Christmas Aftermath

Came home from the hospital on the Christmas Eve afternoon, did well, then got quite ill, thought I was having a heart attack, had Mac call an ambulance.  They were quick, took all my vitals, no attack.  At the hospital a Cat scan was done.  They called my surgeon who was sure it was gas, but decided to keep me in the hospital overnight as a precaution.  The surgeon came too see me on Christmas Day and assured me the pain was normal, painful, but normal.  So I came home, the daughter and husband cooked Christmas dinner and we opened presents.
Our daughter had to leave yesterday morning to return to Japan.
I'm still struggling with pain and I'm going in to see my primary care doctor this afternoon.
Getting better, but oh I wish it was all done.

Got some wonderful presents and will talk about them later.
Looking forward to a new year.

Merry Christmas

I'm writing this on my tablet so no pictures.  But I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
Especially the nurses and doctors at St. Joseph Candler Hospital who on Sunday morning diagnosed a bad gall  bladder, this morning they operated, took it out and this afternoon they sent me home almost pain free to enjoy a Merry Christmas.
So Happy Holidays to one and all.

Almost Ready

I found my gold icicles, they were hiding in a bag with other gold ornaments and all I had to do was turn the bag over.  Mac found my two small trees and my painting of Santa.  All the Christmas Critters have been found.  So the decorating is done.
The last two days have been spent cleaning our daughter's room and bathroom.
Now I need to start making cookies, Thursday probably.  I always make Chocolate Chip and Sugar Cookies.
We're having a much colder than normal December with lows near freezing at night----BRRRRRR!  The fireplace is on most of the time, Miss Kitty loves it.
Of course I've been reading.  Finished Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty,  one of my favorite authors, but I have to say I was underwhelmed.  I don't know if it's me or the books I've been reading but I sure haven't been impressed lately.

Mac just set up my new little train and checked to see if ran--it did.

It Begins

The tree is almost done, but I can't find the gold icicles.  A job for another day.
Can't find our stockings either and I'm missing a few other things too.
Miss Kitty watched, but touched nothing, she's such a sweetie.
One of our cats, years ago-Louis- climbed right up our tree.  And Bear, another of our cats felt right at home.  He use to be an outdoor cat and so he went under the tree and peed on everything.
Lunch today is my version of Olive Garden's Scrimp Scampi with Asparagus.

How to wrap your Cat for Christmas 101

I have so much to do, but here I sit with the computer.  Haven't blogged in forever so I wanted to get a post up before I throw myself headlong into Christmas.
Saw my oncologist on Tuesday and all is well, will have my next maintenance scan in January. Also saw the people who did my endoscopy and all is well, but they're putting me on a probiotic.
Got some Christmas cards mailed, but ran out of stamps and I'm waiting for a delivery from the Post Office.
It was very cold this week with lows near freezing.  It's warmer now, but rainy.
I started wrapping packages, oh what fun.  Saw a video of a woman who wrapped her cat for Christmas.  Miss Kitty would have torn up the paper and me.
Grocery shopped and got some of my Christmas supplies.  I'm tired of pumpkin pie and need to find a good recipe for a peach pie.
Decided to go ahead and finish the Barbara Kingsolver book Unsheltered.  Still didn't like that it was told in two parts, didn't like the historical part at all and found the modern part just ok.  I usually like her books so much.  I have Liane Moriarty's new book Nine Strangers waiting for me next.  Have to finish my latest Georgette Heyer The Unknown Ajax, I'm working my way through all of her books as a reread and it's been so long since I read them they're like brand new stories to me.
It's going to be Leek and Potato Soup today, can't wait.
Rewatched The Minions movie this week, so silly and such fun.
Have also been doing some cross-stitching.
Well that was my week, time to head into Christmas.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family.  Ours will be full of good food and football.  Wish our daughter could be here, but it's just too far.  She'll be here for Christmas though--can't wait.
Tried to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, but instead of floats I got Broadway singing. Cool today, but it feels seasonal.
Hope it's a good day for all.

The Day Before

I think I'm ready for Thanksgiving.  I baked my pumpkin pie and boiled my eggs for deviling.
We're having mild weather so I weeded in the garden some more.
I've also been cleaning out some of my cupboards, they have become a dangerous thing to open as I tend to just open the door and throw stuff in there.  I washed all my pot holders and threw out those too disreputable to be seen in public any more.  I have one more cupboard to go, but it can wait until after Thanksgiving.
Normally we go and get a Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving, but it's come much too early this year, we'll wait another week.  But I do need to start wrapping presents.
There's much to be thankful for this year.  Despite an awful diagnosis earlier this year I'm enjoying good health and ha ing strength and energy.  We got to spend 2 weeks with our daughter and she'll be here for Christmas.  Miss Kitty though getting older still seems to be a  contented dowager.  And I have a cleaning team
Hope you have many blessings too.

