And so this is Christmas...

Tomorrow is the big day.  The grandkids will be on the lookout for Santa tonight, listening for reindeer hoofs on the roof.  Is your shopping done?  I finally found that last gift right where I said I would.  Everything is wrapped and I'm bringing an Edible Arrangement to my son and daughter-in-law's house for Christmas dinner.  They really enjoyed it at Thanksgiving.  Hopefully six-year-old Melissa will save me a strawberry or two.

Our exercise class was down to just four plus our instructor, Robin, yesterday.  So one of us suggested taking the day off and going out for bagels and coffee.  I had mine with lox!  Obviously there were no strenuous objections.  

Later in the day I went out to a movie and the theater was FULL.  Guess lots of us have finished our shopping.  "Blindside" was a feelgood movie, perfect for this time of year.  We're in the mood for giving, and have been helping through our various groups here at Summerset.  Can't compare with Michael Oher's story, but I loved seeing how much people will do for others.

Well we didn't get our cats anything for Christmas.  They haven't chased balls or batted mice for some time so I guess our gifts of food, a warm lap, and a clean litter box keep them happy.  More about that litter box on another day.

Hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

Nearing the finish line - one more gift to buy

I think I mentioned that it seems to get more difficult to find the right present as the grandchildren grow up.  But the one gift that seems to be the hardest to find is one of those "As Seen on TV" things.  I've tried about 4 places so far.  I think I finally know where to find it...Bed Bath and Beyond.  They have a whole section of "As Seen On TV."  So one more trip and I should be finished.  It's for the youngest granddaughter; a gadget that puts little gems in her hair.  She's getting some clothes, so you know I HAVE to find something she really wants that will be the one thing she remembers--for a few days at least.  Then it will be somewhere in a drawer and forgotten.  That's OK, as long as she has fun opening her gifts.

The older children give us pretty practical lists these days.  The 14 year old wants gadgets for the robot he's building, or some pretty specific books.  The 13 year old girl wanted movies or games for her DS or Wii.  The 12 year old is into sports, especially soccer, so he wanted a special jersey and an iPod this year. Our 10 year old wanted lots of boy things - games and a special Lego.  And the 6 year old wants that hair thingy and pretty purple gloves to wear to tea!  What could be more enjoyable than watching your grandchildren open their gifts at this time of year?  Not all the tea in China could make us more happy.

So tell me, do you get presents for your pets?  I'm trying to decide if I should do that this year.  We have two cats.  Do cats still like cat nip when they're old?  We think ours are about 10 or 12 (isn't that about 70 in cat years?)  One's a Burman (Burmese and something else, we think).  He's 20 pounds and not much into chasing ANYTHING any more.  His "sister" is a Snowshoe Siamese.  That's what my coffee table Book of Cats told me.  She has white paws and throat and weighs about 3 pounds.  We rescued them both from ARF - Tony La Russa's animal rescue organization in Walnut Creek.  Great place to find a pet by the way.  Cats are such good  company on a cold evening.  At their ages all they want to do is sit in our laps.  Guess when we're in our 70s we'll want to do the same thing.  Sit!

I hope your shopping is winding down.  Or do you love the camaraderie of all the last minute shoppers on Christmas Eve?  I usually find they're in a good mood and quite chatty that night.  I might go out just to see if  holds true this year.

Enjoy your last few days of shopping.  And have a wonderful holiday.

Contact me at:  BashaGraff@pobox.com

Still trying to decide on that special gift?

All the holiday parties around Summerset are getting into full swing.  The Social Club had theirs last Friday, and the Singers party is Monday. My Red Hatters, the Scarlett Ladies, are going to Quin's on Wednesday.  I'm looking forward to that, and especially looking forward to spending time with family. What's more fun than watching the children open their gifts or sharing a holiday meal?

On Tuesday I'll be at my granddaughter's 2nd grade class to explain the lighting of Chanukkah candles.  I plan to tell them a little bit of the history of why we light the candles as well as telling about the menorah.  The teacher asked me to explain about how we light the candles from right to left and why we add a candle each night.  This will be an interesting first for me.  I had planned to be a teacher and never finished my degree.  So this will be the  first time I'll stand in front of a class of children.  Although I never did teach children, I did wind up teaching computer programs to adults.  

