9:45 am Sunday, December 23, 2007

My dear friend Gloria phoned last night from WA literally on her way out the door to the annual Christmas party at my sister, Dixie’s house. She called to tell me she wished we were there! That was a feel good moment but like I told her, if I could just wiggle my nose and pop in and then reverse the action at the end of the evening and be back in Yuma—I would be there with bells on! The cold, wet, wintry weather in WA State is too much of a deterrent for me. It is sort of like I miss my youth but no way would I (or could I for that matter) go back through all that trial and error in order to regain my smooth skin and black hair. My hard earned, geriatric wisdom warns me that even if I could—not to go there! This is the fourth of five parties that we have missed since Dixie and husband, Paul began hosting them in their huge Victorian house and we retired. Just one of the things we look back on with a bit of wistfulness . Well, if I am totally honest … Phil probably is not as "wistful" as I am ;-).

My sister is a Christmas Nut. Her big house has over 30 Christmas trees; one or two in every room and in some cases more than that. Every size, shape and material but Dixie insists the big one in the living room must always be the "real," fresh cut and fragrant variety. It is a big house and she and Paul (bah humbugging every inch of the way and trying to appear as if he does not enjoy every minute of it) decorate from top to bottom, inside and out with painstaking detail every year. Their daughter, Tammy and son, Shane caught the “bug” and their homes are decorated over the top each year as well. Talk about sibling rivalry—this one takes the cake. This family has many parties for other holidays throughout the year but you could say Christmas is their favorite … well, duh! To give you a peek, here is a link to Tammy’s My Space where she has a video of her house and the decorations she and husband, Steve have on and around their beautiful new home.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=70613127

It is a little chilly here, only 44 degrees as I write this and there is a stiff breeze blowing outside … BUT the sun is shining brightly and inside Penny we are warm and snug as a bug in a rug with our catalytic heater glowing away assisted by a strategically placed fan up front and in the rear.