Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night

It has been a very good Thanksgiving and Christmas for us this year.  We have been able to spend time with family and those we love.  My back is so much better, and my return to work is imminent. 

We feel very blessed and fortunate.  Here are a few photos from our holidays.

 This was our tree this year.  I think it turned out especially well.  And, since Hobbes didn't try to climb it even one time, it stayed pretty throughout the whole Christmas season, which was a true gift.

 

Here's my favorite scene, a cozy fire in the fireplace and the lights on the tree offering the only other light in the room.  Ahh, peaceful! 

 I had to snap a pic of the reindeer resting on the bench outside a Barnes & Noble bookstore I went to a couple weeks before Christmas.

 This is my dearest and me, taken on the weekend before Christmas.

 Hobbes wishes everyone a Meowy Christmas!

Chance definitely believes in Santa Paws!

More later --

What's up, doc?

I saw my spine surgeon this morning.  Well, actually, I saw his nurse practitioner, Amy, who is wonderful.  This visit was mainly to get the doctor's signature on the paperwork proposing new seating equipment for me at work and also a proposed return to work schedule.  He signed off on everything, and now the Long Term Disability Insurance Carrier will order the new equipment I need.  Once it arrives and is installed I should be good to go.  So the clock is definitely ticking, and I should be back to work very soon.  I am happy and excited and nervous all at once.  I never could have guessed that I would have been off work for over seven months with my back fusion surgery.

Tomorrow is my birthday, and it will be a low-key celebration at our house.  I did go out and buy my own cake, because I wanted a good birthday cake this year and did not want to make my own.  So I got a carrot cake (yummy!) and can't wait to cut it tomorrow evening after dinner.  Speaking of dinner, Steve is going to pick up burgers on his way home from work.  I know....but what can I say...I love a good burger every once in a while, and it has been awhile.  It just sounded good.  Tomorrow is going to be a rainy, messy day and we're just going to stay in.   He was busy in the bedroom, door closed, with the gift wrapping supplies earlier this evening, so I will have some happy surprises I'm sure.  Then, Saturday, we're going out to a birthday lunch and a little shopping with our wonderful next-door neighbor, Pam.  I am very blessed.

For the first year in I can't remember how long, we will not be traveling at Thanksgiving.  Instead, we are hosting my family members here.  I'll be cooking, and we'll have a full house, and I'm really happy about that.  I've been planning meals and looking at recipes and making shopping lists and fluffing up the guest room and doing all the things you do when you're expecting company.  I've been trying not to overdo things with my back, and mostly succeeding, but not completely.  It's hard to know where the line is of what's okay and what is not so much...  Anyway, I'm learning as I go. 

I will leave you tonight with a picture of my baby in his "punkin" kerchief. 

More later --

It's the (truly) most wonderful time of the year

My favorite season is upon us.  Autumn is the most beautiful time of the year, to me.  And Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all.  It's a time for family and friends, for good food,  a time to stop and recognize all the good things we have, to give thanks for the blessings we enjoy.  In my immediate family, even after we were grown and had lives of our own, Thanksgiving was the one time of year when we all tried to get together, and, most years we were able to.  It will always hold special memories for me. 

Nowadays, all that are left in my immediate family are one sister, one brother (and his wife), and me.  But the exciting news is that we are all gathering at my house for Thanksgiving this year.  I am busy planning menus and want to make this a good time filled with some new (albeit different) fun memories we'll have for years to come.   

And now, at the risk of being too catty (me-ow) I have to share a big pet peeve.  Huge.  GI-NORMOUS.  I hate that people are already decorating for Christmas, putting up Christmas trees, wanting to play Christmas music.  I feel like Thanksgiving is not given its just due as the important and meaningful holiday it is.  Good grief, Halloween gets more attention than Thanksgiving.  It's just wrong.

There, I said it.  And yes, I feel better. 

So, back to all things Fall, with the cool weather comes fires in the fireplace and snuggling under blankets.  We've been doing our fair share of both around here.  Here are some pictures for show and tell. 

Hobbes and I share a mutual love for this one specific blanket.  It's pretty much a given that if I put it over me, he is soon to follow.  This is him on top of the blanket, on top of me. 

One last thing.  I know I'm prejudiced, but how many cats do you know who will let you flash a camera multiple times in their face and stay that sweet?  ❤

More later --

A big step

So, I met with some terrific people yesterday at my office.  We are all working hard on getting me back to work.  My part at this point still consists of doing what I know to do to help the nerves continue to heal as they should, so I'm doing my therapy exercises, walking, going to physical therapy, etc.  I've come a long way, but there is still a lot of healing that needs to take place.  The research that I've read indicates that nerve healing can continue for as long as two years.  At six months out, I know I'm still progressing, so I am encouraged that it's not finished yet.

But back to yesterday's meeting.  My employer's long-term disability carrier arranged for a local representative to meet with me and my supervisor, along with an occupational therapist/worksite consultant.  The purpose was to see how we could rework my existing workspace to make it more comfortable and not painful for me, so that my return to work will have every chance of success.  I have to say, after being off work for so long, my biggest fear is going back and having that horrible pain return, and then the nightmare of possible consequences.  But, I wonder if this is just a really unreasonable fear at this point which has almost become like a phobia...  And if so, I know I have come too far to give it this much power over me!

Anyway, the upshot is that we have a plan in place and hopefully I will be back at work soon on a gradually increasing schedule. 

In other news, we have some pretty fall colors around these days.  Here are a few shots I took the other day during my walk.

More later --

Laundry day

I guess I just thought I was done with the laundry.  Looks like there's one more load. 

Saturday morning gift

This has been a very long, very hot (to this 53 year old female) summer, and I am OH, SO ready for fall.  Can I get an amen?  Can I get a witness??

At any rate, we were given a lovely gift this morning.  A beautiful, glorious morning with very low humidity, and temps in the 60s.  I got a little tingly just typing those words!  This truly is a noteworthy day, after so many sticky, oppressive, un-noteworthy days have come and gone.

So I got myself together this morning and headed out for a walk.  I love to walk when the weather is cool.  Heck, I love to walk when the weather is downright cold.  I just can't abide it when the humidity hits 70% or more and sweat is dripping off my appendages.  Again, just why is it that we live in Memphis, Tennessee?  Oh yeah, my husband reminds me...the barbecue.

I headed out on one of my favorite routes.  With my back and leg issues, I am so much slower than I used to be, even though I never was what you would call a Speed Walker.  But hey...even a turtle eventually crosses the road.  If he doesn't get run over in the process. 

If I am very fortunate, I can time my walk when all the neighborhood dogs are outside in their yards.  And wouldn't your know it, such was my fortune today.  I got serenaded all along my route.  There is one particular area that cracks me up because it's a concentration of different breeds and sizes of pooches.  First I come upon a medium sized dog who sets off the alarm that someone is encroaching upon their territory.  Then, there are a couple of little yappers in the next yard who pick up the battle cry.  Finally, this BIG dog with a deep booming voice will bark once or twice.  He's not really into it that much, but will play along just because he knows they all expect him to.  Doggie peer pressure is alive and well, folks.  Reminds me of the song "Daddy sang bass, mama sang tenor, me and little brother would join right in there........" and never fails to put a smile on my face.  Even when the day isn't as picture perfect as today. 

But today?  Today the smile was there already. 

My couch companion

It's a pillow.

It's a pet.

It's a pillow pet.

That's all.