Holidays;

Once again, I've let more than a month go by without a post. I really need to just sit down and write every now and then.

Thanksgiving was a nice family affair here, and a lot of fun with granddaughters and the dog, as well as other friends. The only downside was bronchitis. I saw the doctor the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and started the meds that day. The antibiotic was a good one and was coupled with Prednisone, which I hate. The side effects include an insatiable appetite and insomnia, as well as bloating - my head looked like a balloon! I took off Wednesday-Sunday, then went back to work. I functioned (a little) on 2-4 hours of sleep a night, all of it broken into 45-minute blocks for nearly 2 weeks, until the Prednisone wore off. I am now fully recovered, but it really knocked me down. I'd go to work, come home and fall asleep at 5 or 5:30 p.m., then sleep in those little blocks of time that the meds would allow.

I went in to the office Monday this week and took a look at my calendar to schedule some leave time over the Christmas holiday. I realized that I have so much use-or-lose leave I had to leave 30 minutes early Monday and remain on leave until Jan. 4 or I would lose some of the time I've worked hard to earn. So - I'm now off for three weeks. I'm not sleeping in. Both yesterday and today I've awakened before 2:30 a.m. (My internal clock usually has me up by 3 a.m. every day.)

Yesterday I did a little shopping and saw the doctor for a routine check-up. All is good. I plan to stay home today and wrap gifts, do cards, etc. Tomorrow I'll finish the shopping and hit the Post Office (not my favorite thing at normal times, and certainly not my favorite thing at the holidays).

The little dog seems happy to have me around. He's discovered another toy that was sent to Paco as a gift, but one that Paco never played with. I'm glad Buddy is enjoying it, though it's sometimes annoying when he starts biting it to make it squeak (loudly). He usually does that when I'm on the phone.

I will go to the office Monday for a short while to certify time cards and take care of a few other items that need my attention, but will not be there long.

We've been pretty lucky here so far with temperatures. It's been relatively warm with just a couple of days in the -20 range. On one of those days in November, my furnace's fan motor decided to quit working. I had to call someone out to repair it - to the tune of almost $600. That blew Christmas shopping that week :( However, it was so nice to feel warm air once again circulating. The temperature in the house got down to about 50 degrees - which I would welcome in April or July, but in November it just felt downright cold. I rarely use my down comforter, but I pulled it out and sat on the bed wrapped in it while the repairman was downstairs. Buddy curled up next to me and had just his little nose sticking out, so I'm sure he was comfortable.

I bought a few sundresses for the January trip to Hawaii. I'm now really beginning to look forward to it. My reservations (plane and hotel) are made and I've got arrangements for Buddy settled. All I need to do now is arrange for someone to take me to the airport. I bought a book on Oahu to read through. I'll have one free day before the conference starts, and I plan to play tourist for that day.

Since I'm not sure when I'll update again, I'll wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe, healthy and prosperous 2009.