Gettin' Ready for Christmas

Hi everybody! We're all well at our house! YEA! Hopefully I can keep it that way for another week or so. Adam's home - got home on Thursday afternoon. What's the first thing he does? Calls his Pop-pop and they plan a fishin trip. This morning they went to Pop's friends' ranch where they have a private lake. I think they're cooking up a fish fry for Christmas dinner at my mom's house. Who knows - Mom just said she doesn't want turkey & dressin. We were trying to decide between Pop's Million Dollar grilled hamburgers (yum), Mom's Sunday roast, and a big fish fry with all the trimmings. So far, the fish is ahead. 'Specially if Adam has anything to do with it. Good ole big mouth bass & crappie! Yum-o!

Well, He and Pop stayed all day fishin and shootin turtles & varmints at the ranch - there's millions of em out there and they're a nuisance, they've also got hog traps & have caught quite a few - hey this is Texas and hog and varmint huntin is a state passtime, what can I say. The hogs literally tear up the landscape and make it not worth much for anything, dig up crops, eat whatever they want - and they breed like rabbits, and they're dangerous to boot. The more we can get rid of the better.

There are snakes, too, copperheads and water moccasins. Back in September when me, my sister and Pop went fishing out there we counted 4-5 water moccasins in the lake and a big one actually climbed up on the motor of the boat and was about to come in the boat!!! My sister was sittin in the back seat of the boat and I hollered at her and she jumped back and we swatted at it with our fishing rods and it scooted back into the water. It was a big-un! THEN, she freaked out.

I'm finally getting most of the shopping done, the tree finally got decorated and I put out a few other deco's. I'm going to be cooking for Christmas at my in-laws. My sweet MIL doesn't cook anymore - cuz she doesn't remember how. She's in good health and is sweet and happy, but I'm afraid Alzheimer's is slowly taking her memory. I hate it for her, and I hate it for my FIL who has to stay with her all the time and keep an eye on her. She's gone walking at night after he's gone to bed and he got up and found her missing. My FIL called my DH and he was about to go looking for her when she returned home. She just went for a walk. She just doesn't realize the danger anymore. It's sad. We are going to have to make some very hard decisions very soon I'm afraid. My FIL is getting more and more feeble and DH & I think they need to be in assisted living at least. They are unwilling to accept this right now.

Anyway, I guess I better start making preparations for Christmas dinner. We'll have Christmas at MY folk's house on the 27th when my sister's family can be here. My brother & his wife are not going to get to come this year. :^( Sorry I haven't posted any pictures of my Christmas tree or anything. I feel like I've done so little this year towards Christmas, but I've been alot more relaxed and I've taken a lot of pressure off myself.

Here's a pic of the new pipe fence we put up in front of our place at the farm. The gates still have to be welded, but DH put chains up for now. He's also painted it the same color green that the

shutters on the house are.

Hopefully, this fence along with the alarm system will take care of any would-be thieves. At least, we feel more secure knowing that people just can't drive up to the side of the house, break in the back door, and clean us out. At least it'll be alot harder for them. We hope to get the entire farm surrounded in this heavy pipe fence before it's all over with. Kinda expensive tho - we'll have to do it in increments.

All three of my kids are out roaming tonight. Even tho they're all in their 20's now, I still don't sleep until they get home safe & sound. They're good kids and I don't worry so much a bout what THEY will do, but about the other people around them.

Guess I'll go lay down and keep one eye on the clock and my cell phone. DH is snoring like a freight train - One of us has taken to sleeping on the couch nearly every night at some point. I think he has sleep apnea and his snoring has gotten worse over the years and the more weight he has gained. But he won't do anything about it.

Good night all - check with ya later... Vickie