Friday, November 25, 2011

Slog Along Day

Both of the human inhabitants of this homestead slept poorly last night. Papa Pea developed a stiff neck late yesterday and it kept him from any kind of comfortable sleep during the night.

After having a WON-derful night's sleep night before last, I woke at 1:50 last night for a potty stop and when I shuffled back to bed found that even though I was tired, I couldn't fall back asleep for love nor money. (Insert frustrated scream.) WHY does that happen?

So the outcome was that we both looked and felt like something the cat dragged in for most of the day.

My main aim today was to get all the fall/Thanksgiving decorations taken down and put away and the Christmas decorations up. Needless to say, there will be no decorating in the living room area this year, but I will do what I can to make things look festive in the kitchen. I also do a little decorating in the bathroom and bedroom.

Did I complete my task? Nope, but I'm about 80% done. I should be able to finish up tomorrow and still have time for other things.

I'm thinking I'm not going to put up a tree this year. (Papa Pea is not happy with this idea and when Chicken Mama hears of it, she will throw one big, royal hissy-fit.) No way can one go in the construction zone of the living room. There is only one safe (far enough away from the wood stove) place where I could put a very small tree in the kitchen.

It would be on the closest end of the above cabinet in the southwest corner of the kitchen. The phone and answering service are on the opposite end of the unit and need to stay there. (You can see the unfinished door into the living room area on the right of the picture.) Strings of lights, usually put on the tree, are resting on the top of the cabinet. If I don't put up a tree, I'm thinking about figuring out some way to string the lights around the windows so we can have them on in the evening and early morning. Although I must admit, at this moment in time that, too, seems like a lot of work.

We've lost virtually all the snow cover we got a little over a week ago. Outside it looks, and smells, like spring. However (dum-da-dum-dum), the forecast is for a mixture of snow and freezing rain (oh, joy) starting at midnight tonight and continuing until 6 p.m. on Saturday. The snow we would welcome, but ice is not nice.

I meant to take a picture today to show how much the gardens look just as they do in the spring, but the daylight slipped away from me a little too, too fast. Don't know what the situation is in all of your various locations but come 5 p.m. in our neck of the woods these days, it's durn close to pitch dark. And in a couple more weeks, it will be 4:30. So, so different than in the summertime!

18 comments:

dr momi said...

That is a perfect spot for a little tree!! You must have a tree! Hope Papa Pea is feeling better. And may you both sleep hard tonight.....

Claire said...

What about decorating a tree outside? It would look so beautiful whenever you came home or came outside to do chores, etc. Like a little special, Christmas surprise!

Jane @ Hard Work Homestead said...

Ha, you can't handle having a day off! It got you all out of whack :)

Sparkless said...

We have a very small living room and we buy a short tree and put it on top of a table. The presents all get stuffed under the table. After awhile you don't even see the table and it looks and feels like we have a 6' tree. At least I think it does and it keeps the cats out of the branches of the tree.
You should have had a sleep in today, both of you. Sleep is important for good health and most people don't take it seriously enough.

Sue said...

I was looking through old photos today and came across one from 2008 where we had close to 2 feet of snow. I hung laundry out yesterday--it was breezy and FIFTY degrees. Strange. I find it hard to start the Christmas decorating when it's like that outside. I did get the stuff put up out there though--I'm not a total idiot. No fun doing that in the sleet and snow. (I was a total idiot in years past!)
:D

Anonymous said...

So sorry to hear that you both weren't able to get the rest you needed, after all that hard work on the house. Hope you get some soon!
I am not ready to pull out the Christmas decorations, but I know the kids will be soon....We will put the lighted houses on the mantel soon, but the tree will NOT go up until at least a week before Christmas lol. Family tradition is Christmas Eve, but the kids get antsy waiting that long, even though they are teens now.
Be safe with that bad weather coming in:)

Trailshome said...

Sometimes it feels like you get too tired and restless to sleep, somehow. I have those nights too, and usually try to curl up in the living room with a good book and put in a good hour that way until I can relax enough to go back to sleep.

