Christmas

I hope everyone is doing exactly what makes you happy on this Christmas Day. 

I have a little story for you.

Santa stopped at my place last Friday, at dusk.  I heard boots on the stairs and the doorbell rang.  The boots were retreating by the time I opened the door.  (No I didn't see him)  The truck roared away as I spied the little tan box on the floor by my door.

Inside the box, a red bag  and card from Janelle.  In the bag I found unshelled nuts, hard candy of the old fashioned kind.  A perfect round orange completed the gift.

Oh, no, I thought: I gave away my nutcracker, but here it was in the back of a drawer I cracked open a pecan.  Thank you Janelle

P.S.  I filled the red bag with the canned food I was taking to a food drive--the gift travels on.

12/19/08

Had a 1.4 loss for the last 2 weeks. I didn't post last week because I had a colonoscopy on Friday and didn't think it would be very accurate after 2 days of clear liquid only diet.

The volleyball girls made me proud. Although they didn't win, they did stop Penn State from their perfect record of not losing a set this year. I will miss Jordan, Amanda, and Rachel.

About 6" of snow on the driveway this morning. The snowblower ran out of gas before I got done and didn't have any to finish. A very nice guy that is helping with the remodeling of the house next door volenteered to finish for me. God bless him. The house was recently sold as the lady that lived there moved to Lincoln to be near her son that has cystic fibrosis. This guy, Abe, said he is helping a friend tear out and fix it up. He said the friend's dad had bought the house and then died so the son is fixing it up. I think it is in real bad shape because the previous owner didn't have the means to keep it up.

Sunday is the first day of winter. Can spring be far behind.

Getting home

COLD,  Yes, Reno was cold this morning.  I waited until the sun warmed the ice on my windshield to start the drive home.  I expected to have to put on chains to get across the mountains.  I didn't have to.  I arrived home safely.

From Cold Springs Valley, NV I drove to Natomas, CA across the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

I-80 is the route and today, after a winter storm passed through, the road was wet and sloppy with a temperature hovering near 25F until I was 50 miles from home.  Not the best conditions, but the sun was shining.   The ugly road wandered through a white, blue and green winter wonderland. 

Winter Storm

How did the holiday gathering of Gatewoods go.  Anyone get any good white elephants?

Friday evening I watched Paulette dance in the Winter Showcase and she was dancing on Saturday so could not go to Reno with me.

Saturday morning.

Bright sunshine in Sacramento, ditto in Reno.  In between, over Donner Pass through the mountains.  Somewhere around Nyack, CA snow has fallen.  The road is wet on the sides and then in the middle and then dirty snow between the tire tracks.  I do not see a chain requirement; only the 40mph recommendation so I carefully drive in the slow lane.  I can still see the center line and some drivers; braver than I are zipping along.  Tiny snow flurries and I use lots of windshield washer.  Rest stop in Truckee and on to Reno.  I see the END CHAIN CONTROL sign as I leave Truckee.  The entire trip took from 8:30am to about 12:30pm

Being Grandma makes me very popular for the afternoon.  I get there in time for lunch.  About five PM Nana arrives and she, too, is very popular.  She's more popular because she has brought the PIZZA for dinner.  David and Robin, all dressed up, say bye, bye and leave for their party. Nobody cries.  We have pizza, salad and milk that gets spilled, of course.  Nobody cries as we mop it up and determine it is Grandma's fault because I filled Sterling's glass too full.

After clean-up, baths and pajamas we are ready for Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer--the original.  Skyler only moves to view the TV around Sterling who dances to all the music and in between runs in front of the watchers.  Shae has questions, as usual.  Why is Santa so thin?  What is that (the abominable snowman)?  Is he bad?  and so on.  Sandy (Nana) and I wonder how this has remained a classic.

The kids went to bed after drinks of water and checking on one more thing or another.  Sandy went home, I started reading and David and Robin came home.  GOOD DAY.

Sunday.  We went to church and then Robin, Shae, Skyler and I went to the Nutcracker.  Great show.  Enjoyed by all.  Then to dinner at Outback.  On the way home it started to snow.  Meanwhile, after church, David and Sterling did the COSTCO shopping and watched football.  Sterling was taking a bath when we got home.

And now it is Monday afternoon and I had planned to be at home.  Too much snow, roads in bad shape and one more storm on the way.    It stopped snowing several times today, the winter storm warning lasts until 10pm.  I do have to get home tomorrow.  That will be an adventure.

Cindy

Forty-three years ago today Jerry helped decorate the Christmas tree in the Oakland hospital. Meanwhile I was giving birth to our first daughter. 6 lbs 4 oz, 18" long. Happy Birthday Cindy. Love, Mom & Dad.

It is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, REALLY COOOOOOOOLD. The high today is somewhere between 0 and 4. No, Myrna, I don't want to know what the temperature is in Sacramento. I got to play in the snow this morning. We didn't get much, but about 10" piled up in front of my garage door. I'm just glad it wasn't that deep all the way to the street.

Christmas, Part Last (?)

Here’s what I know about The Gatewood Christmas 2008:

Meet at Scott & Lisa’s at 5 PM.

Bring a White Elephant for gift exchange. No dollar minimum or maximum. We can count on each other to be sensible.

Scott will pick up Mick. I’ll find something at his house to bring for his White Elephant.

We are doing a brunch menu, even tho it’s early evening.

I will bring a ham roast and Swedish pancakes.
Shirley’s bringing fruit salad.
Cindy’s bringing potato casserole.
Lisa is providing coffee and other drinks.
Jon & April: A fabulous, outrageously decadent dessert.
I forget what Sue said she was bringing.

I think the head count is:
Sue, Jerry, Cindy, Jaydee, Kendra, Mick, Shirley, Bob, Jon, April, Cassie, Alex, Adam, Randy, Janell, Jack, Scott, Lisa, Faith, Bob, Grady = 21
Sue; any word from Chantelle?
Deb’s family: Maybe (4)
Brad: Maybe (3)
Who did I forget? (Don’t say I forgot Emily. She has a wedding rehearsal on Saturday.)

AND FYI:
Shannon and her four kids plus Amber and her son, Parker, will be coming from Indiana to Nebraska December 27-January 3. Please help me find a time and place for them and Mick to meet with each of our locals while they are here. It wouldn’t necessarily have to be all at the same time and place. For example, could they come to Sue’s in Norfolk on Friday January 2? Maybe to Shirley’s on her day off? Could Bob help them get to the zoo on one of the weekdays? I will be with them over the weekend of 27-28. Could Cindy meet them in Fremont on one of those weekdays? They’ll be staying at Mick’s old place in Oakland until the 31st and then at a guest house in Lyons until they go home.
Any ideas?