Friday, December 5, 2025

Phew! Glad That Chore Is Done

 


Well, I have done my Christmas decorating. Or holiday decorating or whatever you want to call it. I may still decide to bring in the little Norfolk Island Pine I bought at Publix last year and which has spent the summer in a pot on the porch, and set it up with some lights. 
This would mean I would have to go buy some lights though. The battery kind. The plug-in kind would pull the poor tiny pine over. 
I got the Santa lights you see above at the Oak Tree Treasures resale store when I went shopping with Jessie. I spied them right away and knew they'd be coming home with me. 





I had to pay seven dollars more than the original price but I figured the Santas were worth it. They're pretty cute. Also, they blink on and off, adding seasonal excitement to my already exciting and eclectic decor! 

Jessie and I had a good time at Oak Tree. We went through all the clothes and she got a few things for her and the boys and I got a pair of linen britches for me with four pockets, and I also found two shirts for Mr. Moon that were Large Talls, which is not an easy size to find. I suppose someone died who was large and tall and his clothes were donated. The same was true with the women's clothes, except the size of the possibly dead woman was Medium Petite. 
Of course both Mr. LT or Ms. MP could be alive and thriving and were just interested in winnowing down their closets but Oak Tree Treasures IS a hospice sponsored establishment. They get some good stuff. I'll give you that. 


Although the design of the cabinetry here isn't my favorite, I do love me a good hi-fi/stereo entertainment system. I always wanted one but I suppose our family didn't have the bucks to spare for such a fancy item. This one wasn't cheap but it looked like all the parts were working and for sure the radio was, as Christmas music was lilting from the stereo. The volume was quite low so I didn't have to go screaming out into the parking lot. Or perhaps the volume wasn't that low and after I get my hearing aids Christmas music being played in commercial spaces will make me even more insane. 
So many questions yet to be answered! 
While we were in the store, rain began to pound down and I was not happy at the thought of driving home in it but by the time we'd finished our shopping, it had passed and for lunch we went to Chow Time because we were being very, very bad girls. 
Now, that is not really true. 
It IS true that one could consume at least five thousand calories in less than an hour at Chow Time but if you make decent choices, it doesn't have to be that bad. I got my usual- hot and sour soup, boiled shrimp, various vegetables no doubt cooked in some delicious oil concoction, and about three bite-sized morsels of meat. And I was happy and I was satisfied and thus, we did not sin. And we were happy. 

Jessie drove off to pick up the boys and I drove home to get the clean sheets on the bed, water the hallway plants, make a pot of chili, and do the Christmas decorating. A good day, all in all. 

Lily's family is going through it. Well, at least Gibson is. Since Lily is an experienced mama, she diagnosed Gibson who had stayed home from school with strep. She took him to the Urgent Care and yes, that's what he had, along with a terribly sore throat and a 104 degree temperature. 
Poor Gibson. And yet he never lost his sweet, sweet smile even as fever flamed his cheeks. 


As we all know, strep can and often does race through a family and although I hope with all my heart this doesn't happen, I will be more surprised if it doesn't than if it does. 
Meanwhile, the pups are still making everyone happy. 


Sully, Magnolia, and Xena. They are all in doggie heaven. 

So as I said, I made a pot of chili and now I'm going to make a skillet of cornbread and cut up some vegetables to eat on the side. Martinis have been made. It got chilly today after that big rain and it looks like it will be raining on and off all weekend, with temperatures in the low fifties at night. 
This is hard on us, my friends. Send thoughts and prayers, please, that we might survive these extreme weather conditions. I am now on a mission to see how many cashmere sweaters I can wear at one time. So far, that number is three. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 
Love...Ms. Moon


36 comments:

  1. When i was young, during the 60’s, my mother would never think to take us to the Dr. for strep. We got it every year and she let it run its course. It was like swallowing razor blades. Our neighbor ended up with Scarlet Fever. (Is that the one you can get from strep?) Anyway, i love Lily for doing the right thing!
    Great picture of Magnolia with the pups!

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    1. More likely Rheumatic fever. It can lead to all sorts of horrible things including glomerulonephritis which can destroy your kidneys. This is what happened to Glen's sister. We do not play with strep around here.

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  2. I got strep just a few years ago and the np insisted I couldn't, too old. I insisted on a swab and oops it was strep. But I'd never had penicillin before and it started to work almost instantly.
    But whoa, does he have my sympathy. It's so painful you're nervous about swallowing. I hope he's well soon.
    Pictures of your new duds?

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    1. It's strep when you have razor blades in your throat and you do not want to swallow your own saliva. I am so proud of you for insisting on a swab. The antibiotics can really knock it out fast. Well, relatively.

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  3. Oh, strep is so nasty. I hope Gibson gets over it soon and that it does not spread further.

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    1. He was reportedly already feeling better this morning!

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  4. It is possible to decorate a tree without lights. Just use tinsel and shiny baubles to reflect light form other sources so it sparkles a bit. Is strep throat what we call tonsillitis?

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    1. Much more serious, streptococcal, can develop into worse if not treated quickly with antibiotics.