My daughter and daughter-in-law have sent me the grandchildren's Christmas lists, and now I'm trying to decide what to get.  It gets harder every year, doesn't it?  While I was doing some research on the web I found some free Christmas music downloads from iTunes.  Something to listen to while shopping on-line?   Check it out at http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/itunes-holiday-sampler/id344104720.

Here are some other bargains you might want to check out for your holiday gift giving if you haven't finished yet.  I hadn't heard of SmartBargains.com before but I'm always on the lookout for bargains.  I especially liked the pink and silver pearls.  Let me know what you think of the site.  But the sale ends Sunday, so check it out today.


Check out these great deals (end 12/13 4 AM): • An Extra 50% off 600TC Sheets: On Sale at $39.99 • An Extra 40% off Jewelry •-An Extra 33% off Outerwear • An Extra 33% off Down and Down Alternative • Women’s Designer Apparel on Sale for $29.99 • An Extra $20 off AeroBeds • An Extra 25% off Watches • An Extra [...]

Check out these great deals (end 12/13 4 AM):
• An Extra 50% off 600TC Sheets: On Sale at $39.99
• An Extra 40% off Jewelry
•-An Extra 33% off Outerwear
• An Extra 33% off Down and Down Alternative
• Women’s Designer Apparel on Sale for $29.99
• An Extra $20 off AeroBeds
• An Extra 25% off Watches
• An Extra 30% off Cole Haan
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• An Extra 33% off Flannel Bedding
• An Extra 30% off Window Panels
• An Extra 33% off Matisse Boots
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Happy shopping.  
                                  The Summersetter

It's Beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas

We're having a COLD spell here.  Didn't I just say something about how nice it was?  Well today is sunny, but at 11:30 in the morning it's 39 degrees.  That's chilly for us.  But it does make it feel like the holidays are near.  I'm not usually one to shop early, and this year is no exception.  But with the stores open late at night, and so many stores now open in Brentwood, I think I'll avoid the crowds by shopping at night.  A friend and I tested that theory just the other day and it does seem to hold true.  People tend to do their shopping earlier in the day.  But I have a feeling if I wait too much longer, I'll be joined by a lot of other last minute shoppers.  So this week, with lists in hand, I'll be heading to the shops. 

Have you gotten your Toys for Tots gifts?  There are barrels everywhere and they are really needed this year or so many kids will be disappointed.  Summerset veterans club have been collecting this year and they are having their pizza party tomorrow, December 9th.  Bring your toy there and have a slice of pizza.  If you can't get to Summerset III, be sure to bring your unwrapped gift to a barrel in your area so toys can be delivered to the children once again this year.  

It's also a busy time for the Summerset Singers.  We sang for the residents of Cortona Park last week.  Today the SIRS are having their Christmas lunch, and we'll be entertaining them at Nines Restaurant.  Thursday we'll be singing at Summerset I for the Social Club luncheon.  Our own Christmas party is on the 14th at Summerset IV.  The food is ordered, decorations have been procured for my Hanukkah table, and there is a group handling our entertainment.  Then one more concert at Summerset IV - Carols by Candlelight.  And before you know it we'll be having our Christmas dinners with friends and relatives. 

If I don't see you before that, I wish you a very happy holiday.  I'll be thinking of all of you as I light my Hanukkah candles.

The new golf cart

So we had this old golf cart that we bought shortly after moving to Summerset.  Seemed like a bargain at the time, it got us around Summerset, and we loved it.  And we enjoyed its use for several years.  But the poor thing could not make it up that hill from Summerset II to Summerset III.  We practically had to get out and push it up.  We bought 6 new (expensive) batteries for it and it certainly helped, but it still wasn't so new and shiny anymore.  So we'd been thinking about maybe a new one, maybe on slightly less used one.  And what did we see right outside the club house but a lovely blue golf cart with a "For Sale" sign on it.  It even had the enclosure with doors with real hinges.  We called as soon as I got home, and took a look.  Needless to say, B.J. is out golfing today in his new cart.  The old one will be spiffed up and set out at the clubhouse with OUR phone number soon so that someone can love it like we did when we were new Summersetters.


