I think that's an Elton John song? I'm still standing. Well, I am. But it's been a rough few days this December. In fact, it's been a rough few months this year, but I won't go into that.
Returning from 2 1/2 weeks of vacation and rest/relaxation in Florida, I had a slight cold but, apparently, a whopper of an ear infection. Thought my head was going to explode on the plane as we landed (both times, since we had a 2-plane trip from Orlando to Cincinnati through Atlanta this time). Also, I HATE the Orlando Airport and hope to never have to go through there again. Another story.
Anyway, a major ear infection (the first one I've had in my life), a visit to a nurse practitioner since my doctor was not going to be in for days and she gave me whopper antibiotics to fight it and said the cold would just have to play itself out. After two days on the antibiotics, I was no longer contagious (not sure how that works since the cold can't be helped by antibiotics and I was just taking Dayquil and Nyquil to kick it and drinking lots of tea with honey). But glad of that because my amazing cousin finally lost her battle with metastastic breast cancer and died while we were in Florida :( And her services were Friday and Saturday. A strange affair because she said she didn't want a service so...no one spoke or no one said a prayer or no songs were played. Just everyone talking with everyone else. There was a nice selection of photos of her showing on two screens. She was cremated and we had the grave-site interment Friday afternoon before the memorial service on Saturday. She was placed in the grave of her mother (didn't know they could do that).
So...also needing to get all the presents ordered and, hopefully, delivered in time - and wrapped - and...well, it's been a long few days and it seems like a month since we've been home but it's only been a few days.
I did paint while I was gone and will share those few things and the photos taken of the warm, sunny beachy days we were gone. Here, not too shabby = 50 degrees today and 55 tomorrow and 59 the day after!!! I hate that this strange weather is caused by global warming, but will take the warmer weather for a while in December and January as an effect of that. I really am not a fan of winter.
I'll return soon with paintings and photos and, hopefully, drawings I still have to complete from my online course (Val's gotten a bit behind in her postings, too, so I'm not too far behind!)
I hope your holidays are warm and wonderful
with family and friends galore.
I wish you all the best in the New Year to come
with days and nights full of fun.
Take care, my friends. Hug a friend, call a relative, send a card...you never know when it will be the last time you get to say, "Hi!" to that special person in your life. My cousin had just turned 70. I don't know if that's too young to die or just the right age, or whatever, but I will always miss her, her sense of humor, her wit, her intelligence, and her memory that held on to our family history better than I ever could.