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    2. I don't dislike lights at all. In fact I very much like them. I just don't want to go buy any. The tree is too tiny to hold much in the way of baubles.
      I'm pretty sure that tonsillitis is not in and of itself what we'd think of as an infection or disease. It is just what it's called when the tonsils and surrounding tissues become inflamed due to another infection and strep can be one of those. Baud is right. Strep can develop into several very, very serious illness.

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  5. Like they say- if you do not sin- jesus died for nuthin'- LOVE your santa lights, very much.
    Your extreme decorations are so over the top people will be traveling from all over to witness the marvel!
    Strep throat is so painful and awful, I would NOT be smiling! Gibson is a champion!
    The pup sandwich with Miss Magnolia in the middle is endearing for sure. Who will get up in the middle of the night to take them out to pee/poo? Bet you a nickle it will not be she!

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    1. If I'd ever heard that "if you do not sin..." thing I have forgotten but it's great.
      You made me laugh with my extreme decorations. Hey- I didn't even enjoy the challenge of putting those up!
      Gibson is just sweet to his core. And yes, a champ!
      I have a feeling it will be Lauren who gets up with Xena although I think Sully is Owen's responsibility.

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  6. Strep throat can turn into rheumatic fever! So glad we have antibiotics for real, honest-to-goddess bacterial infections. Hope your grands get/stay healthy! Mrs Moon, your Santas look demonic but adorable. :)

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    1. Ps this is Elf in Chattanooga

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    2. They are demonic, aren't they? Not as demonic, however, as the vintage light-up Santa I have. I need to go find him and replace his bulb. Thank you for coming by, Elf in Chattanooga.

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  7. It was -22 Celsius outside my door this morning. I'm envious of my Florida cousins let me tell ya!

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  8. How does anyone look that happy with strep? Magnolia is so lucky as are the pups. I hope the strep doesn’t make the rounds of the family. I love those Santa lights.

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    1. Poor Gibson. Perhaps as the eternal middle child, he was just happy to finally get some personal attention! Oh god, I hope not.
      I haven't heard that anyone else has gotten strep yet so fingers crossed...
      The Santa lights do make me laugh which is worth the $12.99 I paid for them

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  9. I hope Gibson is already feeling better by now!

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  10. I had little potted Norfolk Island Pines for many a Christmas tree...without lights of course. Maybe a few tiny shiny ornaments. Hope all your family members are well, and may the pups be trained easily!

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    1. You can get tiny strings of battery operated lights that do nicely on the miniature trees. Some of them really are adorable.
      Are pups ever trained easily? I guess some are far more trainable than others, meaning the dogs I've owned.

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  11. I had strep once. I never want to have it again. It's like swallowing knives.

    The Santa lights are very cool. So Lily and family have three dogs now? Somehow I don't remember Sully. Is he the found dog that was going back and forth from Jason's because no one was sure where he was going to live? I guess he lives at Lily's.

    There's a very good resale shop in Houston, the Guild Shop connected to the church my family went to and the private school I went to but it's IN THE CITY! Not going.

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    1. I've always likened strep to having razor blades in my throat. God, it hurts.
      Yes, Sully is the found dog. He usually lives at Jason's house but Jason was out of town so Sully went to Lily's where his boy (Owen) could keep him.
      Houston must be a nightmare these days. I haven't been there in over forty years, I guess. Maybe more. I thought it was horrible then.

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    2. Oh, my god! The Guild Shop! Heaven on earth. Making precious few trips to Houston from the island these days, but have passed on my love for the Guild to my daughter who lives close by. Margaret in Galveston

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  12. I hope Gibson feel better soon and no one else catches the germs.
    I put up more decorations than you but it is tradition and so I can't seem to stop doing it. It does bring back so many memories that make me happy and sad at the same time.

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    1. I think for me, the memories are more sad than happy. I don't know exactly why. I mean, we never had a tragic Christmas.

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  13. Ugh! Strep! Let's hope this doesn't prove to be a family plague. I wonder how old your Santa lights are? Is there a copyright date on the box? The fixtures look fairly modern but they could be ten or twenty years old, I suppose. Collectibles!

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    1. You are so right that the lights themselves look fairly modern but the packaging and price indicate something older. I can't seem to find any information on the box as to age and google is just giving me other sets for sale and they are all described simply as "vintage."

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    2. A catchall term if ever there was one! :)

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  14. Poor Gibson, strep is a tough one. At least the doggies can distract him.
    Would a hot water bottle be available in Florida for comfort on cold evenings when no cat comes on your lap?

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    1. Yes. I may even have a hot water bottle but there's never been a drop of water in it as far as I know. I do have a heating pad which I mainly use to help proof bread in the winter.

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  15. Strep is no fun! Hopefully with antibiotics, Gibson will be well soon.
    Love your Santa lights. They look vintage and will bring smiles to all.
    Maggie loving her pups is adorable. Sweet picture.

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    1. Maggie is in high heaven.
      Antibiotics are truly miracle drugs when it comes to strep infections, aren't they?

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  16. Those Santa lights look like they're made of meringue. Or maybe pastry creme squeezed from a tube by a very adept cake decorator.

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