Christmas prep .............

Have you missed me? I haven't been around much lately. No special reason for my absence, I've just been busy with normal life stuff. I can't believe that it's the middle of December already. I think it would feel more like Christmas if it were colder. I still have roses blooming, my herbs in pots are thriving, and we're still having to cut grass.

My Christmas preparations are almost complete. Our Christmases are low key and quiet - no frantic shopping and gift buying, no big parties or entertaining, and very little baking or candy making. I will put up my tree either tomorrow or Friday. I have Hubby's gift on order from our local jewelers and the kitties have a new scratcher and catnip. I've already gotten my gift - a Kindle to go along with my Nook.



The amarylis I got earlier at Walmart now has four blooms and looks very festive.



I don't think Maggie May feels well. She usually spends all day outside and has to be forced back in at night. She hasn't wanted to go out for two days now. She goes in the bedroom and sleeps on the far side of the bed all day. Right now she is curled up in front of me watching me type this post. She has been eating a little so I'm not too concerned. I'll keep an eye on her.

After Thanksgiving ............

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday. As usual, we stayed at home. I cooked a turkey with all the side dishes. My brother was our only guest, so the three of us ended up stuffing ourselves. Most of the leftovers are gone now, so I plan on making a big pot of soup tomorrow.

Did you check out all the sales? You couldn't pay me to go shopping on Black Friday. There's absolutely nothing I need or want enough to put up with the crowds. I don't do much Christmas shopping anyway. I've ordered Hubby a watch from a local jewelers and will find a small gift for my brother. That is all the shopping I plan on doing.

My brother eats supper with us several times a week. Mollie Ann has fallen in love with his lap. As soon as he sits down, she jumps up and settles down. She doesn't move until he gets up to go home. I've tried to talk him into adopting her, but he already has one cat.






Is that a picture of pure relaxation or what?

We've been busy getting up leaves in the yard. They seem to fall faster than we can get them up. With 2 acres of yard we don't try to rake except where the leaf vacuum doesn't go. We have an abundance of acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, and sweet gum balls this year. Hope that doesn't mean we will have a bad winter.

Relief ............

....................... Miss Mollie Ann .......................

Thanks everyone for the tips on self treatment of Plantar Fasciitis. I've been doing exercises every day to stretch my calf and foot muscles. They do seem to help.

Last week I went to Walmart looking for some type of insoles to put in my shoes to give my feet extra support. I noticed they had one of the Dr. Scholl's Foot Mapping Kiosks that I had seen advertised on TV. I decided to give it a try, since I had no clue as to what type of insoles to buy. You take your shoes off and stand on the base, lifting first one foot, then the other. It measures the amount of pressure being exerted by the different areas of your foot and recommends the best custon fit orthonics for you. I found out that I have a very high arch and was recommended the CF130 inserts. They have a system that stabalizes and supports your arch.

They were almost $50.00, but I was willing to try anything that would give me some relief. While the package promised immediate and all-day comfort, I was just hoping for less pain. I put them in my shoes as soon as I got home, and I was amazed at how comfortable they were. My feet no longer hurt with each step! They did provide immediate and all day comfort!

When I took my shoes off that night and put on my slippers without the inserts, each step I took was painful again. I plan on buying a second set so I can put them in my slippers. I don't know if they work as well for other people, but they definitely get my recommendation. I have happy feet again!

I have received no compensation from Dr. Scholl's for my comments.

Colorful leaves ..........

Our leaves have been pretty the past week, but are browning quickly. We're having cool nights and warm days. I worked today on cleaning out some of my flowers and hope to clean up my garden squares tomorrow. I have a few tomatoes left, but they are small and green, so will probably be hurt by frost before they ripen. I did pick a bunch of green peppers today.

I've been suffering with aching feet for the last month or so. I have self diagnosed myself as having plantar fasciitis and have decided that I need to go shopping for shoes with good arch support and cushioning. I've reached the age where comfort becomes more important than fashion in footwear. I haven't been able to use the treadmill or walk as much as I'd like because my feet hurt.

Fall flowers .....

The leaves are just beginning to turn here in Central Virginia. Since I don't have any colorful leaf photos to share, I thought I'd share some colorful fall flower photos.

A fall drive ........

Monday was sunny and warm, a perfect day for a drive. We decided to head north toward Sperryville. We stopped for breakfast near Mineral, which was the epicenter of the east coast earthquake. A lot of houses had chimney damage and some buildings had damage to brick facades. We didn't feel any tremors while we were there, although the news said this morning that there was another aftershock last night.





(I apologize for the poor photos. It's hard to take a picture while riding in the car at 50 mph. Hubby isn't one to stop in the middle of the road so I can take a picture.)

When we arrived in Sperryville we stopped at an antique store we like to visit. We were disappointed in what they had to offer, so we didn't stay long. Our next stop was a stand selling apples, cider, honey, jellies and jams. We got a basket of apples, two jugs of cider, and a jar of damson jelly. I love damson jelly and preserves. After stopping at a few other shops along the road, we entered Shenandoah National Park and got on Skyline Drive heading South.

The day was sunny, but it was a bit hazy in the distance. The trees have turned up on the mountain and are beginning to turn in the valley.









We didn't continue south on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but got off near Charlottesville and headed home. It was a very pretty drive and an enjoyable outing.

While we were gone, the tree service had come and taken down our tree. I was disappointed that I hadn't been at home to watch. The tree was really, really tall and I wanted to watch as they cut it in sections from the top with the bucket truck.





This is all that is left of the tree.

Blogger's block?

It's been ages since I updated my blog. I don't have any excuse other than every time I think about posting, my mind becomes a blank. Is there such a thing as blogger's block?

Things have been quiet and uneventful around here. We are still waiting for the tree service to take down the tree damaged by the hurricane. They dropped off a trailer and a bobcat Tuesday, so maybe they'll get to work soon.

Our trees are just beginning to turn. I'm hoping we can take a day trip to the mountains the first of the week. I want to get some delicious Virginia apples.

My mind is totally blank again. Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here and all is well.