NST: November 2023 – Sparkle

weenancyinAmerica · 16 December 2023 at 10:01PM

My sparkling is a little dim at the moment, what with medical problems for everyone in the household and car problems including one driver being told not to drive for two months (roommate Di). I'm still seeing double when I drive so I have to wear an eye patch over one eye and I can't drive after dark. Going to be a rough month. We have two cars - one a 2003 with 183,000 miles on it and the other a 1992 with 225,000 miles on it. The 1992 is in the shop to see if we can afford the brake job (not yet). So we are just driving the one car. Going to arrange for the health insurance company to take us to doctor's appointments as it is included in the plan.

And today it was the official move of the husky Bella to her new home. She has been there for several days. It looks like that is where she is meant to be. She came by for a visit, but you could see she didn't want to stay. I'll have chances to go visit her, especially as she will be just a block from our favorite bookstore. We try to go there every month to trade in books, so we might be able to go by and see her occasionally. Her toys, snacks, and paperwork went with her today. Now just have to clean up the yard.

We had our Friends book sale yesterday and made $420, which is our best for a December sale. One of our visitors even bought all of us lunch as a holiday present. So it ended up being a NSD (#8) for me.

Today I went grocery shopping but my roommate owed me for the groceries I bought for her ($65). My total came to $63.17, which is close enough. So she paid. Does include groceries for everyone, not just for me, but except for milk we may be set for the month. We get a fruit and vegetable box free each week and the church brings us the leftovers from the food bank there. Don't know what we are going to do for the holiday yet as two roommates will be staying here as they don't have any family around. Di will be going with me to the party at my sister's. She has no family at all, except distant cousins. We may have a festive breakfast here first for the four of us (the other roommate may be going with his girlfriend somewhere). Then go to the party. We take part of the sandwich fixings and it's an "everyone make your own sandwich" lunch instead of a big dinner. Easier on all of us. No one has to cook much (one person does bring the devilled eggs) and my sister buys an already-cooked ham. My niece will bring a vegetable plate because she has trained her children well and they will eat these first instead of chips. I would too except I have false teeth and most raw vegetables are hard to eat. So I bring the olives as well. Family tradition to have olives instead of sprouts.

Right now it is sunny and very warm - had to change my sweater for a t-shirt. But they are expecting a storm to move in tomorrow night and are predicting rain for five days starting Monday. I no longer believe they know what they are talking about as they got it wrong the last two times it was supposed to rain (but didn't). But just in case, I have my hot chocolate and marshmallows and my barley soup ready to go. Hope all of you are surviving the wind and rain and are doing well.