Thursday, December 15, 2022

December Hope and LOVE

December 2022 has been decidedly different. It has been DREICH! (Dreich is a perfect Scottish word for a gloomy, grey day that seems that it will last FOREVER. Thanks to Adullamite in Scotland for this word. I totally get it now!)

Not today though!  I was so hopeful to see that big, beautiful sun I can't tell you how much nicer it is! I am looking out upon a beautiful sunny day with just a few puffy clouds here and there. Once it warms up just a wee bit, I will be out IN it!  This past week almost half the USA was covered in snow so I guess I should be thankful here in Georgia for rain and gloomy skies.  Why, it even snowed in London and in Eastbourne! Two places that I have written about in England! I have seen Eastbourne in the snow but not London. The snowy photos of London have been so pretty! (Please don't think I want it to snow here, the traffic is bad enough but with snow...it is even worse!) No, I like snow in photos and on Christmas cards and that's about it!

What has the weather been like for you all? Does it affect you as much as it does me?  My Daddy always made sure he had one of the weather almanacs to consult.  There are different ones in the USA. My Dad used Grier's Almanac which was a local one for the state of Georgia. (I just looked it up. It began publication in 1807 but due to the death of the owner it closed up in 2021. That is a bit sad to me.) Before we had 24/7 news with weather radars giving us up to the minute forecasts, people either looked at the sky or read one of the weather almanacs.  Most people here might have heard of the "Old Farmer's Almanac" which was started in 1792 in Boston, Massachusetts by Robert B. Thomas.  What a fascinating man! I have a quote from him here...


"We must strive always to be useful, with a pleasant degree of humor."


I wrote that quote above on the same slip of paper with another quote from an author that I have always admired: Robert Louis Stevenson. (Yes, another Scot!)  Here is the quote:

"Continuing to fail in good spirits".


There, those two sayings seem to go hand and hand, don't you think? 

We have had some Christmas cactus plants for a few years now and they were not doing well AT ALL. I wanted to just put them down on the curb and hope someone would take them away! My husband decided to put them outside for air and sunshine and when we noticed buds on them, we were happily surprised! I think I have read that one of the best traits of a gardener is hope. It works for us all!




                                                 Hang in there!


So, I am wishing you all the best.  Hope and Love!



Enjoy the video! Darlene Love!













31 comments:

  1. What a lovely post. I love Darlene Love. This morning it was rainy and gloomy in my part of Florida. We've had a lot of gray days this month, and during November, too. Around noon today, though, the sun came out. It's about 75 degrees. We'll have a cold front move in tonight. Overnight lows for a while will be in the 40s with daytime highs in the 60s. Not bad at all. People are always shocked when I tell them it can get chilly here. Miami weather isn't for the entire state.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I know it can get chilly there! But no matter what, you're never far from a beach in Florida! Take care!

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  2. DREICH - I love that word. Here too in northern GA!! But I am glad it is not snow. Love the Christmas Cactus. Did you look in a week it is going to be 24 degrees and if it rains it means snow.

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    1. I hope for no snow! Kids will want it but not me!😊

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  3. We have been cloudy today and waiting for our first big storm of the season. up to 12 inches. We are set up for the snow and if it is slippery I will be staying home from work.
    Cathy

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  4. It's been a mixed bag day of weather today. A bit of snow and a splash of rain. It's a cold hard frost now. Love that Darlene love. Xx

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    1. So glad you liked the video! I had to pick just the right one!'Stay warm!!

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  5. What a fun video! It's one of my favorite Christmas songs and I loved how they went through the ages of her yearly performance! Our weather has been off and on gloomy and rainy with only a couple of little snowfalls that melted quickly. Today started with gloomy rain but by this afternoon it was sunny and 50! Yep, the dog and I walked and enjoy it because by this weekend the high will be in the upper 20's! Brrrr! Have a wonderful Christmas!

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    1. Yes! I really loved to see how that was put together from over the years, her voice is so great! Stay warm and wishing you a very happy Christmas!

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  6. Dreich is a word i'm going to have to remember.

    We don't need snow down here, either. Swamps do not do well with snow.

    Reading the almanac can be fun, i have one around here somewhere, although i guess it's time to look for the new one, isn't it.

    Hope you are having a blessed and beautiful Christmas season!

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    1. I saw the lightning you have had in Louisiana on the news! Storms like that are scary! Blessed and beautiful Christmas season is wished for you also. Take care!

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  7. I enjoyed that compilation video of Darlene Love singing her signature song! I hope your Christmas cactus blooms now!

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    1. Yes! We have several of them and they are blooming away! Even when they drop their spent blooms, I take them and put them on my kitchen windowsill so I can still see their bright colors. What a nut about color am I? Hope all is bright in your world, friend.

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  8. Our friend Graham has also been using "dreich" on his blog, and I find it completely fitting for a... well, a dreich day :-)
    We've had snow and frost and grey skies with the exception of this past Tuesday, when the sun put in an appearance and made for a VERY cold, cloudless, starry night later on.
    I am travelling to O.K.'s tonight and hope trains won't be even more chaotic than usual... but we'll see. In the end, I always arrive - sooner or later!!
    Lovely video showing us Darlene Love and the "Saxophone Santa" through the years. I like her looks best with the short hair, but her voice is great no matter what!

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    1. Yes! I also remember Graham using that word too! And I am so glad you listened to the video. I just knew it would be a joyful voice for folks to hear. We need joyful voices. Hope you are bundling up in cold weather, my friend!!

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  9. I am so tired of dark dreary days. It's a good think I have a trip to Florida in a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to some sunshine and warmth once again. Sunshine always makes such a difference. Winter is not my favorite season. Hope you enjoy your sunshine when you get it. Love, ma

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    1. Enjoy that Florida sun and warmth for me! And have a beautiful time. Merry Christmas!

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  10. You can have our snow and ice! I went flying on it today! Fair scunnered now.

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  11. Your Christmas Cactus is gorgeous. Best Christmas Wishes to you and yours!

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    1. Hey! So happy to see your comment here. Merry Christmas to you!

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  12. Have a Sweet and Happy Christmas!
    hughugs
    Donna

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  13. Kay, your posts are always so lovely! I hope all is well with you. Sending you hugs from my little city in Canada.

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    1. Lovely to see your comment here! Sending you hugs right back! And stay warm!! xx

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  14. Weather affects me too. The constant greyness was one of the problems of living in Northern Ireland for me earlier in my life, although it's a nice place otherwise. Just as well you didn't put the cactus on the kerb, I hope you have now been rewarded with some blooms.

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    1. Hey Jenny! Happy Christmas to you! I have loved the colorful blooms so much, when they fade and drop off, I put the spent blooms on my kitchen windowsill to enjoy. Love colors!! Hope you are well, take care! ❤

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