Wordy

On the secretary in the living room is a 365 New Word-a-Day calendar. I have purchased one of these every year since 1980. That's 35, well, 36 since 2016's is in the box waiting for New Year's day, years of words. Some I know. Some I've never heard of before. Some I have just an inkling of what they mean. It's a great way to maintain my vocabulary.

It's always a source of immense humor when the word of the day accidentally corresponds to what's going on in the day itself. Let's look at the November vacation.

For some reason, I don't have a photo of November 3rd, which was a travel day, but I do have the words from the 4th through the 9th, when I returned. November 4th's word was perfect.

My "temporary or second lodging" was a hotel near the Anaheim Convention Center. How apropos.

Friday's word?

I guess I could say I used dirty clothes as dunnage to surround the few souvenirs I brought back.

Saturday and Sunday's words, on the same page now, (I remember when they were separate days.) are easier to tie to the day itself.

Ashley and I attended the Legion (World of Warcraft's upcoming expansion of the core game, with new quests and excitement) question and answer discussion on Saturday. There were seven developers trotted out onstage to answer fan questions. They might be a bit uncomfortable being referred to as a "pleiad" but it fits.

And, I made one of those facepalm connections which I'm sure everyone else knows, except me. One of the easiest constellations to find is the Pleiades, or The Seven Sisters. It's a cluster in kind of a stretched-out "w" near the north star. I looked at the word when I got home and had an "aha" moment. I don't know that I'll have a reason to use the word, since it requires a group of seven, but we'll stick this in our verbal arsenal and trot it out, assuming I can remember.

What to say about "mesmerize"? I know this word and, boy, if ever there was one more apt for the day we spent completely at Disneyland, I don't know what it is. This is a perfect example of how, sometimes, eerie it is when the word and the day dovetail.

Monday was "go home day". The shuttle came to the hotel at 5:35 a.m. Technically, I got up at 7 a.m., my time, but tell that to my cell phone alarm clock. It took a full 75 minutes to go from the hotel to the airport, picking up three more people along the way, which resulted in a full shuttle, something I'm sure they like.

When I arrived, I was hustled through a different security line. This one went much faster than the line I could see when I walked through the door. Oh the goodness of deciding to download United's cell phone app which allowed me to check in completely, luggage and all, while waiting in line for the Cars ride.

I was able to by-pass a huge line by the front door and speedily get through the first check point. I don't know what benefic I was privy to, but I'd take it. That lasted until I rounded a corner to go to the TSA metal detectors. Um...yeah. As bleary and hungry as I felt, I was ever so glad I had been made to get up at 5 and get to the airport by 7:15 for a 9:30 flight. By the time I got through screening, got some breakfast and made it to my gate, it was time to board. But all benefics stopped once we were on the plane.

There was an issue with a paper copy of our flight report and FAA required paper manuals. Then there was a problem with a defect in one of the cargo sections of the plane. When I finally landed at O'Hare, a confused older gentleman tried to walk off with my luggage, even though a very nice security guard kept telling him the suitcase was mine and not his. My limo driver was nice about the whole thing, once we finally connected, but he was a bit put out when I didn't arrive at the destination point because I was dealing with my luggage.

The biggest benefic was good traffic so the drive home only took 45 minutes. My house was still standing and my cats were waiting.

Beverage:  Dr Pepper

Deb

Words

Every year since 1980, I have purchased the "365 Word-a-day Calendar". Some words, when I rip off the new day, I know. Some I'll never add to my vocabulary and some have found their way into my lingo. Some words have special meaning. I saved them. I found three when I was cleaning in the basement in preparation for a new washer.

Thankfully, I wrote on the page what happened so, when I cleaned years in the future, I could remember exactly why I saved that word from that date.

This was the last day Carole lived in Wheaton. Since this date, she's lived in Connecticut before moving to her current, and final, home in Virginia. We didn't have any kind of religious ceremony, but I do remember crying while sitting on the front steps watching her drive away knowing that this was a necessary part of raising a child. You give them wings and trust they paid attention to some of your instructions on how to use them.

Here are two more which also elicited tears. This word seemed particularly poignant on this date.

Penney was a gray cat we adopted in 1992, I believe. Kidney disease made her waste away and I finally couldn't stand watching her try to walk to the bathroom to get a drink of water. Pam drove me to the emergency vet my vet recommended and I said, "Goodbye". Even though it's one of the kindest things you can do when a beloved pet is suffering, it's still a heartbreak. That day, the world went haywire.

Finally, there is this word.

2007 didn't start out very positive.

Anne was my English pen-pal. We had known each other 35 years at this point. We were the best of friends and confidants. We went through first crushes, high school, college, engagements and marriages. My ex-husband and I flew to England in 1982, while I was pregnant, to attend Anne's wedding. We had children within a month of each other. She had twin girls. We went back in 1996 so our children could meet. She was with me when my marriage crumbled and when Carole and I were on our own. We went through the raising of children and their lives.

