So glad to hear that your H is coming around CBB. Also sounds like your S has settled in nicely. Enjoy the sunshine!
CBB, so glad to hear that your H is in a better place. H had a long talk with older D about religion, including the non-Judeo/Christian religion/culture of her BF. D and her BF have been touching on issues occasionally.
Quite busy at work, but still managed to cyber-shop for 20 gifts. I don’t recall whether I mentioned that I was retained on Wednesday afternoon on an “urgent” matter and spent time over the long weekend dealing with it (including a Sunday afternoon conference call.) It certainly is wonderful to be able to work from home/not have to go into the office for things like that.
22 trees are up, but that doesn’t give you the full idea of all the decorations. By tomorrow evening, all the mess will be put away.
kmc, I forgot to address your comment about the cat. Son and fiancé say they’ve tried spraying water on the cat but that she is indifferent to it. I’m not going to get involved in the tree issue because (1) they are both super-busy, (2) they aren’t married yet, so maybe fine to having no tree, and (3) their apartment is tiny.
Good morning! Missy, I wouldn’t worry about them not having a tree…just if the only reason is the cat 
Mcson reported a similar problem with “aversion therapy” for Grandkitty but I think the hardest part is not to laugh Grandkitty nonetheless has shown evidence of catching on…I’ve literally seen him look over his shoulder for mom or dad when contemplating an action, such as jumping up on a table, that he’s been trained not to do. Its pretty funny.
Kudos on nearing the end of the Herculean tree trimming!
CBB, I’m so glad hubby got to talk through his issues. Life’s too short for nonsense I’m glad for him and you both
Mcson’s having an unlucky week and showing signs that’s he’s inherited my unfortunate luck-balancing mojo. Eg. I get a little windfall, and something happens to gobble it up.
We just gave him a well-deserved raise that he was looking forward to, then the transmission went on his very old jeep…on top of major health insurance increases. He’d been nursing the jeep a good while because he didn’t want a new car or associated debt and was trying to save money.
Then last night his girlfriend’s battery died on her old beater. The transportation gods are not smiling on these two.
A few months ago I’d had an opportunity to pick up a younger version of my car, and had offered him my existing car. But he didn’t really want it (says its too expensive to maintain…which is true if you don’t love the performance) so I didn’t bother, as mine is still behaving, but is aging out because Audi quit making Allroads for quite a while and the new ones are on the A4 framework instead of A6 and the engine has been cut back.
So we’ll see what today brings. I have a line on a well-maintained Jetta that might get him through his cash-n-carry preferences a spell, but I suspect Santa may have to get involved.
^ Oh, I hope Santa hears that kmc 
In the last two days, my two college kids have renewed their leases. Interesting that neither asked our opinion. Awesome that I won’t have to take time off work to move them out of and into apartments!
My mom has actually agreed to come visit for Christmas. Just booked her flights. She also finally called the state services for the blind office and gave them her SSN so they could open a file and schedule a home visit.
^wonderful news on all fronts!
Wow, Missy, that’s awesome news…I’m delighted that your mom is having a breakthrough!
Fallgirl, Santa came through The jetta was in fabulous shape for its price, although there was something of a mad quest involved in getting it all sorted, plated, and into mcson’s possession I won’t complain because I remember CQs ordeal transferring ownership a while back and by comparison the shenanigans paled…
I just hope it remains the good little runner it seems to have been for the previous owner. She was a young thing who’d had it for 7 years…but she’s a mechanics daughter and knows to do preventative things like the timing belt, etc. on schedule … And it shows in the car. I’ve mentioned to mcson that while he’s never been anything close to a car buff, it might be a good time to get a fuller grasp on predictive mechanical knowledge about these things He was such a late driver he never got the bug!
I think I learned more about cars between ages 16 and 24 than any other time…often by attrition/disaster
MP great news!
KMC the same - glad the car worked out.
