December 2009

The month started with an ear infection, but wound up with chocolate-flavored wine. Can any month that ends in chocolate wine be all bad? I think not.

So let us begin at the beginning. I went to the doctor for my sinuses. Upon hearing that my symptoms included a cough, the receptionist handed me a mask and a bottle of hand sanitizer and banished me from the regular waiting room to the H1N1 Bench Of Ostracism And Shame. The doctor confirmed that I did indeed have a sinus infection and not H1N1. Then he looked in my ear and asked "Isn't this ear bothering you"? I said it was not causing me any trouble, yet he averred that it should be.

So I picked up my antibiotics for my sinuses and went home. Lo and behold, within hours my ear was a hotbed of agony. Fortunately I already had my meds and my bed close at hand, because once the ear infection made itself known to me I was not in any shape to go abroad seeking assistance.

Once on the mend from the sinus-and-ear infection double whammy, I busied myself playing with my new toy, an Asus eee 1005 netbook. I love my new "my-my", and take it with me wherever I go. When I took it to work to show off, it had some serious competition: Balke the Dancing Bear had gotten a new Droid phone and has been dazzling everybody with cool apps and ringtones. I seethed with jealousy, since I had toyed with the idea of getting a Droid, but decided on the netbook instead.

The night before our first serious snow (which arrived December 9) I stopped for groceries on the way home, and there were many frantic people stocking up for the snowstorm. The store was almost out of Wonder Bread. Which was fine by me, I prefer whole grain breads when I'm stranded.

Then I cleared out my leftover gardening supplies and frantically flung a couple of packages of soil amendments/fertilizers around the appropriate garden beds. My plan is that the snow will keep them from blowing away, and Old Man Winter and his frost heaves will work them into the soil.

Dec 9 was of course spent shoveling shoveling shoveling. I couldn't stay stranded at home all day, a glance at my bank balanced had revealed impending doom -- I had to get get out and move money from one bank to another to cover my commitments.

December 16 was spent bathtub shopping, for the still nascent bathroom remodel. After arguing with the rudest salesman I have ever encountered (he was enraged by my refusal to buy his all-in-one plastic bathtub/wall/ceiling module, burp), I returned to Petunia's house to defile I mean decorate Christmas cookies.

Had my final post-Lasik checkup with the eye doctor. He gave me some prescription eye drops to hopefully keep my right eye from getting fried so badly at work--ever since the central heat kicked in, the one is dry as a bone again.

Then I went to Fleet Farm in Germantown where I bought flooring to redo the rec room. It was on clearance for about $1 per square foot. They had exactly enough left in stock for my rec room (with a bit extra in case of boo-boos). Woo-hoo!

On the way home from Fleet Farm, I stopped at Meno Falls Goodwill and picked up a $3 "every color bag" to haul the netbook around in.

I ripped out a tiny amount of rec room carpet over the weekend. Just enough to remind me of how DIRTY a job it is. Before I do more, there is furniture to be moved. Before I move video cabinets, there are vids to be thrown out (including the VHS tapes Petunia keeps bringing me from the "free box" at every rummage sale).

Went to bird fair Dec 20 to stock up on bird chow and chat with vendors. One vendor told me he knows someone who wants to sell a male Princess of Wales Parakeet -- a close relative of Beryl. I told him I have a full house. But it's tempting. Princess of Wales 'keets are very pretty -- from the back they look just like Beryl, but on the front they've got a nice restrained tie-dye rainbow thing goin' on. And they're extremely rare. And yet . . . full house.

Dec 22 Started training Beryl to drop a ball into a cup. She liked flinging the ball, but is not pleased with the advanced concept that she has to fling it to a specified place to get a treat. She figures that's just asking for TOO much. We'll work on it.

The seed and nursery catalogs are arriving fast and furious. Already sent in my Fedco Seed order. Bluestone Perennials will probably be next.

So one of my neighbors is a driver for UPS. Among other things, this means he works 12+ hour days from Thanksgiving until Christmas. And he and his wife have 2 kids in diapers at the moment, yikes! These two are wonderful neighbors and NEVER say no when I need a hand. So while he was doing all that overtime in December, I tried to return the favor by assisting with their snow shoveling.

Alas, my good deed backfired. The first snow after Christmas, the husband did MY shoveling in order to return my favor returning his favors. This is the kind of favor-doing and niceness escalation that can lead to moka or potlatch. Oh NO, an escalating Goody-Two-Shoes spiral!

Anyway, since I didn't have to shovel I went shopping. I picked up some fabric this weekend, in case I ever have time to sew again. 2 huge hunks, $4 each at Goodwill. One a dark blue cotton covered in soutache ribbon swirls, the other a pink flowery eyelet. Heck if I know what I'm gonna do with them but I couldn't pass up such bargains. The blue would make maybe a nice pinafore. The pink could be a chemise. Or curtains for the Barbie room. Or a large rabbit chew toy.

Another recent bargain find: A wonderful deep laundry-room washtub & stand. I wasn't planning to get a used one, but they just don't don't make 'em deep enough these days anymore. So I got a nice gently-used (still shiny) one at Habitat ReStore.

I have just read my coworker's father's WWII memoirs, very engrossing. I highly recommend it.

Ended the year at Raven's house with friends and chocolate-flavored wine supplied by Petunia. Here's to hoping that the coming year is filled with chocolate-y goodness.