Time for a New Post

Haven't posted in a week so it's time.  Last week was a quiet week except for going out for breakfast on Monday.  Had quite a bit of energy so I did some cleaning that hadn't been done in a while and I worked in the garden.  It's going to take forever to whip it back into shape.  Mac has been cleaning up the daffodil bed so he can put more bulbs in there.
Went to the store yesterday to get stuff for Thanksgiving.  I already have the Cornish Game Hens, but I needed rolls and a pumpkin pie.  The store was packed and there were not many pies available.  I don't feel like making my own this year.  I need to get the Hens out of the freezer, it will take a couple of days to thaw them out.
I read blogs every day, but I don't comment much, I've been very lazy.

Read a really stupid book, can't believe I finished it.  I was looking for a light, easy read with some humor.  What I got was a whiny main character I wanted to smack on a regular basis.  Don't know why I finished it, kept hoping she'd get her comeuppance, but she didn't.
Started Barbara Kingsolver's new book Unsheltered and I'm not liking it at all, usually I love her books, but not this one.  Part of the trouble is it's told in 2 time periods and I'm getting tired of that.  The present day story is interesting, but the other is boring.  Don't know if I'll finished it or not.
In between I'm rereading Georgette Heyer books and enjoying them thoroughly.

Veteran's Day Treat

Took my Veteran out to breakfast at Denny's this morning.  Had to wait in line because everyone else had the same idea.  Denny's was giving veterans a free breakfast to say thank you for your service.  It took awhile, but it was delicious.
Quite chilly and drizzly here today so I stayed indoors and did some cross-stitch.  Mac went out and finished putting our new bar-b-que together.  He said it had the worse directions he's ever had to use.
We have the family room fireplace on today and Miss Kitty is most appreciative.

Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day to my Veteran.  He spent 21 years in the Army, 5 overseas tours.
It was a busy week for us.  Tuesday I saw my radiation doctor, just a check-in, all is well.
Thursday I had a upper digestive check (endoscopy) to see why I'm still having trouble with nausea.  They found some irritation in my stomach, but nothing else.
We thought about going out for lunch today, lots of restaurants giving meals for Veteran's Day, but it's chilly today and I think we'll just stay home.  Denny's is giving breakfast tomorrow so maybe we'll do that instead.
Hope you'll having a good weekend.
Can't believe it's been 100 years since the end of WWI.

Cleaning

I have finally broken down and hired a cleaning team, Two Maids and a Mop.  They're out trying to bring order to my house.  I'm growing stronger all the time, but I can't keep up with our house, it's just too big.  So I found someone to do it for me.  I'm holed up in the computer room and they're working away.  Told them to ignore the upstairs, we don't use it and it can just wait.  Can't wait to see how the house turns out.

Update:  They cleaned for 3 hours and the place looks and smells wonderful.

Dilemma

As I've said before I read a lot and I keep track of my reading on Goodreads.  I don't read a lot of great literature, I read just to entertain myself.  I read nearly every genre except for Chick Lit and the only time I read that it's an accident or the author is so good I overlook love story.
Most of my reviews are 3 stars meaning it was good, but not great.  There are a sprinkling of 4 stars and very few 5 stars ratings.  You have to really impress me to get 5 stars.
So far this year I've read 147 books and given 3 books a 5 star rating.  The latest one to get that is Beartown by Fredrik  Backman and if I could have I'd have given it 6 stars----I loved it.  I've read nearly all of this author's books starting with A Man Called Ove.  I've enjoyed them all, but this one is the best of all.
I liked the writing, liked the characters, even those I hated. It was about hockey and I don't even like hockey.   What a great book.
So what's my dilemma?  Well I discovered that there's a sequel to the book, I ordered it and it will be here Monday.  But I'm not sure I want to read it.  I like how Beartown ended and even though I wanted more I liked imaging what might have happened next, I'm not sure I want to know for sure what happens.
I'm not good with sequels of books I really like.  I loved Me Before You and absolutely hated its sequel, wouldn't consider reading the 3rd book.
So my dilemma is, should I read the sequel?

