What About Wednesay?

11/14/2018

Not too much to say about Wednesday. It's a recycling day (or not, if the bins are mostly empty), and Ada comes to clean. 

Because Christmas shopping is going so well, there is no need for Ada to clean my office. I have boxes as well as packages strewn all over. The good news is that I'm nearly 100% positive that I know what's inside those boxes. 

Last year, I opted to buy clothes for the adults. And, I wasn't successful on sizes. The gifts were given back to me, so that I could return and/or exchange for a different size.

Well, I can assure you that with one or two exceptions (the men), I have stayed away from clothing. 

The last time Scott was here, I showed him the service dog vest I had ordered for Gracie. It's a big vest and she's a big girl. I also bought an extension strap in case it's needed.  Jeff didn't think that I should have done that. My feelings are that I didn't want to give him a gift that he (a) doesn't like or (b) won't fit Gracie. Our adult sons can handle a preview of a gift. For me, there is nothing worse than on Christmas day, painful pauses after a gift is opened. My family knows I do the "hunt" during November, trying to get just the right gift for the right person. 

I promised myself last year, that the only gifts I would be giving out, would be gift cards. And, then I sit down in my chair, with basically the world at my fingertips. Do I opt for gift cards? Nope. I know some people really life gift cards. But, for me, I view it as a sign of my failure to find something(s) special for each person.

I get so much joy when I've searched and have found what I believe is a perfect gift. At least in my mind, it's a perfect gift. Jeff has told me for years that I'm hard to buy for, but I disagree. I love little things, as well as big things. Truth be told, I don't actually need anything, but I do enjoy unwrapping gifts. And, who doesn't? Most of the things that I have bought, all online of course, I ship directly to Stacey. Stacey does a wonderful job of wrapping and putting bows on the boxes. 

When Stacey and I were at Michael's, I bought a box of Christmas cards. Over time, and perhaps this has happened to you, old friends who live     across the country, we tend to, and I hate to say this, but for a lack of better words, drift apart. It's sort of like when you stop working, the people who you hung around with, are now, with some exceptions, for the most part, also drift away.  The common thread that bound us together, working in the same office, has now become a looser thread. That's not to say that when we do get together, it's just like old times. It's hard to explain, but I know you get the gist of what I'm saying.

I'll close for now. Back tomorrow.

P