Then liver cancer struck. She was diagnosed in 2004 but seemed to have it beaten to the point that, in April of 2005, I met Anne, her husband, Graham, and son, James, at Walt Disney World for a week of fun. She looked so healthy. We had a fantastic time.

But the cancer returned in early 2006. She never told me how bad it was. Her Christmas letter was filled with news about the family. We always talked at New Year's. She would call me at the stroke of midnight and hold up the phone to the TV so I could hear Big Ben ringing in the new year from England. She did the same thing as 2006 turned to 2007. She never told me she had been in bed since 5 that evening and had to be helped up to call me at midnight. She wrote a short, one-page letter, "from the couch in the living room, by the fire" as they called the gas furnace, in early January. I never heard from her again.

One of her daughters called me the above evening to tell me she had passed in her sleep. Her husband, Graham, had contacted me at the end of January, after receiving my reply to her early January letter. He realized she had not told me, in an effort to spare me worrying, how sick she was and that hospice had been arranged. They were just waiting. I have to admit that every phone call from January 28th onward brought dread. In a way, it was kind of a relief knowing she was not suffering and not trying to keep the British "stiff upper lip" anymore. Graham said he never told her that I knew what was going on.

I looked at these words as I paged through a stack of papers, invitations, mementos which were on a shelf. At the time, it was important to save these. Now, I have reached the point where I can let them go and be, simply, words of the day. I don't save words that have a special event occurring on that date anymore. I unconsciously decided they were just words. I miss Carole. I miss Penney. I miss Anne. Time has moved on but the memories stay with me in my heart where they belong.

Beverage:  Dunkin' Donuts tea

Deb

Small Business Saturday

I think we should look with huge skepticism whenever a company, particularly a credit card company, encourages us to spend money. Even under the guise of "X% of the proceeds will go to fighting toenail fungus", I tend to think the overall goal is to part me from money I don't have and make me want things I don't need. But then American Express came out with this "Small Business Saturday" idea. You know, it's a great idea.

If you haven't a clue what it's all about, and admittedly, I should have blogged about this a week ago, but I've been preoccupied with other blog posts, American Express came up with this idea to promote the small businesses that form the backbone of the local economy. It's not the Walmarts or the JC Penneys or the Jewel grocery stores that pump money back into the community. It's the yarn shop, the tea house, the bookstore with square footage equal to my house who keep their profits in the community. So, I decided that the few places I still needed to frequent would be as local as I could make them and would be on Saturday.

One of the great things about living in the Chicagoland area is the wealth of small downtowns with a wide variety of offerings. I went into downtown Glen Ellyn after getting my hair cut today.

Antique stores, children's clothing and toys, stationary, framing, women's specialty clothing, bakery, shoe repair and my favorite bookstore on the planet, Just the Bookstore. I could be a bit biased since I used to work there but the personalized service you get from Jane, Sue, Linda, Jenny and Renee cannot be beat. It's time to replace the calendars in the house so they ordered 4 of the 5 I usually get. The other one they can't get so I'll have to order it on Cyber Monday. There was a book I'd read about which they just happened to get in the day I called about the calendars. "Oh Deb, we have this book that, when it was announced, we all said, 'That's a book for Deb'." Yeah, yes it is. I'd actually seen it but hadn't ordered it, yet.

Buying locally makes me feel good. Could I get those books and the calendars for less somewhere else? Oh yeah, but when I walk in the store and they ask about my daughter, hand me something they think I might like, show off grandchildren photos and discuss where the kids are that our kids grew up with, it's family. I wound up having to go to Target because I couldn't find something that I wanted and the staff seemed more friendly than I remembered. It wasn't nearly as hectic as I expected today to be. Maybe that's why Target employees were happy.

Small businesses are easily swallowed up by the Targets, the Walmarts, the Costcos. Every time you walk into one of those anywhere in the US, you know the shampoo will be over to the right, the printer paper will be off to the center and pet food tucked in the left corner. But you won't have someone asking how the girls are doing, I can guarantee that.

So, I did my part today. I actually don't need a reason to shop locally and far prefer it, although, with some things, there are just limited options. If you're going to be a consumer, try to shop local. You win. Your shopkeeper wins. Your community wins.

This is the point where I should plug the written word. Give a book. Go to your local bookstore and see what they have for Christmas. Give a classic. Give something new. If you're not going to crochet scarves for everyone on your list, give a book. In fact, if you email Just the Bookstore, they will ship anywhere in the US. I'm thinking I should go back and get that cookie making kit that's in the center of the display. I know a family who would love that.

Beverage:  Berry-flavored seltzer

Deb

More Growth

From the initial spurt of growth, the amaryllis has settled into a bit more each day. I forgot how tall these things get. The ones you can get at the dollar store are not as big as the ones from the plant stores. That I remember. I shall explain the stuff surrounding the amaryllis as it's in the photos. These things sort of describe who I am.

