I've got to try to perk up before the weekend, though. Saturday is Gregg's birthday and I want things to be festive for him. I'm planning to take a piece of art that's dear to him to be matted and framed for his gift. It was painted by a sweet elderly lady he had a long friendship with before she passed away several years ago. Her name was Margaret and she gave him three or four of her paintings when he admired her work. We're slowly getting them all nicely framed and displayed in our home. It makes Gregg happy when he sees them, because they remind him of Margaret. She was a sweet, sweet lady.
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This is one of her paintings hanging in our kitchen. I discovered that it's
not possible to get a good snapshot of it thanks to the reflection of the lights.
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Speaking of this weekend, it's supposed to be really cold--down to freezing--for the first time this year. I don't mind that part of winter. Maybe some of the huge flying "Palmetto Bugs" (aka, Monster Roaches) will go away. They're really bad out here because we're very close to a creek, and one of the first things we did when we bought this place was get a contract with a pest control service for quarterly preventative treatments. I can't stand a roach. Our guy keeps the fire ants at bay, too. (That's another evil that's best avoided altogether.)
How's the start of the month (and the time change) been for you? I'd love to hear about it, particularly if you're like me and the onset of winter makes you want to eat yourself into a semi-coma, eschew most humans contact, and hibernate in the house with Netflix and a warm, comfortable bed. And maybe a book, of course.
november has sucked ass so far. I have SAD. coupled with my leg health problem (lymph edema) and spouse's right hip replacement recovery (progressing nicely), I am ready to scream. and I usually hate november-april anyway (phony made up bullshit "holidays").
ReplyDeletesorry to be such a drama queen, but you asked. I keep my knitting close by and LOVE to hibernate in the house with the cats. also a BIG bottle of gin!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to gregg; hope it's a good one for him.
As I said to my husband a little while ago- I am having problems with this time change. It's nice to wake up and find that it's only 8:00 a.m. but then I think, "Oh, it's really nine," and start the day feeling bad about myself. As the day progresses I find that I want lunch early, not to mention supper. It feels like midnight at six. I'm so confused! And of course the chickens don't give a shit. They go to bed when they think it's night time and they ARE RIGHT!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet birthday you are planning. I'm sure that Gregg will appreciate it so much. Happy birthday to your guy!
I hate clock changing in October and March. There's no logical reason for it and it causes a lot of unnecessary upset and confusion. The rhythm of life is interrupted. Give Gregg a big sloppy birthday kiss from me!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a perfect birthday that you are planning.
ReplyDeleteTime change is awful for me, too. I'm hungry all of the time. One would think that I'm a bear trying to ramp up calories so I could hibernate. Being hungry and eating all of the time is exactly what my health does not need.
I start feeling groggy a couple of hours after the sun is down. I doze off for a while, wake up, and then can't sleep when I am supposed to be sleeping, finally fall asleep and then wake up again after only about 3 hours or so. My energy is nonexistent. Even my little dog is confused by the time change because he tells time by what I am doing at various times of day. It's no wonder everyone becomes more prone to colds, flu, aches and pains. I don't understand why such a small time change seems to make such a difference, but for me it does. I must remember to get my prescription for Vitamin D filled, and then remember to take it. I am hoping that will help me snap out of this time change hangover.
Happy birthday to your Gregg.
I'd cheerfully settle for one or the other.
ReplyDeleteNice Painting; I'm sure he'll be thrilled with the new one. In one of my parent's homes, there was a knocker on the outside of the door to the master bedroom. They learned that the previous owner would 'hibernate' at this time of year, and the knocker was there just for his maid to deliver his meals, newspapers, etc. Sensible man.
ReplyDeletePhysically, I don't feel the time change, but logically (and in terms of organisation and administration) it is completely unnecessary. There was a EU-wide referendum about it last year, I think, and I hope it will be decided to finally do away with it here.
ReplyDeleteNovember has been good for me so far, although of course the 31st of October and 5th of November are memory-laden; the first date being Steve's birthday (he would have been 51 this year) and the second date the anniversary of his death. I can't believe he has been gone 10 years now.
But apart from that, it's been good, with a mix of sun and (very welcome) rain. Like Gregg - and yourself! - I meet and talk to a lot of people every day for work. It often makes me not wanting to see or speak to anyone once I'm home, especially when it is dark already by the time I leave the office. But when I then get out and see my friends, for instance meet them at the pub for quiz night, I have a lot of fun and am glad I went.
It's all in the balance for me; quiet nights in alternating with going out or having guests.
I think we all hate the time change. It's like jet-lag and takes me ages to adjust. Doggo is just confused and doesn't understand why his meals are late.
ReplyDeleteI am still waking up an hour early and our clocks changed nearly 3 weeks ago! Otherwise not keen on the early darkness in the evening!
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, the time change and change of seasons remains difficult for me even though I no longer work and have lived in Mediterranean climates for a really long time. Brain chemistry remains pretty much a mystery! The painting is beautiful. That sweet lady had a lot of talent.
ReplyDeleteI like the time change because it sets the mood for the upcoming season.
ReplyDeleteI like dark early in winter when I hunker down indoors, and love light late in summer when I wanna be outside playing until all hours!
I would be happy to have DST all year round. I like as much sunlight as possible. The darkness is not good for me and I am thankful that we have holidays to help me get through these next few months. I try to have things to look forward to during January and February and plan parties and get-together whenever possible and keep my fingers crossed that it does not snow. I look forward to each day getting a few more minutes of sunlight and then March comes and DST is back. It is an inconvenience changing time and gaining and losing sleep, but my body adjusts within a week and life goes on.
ReplyDeleteI think many of us have a hibernation instinct that kicks in when the weather gets cold and dark. I agree about the time change -- it's a mystery to me why we still do it. (We do it in England, too.) Your birthday plans sound perfect!
ReplyDeleteI really hate the time changing. It never fails to throw me off kilter. Best wishes to Gregg on his birthday.
ReplyDeleteOh, my, you took a Rip Van Winkle nap.
ReplyDeleteThat painting is a very nice 'still life.' Are all of her paintings that good?
Margaret B
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea for a birthday gift
Happy birthday to Gregg; I like the still life painting by his friend. My dog and cat think I should feed them at 4 p.m. now, rather than 5 p.m., since they don't understand daylight savings time, darn it. And I walk Bounce an hour earlier now, rather inconvenient but I don't like to walk in the dark.
ReplyDeleteDST provokes so much mood/depression it ought to be banned.
ReplyDelete