TheBanyanTree: Sunday

[Monique Colver]

I slept in yesterday, because I could, and because my husband and dog kept
sleeping. It's too much fun to lay there reading while they both sleep.

Then we went for breakfast, except for Ash, because he's not allowed in
most places due to his insolence. After breakfast we went shopping for
Christmas lights, since all of ours had to be tossed last year. Then we
came back for the other car and went to find a tree. An hour later, we had
a tree and a new tree stand, because I couldn't resist the stand when I saw
it. Instead of the super annoying screws that have to be tightened, meaning
two people have to be involved while the screws are tightened on the tree
with a lot of looking back up at the tree to see if it's straight or
leaning at a 45 degree angle (not recommended) there is just a spike poking
up from the water container. Hammer the spike into the tree trunk before
bringing it in the house, and bring it in and stand it up. Done. It's good
this has turned into a one person job because by that time the too familiar
exhaustion had come over and I was immobilized for a bit.

Just exhaustion is one thing, but then came the absurdly painful part,
which I had hoped to skip altogether, but it's coming at a faster rate than
it once did, and while I lay on the couch rubbing my too large and annoyed
gut my husband took down the old garland up on our staircase and put up new
garland, so now it smells like Christmas, bought the tree in, then vacuumed
all the areas that had been involved, including all the stairs. The man is
a treasure.

Too out of it to do anything other than watch TV (which is the excuse du
jour) I watched some of those house shows, the ones where people have their
house renovated while looking for a new house, and then they have to choose
to keep their house or buy a new one. Man, are these people whiny. I
suppose it's a requirement of going on a reality show -- there's got to be
some entertainment value after all, and there's no telling what parts they
cut and what parts they kept. "I want a house like my old house, except
10,000% better, and I want it in the neighborhood I'm in, and I want it at
a reasonable price. Every single one of them was under the impression that
getting what you want is no more complicated than listing it and expecting
the designer and real estate agent would hop to and get it done. If only.

If only like were like a reality show. But I like to see the houses, and
every one I see makes me glad to have my house, which is a joy, a treasure,
a wonderland of comfort and serenity, an escape from the world. It's also
my office, my work space, and the place where I keep all my stuff.

Later I participated in an energetic and insult filled discussion about the
true meaning of Christmas, though I was never insulting nor insulted, but
some people don't know how to chill. All I did was point out that not all
of us are Christian, thank you very much, and we all celebrate different
things. Call it my service to mankind. Then I wished everyone a Happy
Hanukkah.

Which reminds me, I need to wish my cousin and my high school best friend
Happy Hanukkah. In this diverse bastion of mine they're the only two Jewish
people I know.

Eventually the pain subsided, helped along by only one pain pill. By then I
was too exhausted to do much more than watch Doc Martin and send my husband
off to see the Hunger Games. He said part of it is really boring. Ah well.

Later that night as I climbed the stairs to bed I thought of how wonderful
my house is, how I'm so glad I live in this house with the person and dog
that I live with. It's beautiful, like my life.



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Monique Colver
Colver Business Solutions
www.colverbusinesssolutions.com
monique.colver at gmail.com
(425) 772-6218