Yesterday, while having our second cup of coffee, I asked Don if he really wanted an item he had mentioned to me – Don sometimes has impulse ideas for a gift that he ends up regretting. Sure enough, he was wavering. Then, as a muttered aside, he said that what he really wanted was a resonator guitar. What do I know about resonator guitars? Nothing. But I do now. They have built in cones that make the sound bigger and they can be played with a slide, which is great for arthritic fingers and hands. Don has had a hard time playing for any length of time nowadays because of arthritis. This kind of guitar would be a perfect solution. (It’s often used by blues musicians, by the way, and was invented in the 20s before there was electronic amplification of guitars – the cones were needed to compete with the rest of the instruments in a band.)
Anyway. We talked about it and suddenly I thought, “I can buy this for him with some of my pay from the movie! I have the money.” So, I told him I would buy it for him and we started to research and listen to videos, etc. Don’s local music store didn’t have any in stock. But we found one south of us that did. So we got in the car, retrieved the extra bin of ornaments, got on the thruway and drove south (not very far.) We had an appointment to look at the guitar at 12:30. Long story short, we learned a lot more and it’s fabulous and I bought it for my husband for Christmas. Yay!
He is so happy. Playing the guitar has been a constant for Don since he was 10 years old and his Samoan godfather taught him to play a pedal steel guitar. He needs to play. And he’s been taking an online course from a blues guitarist from Detroit (who is also a minister!)
He has spoiled me many times (see dollhouses as Christmas gifts.) This Christmas I’m spoiling him. I told him I don’t need much for Christmas, maybe an inexpensive watch. I’ve been spoiling myself buying dolls and clothes, so I don’t need any big gifts. Just being here in our lovely little cottage with the tree and rest and peace is all I need.
I’ll take a picture of him playing the guitar later today, so you can see what it looks like.
And then we stopped and had fries from Five Guys – something we haven’t done in years. Oh my heavens, they were good.
Then I discovered Don had bought the wrong lights for the tree – he bought the kind that are netted and go over bushes – so I sent him back to the store. After he came home with the right lights, we put them on the tree and stopped for the day. We’ll put the ornaments on this morning.
For someone who just wants to rest, my days have been very busy since I got home.
Actually, I really like just having the lights for a day or two. That’s a piece of vintage fabric at the base of the tree.
Monty is already adorned for the holidays.
I’m keeping it simple this year. I have no idea where the putz houses are and I’m not looking for them. They’re not lost, I’m just not sure where I put them. Unless I have a burst of energy, I’m not decorating the dollhouses. Just the tree and few little things here and there.
I’m tired and my body is trying to recover from the insane schedule I was on for six weeks. I keep nodding off in the late afternoon and evening. The less holiday decorating I have to do, the better.
We’re watching Get Back, the Beatles documentary. Don has already watched it once and now we’re watching it together. It’s fascinating.
Stay safe.
Happy Wednesday.
sounds wonderful. i know you are enjoying all that. i am glad for you.
i will pray for don’s relief from that stinker arthritis.
hope you can take it easy today.
that’s what i will try to do, too … after looking for a new job and Christmas presents. i am not good at trying to both plan ahead/get a job and stay in the moment (ugh) so thanks for being you and providing me with a “calgon” break, too. :)
kathy
Happy to provide that break, Kathy!
Stay safe!
I love your tree with just lights and fabric. I just can’t manage one, again this year. We probably need a little xmas, but not right now. How fabulous to be able to buy your guy a big gift that he wants! I guess that’s sort of the holiday we’re having, too. The new/old Jeep and the new/old trailer will be my guy’s big gifts—and he’s also excited. Trailer is expected on Christmas Eve. So there’s that.
Brokenhearted kids (!) still grieving the loss of their little Brussels griffon, have decided to adopt another one. She’s elderly and has health problems, but her owner died and she needs some love. They have plenty. They are the best.
I’m so sorry for the loss of a beloved pet. Bless them for taking in an elderly dog. They’re saints!
Stay safe, Shanna.
I think you will both benefit from Don’s gift! And what a way to celebrate — I love that. The tree looks lovely. Some of mine just had lights for a few days — I took my own sweet time. Right now I think R&R is the best gift you could ever have. If you find the other things, great. If not, no biggie. It’s the being together and resting that matters.
We hung the ornaments this morning and took all the bins back to storage. I mailed some bills, bought some stamps, and that’s it.
I’ll order a couple of little things for Don to open on Christmas morning, but I’m not doing much more than that.
Stay safe, Jeanie.
What a perfect gift for Don! Can’t wait to see him playing it. Your tree looks lovely just as it is. Peaceful.
I’m hoping you’ll get your wish and have plenty of time to just relax. You need some downtime…after you decorate the tree of course. I’m just scurrying around like a gerbil, making everything sparkle, cause London son and his wife are coming home for Christmas! Friday is the big day. Cannot wait to give him the biggest hug…it’s been three long years of waiting!
