Nope. We love you just as you are, Slashie! :001_smile:

The Force is strong in the Queen.

:hurray: :hurray: :hurray:

:seeya: We survived our trip to the Not So Big City yesterday. But I had to drive 35 miles per hour the whole way home. A 45 minute drive took 2 hours. :ohmy:

Umm, she was 12. Yeah, she could. But thanks for playing.

Dagnabit. I'd road trip it to Queen Ellie's house, but I have to take Nana to the Not Quite So Big City for her hair appointment. Good morning, all. Drinking a quick cup of coffee and catching up. What a mess of weather so many are having! I think we could really use Tex's Crazy Weather Lady for this; it's so bad, she won't look nuts!

Last year was our first year without Santa (DD was 12.) When she was very small, some older kids said Santa wasn't real, so she asked me whether Santa was real. I asked what she thought; she said she thought he was real. I told her that I agree, Santa is real. When she got to the stage of questioning mall Santas, we told her that they were Santa's helpers. When she asked about not seeing the real Santa, I asked her whether she thought air was real and if she thought love was real. We don't see those things, but they are real. When the day came when she asked if Santa was real, and I asked her what she thought and her answer was "no," I said that I disagree; Santa is very, very real. I explained that Santa is as real as love is real. Santa is a gift of magic and love for little children. Santa is not literal, but Santa is real. We had no trauma or sense of betrayal here. DD understood and happily preserves Santa for little kids. :001_smile:

Have you looked at Morro Bay, Krissi? (Personally, I really, really don't like Pismo. It's where the gangsters go to party on the weekend. We stopped going when DH and I recognized too many people we knew professionally, so to speak. Of course, that was a number of years ago, but still. However, if you do go, have some chowder at Splash for me, k?)

Oh, my word, Slash! I looked up average rents in Austin, TX and found this link. :scared: I hope it's not right, but you may want to listen to Tex. And have Ellie look around for you. Wow. The average rent on a two-bedroom apartment was higher than our mortgage payment was on a three bedroom house with a shop on ten acres. Double :scared: .

We're recording it, so we can watch it without the commercials later. Do I need to close my eyes for your next post? :laugh:

DD and I were in the car the other day ranting about songs with grammatically incorrect lyrics. Preach it, sister!!! :lol:

Once again, Rose, you have started the thread that I needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! :001_wub:

Did you try the melatonin again? I know my mom has used it in the past, but she has issues with becoming resistant. So she rotates that with a supplement called "Relax-All with Phenibut." The manufacturer is MRM and she gets is at a health food store. It has calcium and magnesium and an herbal blend including L-tryptophan, valerian, and some other herbs. FWIW. Sorry you can't sleep. That's a horrible feeling. :sad:

Good morning, all. I'm glad everyone (for the most part) had a good Christmas, but it sounds like the aftermath is terrible in some places! :sad: Those of you who are flooding, tornadoeing, and icing: Be CAREFUL! :grouphug: I shall cease to complain about my two feet of snow and occasional sloppy (but well-tended main) roads. Oh, BTW, happy story about the benefits of living in a small town: On the road to Nana's house there is a steep dip down to a bridge over a slough. The road on the east side is particularly steep. On the way to Nana's on Christmas Day, we saw a teenage girl driving Daddy's SUV coming toward us, going down the steep-er side. Realizing she was going too fast, she BRAKED on the ice. OOPS. Off she went into a snowbank. We drove past and up the hill and stopped where it was flat (as did the guy ahead of us.) The two men went to help, and DD and I went to Nana's (so she wouldn't worry.) I had to ferry the truck and DH's supplies back and forth and listen to his copious swearing. Nicely, many people tried to help-by stopping on up-slope. OOPS. At one point, there were FIVE stuck vehicles. DH's response (privately, in the car), "*Snort, snarl, swear.* I'm not a cop anymore; I can't ORDER people not to do stupid <stuff>." Meanwhile, while the men were being manly and saving people from themselves, Mama called the Sheriff's Office. I asked the nice girl if anyone was on duty at Road and Bridge if a road needed sanding. "Well, Ma'am, they can be called out, but only on a case by case basis. We're the ones to make the call." So I explained the carnage at the slough (no actual carnage, btw, just stuck vehicles) and she said, "I'm new, but I'll talk to a supervisor." By the time we left Nana's a few hours later, the WHOLE ROAD (not just the slough) had been heavily sanded. Quick municipal response. On Christmas Day. I :001_wub: this place.

:zombiechase: coffee.... :zombiechase: ... coffee :zombiechase: ..coffee. :zombiechase: COFFEE!

Joyeux Noel! We've had a fun Christmas day! We opened packages and had biscuits and gravy for breakfast-yum. After I did my necessary chores, I rode the Fjord through our (very!) snowy woods-IT.WAS.AWESOME. And then we broke out the (very) used snowmobiles that DH bought a few months ago from a small legacy he received from his godmother. Oh, my word! What a blast! Now we're headed off to Nana's for more fun. I'm glad to hear that everyone is having a good Christmas ( an especially big YAY for no more Junie headache!) I'll leave you with this, the best reason for joy!

Merry Christmas, my virtual friends. May you all have a peaceful and blessed day as we rejoice in the birth of the Savior! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKX3eyYuJ9c

Nana is making Christmas dinner, so we had homemade soup tonight and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas. :001_wub: We have no food in the house, because Nana. (We'll be eating leftovers for a month.) I finished wrapping the last present about 15 minutes ago. In a few moments, I shall locate the stockings and hang them by the bookcase with care (the fireplace is SMOKING hot.) The house is a wreck, but I am finished. I shall do no chores except for those necessary to keep people or furry friends happy and healthy until day after tomorrow. Whew. So...

:grouphug: for those who need them. Christmas can be emotionally challenging. Been there, done that. :grouphug:

Snow around barn shoveled: Check Ponies watered and given enough hay for until the Apocalypse: Check Poop shoveled right before dark: Check Barn kitties fed, treated, brushed,and loved: Check Mama's putting off chores until tomorrow afternoon: :thumbup: CHECK

Merry Christmas Eve, ITT! We were without power for several hours, so I'll also say Merry Christmas, just in case!

I'll be praying for you, Dawn. Tornadoes are scary. :(

That was awesome, Slash. She sooo needs to come stay with pseudograndma for the next ten years or so ! :)

Define "down." I suspect your definition differs from mine. :drool5: