Another Year's Done

Let's let the classic sounds of Bing Crosby bring 2015 to an end.



Five years ago today: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

It's A Real Mess Out There

Hubby Tony and I are invited to an engagement party tonight, and then tomorrow night our New Year's Eve plans will take us in the same general direction.  However, we won't be using the most direct route to get there; it's under water.

KMOV

2015 is turning out to be the wettest December on record for the metropolitan St. Louis area.  The storm that put us over the edge started late Friday night, and the deluge kept going until Monday. As a result of the rain we're projected to have some of the worst flooding in the past 20 years.  Creeks and rivers have been overflowing their banks, and some levees have been overtopped.

The intersection in the picture is Highway 141, which goes under Interstate 44.  That's water from the Meramec River you see swirling around.  Since this photo was taken the water has risen even more, closing the interstate completely.  There are several surface road detours that are available, but not surprisingly they're congested.  When Tony took one of them to meet some friends last night he reported it was stop and go the whole way.  This morning I got stuck in more traffic (and what should have been a five minute trip took 20 minutes).  We're already talking about how we need to modify our plans for the next few days.

The good news is that this mess won't last forever.  The rivers in the area are supposed to crest today, and the roads are projected to be cleaned and ready to use by the weekend. 

Five years ago today: For All My Super Mom Friends

Wanna Escape?

What a whirlwind couple of weeks we've had!  Our out-of-town children arrived, then Christmas came. Fortunately the company stayed around a little longer after the holiday.  However, all good things have to come to an end.  Son Brian and DIL Nicole left mid-afternoon today for a trip to Columbia to see college friends (they'll come back and stay here Saturday, then fly home early Sunday morning).  Tonight I took Son Tony to the airport for his flight.  Now it's down to just me, Hubby Tony, Son Donald, and the cats in the house.

While everyone was here, time passed quickly.  Every day was filled with eating, talking, more eating, shopping, seeing a movie, playing games, watching TV, and more eating.  We had planned one big family activity--an escape room challenge, which was new to all of us.  If you're not familiar with escape rooms, Wikipedia describes them this way:

Real-life room escape games are a type of physical adventure game in which people are locked in a room with other participants and have to use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles, find clues, and escape the room within a set time limit.

The facility we went to, Escape from St. Louis, offered two different room scenarios. We chose one called A Ghost Story, where we had to figure out who murdered a teenager twenty-five years ago.

When we arrived at the facility  we were escorted to the door of our room.  After some short directions our team got a walkie-talkie (to communicate with the front desk or ask for clues, which would add to our final time), flashlights, and a dry erase marker to write on a laminated board in he room.  The door opened, we stepped in, and our hour of puzzle-solving started.

The adventure was a lot of fun, and I'm proud to say that we succeeded in escaping from the room before the time expired.  We asked for two clues, which added ten minutes to our final time of 62 minutes and 30 seconds.

Five years ago today: Cold Winter Coming (I'm Concerned About You)

Merry Christmas 2015

A Christmas Wish

I'd like a stocking made for a giant,
And a meeting house full of toys,
Then I'd go out in a happy hunt
For the poor little girls and boys;
Up the street and down the street,
And across and over the town,
I'd search and find them everyone,
Before the sun went down.

                            ~~Eugene Field

One More Sleep!

Every day from December 1st until Christmas I'm hanging an ornament in an outside public place as a Random Act of Christmas Cheer.

As we'd tel the kids when they were little, there's only one more sleep until Christmas. Today when I was at church installing this week's slides on the three electronic bulletin boards I hung the last ornament from the box on a leafless bush in the church courtyard.

Five years ago today: If Mary and Joseph Had Facebook...

Good Timing

Every day from December 1st until Christmas I'm hanging an ornament in an outside public place as a Random Act of Christmas Cheer.

Today I was with Hubby Tony when he stopped to fill his car tank up.  While he pumped the gas I jumped out of the car and ran over to a nearby tree and placed the day's ornament. I was able to hang, admire, and photograph the result in the time it took him to finish his job.

Five years ago today: It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Holiday Cheer

Every day from December 1st until Christmas I'm hanging an ornament in an outside public place as a Random Act of Christmas Cheer.

Today on the way home from the gym I stopped and hung an ornament on a tree next to a bus shelter.  I hope the splash of red brings a smile to anyone who's sitting there.

Five years ago today: Do-Over

WHAT Season Is It?

Every day from December 1st until Christmas I'm hanging an ornament in an outside public place as a Random Act of Christmas Cheer.

So far 2015 is the third warmest December on record for the metropolitan area.  On the first day of winter here we had a high temperature of 67 degrees. (The average is 41 degrees).  This afternoon the neighbor kids were out blowing their leaves, and I think I heard someone a couple of streets over using a lawn mower!

Today I've been so busy cooking and getting ready for Christmas I haven't even left the house.  I did take a couple of minutes to step outside to enjoy the weather and hang an ornament on the tree in our 'tree yard' between the sidewalk and the street.  I'm confident that with the weather we're having someone will walk by and see it.

Five years ago today: Blossoming

Hostess Herbs

Every day from December 1st until Christmas I'm hanging an ornament in an outside public place as a Random Act of Christmas Cheer.

This afternoon I've been invited to a holiday brunch.  I wanted to bring the hostess a thank you gift but I know she's trying to eat healthy, so a box of candy or a traditional Christmas sweet didn't seem appropriate.  I was looking around at a store that specializes in natural and organic groceries, where I found a potted 'holiday bouquet' that contains small rosemary, sage, and thyme plants.  It seemed perfect; my friend can either use it as a house plant or in her cooking.

On the way out of the store's parking lot I hung the day's ornament on the tree next to my car.

Five years ago today: A (Very) Short History of Christmas

Another Day, Another Tree, Another Ornament

Every day from December 1st until Christmas I'm hanging an ornament in an outside public place as a Random Act of Christmas Cheer.

Looking back through all the photos I've taken this month, it struck me that quite a few of them look similar, which I guess is the result of placing my ornaments in leafless deciduous trees. You'll have to trust that today's (yet again) leafless deciduous tree is new and different.  Hubby Tony and I were out taking a walk on a brisk but sunny late autumn day.  Before we left I told him he was in charge of picking the location.  I think he did a good job.

Five years ago today: If My Feet Are Happy, Then I'm Happy