Episode 59 - Resolution, picture hangers & cake

One of my resolutions for this January, is to cut down on clutter around the house.  Being home over the Holidays provided the opportunity to get our home office organized.  It also brought to my attention, the need to run a tighter ship with less 'stuff' and papers (of any variety) lying around the house.  Grandma takes it upon herself to 'tidy up' loose items.  At first glance, things look to be in perfect order; however, upon looking for "something you knew was there yesterday" - good luck.  One day over Christmas break, I became distraught over a missing postcard.

DH:  When did you last see it?

Me:  I had it yesterday.

DH:  Where did you have it?

Me:  I don't remember, but it was in plain sight. 

But no longer.  We burrowed through piles of papers, the results of consolidated stacks.  Recycle, file, recycle, recycle, pay a bill, recycle, recycle... no postcard.  We had made our way through all the possible stacks (and even went through the recycle bin a second time).  Nothing.  My frustration turned to defeat.  As I  began to redirect the processed papers, I stopped at the basket holding the Christmas greetings we had received this year, and prepared to deposit the cards that had been in the papers we'd gone through.  Hmmm, could it be?  I took the cards from the container and sifted through one by one.  Aha!  Postcard!  I immediately sat down and took care of the business I should have tended to days before.... and mentally noted my first resolution for the New Year.

Also during the break, we managed to finally hang the family photographs in Grandma's apartment.  DH and I were able to get several groupings on the wall before Grandma came down and joined the project.  Although she occasionally found fault with our methods, she appeared genuinely pleased with the completed results.  Her random confusion as far as "who was who" in the photos, I wanted to chalk up to the addition of DH's sons and their families.  Although she sees them regularly, their names may have slipped her mind.  Not necessarily so... she was having trouble with all of them.  Upon looking at an 8x10 framed photograph of my three grown sons, she exclaimed: 

G:  There's one missing.

Me:  No, they're all there.  (DH and I wonder if she is thinking of one of his boys)

DH:  Those are the three boys NM gave birth to.

G:  I thought there was another one.  His father was an electrician wasn't he?

Me:  I think the pictures look great don't you?

I noted another birthday this week.  It happens annually, right after New Years, without fail.  I'm past the "woo hoo, it's my birthday... let's celebrate" time of my life... but I don't think I was ready for the "my mother forgot it was my birthday" time either.  She was usually the first to call me each year and sing Happy Birthday.  She would give me a card with a check neatly paper clipped to the inside...and say, "let's go out to eat", but this year, it was "just another day" to her, as it is becoming to me.  DH came home from work and baked me a cake.  There were several birthday cards in the mail for me and a couple gifts sitting on the island in the kitchen.  Finally after supper, she said to me. 

G:  Is your birthday December 3rd?

Me:  No.  It's January.

G:  I couldn't remember if it was December or February.

Me:  Nope.  January.

DH:  January 3rd.

G:  What's today?

DH:  January 3rd.  It's her birthday.

She didn't say Happy Birthday or ask how old I was.  She didn't sing to me.  The next day, she and Ruby enjoyed the birthday cake DH had made... and when I came home from work, I found my birthday cards all stacked neatly in a pile. 

So ends Episode 59