Went to MILs for Thanksgiving. Out to dinner at a place that does a buffet. Place has gone down in the last couple of years. Less choices on food, poor service, not as many people in the place. I would love to suggest someplace different next year but the SIL that does the booking LOVES this place for some reason.
Somewhat depressing Thanksgiving however. Oldest SIL it was obvious is starting to have some issues. She has lost a lot of weight - 70 lbs or so. That is a GOOD thing but she seemed VERY confused much of the time. Wasn’t processing the conversation that well and several times we had to tell her something several times. Didn’t want to let her H out of her sight and if he was she seemed very upset and needed to “find” him. They just retired a year ago. Wanted to maximize their money and not retire until they qualified for medical benefits. So here they are FINALLY retired at about 67 and it’s looking like she is not really there enough to enjoy it. Hopefully they will get her to a dr. Her H was totally in denial that there was an issue until we started pointing things out. Hopefully it is nothing or something easy that can be treated.
House decorations are coming along. Not as far along as MP and no we don’t DO as much as MP either. Fake tree is up, outside lights are all done, need to get cracking on the rest of the inside. Maybe I’ll have energy tonight to do something other than sit on the couch and knit!
So great the car worked out kmc!
MP- glad to see your good news especially about your mom.
RM- that is worrysome about your SIL. Are you close enough with her to talk about her issue?
I have nothing done for Christmas yet other than ordering my Poinsettias from the HS band. Will wait till S comes home (the 12th) to put up a tree.
We really aren’t that close. Even talking with her H was difficult. There is a big age gap between them and my H (12 years) so they aren’t really close and I only see her at family functions. I just hate to see it!
My sister was driving a very unsafe car, which made her often unavailable to visit Mom. Mom bought her a “new” used car. For some reason unknown to sane people, instead of using the dealer plates (maybe to avoid having to pay for new ones?), my sister put the old car’s plates on the new car…leaving the beat up car on one side of Mom’s driveway…My mom, whose house is always immaculate, now with a beat up car permanently on her driveway. Even her kind neighbors have asked when the car will be moved (it’s been there since August.) The car can’t be driven - no plates. Can’t be sold or donated - no title. Mom just needs to pay someone to tow the car away to neverneverland, but my sister keeps saying she’ll deal with that. Not government shenanigans, but certainly shenanigans nonetheless!
Can either your sister of mother call and have it donated? For the most part here someone will come and pick up almost anything. Fire departments will even use those that aren’t driveable to practice putting out car fires. Just a couple of suggestions.
You need a title to be able to donate a car…really to be able to dispose of a car in just about any way.
^This is true I happen to know this because McH somehow lost the title for the Jeep, for which he then had to go out and get an “emergency title” from the DMV in order to give it to a tow truck so that it didn’t get impounded once we retrieved the plates to transfer to the new car This formed part of the “quest.” The new car was way east. The owner works way south. The old jeep was way downtown. We are way north, and the DMV way west…So the whole process of buying an unplated car cash involved a map that would look like something from family circus
That said, your sis CAN get a title if she goes to the DMV with other paperwork and there’s no lien to discharge.
Good Morning. Am starting to realize I better get going on the Christmas shopping.The “big gift” we were planning for D and SIL is not happening right now, so I am back to square one and awaiting a wish list from her.
So…fess up. Who (in addition to me) will be watching “the Wiz” tonight? Between them, my kids were involved in 9 musicals in MS and HS and “Wiz” was the very first one.
Yes, I will be watching The Wiz, either live or on the DVR. I watched the live Sound of Music and it was bad. I watched the live Peter Pan and it was bad. But yes, I’ll watch The Wiz also.
I didnt watch either , but hope the third time is the proverbial charm. I like the cast.
We won’t be watching. For some reason the Wizard of Oz has a lasting negative impact on my H from childhood. He hated it and his mother made him watch it every year that it was on. Yes she is that controlling.