No sugarplum visions for me

Oh heck no. I dream about day after Christmas sales and getting to the Hallmark store after everything's been sold out.

A Postal Mystery

We moved in October. I dutifully made a trip to the local post office to obtain a change of address packet (the last time we moved was 1979 when this is how it was done) But no, the USPS, a company you think would embrace the concept of snail mail, now wants you to notify them of address changes via their website. There's also the added bonus of charging a buck for this service. Whatever.

So I filled out the proper form online, paid the fee and my mail has been forwarded accordingly. I have notified friends and businesses of the change.

Here's where it gets curious. We have recently received several pieces of mail from sources we do not correspond with. These don't have the little yellow forward sticker but our name and address is entered correctly with no need for forwarding. I'm pretty sure all of them are soliciting donations. Did the post office sell our name and address to bulk mailing companies? Weird.

So today is Christmas Eve which of course led to a discussion of why isn't it called the day before Christmas since eve technically isn't until dusk or thereabouts. (Can you see why my husband exasperates me at times?) This all started because he wanted to take garbage to the landfill and I told him it was closed on Christmas Eve.

Anyway, I think I'll drive to Anchorage and take some cookies for the barn owners and carrots for the horses. I also have a friend whose Cavalier King Charles Spaniel had puppies that I'm dying to cuddle.

I hope everyone who reads this has a wonderful holiday. May Santa be good to you.

I Admit It, I Drank The Kool-Aid

I watch HGTV when there aren't reruns of House, Storage Wars or Duck Dynasty to be found. House Hunters lured me in with the worship of hardwood floors. People wouldn't consider homes with wall to wall carpeting and were thrilled to find hardwood beneath such coverings.

So, fast forward to my first glimpse of our new home - hardwood floors galore! "Ooh," I gushed. "How beautiful and oh so in vogue." Only three rooms have carpet.

Having lived with these floors for a couple of months, the honeymoon is definitely over. They have to be swept/vacuumed/Swiffered on a daily basis to stay decent looking. That's an hour out of my day. I hate being a slave to housework. Plus, you have to move the furniture every day because dust and dog hair roll under and behind every piece.

So I ask, what is the attraction? Do people like being Stepford Wives? All the advocates state that they're cleaner but it's just because they have to be constantly maintained IMO.

Oh, and let's not forget how noisy they are. I am clipping the dog's nails all the time to try and keep the click clack of little feet to a dull roar. I have spent a considerable amount of money on area rugs that they constantly displace, despite the non skid mats underneath, in an effort to secure some peace and quiet.

My husband isn't thrilled that I want to add carpeting to my short list of things we definitely need for the house. Let him maintain them for a couple of months and see if he doesn't sing a different tune.

Chicago's Got Nothing On Wasilla

Windy city, indeed. We have a patio set that has survived at least 45 years. Last night the wind picked up the table and shattered the 3/4" glass top. Needless to say the chairs are not in their designated places either. The wind is supposed to calm down by Friday afternoon so we'll wait until then to pick up the pieces.

-5, feels like -18. Also high wind advisory

Ack. I've been visiting different stables in the area. One that I've ridden at twice does not have a heated arena. Weather information like the above gives me pause about returning there. Yesterday I rode at a barn with not only a heated arena but, drumroll please, indoor plumbing! Although a veteran user of port-a-potties, I was delighted to see not only a toilet but hot and cold running water; two barn luxuries which have been sadly missing from my life. Bet you can guess who's going to be getting my business. It doesn't hurt that I liked the instructor and her horse either. The first horse I rode at the "cold" barn didn't thrill me but I rode a different mare last week that I liked a lot more. Yesterday I rode a gelding and he was a very good boy.

I've committed to ride at the warm barn Friday and then will have a lesson at the cold barn Sunday. Hopefully I will be able to locate the girth extender that I accidentally left there last week. None of the horses I've been riding have the physique of the Belgian mare I'm used to. I used a 54" girth with an extender on her, whereas the girth alone was too large for the gelding. In somewhat related news, my saddle has fit these horses so at least I don't have to invest in a replacement.

Had a great Thanksgiving. I don't know if it was due to the convection oven, but the turkey was extra delicious.

Now I'm gearing up for Christmas. We were going to hang some icicle lights outside today but the high wind warning will probably kill that plan. Guess that means I should deal with some more of the boxes still scattered about.

The Neverending Move

Nobody should take this long to get re-situated. I've stopped trying to predict when we'll get everything done. I think we'll call a charity this week to pick up our donations and we will make however many dump runs it will take to dispose of the rest of the crap. We still have the sheds in the back yard to deal with.

I dropped by my former barn yesterday for their horse show/costume competition. It was so great to see everyone and visit with all the horses. Of course I brought carrots so they (the horses) were glad to see me. One of the girls dressed up as Minnie Mouse and had giant mouse ears for her horse. So cute.

I spend my computer time searching for furniture on Craigslist and have only managed to read blogs sporadically. I sure hope I haven't missed any fantastic news/stories that others have shared.

Here is a picture of the book boxes I unpacked a couple of days ago. Wish I could say that was all of them but unfortunately, not.

Bart is hoping Winston is buried somewhere under there.

Home Stretch

The movers are scheduled for next Monday to transport all the heavy furniture to the new house. We are scrambling to move everything else before then. After this house is empty we need to have new vinyl flooring put in the kitchen and downstairs entry/laundry room. We'll get a handyman to patch the walls that Bart ate when he was a puppy and fix a few other items. I would love to get the kitchen repainted or, better yet, have a tile backsplash installed. We'll have someone come in and do a thorough cleaning and shampoo the carpet and then this place will be ready to rent. Too bad we missed the prime season before school started but perhaps there are a few desperate families out there looking for a four bedroom. One can only hope.