My oldest grandson, Nate, who is 14, has been taking music lessons for many years.  He started with piano, did some wind instruments, and finally decided he wanted a guitar.  Well he's been working hard at it, and this weekend is his 2nd recital.  I've been hearing him practice when I'm at their house, so I'm looking forward to Sunday at Cal State East Bay.  Think I'll take my camera!  Break a leg Nate.



Talk at you again soon,
Barbara

Another day in paradise

The concert

The concert at Cortona Park went quite well.  They really love having people come sing to them.  Many of us want them to save us an apartment for when we're too old to stay in our homes here in Summerset.  We were very much appreciated by the 40 or so attendees.  For a while we thought we would outnumber the audience.  But by the time we started we'd filled nearly every chair.  About thirty singers participated.  Since Ken had to work (some of us Summersetters do still work), Ann did the directing and kept us all together.  Our last song was Feliz Navidad.  We brought some percussion instruments to help jazz it up and the audience loved it so much they insisted we do an encore.  Since we hadn't prepared one, we did Feliz Navidad again, and asked them to join in.  More instruments were handed out and everyone had fun.  All in all it was a very successful concert.  Next Monday we'll be at Nines, entertaining a group of SIRs (Seniors in Retirement) at their luncheon.  

Chanukah

Just in case you haven't been keeping track, Chanukah (or Hanukah, or Hanukkah)  starts at sundown on December 11th this year.  Ouch, I just realized I don't have as much time as I thought I did to get the presents sent out to Houston.  All the more reason to shop on line and have them ship out our gifts.

Have fun with your holiday shopping, and I'll let you know how mine is coming!

December in Summerset

So here in sunny California on December 1st it's 66 degrees.  Hard to imagine that Chanukah and Christmas are just around the corner.  But last night all the Christmas lights that people worked on over the Thanksgiving weekend were turned on.  It's so bright and festive and there is no denying that I'd better get out and do my shopping.  Since two of my grandchildren live out of town, I usually do some of my shopping on Amazon.com.  This year will be no different since I just got their list, and I know I can find what they want and have it shipped right to them.  Sometimes I'll even let them wrap the gifts, though sometimes I let my daughter do the work for me.  :-D  Honestly, she really doesn't mind.

The other way I know that it's that time of year is that Summerset Singers has it's first concert today over at Cortona Park.  If you're in the area, stop by and hear us.  I'll be heading over there soon, so I'll sign off for now and let you know how it went in my next blog.

Musings from a Summersetter

OK, so I'm a holdout on doing a blog. I thought, "What can I say that's interesting about a senior citizen living in an 'active' adult community?" But here I am, and we'll see.

HOLIDAY TIME

Since it's the HOLIDAY season, Summerset Singers is getting ready for it's Christmas Concerts at various venues around Brentwood. I was a total failure at singing solos as a member of the chorus, but one of our members asked me if I'd like to do a Chanukah song with him this year. I'll just tell you we're working on it. I have a couple of weeks until we actually try it in front of an audience. I'm also in charge of the Christmas party. I've found a caterer and the members decorate their own tables, so some of the work is done. We have a bar and bartenders. Being Jewish, I don't have any Christmas decorations at hand, so I may have to borrow some. 

THIS IS A BAD TIME FOR A DIET

As many of you know, B.J. and I have been doing Jenny Craig for a while now.  I thought I might keep you posted on how we're doing as an incentive to stay focused.  We've both lost weight; in fact 50 pounds for him and 30 for me.  But we've been doing this for some time now, and during vacations we have gained a few pounds back and are working on losing those, plus the rest that we've committed to.  So in the future, you may see me talk about that.  Of course the holidays aren't the best time to be dieting, but I hope that blogging about it will keep me on track.

So stay tuned, and let me know what you think.