Well another year is almost in the books ...

I was sitting on the sofa eating my sandwich today chatting with a client. She asked what I was up to and was I keeping busy this week. Said yes, but admitted to eating my lunch and trying to come up with perhaps the last blog entry for 2006. Jill agreed that it should be something witty but poignantly reflective.

Most years, I write an annual Christmas letter to be enclosed in the Christmas cards I send. I take "Life Magazine, Year in Review" approach. We like to keep people that are or have been part of our lives up to speed on what has been going on and take a moment to thank friends and relatives for special times we have experienced throughout the year.

I first decided to do this because a college professor and his wife did it so well. Honestly, it saved them hours with all the special students that still keep in touch with the Sayces over the decades.

Perhaps that is why I enjoy putting entries into this blog. With friends and family all over the country, it is a way of keeping it a small world after all. One of the parting phrases in this year's letter was to encourage the people within our lives to take the time to enjoy each other. Create the memories, enjoy the people you get stuck in line with at the mall (tough for New Englanders and New Yorkers... not so tough for my Southern readers).

Maybe this is the time to say it again as we start a new year. Give yourself one last gift and pause for the good times. Take a mental snap shot of your friends ... Remember the goofy stuff you did as kids. Put this on the resolution or goals for 2007.

Although we did a lot of driving and running around over the Christmas holiday. We saw 5 out 6 nephews. My god daughter and her family, my best friend as close to her birthday as possible, spent Christmas day with my whole family for the first time in five years.

You could say I started my journey out early... Just in case I don't post again prior to the New Year. Thank you for your support, your time reading my entries, and your friendship. May 2007 be a journey with taking ...

Funny from the American Brittany Rescue...

for any of you who don't visit ABRs message board......Got this off the message board.
Purina diet:
I was in Wal-Mart buying a large bag of Purina for my dog Lola and was > in line to checkout.> A woman behind me asked if I had a dog........ Duh
I was feeling a bit crabby so on impulse, I told her no, I was starting The Purina Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I had awakened in an intensive care unit with tubes coming out > of most of my orifices and IV's in both arms. Her eyes about bugged out of her head. I went on and on with the bogus diet story and she was totally buying it. I told her that it was an easy, inexpensive diet and that the way it works is to load your pockets or purse with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The package said the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again. I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a tall guy behind her. Horrified, she asked if something in the dog food had poisoned me and was that why I ended up in the hospital. I said no........I'd been sitting in the street licking my butt when a car hit me. I thought the tall guy was going to have to be carried out the door. Submitted by Diana Doiron http://www.americanbrittanyrescue.org/

Yes, this is a lazy entry but has the sense of the holiday shopping stress level. That and Seamus purely destroyed a bag of bows recently when I left my office for 5 minutes. Two weekends ago I did a transport for 2 Brittanies going to their forever homes for the Brittany rescue. THis is an amazing thing to be the last hand off for a dog that has traveled from Kentucky to Connecticut to be a Christmas dog for his new family. The best part was the phone call from the new mom crying and telling how much she already loved Max. As Seamus rolled over and looked at me, I said I know.. I know...

View Outside my Window

I have been blessed for a long time with a great view from my office windows. I think back to my first office at Office Specialists in Bedford, NH. There was a mature cherry tree outside my second story window that was a haven for song birds, cardinals, etc. I often turned my chair to face the window to be able to watch the birds play in the tree at all times of the year.

My office window in Georgia looked out on a wooded area between our house and Maria and Megan's. I found myself watching "Harry the Hawk" hunt in the ravine between us daily. We also had a King Woodpecker the size of Woody that called this area home.

My office in Connecticut is ground level and faces a nature preserve. Let's just say is it a busy airstrip .. the Hartsfield-Jackson of Bethel for the Canadian Geese, mallards, and Blue Heron population. I took some pictures to show you. This is a rare shot as there isn't any bird coming in or taking off!

It is cold by these windows! However, I am coming to a balance of how important the view is to me compared to the warmth of putting the desk on the other side of the room for the winter. Part of me can't wait for the freeze and first snow. I will be out snapping pictures wildly!

Sour Pill Going Down ....