The Day After

Halloween last night, we got 3 Trick or Treaters, even less than last year.  My favorite was Jay from State Farm dressed in his khakis and red shirt.
Guess we've got a lot Snickers and Hershey bars to eat, how sad.
Worked in the garden today, second time.  It's really a mess and it's going to take forever to get it into shape.  We've been watching Monty Don on a Gardener's World (courtesy of Brit Box) and there are NO, NONE, NARY A ONE, weeds in his garden,
We're having Shepard's Pie today, I ordered the spice packet from Amazon.
Reading Bear Town by Fredrik Backman.  A story about hockey and what it does to the town of Bear Town and the people in it.  It's so good.

Halloween

It's Halloween and though we won't get many Trick or Treaters I always enjoy it.

Our front yard

Two pictures our daughter Tweeted us, they're from the Godzilla shop in Tokyo.

My Table

Yes, my kitchen table where no one ever eats, but I love to decorate it seasonally.  Mac got me more glass pumpkins and a kitty-cat sitting on a real pumpkin and he lights up.  We'll put him out on the porch for Halloween.
Got some Chrysanthemums for the front steps and some pansies we haven't potted yet.
I started a new cross-stitch, but I'm afraid I pulled something in my hand and when I use it much it hurts across the palm, so it's going to be slow going.
Finished the mew J.A. Jance Joanna Brady book, Field of Bones,  I have to say it was just ok.  Hope the next one is better.
Didn't like Robert Galbraith/ J.K. Rowlings latest, Lethal White, as much as the earlier books.  Didn't dislike it, just didn't like it as much.
I've started 4 books, but after a chapter or two I deleted them.  Can't even remember their names.  Now I'm doing a reread Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie and rereading a bunch of Georgette Heyers----love her books and some of them I've read many times.
Supposed to rain tomorrow and we need it, we'll see.

Something New

Just a quickie today.  I got a new wig recently, the other one had gotten too itchy.  My hair has started growing again and of course that's itchy too.

A Bit of This and That

I'm not much for buying souvenirs when we travel,  but when I saw this little guy at the Nagoya train station I had to have him.

It was a mixture of his serenity and his celadon coloring.

You should know that my hero Godzilla has finally had a constellation named after him.  Well deserved honor.  

My daughter  included in her birthday presents to me some new Godzillas.

I did some painting yesterday, still not happy with the results, but one of them is coming along.

That's about it from here, sadly it's time to clean bathrooms.

Yeah!!!!

Good CAT scan report, tumor still shrinking, my Doctor is pleased.  Next scan in January.
In other news, big, beautiful Buddhist shrine in Kyoto.

In Nara we visited the park that was full of sacred deer.

  

There were almost as many deer as tourists.  Our daughter got interviewed by some school kids who were practicing their English.

Kyoto

Kyoto was wonderful.  We were staying for 5 days so we rented an apartment and it felt great to have room to spread out.
We saw loads of shrines both Buddhist and Shinto--so different and so amazing.  I think we all agreed that we preferred the Shinto.  I'll talk more about that in a later post.
Now I want to talk about food.  I'm such a fussy eater that finding a place for me to eat wasn't always easy, but our daughter, armed with Google, did a great job.  I'd told her how much we enjoyed Benihanas in Atlanta and she did her best to find something similar.  What she found was a place where you cook your own food on a hibachi grill  and she was the chef.
We ordered chicken, corn, shrimp and scallops.  All of it was great, to say nothing of the fresh avocados we started with.  Dinner was so good that we went back 2 nights later and did it again.

Japan

We got home from Japan Monday morning and it's taken till now for me to have the energy to post.  There were 2 typhoons while we were there, the first delayed us from getting to Miyajima the island we were going to.  They suspended trains and ferries and we had to stay on the mainland.  Luckily our daughter, with her great Google skills found us a hotel overlooking the water so we had shelter from the storm.
The new day we went to Miyajima and it was a beautiful place.  We explored the "floating" Shinto Shrine and did some drawing.  We stayed at a Roykan, a traditional Japanese hotel, with dinner served on a low table and futons to sleep on.  It was wonderful.  After dinner our daughter and I went down to the communal baths, one for women and one for men.  It felt heavenly.
This has got to be one of my favorited places in Japan.
The next day we headed to Kyoto.

On the ferry

The view from our room

Our room

The floating Torii

The Shinto Shrine with the tide in.

Setting up our dinner

bedtime