Holidays
Working the Eves*
The biggest gift I gave myself was end-of-the-year PTO. Last year was the first time since resigning as a classroom teacher that I had a paid Christmas/Kwanzaa/New Year’s vacation. I wanted to recreate that luxury of vacation time this year. Last year, Christmas was on a Monday, so there was no issue about working either … Continue reading
Reluctant Christmas Event Producer
Continuing my newfound tradition of non materialistic Christmas gifts for my family, I brainstormed what to do before Thanksgiving. The coordination of anything I plan always has several parameters, which greatly narrow down my choice of activities. So, I’m not overwhelmed by many possibilities, but threading the needle proves to be very challenging. The first … Continue reading
Baking It Easy
As usual, too many leftovers, including leftover ingredients after Thanksgiving. For the second year in a row, I had too much cream cheese frosting after dressing my red velvet cupcakes. Last year I made cream cheese frosting cookies, which were OK, but I wanted to go a different route this year. First thing that came … Continue reading
Friendsgiving Wood Memorial Style
Over the years, I’ve attended many Friendsgivings since I’d lived apart from my family for many years where I didn’t travel back home for Thanksgiving. Sometimes, those events were also called “Orphans’ Thanksgiving,” in which case, the adults who attended weren’t traveling to be with their relatives for the holiday. In all those years, I’d … Continue reading
Harley’s Halloween
For this year’s Halloween season, I graced several scenes with my best Harley Quinn impression, complete with glitter lips. My sister convinced me to buy the bat. First of all, I usually wouldn’t have spent that much on a prop. But she was threatening to buy it for me if I didn’t. Normally, I would’ve … Continue reading
2024 LABOR DAY WEEKEND
These days, I don’t need elaborate plans to enjoy my vacation. As a matter of fact, thanks to a surplus of paid time off, I can pick and choose when I want to accommodate some elaborate plan to have fun. So, when coworkers asked how I planned to send our latest three-day weekend, I proudly … Continue reading
Red, White & Blueberries
I enjoyed a delicious, freshly made chocolate chip waffle during a hotel stay for our family reunion a few weeks ago. That inspired me to make waffles for breakfast on the Fourth of July. I had the day off, so I didn’t have to rush. Instead of using a chocolate chip and syrup garnish, I … Continue reading
2024 Strange Family Reunion and Juneteenth
For our 83rd reunion, the Strange family incorporated Juneteenth, AKA “Emancipation Day,” decor and history as part of our agenda. Conveniently enough, our reunion fell on the weekend following the United States’ newest federal holiday. Our reunion spanned Friday through Sunday, starting with Fish Fry Friday. For most of us, it was the first time … Continue reading
Finally Celebrating Emancipation
Proving once again that you’re never too old to do something new, my parents, the “octogenarian teenagers,” attended their first Juneteenth celebration. Added bonus: none of us had ever visited the park where the event took place. The event didn’t start until 1. Since Dad’s caregiver was due to arrive at our house around 5, … Continue reading
Memorial Day Weekend in the Club
In typical Virgo mode, I researched proper adult entertainment club etiquette. The most amusing comments/advice were convincing men that a dancer’s attention was on getting paid, not finding a man. On the other hand, all I wanted to know was a ballpark figure for the least amount of cash I needed on hand. I settled … Continue reading