We got back from my mom's Sun nite to be greeted by my Siamese cat in a really weird state.  I stayed up all nite Sun with her as I thought we were going to lose her.  She is getting better, drinking and peeing, and no longer acting as if she has gone blind or walking in circles, but is not eating, so will go to the vet tomorrow.  We think she chewed on the artificial Christmas tree.

Christmas at my mom's was good.  Everyone liked their presents and I liked mine.  Gave my husband first day covers and stamp sheets, which he was really pleased with.  Gave my mom a three-strand necklace of brown, tan and ivory beads with matching earrings, which I made.  (I design and make jewelry, among other things.)  My sis and I traded gift cards from JoAnn Fabrics, as usual.  Gave my BIL a gift card from Denny's as I know they eat out frequently.  Gave my nieces and their husbands checks and real pearl bracelets with 14K clasps for the girls.  My mom gave me, among other things, a beautiful blue v-neck cashmere sweater and a kabuki style jacket in burnout velvet and chiffon in shades of wine and green.  Will look smashing with a black turtleneck and jeans cuffed over boots.    She gave my husband a $100 gift card and $25 certificate from Lettuce Entertain You.  She gave me a check and I picked up the card here as there are no LEY restaurants in Spfld.  Dinner was great and we ate like pigs.  The only bad thing was discovering at noon that her sump pump had quit and there was water in the basement.  We moved the fragile things to the other side of the basement, swept out as much water as we could.  My stepbrother and his son came over the next day and installed a new pump.

We rec'd an Olive Garden gift card from my other SIL and that is the only gift from his side of the family, other than the charitable donation in our name from his other sister.  My husband finally told me that it was her suggestiond and he agreed to it.  As for the nieces and nephews--nada, not a phone call, not even a card.  I am disappointed and angry.    After I baked 11 doz. pizzelles, which they have assured me for the last few years they wanted, and packed them up after making a trip to the PO to get those prepaid boxes, then a trip to the drug store to get tape, then back to the PO to mail them.  There will be no presents from me next year and if he goes there, he goes by himself.

I will say that after going to my mom's I finally have the holiday spirit and will decorate the tree and do everything I didn't done before Christmas this week, starting after getting back from the vet's.  I usually leave the decorations up until the end of Feb, so I might as well go ahead and to it.  Living in the north, Jan and Feb are the darkest, coldest, dreariest days of the year and I like the gorgeous Christmas decorations.  I always used to take them down New Year's Day because my mom always did, and hated it.  About 5 yrs ago I decided not to do that and left the decorations up until I got tired of them, which was well after Valentine's Day.  So now we have mid-Feb dinner party with the Christmas decorations up and serve Thanksgiving dinner because my husband's employer gives everyone a 12-15 lb. turkey for Christmas and we are never home then.  Our friends look forward to this party and invitations are prized.

Hope everyone had a Merry Chirstmas and I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

I'm glad your kitty is better.  Her behavior sounds scary-poor kitty!!

Sounds like you were the belle of the ball!  How fun.

I agree, 2010 must be better than 2009.  Ugh, what a year!!!

Hi, everyone, sorry to be away so long.  I was on the computer 3 days ago and started seeing flashing lights in the upper right quadrant of my field of vision, so have left it alone until today.  My mom has migraines, and I know that vision disturbances like I had are symoptomatic for migraine.  I did have a small headache coming on after that, so took aspirin.

My siamese is just really skinny, la diosa, she doesn't look like a kitten.  I think she looks a feline version of the dwarfs whose physiques are in perfect proportion.  I can't think of the name for that condition.

Anyway, thank you both, sakina and diosa, for your concern.

The Christmas tree is finally up and fully decorated.  It looks really good.  I have a revolving tree stand, thanks to my sister, who gave it to me for Christmas 2 yrs. ago.  After my husband being so sick in Dec, I finally have time and energy to finish the holiday decorations.  I always leave them up until well into Feb, so I am enjoying finally getting it done.

I also cleaned out the refrigerator of things that had been in there too long, and cleaned all of my sewing impedimenta off the dining room table.  Tomorrow I will set up my lighted ceramic village and it will be done.  I will enjoy it all for a few weeks, then put it all away until next year.

Oh, yes, I reorganized all the decorations and their storage containers and was able to throw away several boxes.  I meant to do that last year, but that didn't happen because we were out of town for 10 days, visiting my in-laws.

I am enjoying the snow.  It puts me in the holiday spirit.  I have always said, if we have to endure winter, then let's have WINTER, meaning snow and ice and zero temperatures.  I don't like wimpy winters, like we had last year.  I want it cold enough that I don't feel ridiculous wearing fur.  Otherwise, let's just forget it completely and have summer. 

Very cool!

My siamese had another episode yesterday.  Her pupils are very dilated and I don't think she can see.  I have an appt with the vet for Fri.

School started this week and I have 3 classes of very nice people.  It looks like it's going to be a good semester.  I put in my syllabus that all work written outside of class had to be typed, and any paper that had more than 10 errors of any kind would get a zero.  Last semester students were turning in stuff that wasn't even spell-checked.

Choral practice started tonite.  We are doing opera selections from Carmen and Candide, among other selections.  The director played some of the CD that was recorded of our concert, and I was impressed.  We sounded really good. 

I'm praying for you and your kitty!!!  I hope she'll be OK.

How fun your choir selections sound!  I got to sing in the chorus of Carmen with the Grand Rapids Opera a long time ago.  Carmen is one of my favorites.  I'm not so familiar with Candide.  Lucky duck!!

We are back from the vet.  Cleo stayed overnite.  She has detached retinas in both eyes, and the beginning of kidney failure.  We have to infuse 2 ml of ringer's lactate under her skin every day and give her a pill to counter a high phosporus level.  Based on what I have seen with other friends' cats, this should give her 6-18 months free of pain.