Like many of you, I’m decking my halls…In the process of decorating for Christmas. I have a lot of fun doing this but it is time consuming. Putting away fall and washing all of the linens… Digging in bins that are out in the garage for my Christmas goodies… Switching out the dishes for my Christmas set. A lot of back and forth… So far, this is what I’ve come up with.
The Christmas trees and outdoor decor are on the agenda for today.
I’m notorious for decorating my bathroom as well, it’s the family joke. The kids in my life always laugh at my bathroom decor. Hey if you have to spend time in there, you ought to have interesting things to look at lol…
I suppose that I’m doing what a lot of you are doing in getting organized for Thanksgiving!
A variation here and there on some old family recipes… Grocery shopping, hunting down the roasting pan rack… Setting the table…
I made homemade place cards for fun…
Food is accomplished in stages… Boiling the eggs for the deviled eggs that I will make tomorrow. Making my jello cranberry salad today…
Waiting for the window company to come and finish up the trim around the new front room windows…
Hugging my beautiful, sweet old kitty who is declining…Twink darling!
Went to see a concert @ Talking Stick Resort last Saturday. Journey ! If you have an opportunity to go see Journey, do! They are flawless, have a ton of great energy and are tight beyond belief. Definitely a great body of work and many hits to share. Such a great experience. The venue by the pool at Talking Stick is just amazing at night. It just so happened to be in the 70’s that night. Perfect for an outdoor concert! Pretty with the water and the lights…
I am so excited to go see Roger Hodgson in about 10 days! He is touring Canada right now but will be in Tucson and then in Phoenix on Dec. 2nd. This may be his last concert so near me so I am thrilled to going! If you follow this blog than you know how much this means to me! I’m taking my daughter Britt and it is my dream to meet Roger. When you sit and ponder what it is you would want to say to your idol you quickly realize that anything you could say, has already been said by the thousands of fans he meets every tour. Not a thing could I say that would be something new! I am just a fan like all of his fans that are in awe of his amazing talents! The fact that I cover his music is probably an annoyance to him if he even knows of me…
His very sweet fan club administrator so graciously helped me to get an invite to the Soundcheck before the concert. I was told that he doesn’t meet people at the Soundcheck. Only at the paid for meet and greets after the show. So I’m not expecting that I will get to meet him. It was however, very sweet of the President of his fan club to intercede on my behalf. I will take what I can get lol.
A silly thought crossed my mind… I wish I could invite him and his band for dinner. I would love to cook for them! How silly huh…In reality, I’m just another crazed fan who is star struck. A girl can dream…
I wrote a song about fantasy and wishing on stars…
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving my readers! May your turkey be moist, your yams be candied, may your whole Thanksgiving feast, turn out dandy! I appreciate you my readers and I’m thankful to have a place to post my nonsense.
Busted! Clarice is always on my piano bench. Perfect perch for her to look out the window. She sits there more than I do by far these days! I’ve been busy doing things that are not nearly as much fun for me. Mostly chasing my tail. The cycle of domestic chores that loop continuously. Dishes, laundry, bills to pay, grocery shopping and cooking! Not to mention taxi services for kids… The norm.
I did however take time yesterday for a few songs for my YouTube channel. Although I’m not in the Christmas spirit yet I thought I would sing a Christmas song that is popular on my SoundCloud channel right now. Lots of listens on my SoundCloud track of, So This Is Christmas. I thought I would see what my phone could do. I used my phone to record the video. The camera was pretty awful. The audio quality was better than I had thought it would be! Anyway, my effort for today…
Silent Lucidity…
My husband would so be annoyed if he knew I spent part of my day doing this…he hates this part of me. He thinks it’s a huge waste of time and he resents my doing this. Many arguments have occurred over my music. Few things push his buttons as much as my keyboard. He has always been the furthest thing from supportive here. He’s the first one to tell me how much I suck at this… I very well may suck at this but, it nourishes my spirit somehow. So, I value any time I can afford to sit at these keys! I can’t tell you how difficult it has been to encounter so much hostility toward a part of myself that I treasure. The need to play music is way deep down inside me. It defines my spirit in a way that makes me who I am. I only have stolen precious moments to play… So much opposition! If I were to make money doing this he’d be fine with it he says. It’s only ok if it makes us money…
On a lighter note (haha), Thanksgiving is next week. I’m gathering my recipes and the ingredients to create our feast. My daughter Delcee and her fiancé Eric will be joining us for dinner. Instead of traditional pumpkin pie, I have decided to make a Pumpkin Cheesecake. I have never even tried Pumpkin Cheesecake so this will be different. I have also opted for a Marie Callendars frozen Dutch Apple Pie since I have a nice dollar off coupon! It also comes with a free Reddi-Whip container!
Ps… *The Affordable Care Act that is taxing the middle class is infuriating! We had to sign up for health care for the new fiscal year this week. Just adequate health care coverage will now cost us $350.00 a paycheck! Our deductible is sky high to attain as well. I cried… Such a horrible thing to have happen to our family! Also, no raises this year or for the past 5 years where my husband is employed. If you do the math, you would understand why change could be good?! President Obama, please take your Affordable Health Care Act with you when you leave the White House! If you love him then I mean no offense! Having had to live his political agenda here in Arizona has left us broke and heartbroken! Such a huge negative impact on our disposable income! UGH! A few weeks ago I told you that what we have been paying per month what could have made a car payment with car insurance ! As of January 2017, it will be as much as a our mortgage payment each month! You can love him all you want but for me, the facts are the facts and I am not smitten!
