Almost Done

I stayed up until midnight last night, but not on purpose.  

I went to bed right after the ball game ended, but lay there tossing and turning until after 1:00 when I finally drifted off to sleep.  Good thing I didn't have to go back to work today -- although there have been times when I've gone to work on about as much sleep.  As it was, I slept in, not getting out of bed until 7:30 when the cat came to my door insisting that she was starving to death and I needed to get up and feed her.  

I'd planned on getting dressed and going into town for a bit, but Navy played at noon and because I slept in, I didn't want to have to rush, so I decided not to go.  I was watching Miss Scarlett, when I double checked the football schedule to see if I had time for one more episode and...what?  

Navy doesn't play until 3:30!  I can go into town after all.  I started getting ready and for some reason, I stepped out onto the car port and...it was pouring down rain.  I'm not going to town in this mess!  I can wait until tomorrow.  It'll probably be less crowded on a Saturday morning anyway, and there's nothing I can't live without until then. 

I settled in for another episode of Miss Scarlett, then turned on the ...whichever bowl played at noon.  It was Rice vs. North Texas, but I forget which bowl it was.  Whatever.  I turned it on and started taking Christmas decorations down.  As of this writing, it's all down and put away except for the tree.  

I've started taking a few ornaments off, but still have a ways to go.  At this point, I'm going to wait until tomorrow to finish, because Navy is playing in the Liberty Bowl up in Memphis.  I keep saying one of these years I'm going to go to a Navy game when they play in Memphis -- they're in the same conference as the Memphis Tigers-- but so far, I haven't pried my leaden behind out of the chair and done it. 

True to my word, I started culling a bunch of stuff that was either old, or I didn't have room for, or I was just tired of.  Like this garland and these balls for example. 

I've had them for probably 20 years, and have never even taken them out of the packaging.  And this cookie jar.  

It was a gift probably 25-30 years ago, and it's cute, but I don't love it.  If I'm being honest, I never did.  It's time to send it to a family who will.  

Then there was the time I put white icicle lights on my house, and decided I didn't like them and never put them up again.  And I have more garland than I know what to do with, and all of the little nick-nacks and figurines I've collected over the years --including a bunch of nativities from back when I used to collect them.  I had so many, I didn't have room for them all.  I've kept my favorites, but am going to share the rest.  

By the time the dust was settled, I ended up with a pretty good sized box full of stuff to give away.  

Women's size 9 house shoe included for scale, because I don't have any bananas.  

Now comes the hard part -- dealing with people.  I don't know if it's like this in other places, but here you can advertise something for free, someone pops up right away saying he wants it, but never shows up to get it.  Remember that box of mugs and such?  It took two weeks and three different posts before someone finally picked it up.  

On a similar note, I finished off the egg nog and chocolate chip cookies.  I still have a few cherry shortbread and gumdrop cookies, and a little bit of candy.  Once those are gone, that'll be it for the sugar until next year.  Well, mostly...I can neither confirm nor deny that I may or may not treat myself every once in a while.  Provided my blood sugar stays low.  

Somehow in the midst of all of that, I found a hat I'd completely forgotten I had.  

It's pretty lightweight, and will be good for those days when it's chilly, but not cold.  

In other news, my garden staples still haven't arrived -- you know, the ones that were supposed to get here Monday -- so I went to Amazon and cancelled that order.  I'm sure Walmart or Lowe's will have some soon, when they start putting their garden stuff back out.  

And finally, your meme of the day: 

 If this doesn't describe my work place, I don't know what does.