This 'N That

Charles left for a teaching gig in Indiana yesterday.  He'll be gone for two weeks, teaching our friend Sr. Mary Grace, a cloistered Carmelite nun at her monastery in Terre Haute.

I was hoping to go with him, but it didn't work out.  However, every cloud has a silver lining.

I decided that since Epiphany was Sunday, it was time to take the Christmas decorations down.  I managed to remove the ornaments and lights from the tree and put them on the dining room table so I could inspect them for damage and wear and tear.  The kids gave me a package of ornament hangers in my stocking because every year I complain when we remove the ornaments that "it is more difficult if you don't use hangers!".

I plan to replace all the hangers (we have a motley collection of twist ties, paper clips, etc. that we have used over the years), and fix any ornaments that need fixing, get rid of any that are beyond repair and take a good look at ones that don't have sentimental value to decide what to dispose of.

Every year, Charles worries about the lights on the tree being too hot.  It is a legitimate concern, because we have the old fashioned bulbs, not the LED lights.  I don't really like the way the LED lights look (kind of artificial), but in the interest of safety, and economy (they really are a lot more energy efficient), we will be getting rid of the old bulbs and getting LED lights next year.  (BTW, can you put LED bulbs in regular strands of Christmas lights or do I need to buy new strands next year?)  Miguel took the tree down to Sandy Beach and had a beach fire with friends last night.  He said the tree went up like a torch.  It was pretty dry.  I think Charles' fears are well founded!

We have a bunch of bulbs if anyone wants them for craft projects!

I took Frida to the vet today for her immunizations.  Poor little thing, she got three shots and is pretty subdued this afternoon.  She is cuddling with me on the couch and feels warm-ish.  The vet told me that she might be a little low energy because of the immunizations.  Just like when the kids were little!

After I brought her home, I headed back to town for lunch with Phoebe and Miguel.  Actually, I had already had lunch at home, but I just had a soda and took a taste or two of their pizza.  We went to a place in downtown Juneau called Sprazzo, a pizza/pasta restaurant.  They have a slice and salad lunch special for 10 bucks, which is great because the slice of pizza was enormous and could easily be shared by two people (although the kids each got their own slices).  I will definitely be going back there with a friend for lunch to share a slice!

Last night, I went to Perseverance Theatre's pay-as-you-can preview of "Betrayal" by Harold Pinter.  It was quite good, the best part was seeing our friend James (an actor who lives across the street) playing the very small role of the Italian Waiter.  He was so great in such a tiny part!  What fun to have a professional theatre just down the street!

Tonight I am going to the Douglas Cafe for dinner with a friend.  It is one of the two restaurants in Douglas, and my favorite neighborhood hangout.

I have been looking for projects to keep me busy while Charles is gone.  One is to organize the masses of paperwork that I have been meaning to deal with for months.  I bought some zip up folders with separate pockets for paid bills, receipts, bank statements, etc. and will be slogging through the piles in the next few days.

The other idea I have is to paint the kitchen countertops.  There are kits that you can use to paint the countertop to look like granite, however, I found out that all you need is primer, acrylic paint, sponges (or crumpled paper towels), and a good acrylic sealer.  I am going to experiment on a piece of wood to see if I can do it before I try it on the counters.  I doubt I can make them look any worse than they already do (fake wood grain brown formica - blech!)

I also want to paint the bathroom door a brighter shade of white.  The white it currently is is too yellow for my taste.

But for right now, I had better get back to the task at hand ( sorting through the Christmas ornaments and decorations)!

Have a great Friday!