On two fronts today, I made decisions that go against my grain. First, I gave in and called the doctor about the plague that has invaded my body for the last week. I am sick of coughing, sounding terrible and wondering when my nose is going to embarrass me. This is the side effects of just feeling lousy. We have good health insurance... A PPO from Blue Cross. This little trip to the doctor and pharmacy has just cost me over a hundred dollars in co-pays and prescriptions. While I was in the doctor's office two drug reps came in, you can always spot them .. They are the ones in the suits. The guy hocking (I can say this I am in sales and use to do this with temp help) something for diabetes... (this guy struck gold when getting a drug to pitch) was booking lunches for the entire 2007 calendar year with my doctor's office. I bet he strickly gives out sugar for Christmas presents in an endeavor to get everyone Type II! This always makes me question if I really need the prescription being given to me?? I wonder how much is medicine and how much is a racket?

The second stop was to infect the nice ladies at the voting booth. We had a referendum here about allocating another 7 Million and change to the fixing of the town high school. Two years ago, while I was snuggly paying less than 2k in property taxes in Georgia and had a brand new high school, the good people of my Connecticut town voted 25 million to fix the current high school in order to maintain the school's accreditation. Currently, they have determined it is really going to be another 7 to do the job right. Only 15 of the 32 million will be going to actual educational improvements. The other is to fix the physical plant and building. I have asked a number of people in town about this. I read the paper on Sunday and the letters to the editor. Sadly, I will tell you I pulled the level for yes to give them the Moo-laaa... Hopefully, this will allow them to start fixing it! My end result is that most of this expenditure is going to deferred maintenance and to come into step with new regulations. The longer we wait, the more it is going to be. The other nice thing in the paper is that the Police Station need to be overhauled as well in a couple of years... Just when the Middle School bond is paid off finally. Did I like doing this, NO! It just seemed that a new high school will improve property values. All the other high schools in the area have gone through this. If I want to sell the townhouse in the next five years, having an high school that is totally upgraded or on the way there will help. So this cheap daughter of a conservative Republican, voted in favor of the expenditure. I am still feeling light headed... or is it light walleted? My hope is the education at the high school is excellent and the children of my town will appreciate their new digs. - Yes, I just took my cough syrup and and am a bit loopy.

From Bethel to the Little Town of Bethlehem

I am not sure if I first saw this in Yankee magazine or a Christmas in Connecticut book my parents gave us but the Town of Bethlehem is Christmas Town USA. They have a tradition of stamping "cachets" on outbound Christmas cards and post marking the cards and sending them out. While Branny, Ivan, and Nancy went out for their ride on Saturday.... I made a trek to Bethlelem from Bethel. Over the hill and through the woods is the best description of the trip. Saturday was one of those early December cold but sunny fair days. Perfect for the trip. It made still being under the weather and not able to ride okay. So the cards are out with the return of the annual Christmas letter.

http://www.ci.bethlehem.ct.us/BPO/BPO.htm

We had a terrific weekend with the Soleros. Eating and sitting around reading papers while Nancy was coding their new website for Solero Marketing Communications. Hopefully no one will catch my cold. We missed seeing other friends that stood us up for exhaustion from redoing their hardwoods. But we will take the rain check...

Now to decorate... I wonder what the move did to our decorations...

Swallowing a Pack of Camels

Well I feel a lot better... but obviously I don't sound it. I was just informed I sound like I swallowed a pack of Camels. Yuck! Well, while the voice lasts.. perhaps it is time to call all of my customers sitting on contracts and play the woe as me card.

Speaking of cards. Christmas cards - personal done! Yippee! Shopping .. well let's just say I am a wee bit behind where I usually am at this point. We need to go shopping for the kids. I have little to nothing for my parents. So send me thy lists!

Oh on a personal rant... Is anyone sick of getting 13 -15 catalogues a day. I seem to be on everyone's mailing list this year. I am getting a catalogue a day from Coldwater Creek, J. Jill and Norm Thompson! Enough! So, I am calling each company and requesting to be taken off the list. I literally have not been able to key open my mailbox because it is sooo full.

Need more coffee to go along with my pack of butts! Have a good weekend! Ciao Bella!