Humbug

 So, we received some snow overnight.  It won't last long, since the high is supposed to be 38.  It's actually been melting as it falls.  Meh.

I can't take the cold any more, not the way I used to when I milked cows twice a day.  It seems once cold weather hits, I never get quite warm enough to be comfortable until spring comes.  I understand now why so many senior citizens go south for the winter.  I make myself go outside once a day to go to the mailbox, and that's about it.

I am thankful that I don't have to take up knitting, embroidery, or quilting to pass the time, although I guess I'd at least have something to show for my efforts and time if I did that.  I read, I surf the web.  I cook and then wash the dishes.  I go to bed at night and get out of bed in the morning; that's about the limits for me.  Oh, I've forgotten the laundry:  I haven't checked Cliff's clothes basket lately, so I may be washing a load of garments today.  (I stopped at this point to check his laundry basket; make that two loads, with the first one in the washer now.)

I had thought we might go get a turkey and some other things needed for Thanksgiving today, but after seeing the snow, we might wait until tomorrow.  I'm sure the roads are clear, I just don't like going outside in the snow.

Now, after all that whining, let me tell you I am very grateful to still be alive, with my husband by my side.  I have cousins around my age whose husbands have died, and one cousin whose husband has dementia.  

I know I get on Cliff's nerves at times, but he's still here, and he cares very much about me.

I'm thankful that we have heat in our house, and that we've been able, so far, to pay our bills promptly.  We have a variety of things to eat at any time and have never had to go hungry (obviously).  I'm thankful I can go worship at churches of two different denominations on Sunday for many  reasons, one being that I'd never see anyone except my husband and other close relatives otherwise.   I am thankful for family, even though there is friction among some of them that makes it hard to have a full get-together at Thanksgiving and other holidays, and we miss seeing some of the grandchildren.  I pray one day we will be able to have a happy holiday when everyone will put aside their grievances, but meanwhile, I am thankful for those who come. 

I could go on all day about my blessings, but you get the picture.  When I think about how blessed we are, it makes me ashamed of complaining about anything.  Cliff and I have had a wonderful life, the kind of life we wanted:  Out in the country with tractors and plows for him and gardens, chickens, cows, and horses for me.  We have lived our dreams.

It is well with my soul.

The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat

I've mentioned before how much I hated football until the year before the pandemic started.  Somehow a coach named Andy Reid and a quarterback named Patrick Mahomes turned my life around and made me love the Kansas City Chiefs.  I still don't know much about football, but at least I learned how to tell who is playing offense and who's playing defense... although sometimes it takes me a few seconds to recall which is which..

Last Sunday night Cliff and I were watching the game.  My team scored first, but then the Titans scored, and scored again.  To make it worse, our kicker, Harrison Butker, couldn't do anything right, although he's been one of the top kickers in the NFL for two years.  At halftime the score was Chiefs 3, Titans 17.  

I could feel my heart sinking and I fell into depression; my team was losing, and I couldn't take it, so I told my husband goodnight, and Gabe and I retired to our separate beds. When I woke up around midnight, I asked the Alexa device beside my bed what the Chiefs' score was. Imagine my surprise when I heard they won!

I managed to go back to sleep, but woke up around 3 A.M. wide awake. I had to see what happened in the game, and since I recorded it on Hulu, I got up and watched the second half. Even then it was difficult to watch, with all those 250-pound men piling on Mahomes and nothing good really happening for my team. The game finally went into overtime, but the Chiefs did indeed win by three with only thirteen minutes left in the game, because Butker finally managed to get the football over the goal. Folks, I'm too old to be going through all those emotions.

I say all that to make a point: After watching the Chiefs win, I opened up my laptop and saw one of those wise little memes I'm always posting on Facebook; I'd posted it the day before, but obviously I didn't think about it when I watched our Chiefs struggling. Here it is: