Way too cold for me, already!

I used to love Winters back when I was a kid. Cold and snow wasn't going to stop me. Scarf, hat and mittens meant I could go out and play in the white stuff as much as I wanted. Extra socks and wellie boots kept my feet from becoming icicles, and "layering" clothes meant 2 or 3 blouses and a couple of jumpers so that I looked more like a Weeble than a child. It was so much fun, we'd be out building snowmen and having snowball fights ...

Now that's all just memories, as my arthritis means my joints can predict the weather with far more accuracy than any tv weather man or gal. That low deep throb reverbates to let me know when cold, damp, rain or snow are on their way, and there's no joy in that knowledge.

Added to which, I just cannot stay warm any more. Even in bed, under 3 quilts and an extra one folded across the bottom, for my tootsies, I shiver, and my hand that is outside the covers, gets icy cold. My nose, well, let's say that if I was a dog, I'd be a really healthy one, as my nose stays cold and wet!

It does not help that I am a cheapskate. I pop the heater on for a few minutes of a morning, so that hubby can be warm as he gets out of bed and gets dressed.  When I'm in the kitchen, feeding animals, I pop the one gas burner on to take the edge off. When I'm cooking the heat from that helps get the kitchen nice and cosy.

What irks me right now, the most, is that it's NOT EVEN WINTER yet! This is supposed to be Fall! I want an Autumn, and it slid in and out in about a week.

I'm not a "bah humbug!" type of person, but my heart just does not enjoy Winter the way that I did when I was a child.

I still love seeing the Winter scenes in pictures, and I love hearing children laughing outside as they play in it, but other than that, I'm just not into it any more.

Now, Christmas, oh I still love Christmas. The Nativity. Father Christmas. Carols and Christmas songs. The lights. Old movies. Magical memories. Picking the perfect gift for each person. I am most definitely a Christmas person. For the last few years, I've not had a tree up (an accident waiting to happen, with 4 furry felines!) and I do miss it but safety comes first. We already had a cat set fire to our kitchen a few years ago, we do not want the living room going up in flames as well.

Explaining hat to the insurance man was almost funny.
"The cat did it."
"It's ok. You're covered even if you left a pan on the stove and it burned dry ..."
"Nope, the cat switched the burner on and the dehydrator was sitting on the stove top and that's the plastic that's all melted and flared up."
He was a nice man. Yes he probably thought I was nuts, but Outlaw had reached up before and turned the gas on, and I'd had to open windows to clear the air. This time, he had somehow managed to turn it more and the starter had sparked, successfully lighting that burner.

Over $4000 in damage ... and then the darn cat committed suicide less than a week later :(  He was an indoor/outdoor cat, and we found him on the side of the road, near our gate, just looking as though he was asleep.

He's buried in our pet cemetery in the back yard.

Hence, no Christmas tree with dangling lights and shiny trinkets that it would no doubt delight the felines to pull down.

Most of my Christmas gift shopping is done. I did it though friends online, who have home based businesses, some of whom do wonderful home crafts and through my AVON. I have just a couple of things left on my list. Since I don't like crowds and traffic, it's the perfect solution for me, and I've found awesome things for some of my favourite people.

Well, stay warm, my friends. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families, this Thursday.

If you still have Christmas shopping to do, please take a look through the Holiday Gift Guide on my website www.youravon.com/rosemarydempsey  I'd love to have your support, and you can use code WELCOME to get a 20% discount off a $50 order!