gloria!

Advent is creeping along toward "the day" and there's a possibility of snow on Christmas Eve.  Would that not be swell?  Here in Tennessee white Christmases are few and far between.  I remember one eve going to the communion service at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church with my parents and then on to a family gathering at my cousin's house....on Daddy's side.  All those folks are gone now except for baby sister Kathy.  

Mamye is my go to girl these days, checking in on me every day to see what I need.  I'd be pretty stranded if it weren't for she and Beverly.  I've gotten a real kick out of looking at kids pictures with Santa, especially my cousins Olivia and Charlie.  He's just a grinning all eat up in cuteness and she's bawling and reaching for Mama!  Cooper, Levi and Neely had the same Santa only he didn't look near as happy as he did with the other two.  I think Cooper was being mischievous. 

My grandmother was fairly wealthy after losing my Pawpaw at the age of 45 so I have tons of childhood memories of getting too much of everything.  She took me to The Enchanted Forest at Goldsmith's and Debbie never let me live it down that she missed it.  After gathering at our individual homes for Santa, we all piled into her house, wherever it was at the time, and opened MORE presents.  She had an aluminum tree with the lights and all.  Slowly rotating.  Vintage.

I was the oldest of the tribe and Gaga and I had a special bond.  By the time I got out of med tech school she was working at the hospital ( long story ) and we had that in common as well.  She was forced to retire at 70.  Now they'll let you work til you die on the job.  Following her retirement she ramped up the Pink Ladies and together with others opened a gift shop that still stands.  Their candy bars are only a buck and they have Willow Tree.

It's kind of cool how this surgery has forced me to slow down and concentrate on tasks rather than rushing through which is my normal nature.  I usually multi-task myself into a giant mess.  With enough pain medicine, I'm able to cook which is something I love and never take time for.  Lily sits behind me in the computer chair while I type.  The boys are asleep on my bed.  

I followed a thread yesterday posted by a friend who is a former police officer, part of the elite juvenile task force that took on the gangs in Dyersburg.  I had totally forgotten that all this happened and never knew that my brother was in the THP helicopter that was shot at.  Yikes.  That was 20 years ago.  

So today is budget day the day we all get screwed with the tax package.  I am still stunned that Corker had the balls to pull his move.  I didn't vote for him, BTW.  Nor for Lamar.  Governor Haslam is more of a progressive kind of guy and even though he's rich too, he looks after growth for our state rather than strictly his party line.  His administration has made an important contribution in the form of small business development like The Mill.  Unless we let ATT and Disney run us into the ground with fees, somebody best get a plan.

Feliz Navidad~