I hope tonight works better for you. And I agree, a very small tree in that window would be a pretty thing, and raise your spirits too. Christmas does come, even when we haven't the energy for it.

Judy T said...

Sorry you were dragging yesterday. I HATE it when I'm tired but can't sleep- kind of like an overtired child. I hope you both got better sleep last night and that Papa Pea is feeling better.
A tiny tree in the corner would be fine. I'm kind of dreading pulling out the decorations- it just means that I have to put them away later... sigh....
Have a restful but productive weekend.
Judy

Erin said...

Get some sleep, and then get that tree up on the shelf! I am looking forward to your little tree, and you are right, I think Chicken Mama would pitch a fit if she heard of this.... :)

Mama Pea said...

dr momi - We did sleep better last night. Thanks!

Claire - None of our trees outside are small enough to decorate. One year we cut a special tree, put it on the deck and decorated it for the birds. That was fun but we wished we'd put lights on it for when it was dark. Hmmmm, that's an idea for this year . . .

Jane - You don't know how close to the truth we think that is! (Arrrgh.)

Sparkless - Boy, don't I know sleep is important! I used to be able to get such good sleep. I would wake up every morning refreshed and ready for anything the minute my feet hit the floor. Those are the night's sleep I want to recapture!

Sue - Our weather has been almost as warm. Hubby and I were talking just yesterday about when we first moved up here nearly 40 years ago, by Thanksgiving we had a LOT of snow and the temps were very cold. Times do change!

Stephanie - So far our temp has stayed high enough that we're only getting rain with no freezing. We're glad of that!

Mama Pea said...

Trailshome - Thanks for the gentle encouragement to put up a small tree. I think I'm gonna cave and do it.

Judy - Ha-ha! You and are on the same page regarding the decorations. Putting them away is THE PITS!

Erin - Man, nothing like a small lecture to shape me up. Alright, alright, I'll do a tree! Geesh.

Leigh said...

I hate those kind of nights. I usually end up getting up and doing some writing at the computer. Sounds like you had a big task list at hand. And I know what you mean about putting up a Christmas tree. This year though, we have our very first 6 month old granddaughter, so when it comes to a tree, I'm motivated!

Mama Pea said...

Leigh - Christmas truly is for children and you're in for some fun years with your little granddaughter! She won't remember this first one, of course, but you'll have the pictures of her and all the festivities. How fun!

Amy Dingmann said...

I think your tree is just lovely. I am enjoying seeing people's Christmas things up. I think our Christmas things will get up very late this year, so I'm enjoying living through all of your decorations!

Mama Pea said...

Mama Tea - Ha-ha! Oh, dear sweet Mama Tea, you have obviously been under waaaay too much stress lately. Tree? What tree? I sure do wish I had our tree up, but we haven't even ventured out into the woods yet to find one! (I prescribe a nice, big mug of hot chocolate with a jolt of something alcoholic in it. I just had to tease you about this one!)

judy said...

not until yesterday after a bit of shopping at sears,did I get a smidgen of Christmas spirit and they are playing Christmas music already on the radio,oh ,if I could exchange 2 min. of your lovey peace and quit ,only 2 tho,after that I might not think I'm at home without all the commotion.my brother seams to be holding up so far but thats just because of the season and all the hunting gang,the day after thanksgiving they were in his walk-in freezer to process deer they all caught,even down to mixing the ground meat and making homemade sausages,huh,who says money can't buy happiness.well me for one,I won't be in that same place when Jerry decides to leave me-[ I DID SAY CAUGHT THE DEER,BOY AM i A SEASONED HUNTER-ha ]

Susan said...

I am late on the uptake here, but am glad you decided on a little tree. I would love to have one, but it would be unstrung and down to kindling in an hour with the Boyz. Our daylight lasts about an hour and a half. I do not like it one tiny bit.

Mama Pea said...

judy - Well, you know all people handle grief in a different way. Perhaps your brother just isn't ready to face his loss just yet. As you say, he may not be ready until after the holiday season when things settle down.

Susan - Do you think it's getting dark earlier this year than it ever has before? I really think so. If that's a fact . . . uh-oh.