Life in the Bristolwood

I must apologize  (rather profusely, methinks) for coming up missing the past several days. Life has been so busy, but I have said that! (numerous times!)

 The root canal I had has healed nicely. No more bruised cheek. I cannot even tell I had any work done on the tooth, even if I “bang” my teeth together.  The contacts I got have been so comfortable, I am now wearing them 12 hours a day with no problem at all.  If I realized just how comfortable they really are, I think I would have gotten them long before this!  In my little domain, glasses mean trouble….they are always (okay, maybe “frequently”) lost or broken!  Lastly, I never got sick with the cold-like thing that Ben, Michelle, then Mark got! This is most amazing, as it seems this time each year, I am taken down for at least a couple of days with flu-like somethingorother!

Last Friday, we were preparing for a little get-together for Ben’s friends, as Saturday was Ben’s 13th birthday.  We did a lot of running around, buying all the goodies that make a birthday dinner good!

On Saturday, Ben’s friends arrived at about 1:00.  They had a good time, just hanging out…playing foosball and air hockey.  They *had* to watch Monty Python’s Holy Grail.Gads, when was that film made? It seems like it has been around forever. Almost like a “teen culture” thing!  Ah well….I made up spinach dip that was a real hit. Can you even imagine teens enjoying spinach? (asks Popeye, hehehe!!!) The kids ate at about 5:45…..I made cheeseburgers and fresh french fries. For dessert, we had a chocolate torte. No, I did not make it….I actually bought it!  The kids went in and watched another movie, but two lingered in the dining room and chatted with Mark and me.  Even though these kids live in a range of seven to thirty-five miles away from us, and range in age up to 19, they are all very amiable and interestingly, all were homeschooled. 

Ben’s party began when he (disgustingly to moi!) “decorated” each guest as they arrived, with silly string.  I personally hate that stuff, but it was Ben’s birthday……One of our guests is a fellow with very long hair and I must have spent a good 10 minutes removing tiny pieces from his hair.  Everyone was in good humor, though, and didn’t really mind at all. I was concerned about the lad with the long locks, as he and his twin brother had an engagement to view the Kremlin Orchestra (I think?) that evening.  Somehow, little remnants of pink, blue, and green silly string  would not have gone well. His twin brother is studying piano with a college professor, in the hopes of becoming a concert pianist.

After all the fun and excitement of the party, I was quite tired on Sunday. I dragged about and spent much of my time resting! And, it was a good thing I did rest!

Yesterday was an insanely busy day again. I was up shortly after 5 am to wash dishes from the night before and to clean up the kitchen. I had to get everyone up and out the door by 7 and we pulled into the Chevy garage at 7:30.  After having the truck fail the emissions part of inspection nearly two weeks ago, we have had to drive about with no inspection sticker….thankfully, no police officer spotted us! The truck needed to be re-inspected, and Mark had several warranty issues he wanted looked at before the warranty runs out.

We dropped the truck, then headed north to get some breakfast for those who were hungry. After that, I returned a zillion bottles and soda cans from the party to the store, then we headed off to the office supply store.  We spent some time browsing about and Mark bought a couple of items he needed.  When we got back to the Explorer, Mark called the place I had my eyes examined and asked if I might get in then, instead of waiting for my appointment today. (Tuesday) Happily, there was an appointment open, but it was for 4 in the afternoon. 

Michelle was getting hungry just after noon, (she and I did not have breakfast) and wanted Chinese food. I balked, so the family all decided it best to dump me off at the mall and go get Chinese.  If only they knew how their plan would backfire! I went into the mall and began looking about…..all by myself! Wow! I haven’t done that in ages!

I had so much fun looking through racks and racks of marked-down clothing.  I suddenly had an idea that I had no winter “dress” boots, so cruised over to see what I might find. As I looked through the display,  my eyes landed on the prettiest pair of Born boots….tall ones with a 2″ heel. I dug around through the boxes and after looking for several minutes,  I found a box! As I pulled it out from the others, it became evident the box was empty.  As I was ready to walk away, I thought perhaps I should check the size of the boots on display. Sure enough, they were both the right size!

Feeling quite smug about paying about 1/4 of the retail price, I walked towards the outerwear. I have an old black parka that I can no longer wear in public as last year, I slipped in the garage, and landed with the cuffs on the hot woodstove. Miraculously, my hands were drawn up inside as they were cold! Otherwise, my hands might have melted as the coat did!  That parka is now delegated to home service, such as running out to get firewood….its “stuffing” (polyester fiberfill) bulging from crispy melted fabric surrounding it!  I found a beautiful blue Columbia jacket for under $50.00 with its discounts.

After my wild shopping excursion, I meandered my way over to the food court and bought a (meager) little lunch.  I found myself feeling almost too overly self-indulgent, as I rarely spend money on clothing.  The last pair of boots I bought were about 5 years ago at TJ Maxx,  and they were a real bargain at $15.00. I still wear them but my father giggles when he sees me wearing my “granny boots”.  I like to think of them as “hiking” style boots myself!

I spent some more time grazing about the mall, although I must admit the box my boots were in was so tall, it made walking a bit awkward! After a while, I couldn’t believe how heavy a pair of boots and a coat could become! I met Mark at Sears at about 3, as I was anxious to look at treadmills.  We looked about half an hour, then I headed to my 4 o’clock appointment with the eye doctor.  I was nearing ecstatic when they took me right in! The doctor checked, and when I expressed I needed better closeup vision, he went to look for the prescription contacts he wanted to try. Unfortunately, they were out, so he changed my left lens to a bit stronger and I was off and running again!

We picked up the truck at about 5 and then Mark and the kids went out for dinner, while I went home to get a fire in the woodstove and to relax after my long day out! I haven”t had so much “alone” time in years, and it felt so good to just take my time getting things done and doing what I needed (can’t say ‘wanted’).

By the time Mark and the kids arrived home, I was so sleepy, I could hardly keep my eyes open!  The house had gotten so cold, since we had no fire for nearly 24 hours.  The temperature was about 60, and even though that really isn’t that cold, it felt freezing with the wind blowing wildly outside!

Hopefully, I will get back to taking some photos again…..I haven’t taken any in days, as I grow weary of the same little birds and dogs and trees and snow!