Jill of All Trades

 It is nearly turkey time and I think I'm prepared or should I say the grocery store deliveries/pickups are done.  The gigantic turkey is chilling in my deep freeze ready to start the big thaw this weekend.  I know it's just for The Hubby and me but I can't resist on cooking a huge one so we can have sandwiches.  We are having one of the girls and her crew, hopefully, but they're vegan, and if the oldest and her family come they're mostly vegetarian.  So MORE for us for sure.  

This past weekend I had Snicklefritz spend the weekend and she was so helpful in getting Christmas out and up all over the house.  We had such a great time.  For a 8 year old she is incredibly helpful with everything around here and we have such a great time.  She has started in person school again and that means that we may not see each other for a long while.  That makes me so very sad but until we get a vaccine it is what it is. 

I hope I'm a fun granny!!!

OH, and one of my Christmas presents arrived.  I purchased this from a fellow artist, Jeff Legg when he posted it on Facebook.  I already own one of his paintings.  This one is a tiny 5x7, my other one is an 11x14.  If you check out his website, I'm LUCKY to even own any of his works because DANG, they are so expensive.  I was just kind of lucky, right place, right time, right price!  So Merry Christmas to me.  Snicklefritz is showing it off for me.  Love this little girl so very much...

And this little girl too.  We've been apart from her for over a month because their little family, unfortunately caught Covid and were pretty sick but are all better now.  This damn virus is so devastating to so many people and their loved ones.  We've been lucky and I'm going to knock on a lot of wood to keep it that way.  They will be sharing the holiday with us and hopefully we all will be together for Christmas, even if we have to open presents outside.

Little Clayton is so patient with these babies.  When Snicklefritz was little he would lay on her blanket with her like he was keeping watch.  Yesterday when Min would sit on her blanket he was right by her side.  She pats and kisses him and he just loves her to death.  It's too bad he's so old now because he is a great kid dog.  When we're at the cabin if he sees children he runs right up to them for love.  Such a special little guy.

I've been painting at the house again because I was trying to (1) be in quarantine for a bit because we were exposed and I was keeping my studio partner safe, (2) it's just not fun at the studio right now by myself.  I'll probably keep supplies at the house for now because with winter coming I won't venture out if the roads are bad.  Even my partner hasn't been in the studio either because of her health (blood clot) and her parents incredible health issues.  Her parents live in Louisiana and she is constantly having to drive there to deal with them.  They unfortunately BOTH have Alzheimer's, as does/did her in-laws.  That disease is just horrible and turns your loved ones into absolute aliens.  They can get violent as did her father and father-in-law and just plain crazy.  The struggles that she has faced trying to get them into facilities has been mind boggling.  I don't think I could have handled it all and she is barely.  Then when they finally found a safe place and the turmoil was settling down a bit her father fell and broke his hip and they had to rush down there for his surgery.  Can you imagine dealing with that during this year of Covid and it being an Alzheimer's patient that can barely remember how to swallow.  Trust me she is GOING to need some therapy after all this.  Hope she can get back to painting that is such good therapy.  

Painted this little jewel on Tuesday and posted it on Facebook.  Woke up Wednesday morning to have someone wanting to buy it.  SOLD!  It will fly off to California next week.  

I almost forgot to update on Daddy's house.  We met on Saturday and had 8 offers on the house and if we didn't have a cut-off there were more that wanted to offer but we did have a deadline.  Several offers wanted to "LIVE" in the house but they were not even close to what we started at and frankly the house was not habitable.  The majority were cash offers!  Amazing in these times.  One of them, the highest was interesting but he wanted inspections, appraisals and we knew that would not fly, it would not pass.  What we chose was a cash offer and they will be tearing down the house.  We knew that was probably going to happen, I knew it 10 years ago.  My grandfather who purchased the house in 1953 and was in real estate would be so happy with what we are doing.  He was a businessman and very wise.  I hope we were channeling him when we made this decision.  That house is 67 years old!  My brother is friends with the couple who are purchasing and they are extremely successful in their business and have loads of money to build a stellar home on the huge lot there.  I mean even if I had wanted to keep the place that is what I would have done too.  I had visions many times of building on the lot, tearing down that house over the years.  So before we close on the house we three are going to meet and have our picture taken one last time in front of the house.  Life goes on, as we must.