The Day After

It’s a cold, chilly 42 degrees here in the Inland Empire this morning. A morning walk is out-of-the-question! Not just because it’s so chilly, because I could layer-up and take it, but because the plan today is to use the energy elsewhere.

Thanksgiving out of the way, it’s on to my second favorite holiday ... Christmas, Halloween being my first. Thanksgiving I can do without.

The reason I enjoy Christmas so much is because of the decorations. I’ve mentioned before in this blogging journey that my favorite memory from childhood was mom piling all us kids up and taking us downtown to see the store Christmas displays. As an adult, I’ve endeavored to recreate those window displays on my patios.

So, having looked forward all year to this day after thanksgiving, when I can officially deck the patio, today is about stringing lights onto the railing, hauling out that Costco tree I’d lucked up on two years ago, and lighted gift boxes I’ve accumulated.

I want more. I want to fill up the entire patio with lighted gift boxes, keep seeing boxes I’d like to add to my collection, but the electrical outlets and connectors can’t handle more.

Yesterday had been busy, as it was impossible to get laundry done Thanksgiving Eve. Residents had all three laundry rooms going all day, but Thanksgiving morning was a different story. I had the laundry room all to myself.

While laundry was going, I began de-cluttering the outside storage closet, so I’d be able to get to the Christmas decorations this morning.

With all the lifting of containers, bringing them indoors, sorting contents into “keep” and “discard” and “not sure yet”, going up and down the stairs to the dumpster, to the Laundry Room, I’d gotten a workout.

Good thing I’d opted out of the morning’s Turkey Trot, thought I, or I’d not have had energy enough.

Crafting materials and 5K costumes turned out to be my biggest hoard. I did manage to clear three containers but, in the process, I’ve cluttered up the living room.

It’s gonna get worse before it gets better.

In browsing through containers, I found a really nice quilt top I’d made some years back that only needs filling and backing, notes the kids had written to me when they were young, notes to each other, love letters from old boyfriends, newspaper clippings relating to one of those boyfriends who became quite famous as the attorney for one of the 9/11 defendants, a picture of my favorite niece from 1980, et. al.

I will finish that quilt … eventually, and those notes and clippings have sprouted a whole new scrapbook idea. Though the items don’t flow in a connected manner, I'll scrap them and write something about them from the standpoint of how things are now.

The Nosy Neighbor across the quad, downstairs to the left, says she’s already gotten the inside decorated for Christmas and will soon get started on her patio. The across-the-quad upstairs wife of the now out-of-a-job maintenance man is also hauling out her decorations, but not to decorate the patio, as they must vacant the unit by the 20th. She’s begun the process of hauling out to package up.

After having watched her bling out that patio on a monthly basis for years, it’s sad to see it now so bare.

All those squeaky wheels complaining to the Office and to Corporate last month, about the November Calendar of Events not being issued until the 6^th, had an impact. December’s calendar was issued in a timely manner … on the 25^th before the office shut down for Thanksgiving and the Day After.

We won’t be able to get into the Community Room until Monday.

I also see, on the calendar, that the office has given itself quite a few days off this month, effectively locking us out – the 9^th due to staff training, the 10^th because of Human Rights Day.

I didn’t realize there was such a day, let alone a holiday and, the fact Nurse Ratched is still here, tells us this management group doesn't give a darn about "Human Rights".

Then, of course, there’s Christmas Eve, Day after Christmas and New Years.

Also on the calendar is a December trip to the casino, a Presentation on the 1^st by the local bus company, which I’ve already heard has been cancelled, and a December 22^nd Annual Holiday Party.

Surprise, surprise, management is not making it a potluck.

But don’t get too excited for us, because management is instead charging $5.00 for “Music, Treats, Food, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.”

I’m not the least bit interested -- and not because of the $5.00 charge, though I do think inasmuch as previous years were completely catered that it is cheeky of management to throw us this year’s “Annual Holiday Party” at our expense. I’m not interested because firing the maintenance man has resulted in a dark cloud over the complex. There wasn’t much enthusiasm by residents in attending management sponsored events to begin with. Now the air seems to have been let out of the enthusiasm of those few who did participate, myself included.

I would much rather us residents blow management’s event off and organize our own Christmas pot luck.

I have a feeling response will be so low that management cancels the event altogether.

Works for me.