November

It certainly feels like November here! Our temperatures dropped, the flowers froze, the skies are gray. November 2 gave us a morning of sunshine and we had some very special photos taken of our youngest two grandsons. 

To go with this memorable pose of our eight oldest grandchildren a few years ago.

Then we popped back in the car and drove to the county fairgrounds where they were holding a drive thru clinic for the vaccine booster. Fortunately I had the time wrong which put us in the front of what turned out to be a 380 car line for the shot! 

The line went from the entrance and looped around the race track and around the barns.

The cracker jack staff and volunteers were working as quickly as possible to process paperwork and keep the line moving. By the time we entered the livestock lot, we had our sleeves rolled up and our arms out the window. 

We babysat for the two and three year old the rest of the afternoon so we really didn't have time to have much of a reaction. As soon as they left, Mr. Merry fell asleep. So we are counting that as "fatigue".  I was staying up way too late, but suddenly got a horrible head ache about 11:30 pm. I had several friends who experienced this so I took some Tylenol and marched myself to bed. And that was the end of it! 

Don't let the line fool you. The vaccination rates are GREAT in my county for the 65 plus crowd. The rest of the population, not so much. Our case numbers are up again, hospital numbers are staying steady. Grrrrr. Tonight I found out that another acquaintance who refused to get vaccinated is in the hospital with Covid pneumonia. It just makes me so angry when people are so seriously ill and it is preventable! 

My neighbors are talking about planning a vacation at Christmas time to a "Christmas Inn". I am insanely jealous, especially since I have been watching those Hallmark movies already. And because my husband, who has now had three Covid vaccines is still never planning to ever leave the house again.  After much whining a light bulb finally went off.  I have begun Project Hallmark Christmas Bedroom! 

I must have had a premonition because I purchased an adorable Christmas quilt on clearance last year.  I may have run to a nearby city to pick up some "door buster" specials at Joann Fabrics. And today I found my centerpiece. 

I had decided that the bedroom needs it's own tree. My first thought was a 7' flocked and prelit pencil tree.  We won't go into the prices I was seeing. Then I went on a bargain hunt. My husband was very concerned about the search, especially since we really don't have room for a tree in the bedroom. 

For some reason I was looking at the Dollar General ad online. I am sure I was searching prices for my husband's addiction (Sprite).  They have Christmas trees? For really cheap prices? After much study, I decided it had to be a 4' flocked prelit tree that would fit on my nightstand.  Then the hunt began. 

There is a Dollar General in the small village between our house and my daughter's house. We drive by every day and take her kids home. I have been stopping every few days to see if they have them in yet. The manager told me she got a truckload of new fall stuff, but no Christmas yet. She had talked to a manager in another village near us and she got no deliveries at all. The Dollar General in our town had not received any Christmas until this week. On Monday they had some random items and ONE 6' non-flocked prelit tree for $40.  Not what I wanted, but would it be all I could get? 

Today we went to a larger city to buy Sprite on sale at their Krogers. And Krogers is located in a plaza with a Dollar General. I stopped in AND, there was my 4' flocked prelit tree for only $20!!! They only had four of this tree and no other trees, so I grabbed it and ran! So exciting and my husband is so excited that we aren't going to be stalking the Dollar General stores anymore.