Christmas-y, sort of, up in the air, lots, and general chaos.

First off, so I don't forget, little gain this week.  Considering that I could have cheerfully gone to the feed store and bought a salt lick, I managed to control myself pretty well.  And I am still under 231, so I figure the speakers are still legal.  And they are soooooooooo nice.  I finally can listen to things, and not have it sound like a garbage truck is backing over the speaker.  Or worse...  Since I watch programs on line (I have nearly given up on TV reception in this area), it's nice to have real dialogue, and not a rough estimate. 

On that same note, I received the Dr. Oz bracelet.  I am pleased to have a visual reminder, and I am going to (somehow) attach a bead for each ten I lose.  2 beads will soon be on there!  Yay!!

So, Christmas-y.  Finally have the tree down, and decorated, more or less.  Have the cards to people out of state sent, except my aunt (I need to get a Christmas letter done up for her), and I even have a few gift ideas for both (GASP) males I have on the Christmas/Birthday lists.  (Husband and Dad's B-days are December 22, and 25 respectively.) 

Might I make a casual observation that the males in my house are a pain the the butt to shop for?  If they want something they go out and buy it.  This has caused more that a smidge of consternation when I have bought said item (this happened one year, hence the mantra of our family when Christmas shopping, "SAVE THE RECEIPT".)  I have sort of convinced Husband to put a moratorium on shopping during the month of December, but he still slips.  But this time I told him to give me several ideas, then DON'T buy anything until December 26.  He thought that sounded okay.  So.  Now I will be able to go out and get something to put under the tree.  Maybe not a big surprise, but it seems to work...

FIL kept sort of brushing us off, oh, fine, doing great.  Well, he's not.  Dizzy spells because of the meds, and they won't rest, because they are trying to buy the house, so they are travelling from one side of the state to the other, nearly, for the signing.  I think they have signed at this point, and have the house.  I think.  Then a drive back here, to see his doctor, and then they might do one of several things, either they will leave immediately to head back to Florida, they might stay here for a bit in the trailer to recover, they could have us take the stuff to Eastern Oregon, help them unpack, and they stay there for the season.  (Might I mention, it's SNOWING on the pass?  And most of the way they want to head back home is FROZEN?  I keep suggesting they just stay at our place, in their trailer, but selective hearing kicks in... Meh.)  So, making plans for Christmas (will they be here?  Will we be helping them?  What if the doc says that he needs to be hospitalized?) has been sort of slap dash and minute by minute.  I haven't even decorated that much, not knowing if I will have more than the usual amount of people, as I am lazy by nature, and don't want to have to move 'stuff' out of the way to make room.  So...  I wait, and see. 

In fact, dinner tonight is even a question mark.  We'd all agreed to have dinner at a local restaurant.  Well, I don't know if they will be able to, or if they will be finished with the doctors appointment when we'd agreed to meet.  At least the restaurant in question is across the street from where I volunteer...

General chaos.  So, didja hear about the tornado that happened?  It was an F2 in Aumsville, which is in a county near me.  We didn't realize it at the time, but the 'dregs' of it hit our place, a big wind whipped up, and then there was an absolute deluge that was almost impossible to see through, all I caught was the llamas running into the chicken house.  (This says something, as the llamas don't LIKE being in the chicken house.)  I didn't get called out, but I guess that our CERT group was on standby.  Oddly enough, we had a CERT meeting last night, just after the storm, and our boss (who is stepping down), was late, because he was tied up helping set up a command center, and trying to fend off generous firefighters trying to feed him...

"Here, you need food."
"No, I will be going to a potluck, I don't need food now."
"Yes, we are feeding all the help."
"Nooo..."
"TAKE THIS."  Whereupon he had a plate of food handed to him.  He then walked off with the food, handing it to one of the folks coming in, and came to the meeting.  So, he did take the food... Technically. 

I found out I am not the only one that has "funny hearing".  I kept thinking they were saying "a small tomato" on one of the channels.  It was just the way the reporter was pronouncing it, I guess, I didn't hear "tomato" on any other channel, but the correct word "tornado". 

But I guess that isn't just my strangeness, I was talking to one of the deputies, and he asked if I knew a nearby funeral home, Dew Moss...  I said it rang a bell, but I didn't know for sure where it was.  He said, "Oh, that's okay, I just wanted to make sure I had heard it correctly, I thought they said Dumb Ass funeral home, and I really didn't think that sounded like one I would want to use." 

Er.  Yeah... 

Your loved one will be shuttled to their final rest by Dumb Ass. 

Then again, it could really break the tension.

Or create it...

So, next blog, if I get it out of the camera, I will have pic of  Husband's "Christmas spirit" decoration.  (Christmas is not his big thing...)