Thursday, January 10th.

 My 365 Word-a-day calendar.

I love words. I love language. I've been buying this calendar since 1980, yes, 1980. I cannot imagine my living room without it. I used to save the pages and try to use as many words as possible in sentences when I wrote my friends. Eventually, because some words, like "hydromancy" shown here, are not words I could fit into a reasonable sentence, the stack got to be years deep. Sensing frustration, I tossed the lot and haven't looked back. Some words make it into my vernacular. Some, I just acknowledge when I tear off the page in the morning. Normally, this calendar has a back stand but, in trying to pop that open, I broke it off. I'm going to have to prop this year's calendar against something. Oh well.

Friday, January 11th.

The pitcher behind the amaryllis is from one of my favorite antique pottery sets, Jewel Tea's Autumn Leaf. Jewel Tea used to be sold by door-to-door salesmen in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Think of it as similar to the Peapod or Schwan's service available in some places. The Autumn Leaf pattern was hugely popular in the 1930's and 1940's. What is visible is a water pitcher from my collection.

I've never had a house where the collection could be properly displayed or used. I've always wanted to give a party where everything I have could be properly utilized from the plates and cups to the covered baking dishes and the coffeepot (assuming I can remember how to make coffee in the thing).

I haven't collected anything in years. I used to ask for something every year. Storage is the problem and the boxes of Jewel Tea sit on shelves in the basement. Maybe some day...

Saturday, January 12th.

The milk glass cat dish that sits on a Jewel Tea covered casserole dish was a Christmas gift from my late best friend, Rita. It's a small candy dish. It really has no antique value and the lid is rather wobbly. She got it at a garage sale and it was a Christmas gift to me.

Why save it? Rita passed away in June of 2001. I don't have anything to remember her by other than the things she gave me and photographs. Time has blurred the memories of her and the things we shared. I keep the candy dish even though it's superfluous to my existence because it reminds me of her. "I saw this and I knew you had to have it," I remember her saying. I've never used it, but it sits there, reminding me of a time in my life when we called each other once a week, just to talk.

Sunday, January 13th.

Now that the amaryllis is getting taller, I have to step back to photograph it. That brings more of the background, the things on the walls, into the photo. I don't have enough wall space. Does anyone, really? I also haven't changed in decades what hangs on the walls.

The framed cat plate was given to me by a woman I used to know who lived in Canada. We met in an online book chat room and because fast friends. She went through a series of jobs before becoming a professional framer. This plate, with a cat asleep amongst books, was one of her first attempts at framing something different than a square.

I keep it because of the subject matter. A cat asleep amongst books. That sort of describes me. Cats and books. Life is good. The piece also reminds me of Margaret. She was vivacious, willing to take chances, gregarious. I am, by nature, reticent and quiet. It takes me a bit to become comfortable with new people. Margaret was not that way and I gravitated to her like a moth to flame. We drifted apart in 2003. I sometimes wonder what she's doing now.

Monday, January 14th.

Here's what it looked like this morning. I'm going to have to turn the container again. I also should water it tonight when I get home. It seems exceptionally happy in this location.

Beverage:  Darjeeling tea

Deb

Worst Use of Packaging

I ordered some calendars for the house and they arrived on Saturday. This is the box they came in.

Looking at this box, you would think I ordered a couple hundred. Seriously. Guess how many I ordered? Go ahead. I'll wait. 

Can you count? There are 4 in there. FOUR! There is a Chicago calendar for the kitchen, an Iowa calendar for the bedroom, a Maxine calendar for my home office and a World of Warcraft calendar for my work office. Four freakin' calendars. They were 50% off so I got them for a song, but that's all that came in the box. I did order the 365 word a day calendar but it has to come under a different package so it's not here yet. 

When I opened the box, I saw this. 

I must be missing something. Why do four calendars need this much packaging and this large of a box? They could have shoved them into a padded mailer and shipped them. There are mailers of the right size at office supply stores. I don't get this. When I pulled all the packing out and set it on the recliner, I had a pile this big. 

It took me 15 minutes to poke holes in all these little pillows so I could wad up the plastic and stick it in the plastic bags that go to the grocery. I think my mom can use the box to store records so I'll be shipping that to her. The packaging will get recycled. But this is so wasteful. I need to let Barnes and Noble know that less is truly more. I expect this kind of packaging if I am buying a Nook, but calendars? Pshaw. I wonder how the small word a day calendar will be packed. Let's hope it doesn't take a semi truck to deliver.

Beverage:  Orange Juice

Deb

Gasp! I Almost Forgot!

Happy St. Andrews Day!

This is the day we remember, or some of us try to remember, to celebrate our Scottish heritage.

I had completely forgotten about it until I got an email from the Illinois St. Andrew Society. Oh yeah! That's today.

I gotta start writing this stuff on a calendar.

Beverage: Scottish Blend tea

Deb