Holidays are Upon Us

Whew!  Let me catch my breath.  And, maybe have another cup of coffee.  I need some caffeine!

N/M/E enjoys a shopping trip
to Cracker Barrel

I've been decorating the house for the Holidays (photos in the next post), doing some baking, writing the annual newsletter, signing and addressing the Christmas cards, and...in my spare time on Thursday...driving Miz Edith.  Mom had made her list and checked it twice...and she was ready to go shopping as soon as the sun came out.  Cold weather or not...

To get me moving in the direction she wanted to go, she tempted me with an offer of breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  I'm a sucker for country ham and biscuits, don't you know?

But, she had a bigger plan than just enjoying a meal together.  Power shopping!  I'm telling you, that little lady (photo, right) can spend with speed!  Even using her walker didn't slow her down much.

If you know me, you know I was out of the room when they handed out the shopping genes.  I'm not much of a shopper...never have been, never will be.  Make a list, know what you want, get in, get out.  But I do have great respect for those who are.  And, she is.

After attacking CB, we headed to another fav stop of hers:  Kohl's.  Because of the size of the store, she agreed that the wheelchair was a better idea than the walker.  She had an idea of what she wanted, and since most Kohl's stores are arranged alike, it was fairly easy to roll our way to where she wanted to go.  The only thing that slowed her down was my skills...or, lack thereof...pushing the chair.  I keep misjudging the turning distance/radius...and I usually pick an aisle that isn't quite wide enough to accommodate us.  It'll fit. Famous last words.


Permit me a moment on my soapbox, please.  Have you ever realized how difficult we make it for people in walkers and/or wheelchairs to maneuver?  Most stores have nice, wide main aisles...but then the secondary aisles where the merchandise lives are a much tighter squeeze.  And, there's no "give" in a wheelchair.

One of the worst offenders of creating barriers is the building where several of our doctors are.  The front doors do not open automatically; you have to push a button to make one of the double doors swing open.  When you are inside, there are fire doors (that are supposed to be kept shut) that block access to and from all the hallways where the offices are located...and more importantly, to the hallway where the lab is.  And, this is a new building, finished just this year.  Come on, people!  (To their credit, the staffs of the various doctors recognize the issues, and they have taken it on themselves to put door-stops to keep the doors open...and make the offices accessible.  Still, if the Fire Marshall makes a visit, I fear they'll be in trouble for their kindness.)



Nutcracker at High Point University



OK...let me climb down now.

After Kohl's, we went to Home Place/T J Maxx, CVS, Belk (in the Oak Hollow Mall here in High Point), Company's Coming (to get something for supper) and finished up at the Sweet Shoppe Bakery.  Hey, after all of that, one of us needed a sugar fixx!


Before heading back home, we toured through the campus of High Point University, where they have a display of nutcrackers and toy soldiers on one of the pedestrian walkways.  It was turning cold again as the sun was setting, so I took that shot (left) from the comfort of a heated car.  Wish they had lined the figures up along a driveway/street on campus...would have been easier to see.  Still, it was a neat Holiday treat.

When we pulled into the driveway, we were happy to see Mr. T's car.  He'd been out of town for a couple of days, and we didn't think he'd beat us home.  Hmmmm.

After giving us a tongue-lashing for being away from home all day long with only a few morsels of ham in the doggie bag, the Houndz all returned to their respective spots.  Holidays or no, we still have a dog on nearly every soft surface.  Below, you see Gus on the sofa (with some of the collection of 58 nutcrackers on the table behind) and Elmo on our bed, where some of the teddy bear collection lives for the Season.

We're still wondering how one of those bears got down off its perch and waddled over to the middle of the living room floor...where Mr. T found him, upside down and a little moist around the ears.  Drool, you think? 

No one's talking.