For some reason it seems to be about making statements.  Every one, maybe every thing, has their own statement to make to their own version of the universe.  No one could really say “I came, I saw, I conquered,” because as someone else observed, “there’s many a slip tween the cup and the lip.”  Now I’m talking crazy, huh?  There’s room in there for that, too.  Each wants to avoid hurt.  Some fare much better than others.  Here I be. I be me.

I’ve spent lot of money on color copying at FedEx plus about 10 hours including standing in the rain waiting for the bus to take me to another bus stop with a sheltered chair to wait, to end up so far with 5 home made Christmas cards–16 pages of photos and sneaked cartoons–mailed them today and just remembered I forgot to staple them together and when the envelope is opened from this–shall I say the word–octogenarian–the loose pages will mysteriously flutter to the floor.  I give up, the balance of the loose sheets are headed for the trash cemetery, aka recycling.

I’m caught this crucial week before Christmas without my credit card. I got in a tiff with McAfee who wanted me to renew my security without giving me an option of one or two years–just “renew,” and I may not be alive in 2 years.  They proceeded and the bank thought California California might have been a mistake and I couldn’t remember and they ordered me a new charge card Dec. 4, which hasn’t arrived yet.  Grump grump. I know, I should be thankful to be alive (and you’d better believe I am), but my spreading joy is impaired.  So I turn to you, my beleaguered few, who have holiday emergencies of their own.

We could be in Yemen this minute.

When my grandfather died my mother said he had come into her bedroom and touched her on the shoulder.  I’ve been having the same experience with Lucky, my old blind and deaf cat who continued to live with me until he began to look emaciated and I had him euthanized (which I regret).

He was a brave soul and snuggled up to me on the bed.  He learned the path to his food and litter box nearby, and on blind faith would jump back up onto the bed.  Recently I have felt the bed jar a little from time to time and briefly feel he is coming to snuggle again.  I wonder regretfully if it isn’t only my muscle spasms?

I came across some instructions that may be of use to you, sometime, like they were for me:

HOW TO GET OUT OF THE BATH TUB WHEN YOU’RE OLD

1. Beginning on your bottom, use the side of the bath to pull yourself onto your side, then onto your hands and knees.
2. Holding onto both sides of the bath, push yourself up onto your knees only.
3. Hold onto the side of the bath, closest to the exit, lift your knees off the bath floor, so that you are balancing on your feet.
4. Continue holding onto the side of the bath, and bring one leg over the side of the bath.
5. When you are safely standing on that leg, continue holding onto the side of the bath, bring the other leg over the side of the bath so that both legs are outside of the bath.
6. When you are safely standing on both feet, let go of the side of the bath.
7. Towel dry.

CAUTION:

1. Never do what I once did,  stand sideways in the tub with your back against the wall and slowly slide down the wall.  I was trapped for two hours, until I figured which way my various limbs worked.

LISTEN

There is a great unease in the land.

The ginkgo shed its tears of gold

last night, November 24 it was, the

age-old communal obeisance to its

surrounds, root systems and their

fungal networks continuing to fortify

together with next of kin,  in the presence

of change in the air. The oldest living fossil

stirs.

Jill Dennison via Dr. Rex:

How does Trump know so much about so many things? Explaining his disagreement with scientists on climate change, Trump told the Associated Press: “My uncle was a great professor at MIT for many years. Dr. John Trump. And I didn’t talk to him about this particular subject, but I have a natural instinct for science.” 

Photo by Nancy Romans – Not Quite Old