Thoughts on the Lost Week Between Christmas and New Year's

Frozen Pond

 This is the time of year I dislike the most, the week between Christmas and New Year's. There is nothing on TV. All the regular hosts are on well deserved vacations. And worse, which I really hate is the recap of the previous year's news. Oh how I hate that. I already know the news folks, that's just filler.

Oh well, could be worse as I often say. This is a First World Problem. I could be living in Ukraine where Putin is raining death and destruction on that innocent country who only wants to live in peace and not under Russian Rule.

Here at Casa Tipton-Kelly life goes on. Bill had another infection on his right leg which I've been dressing every day. We went several months without infections on his edema affected lower limbs but our luck ran out. Thankfully that infection is now clearing up. Bill hates to hate the dressing changed daily but that is the only way to clear up the infection before it gets worse. Tomorrow we have an appointment at the local audiologist. Bill has "vintage" hearing aids that just aren't working as well for him with his profound hearing loss. We got new state of the art hearing aids for him last year but he couldn't get used to them. The volume was controlled by an app on my iPhone. That didn't work because Bill doesn't use my iPhone and couldn't even if he wanted to because of his blindness and confusion. I'm all for WIFI and apps but come one folks, most 94 year old men (and women) who have suffered strokes don't use iPhones. The audiologist assured me that there was another option and that's what we're going to do tomorrow at this time.

It is damn cold outside. We missed the horrendous snowstorms that affected some areas of our country but we got the wind. Now I many branches of the three river birch trees to clean up. My newly installed fish pond is frozen over. It's deep enough though for the seven goldfish and two carp to survive these freezing temperatures. I'm always amazed at how hardy goldfish are. When we lived in Pennsylvania my goldfish always made it through the winter in their outdoor ponds. Oh how I miss those ponds. Of course the new owner never took care of them. A few years later Bill and I went up to visit the now abandoned property (it went into foreclosure) and the ponds were still there, clogged with leaves. Amazingly I saw movement in that sludge. Something was down there in that mess. I hope it wasn't goldfish. 

My mind is all over the place this morning. I've been thinking a lot about where we will be this time next year. I have a feeling there will be big changes. Time goes by so fast though. We may be at the same place we are now just another year older.