If you’ve been wondering where I’ve
been for the past few weeks, this post explains it all. Our first Christmas in
the condo presented me with many challenges, but before I get to that, some
shameless self-promotion. Jagdish went back to India for three weeks in
November. I used that time to put another volume of my blog essays to bed.
Retirement
Sparks Redux is the
third installment of my humorous takes on the retirement process
and the ensuing life transition.
Redux continues to showcase my signature style— edgy, irreverent and self-deprecating, but I offer a glimpse
of a different style in
the final section: Wistful Reflections. Retirement Sparks Redux is now available on Amazon and will soon be
out in a Kindle version.
Back to my Christmas challenges.
First, where were the various decorations I planned to put up? The shipping
cartons left Oriole Avenue well labeled, including what floor they should go to
in the new location. Unfortunately, there were so many cartons relegated to the
basement that not every one labeled Christmas landed in the area I had set
aside for them. It took several days to organize the boxes in a way that made
sense and gave me a snowballs chance in that proverbial hot place of finding
things.
The next challenge was to figure
out where I would put certain items that I displayed every year at Oriole
Avenue. Just one example: I put electric candles in the windows, a practice
that many of our new neighbors also follow. Figuring out which windows would
have how many candles wasn’t easy. At Oriole I put one candle in each very
large window, but many windows here have an even number of multiple panes. That meant a
wood strip would obscure the bulb. Those windows needed two candles.
That sorted out, I had to find the
nearest outlets and decide what length extension cords were required. I bought
and installed some new ones, only to uncover a stash of various cords a few
days later that I had packed away but not remembered.
Deciding where to put the trees was
also a challenge. Too many good places. Worse yet, the living room easily
accommodates a ten foot tree. It virtually begs for one. But our stand won’t
hold a tree that tall. More importantly, Jagdish and I can barely drag an
eight-footer into the house, much less get it installed upright without help.
We settled on two smaller trees and agreed to figure out a better solution next
year. Read: find a stronger stand and line up some muscle well in advance of
the holiday.
Now that my book is out, the candles
are installed, the snowmen are placed in their new spots and the trees are up,
I expect to get back on a weekly blogging schedule. Perhaps not next week, but
soon thereafter. In the meantime, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy
New Year to all!
