Journal, December 14

We decorated the family graves Sunday afternoon with some help from Matthew and Kim’s family. Pictured is our decorations committee. Thanks to Matthew for the shot.

The weather has been so un-December like, the last 10 days or so. After a extra cold and snowy November, we have had temperatures well above normal. Yesterday, I trimmed the roses and mowed up the leaves, without a coat. Today, the high was 56 degrees.

This last week may have set a record for doctor visits. Last Monday, we saw our dermatologist, who froze several "sun" spots on my head and face and left me feeling like I had been in a fight with a cat. At the same time I was prepping for a Tuesday colonoscopy. I think this is my fourth time for this procedure, and all I can say is I just can’t stand apple juice and Gaterade anymore–they have such unpleasant associations. On Friday I received the finishing work on the root canal on old tooth #19. Today, I was back at our regular dentist’s office, getting my teeth cleaned to help my gums quit receding. Enough is enough.

We had to wait to decorate for Christmas until got our tree back from the ward after last Wednesday’s ward Christmas party. Apparently it has become the ward Christmas tree. The ward had borrowed it along with many others to decorate four Christmas’ ago. We didn’t know this, but apparently the ward also used it the two years we were gone to NC. This year it was the only tree at the party.

We (mostly Wendy) have been working on Christmas decorations since then. The tree decorations this year combine things from Wendy’s past trees and also Lewis trees. I am grateful to see a number of the three little animal faces still remaining from Michael’s Festival of Trees display. We decided to hang the sequined balls in the hallway, because the tree just did not have enough room on it for all 40 years’ worth. These balls are pictured as hung in year order starting from 1963 through 2003.

Wendy forbade me from putting up lights across the roof this year–and I didn’t put up much resistance. We built a lighted frame around the front door instead.