Enjoy your day…and get some rest! ;)
So glad your son and his wife are coming home for the holidays! Huzzah! Enjoy it all, Donnamae!
Stay safe.
Oh, how wonderful for your son and DIL to be coming home for the Holidays. What fun that will be. I am doubting that we will have a White Christmas….but after reaching 67* today, who knows! Anything is possible. Stay safe tonight through this crazy weather. Tornado watch and High Wind Warning!! I imagine it might be a long night. Take care.
Thank you Chris…we are very excited. Don’t think it will be a white Christmas, but then did you think we’d be wearing t-shirts today? The winds have already started down here…hope we battened down here hatches enough! ;)
I walked into a friend’s home one Christmas time and her tree had no ornaments, only white lights. It was so beautiful that I commented on it. She told me it was a Prince Albert tree. Only lights. Guess what my tree looks like this year? A Prince Albert. But I am going to put a few ornaments on it in a day or two so the grandkids won’t be disappointed. But the trees really look beautiful with only lights, don’t they? Maybe the grands won’t be disappointed with just lights. LOL.
We succumbed and hung the ornaments and we’re glad we did. But I did like the lights as well.
Stay safe, Tana!
The tree looks good with just the lights.
I love white lights.
Don’s gift sounds perfect.
I can just imagine how tired you are. Listen to your body and rest when you need too.
I woke up this morning with a fever and feel like a truck hit me. Achy joints but no other symptoms. I do have a couple rapid tests here but I will wait a day or two and see what else develops. I don’t have a sore throat or cough, at least not yet. I am fully vaccinated and boosted. Fortunately I did a big grocery shop yesterday so I won’t need to shop again for a couple weeks.
I’m just going to rest and watch Christmas movies today.
Take care
I am exhausted. That’s the truth.
I’m so sorry you’re not feeling well, Marilyn! Maybe it’s just a little bug.
Stay in, take care of yourself, and stay safe.
Both your trees are lovely, Claudia. No tree again this year. Just can’t have one with our curious cats. But, we’ve set up a small tree for my Mom that we can enjoy vicariously when we visit weekly.
The guitar for Don is perfect. I’m so pleased that the movie job enabled you to buy it for him, though you might have found a way to procure the guitar otherwise.
Continue to put resting and relaxing and recovering from the movie job at the top of your list leading into Christmas.
I worked hard the last few days to get the tree and the lights up outside and inside and today we hung the ornaments. That’s it. Now I’m resting.
Stay safe, Wendy.
the tree looks just beautiful without ornaments, I like it like that. I don’t think we are putting up anything this year.
I think everyone has years when they don’t put a tree up. I’ve had several, especially when I lived in Boston but went home to visit my family at Christmas. And I did very little when Don was away in San Diego rehearsing Pygmalion. There are no rules.
Stay safe, Jan.
Claudia you do indeed have a lovely cottage and most importantly a home full of love! It sounds as if you are on the road to recovering your stamina and on pace for a wonderful holiday.
Slowly recovering my stamina, but I crash in the afternoon and evening. I’m just going to listen to my body and mind and relax.
Thanks, Sherry. Stay safe.
I am so happy you were able to buy Don that guitar. It is so hard when we have trouble doing the things we love. This is fantastic. LOVE your tree with just the lights for now. I did very simple decorating this year and I’m happy. Much love to you both.
Thank you, dear Linda!
Stay safe.
What a wonderful gift to enable Don to play and produce more music. Best gift!! I, literally, feel his pain as my arthritis is always there, too. This getting old is not for the faint of heart…and all that nonsense about The Golden Years. Yeah, right!! The very old saying of youth is wasted on the young comes to mind so very often.
The tree looks lovely. We had ours up for nearly a week with just the lights and I loved it. We did finally decorate it. Now, every Monday when the wee one visits, she thinks it might look better UNdecorated.
We reached 67* here today. Right now we have a tornado watch and a high wind warning. They have upped the estimate of wind gusts to 70MPH. I think it is going to be a very long night. Glad you can get some rest now! Take care.
67 is insane for this time of year. I hope you got through the winds safely, Chris.
Stay safe.
Delightful gift for a dear man.
Your tree iscdd as I beautiful just with lights. Great idea.
Do all kinds of special things this season for yourselves are others. Even in secret. Lots of fun.
Thank you, Joan.
Stay safe!
Claudia, your blog brings me such a feeling of joy and contentment. I’m glad your back. Thank you for sharing your life.
I am glad you are back!
Oh thank you, Leora! That means a great deal to me.
Stay safe!
Claudia, that is so sweet of Don to open up about the guitar he wanted! That sounds like the perfect gift! Glad you are back, too! You were missed. Settle into the season and let it revive you.
Thank you, Lottie.
Stay safe.
Claudia,You are so thoughtful .I have loved following your adventure and now your peaceful return to the cottage.Thank you and enjoy some well deserved rest.xo
Thank you, Annette.
Stay safe!