Doing Nothing. Taking Names.

February 23, 2016February 23, 2016 / Ally Bean / 38 Comments

It’s difficult to keep a personal blog when there’s not much happening. ‘Ya know?

I can tell you things like I’m feeling well & walking more. Zen-Den is content with his life at the moment. We are happy, thinking about attempting to plan to go on vacation sometime, somewhere.

Projects around the house continue. Culling out what we don’t need anymore & giving it away. Painting one bedroom a new color. Waiting for the carpenter to be available to put crown molding in some rooms.

Weather is nicer, warmer, sunnier. Talked with landscaper about removing some overgrown shrubs, taking down a pathetic tree, adding some decorative grasses. Ordered more fancy stone for the path under the deck.

But you see, that’s all I have to share today on these hallowed blog pages. Not much happening at Chez Bean.

So I’ll leave it up to you, my gentle readers. Should you care to talk about the stuff in the photo above, OR have a question for me, OR want to tell me something about yourselves, please feel free to do so in the comment section below.

Heaven knows, I don’t have much to say today, so I’m hoping you do!

How I Plan To Have A Happy Holiday Season This December

December 1, 2015December 1, 2015 / Ally Bean / 37 Comments

#1 – Decorate outside early. Decorate everywhere simply.

Slowly our neighborhood is transforming into a holiday wonderland.

Those of us who don’t do Black Friday spent last Friday, a warmish, dry day, putting out holiday decorations. Everyone who I saw outside seemed happy, although a few people were mowing their lawns for reasons unclear to me.

But whatevs.

We never do more exterior decorating than a couple of lighted wreaths on two windows and a few nets of multi-colored lights on some bushes by the front door.

As for the inside of the house, we’ve gone with one skinny decorated Christmas tree in the TV room, a small jingle bell wreath on the hutch in the kitchen, an antique nativity scene in the dining room, a growing Amaryllis in the living room + a stack of cutesy decorative boxes in the foyer in place of fresh flowers.

EZPZ. And it’s festive enough.

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#2 – Do not have a big holiday office party at The house.

For the first time in five years we aren’t having a holiday party on the first Friday in December.

This means that we haven’t needed to move half of our furniture into the basement or garage so that our 50+ guests have somewhere to stand. We don’t have cases of wine and beer and other libations piled in the garage.

We aren’t running to the grocery to buy all the ingredients to make dips and create cheese plates. And we have not ordered even one plate of sandwiches or cookies that need to be picked up after 4:00 pm the day of the party.

To say I feel carefree and giddy this week is an understatement.

Not being a hostess rocks.

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#3 – Disengage from the holiday crazy whenever possible.

Considering I decided that 2015 would be the year of the recluse, my holiday social calendar is delightfully almost empty.

To wit, I’m doing one special event each week in December. This way I hope to not be overwhelmed with travel and holiday attire and food + booze and Christmas-obsessed extraverted people who ~~inexplicably~~ enjoy this time of year.

Nope, this year I’m putting myself in the holiday mood by avoiding as much of the holiday hoopla as I can.

Paradoxical, perhaps. But that’s my happy plan.

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AND YOU, MY GENTLE READERS, WHAT’S UP WITH YOU THIS MONTH OF ~~FORCED FRIVOLITY~~ DECEMBER? TELL ALL IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.

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A Poem In Which We Once Again Talk About Fuzzy The Squirrel

November 24, 2015May 6, 2021 / Ally Bean / 27 Comments

The morning was beautiful, the sky was blue,

I glanced out the window for something to do.

Neighbor Kitty, most calm, asleep in the leaves,

While above him there plotted three sciurine thieves.

Their leader, a dickens, named Fuzzy by me,

Stared down upon Kitty, while perched in a tree.

I feared for them all should trouble arise,

But Kitty kept sleeping, there was no surprise.

The squirrels soon tired of barking at cat,

And decided to use the limb for a chat.

The photo you see makes it look oh so dreamlike,

But I swear to you here, it truly was scheme-like.

This post is now over, my rhyme will be ending,

But with Fuzzy’s approval, this poem I’m sending.

Heebie-Jeebies Alert: Creepy Birds Here

November 12, 2015November 19, 2015 / Ally Bean / 35 Comments

GLANCING OUT INTO THE BACKYARD the other morning I saw these birds walking on the grass, wandering along the edge of the forest behind my house.

TO ME THESE HUGE BIRDS looked like gang members, in black leather jackets, up to no good, on the hunt for something.

HAVING MISTAKENLY IDENTIFIED BIRDS BEFORE [and having had approximately 3 gazillion + 27 people tell me I was wrong], I’m going to say that I don’t know what ~~gang these birds belong to~~ kind of birds they are.

INSTEAD I’LL CONTINUE TO REFER to them as Creepy Birds, because they give me the heebie-jeebies and the name, you gotta admit, seems right. *shudder*