Not that the election is over, we can get back to having our own thoughts. I am so sick of the media buzz around these two canidates. It was hard to get a thought in edgewise lol. The constant barrage of wondering what scandalous event was going to come out next. The nastiest campaign ever. I can’t tell you how many people on social media have said they are going to lay low because of all of the hatred shared between friends… Sad that we have such a personal attachment to politics! To people that we don’t even know! We would let complete strangers become more important than our friendships? What the heck Satan, takeoff!!!
Now that the decision has been made, I am choosing to embrace the idea of change. A powerful business man at the helm, let’s see if he can help us put more money in our pockets! Living a middle class Exsistence, I can tell you how painful the insurance increase has been. I felt the impact of the $4000.00 dollar increase this past year! I see it in my husband’s pay checks every sticking month…We are about to pick yet another higher plan as the fiscal year is beginning where he is employed. We are faced with only expensive options as we don’t want to get caught up in financial ruin should a medical event arise… Insurance is just a necessary CYA (cover your ass), evil. Not looking forward to sitting down and running the miserable numbers on this…
Another good thing about a huge money making business guy…resourcefulness! If he doesn’t know, he will find and get the most knowledgeable individuals he can find to assist and inform him. He will assemble a good team of advisors and worker bees! So hold tight America, let’s give Trump a chance to use his moxy on fixing some of these issues we Americans are having to overcome! I, have great hope! With hope, all things are possible! Don’t worry, I’m sure being president will humble even the cockiest, prideful individual…what an undertaking! Pray for Trump, think and wish him the best of all possible thoughts! He is about to take on a massive undertaking! He has no idea yet, how hard this job is… Daunting task comes to mind…
Today, I’m giving thanks for a fresh new start and perspective. That’s all we can hope for, a chance for something new and better! I’m always greatful for a new day and a chance to do something good with it!
I’m always fooling around with different piano voices. This one, is a keyboard voice. So much fun to do! I’m going to seeing Roger Hodgson live in 1 month exactly! I have been excited to see him for months now! I really wish that I could meet him but maybe I won’t get a chance to this time… Like a silly fool, I long to meet this amazing composer! All of the hours I’ve spent listening to his music. Enjoying every note and verse. What a spiritual ambassador he really is… He takes me on a journey through his music with his great understanding of life. It’s amazing how understood I feel when I listen to his lyrics. He captures my sentiments and struggles with life experience. I feel as if I know him but of course, I don’t…I know that he has the attention of many women! Lots of ladies are inamoured with him. He has a huge fan club of both men and women. I think people feel such a connection to him because he writes songs that so many of us can relate to! The intricate compositions and his great gift for writing lyrics make us feel heard and listened to. Truly, a great ambassador for the good that can be found in human kind.
Here is my newest Roger Hodgson SoundCloud upload. It was a relaxing, invigorating afternoon at the keys today!
Lastly, I like fooling around with new piano voices and this was just plain fun for me to do! I felt as if I’d played the guitar when I finished. I love my Yamaha MOX8! So much fun to play around with!
Silent Lucidity-written by Queensryche
This song makes me feel close to my Mom. When I miss her, I play it. For you June Joy!!
Have a wonderful relaxing evening all. Sweet dreams to those in different time zones!
This was the first year they didn’t trick or treat. They did however walk around a little bit with Amelia and I. They dressed up as mean girls, hence the pose…They had fun in spite of the lack of candy. We didn’t have as many trick or treaters this year. Maybe because it was a Monday night?I had fun. Amelia and I walked this whole neighborhood and were finished by 7:30 pm. I was able to give Amelia a bath and get her to bed by 8:30.
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This election is nearing a close. It has been the most awful campaign to date. The feeling of dread is mounting for me. I really feel like skipping the voting process this election. I’m not alone in my feelings. I won’t however. I will vote but I’m not happy about it! In this campaign, I feel this piece of writing sums it up. I’m not looking forward to the sense of dread going to the polling place!
Clamor Conspire And Congregate
Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the most desperate of them all? “They” clamor, conspire and congregate. To what ends will they try to seal their fate? Divisive, cunning and thoroughly wrought- they truly think that success can be bought!
For the price of one’s soul, is usually the toll. Oblivious, obstinate and utterly clueless, they wander the earth, become complacent and ruthless. Until one day they realize the void, become angry, and overly annoyed- For the impact of their strife to prosper, catches up with them and they count their losses. Greater are those, than monetary gain. Vanity and lack of humanity fan the flame…
When the ash settles around them and they return to status quo – they realize the err of their ways and, they secretly want “you” to know-
“They”, wouldn’t change a thing…
History recalls, how great the fall can be…Fool’s Overture written by Roger Hodgson comes to mind today. Speaking of Roger, the concert in Phoenix is a month away! I’m still wishing that I could meet him! I was told all of the meet and greet passes have been purchased and sold out… I bought tickets I could afford so I suppose, I won’t be among those who get to be face to face with the man. So close but yet so far!
tynajoymetzner 