come, I’m hoping.  Of course, if I get to head north on the Wednesday this article is published, I won’t get to see them in full bloom.  Maybe, Daughter #1 will photograph them and send the images to me when they “show their stuff.”

My wallet disappeared during this past week.  It wasn’t lost.  It was not stolen.  It simply disappeared.

My good friend and house helper, Rita, saw me as I held the wallet in my hand and asked her if I should pay her for her services that day.  She decided I should wait until Friday, when she planned to return.  So, I closed the wallet with the magnets it has and tossed it into my red purse.  Just that day, I had changed purses from the black one I usually carry to the red one that would go with me as I travel in December.  I figured that I would know where the red one was at all times, better than the black one.  The red purse into which I tossed the wallet was sitting on the floor in front of the loveseat that I have in the living room.  Rita left and I continued with my day of work on the house.

The last three months I have been involved with people who have died.  Or, at least, I knew that their life was almost at an end, and I was waiting.

Dolores, Teacher Extraordinaire

My first loss in these months was Dolores, an educator of many years.  She and I were both employed by the Englewood Public Schools, although not at the same school.  Here students were all young people with developmental disabilities.  She was part teacher, mentor, friend, guide, confident, and mother for these children.  Somehow, the work done by the teachers responsible for these children never receives the recognition they deserve.  And, yet, the responsibilities of bringing them into the world of being productive adults is so critically important.

It is also the reason that the organization ARC receives all of my give-away goods.  ARC has really great work and social programs for young people as they grew out of Dolores’ school program.

Daughter #1 and I drove to Georgetown, last Saturday.  Since I’m not going to be available on either weekend of the Georgetown Christmas Market, we made the trek earlier than usual.

Attending on the usual weekends means hundreds of people on the sidewalks and traffic-free streets.  Those same hundreds in the stores, in line for coffee and pastries and lunch at the Happy Cooker restaurant.  And, in the town park where the vendors had stalls with their wares.  A door keeper in top hat and tails at the Shoppe Internationale, allowing only a certain number of people to be in the store at the same time.  Usual weekends also means unbridled holiday excitement!

For years, I have collected Westmoreland Glass.  When I first began collecting in earnest, the Brookridge Pharmacy was still in business at Bellevue and South Broadway in – what else? – the Brookridge Shopping Center.  At that time, drugstores often had special items such as toys, knick-knacks, candy, school supplies, as well as fancy glassware for sale.  My first two pieces of Westmoreland Glass were purchased at the Brookridge Pharmacy.

In my house, the living room is separated by four tall, turned spindles, from the ceiling to the half wall that separates the living room from the hallway leading to the basement.  When I receive a greeting card (for a gift or something) from a relative, neighbor, or friend, I clip it to the cord that I’ve strung between the spindles.  That way, I can enjoy the sentiments longer than if I store them immediately in a box … or even if I stand them on a table.

When we were in elementary school and, again, when I was a teacher of young children, we always at sang a special song at this time of year.  It goes:  “Halloween is coming.  Halloween is coming.  Halloween is coming.  Oh, what fun!”  And, here we are – Halloween is coming.  SOON!

We gather the candy.  Make the popcorn balls – even with COVID in the wings.  We buy tiny toys.  Anything that kids might want to receive from their pleas of “Trick or Treat.”  I always give fancy pencils, along with some chocolate.  The kids love pencils, and I love chocolate! It’s always a test for me not to eat all of the candy before trick or treaters arrive.