hunker down projects

On social media I see so many friends tackling big projects while they're sheltering at home. Making quilts, painting furniture, landscaping, homeschooling, cleaning out their garages.....doing big stuff.

Even though I'm still working full-time at Second Helpings, I'm not working Saturday nights at the Red Key or the occasional Sunday at Marigold. I don't have any writing deadlines, I can go to Mass on my own schedule, and any concerts or parties have been cancelled.

Since I have an abundance of energy in regular times, you'd think I'd channel it and all of my free time into painting the house or starting a novel or scanning the boxes of photographs in my closet or writing letters or organizing my Christmas ornaments or cataloging the PEZ collection....or even keeping up with Words With Friends and birthdays greetings on Facebook.

Nope.

I spent the first few weeks overwhelmed and tired. Second Helpings is doing amazing things and we were working seven days a week in a combination of onsite and at-home shifts and conference calls and planning.

Leaving the house and coming home felt exhausting. I leave my shoes and anything that I was bringing home on the porch, take my clothes off inside the door, run to wash my hands, sanitize the door knob and my keys, toss my clothes down the laundry chute, shower, sanitize my watch and jewelry and glasses, start laundry, sanitize my purse and lunch bag on the porch and fall into bed.

Not that I was sleeping well. I was waking up several times a night in a panic - taking my temperature and realizing that I was hot because the cat was laying on my head or was shivering because the blankets had fallen away. Worrying about COVID-19 symptoms messes with you dang head.

I've certainly settled down. Work has evened out. It's a true testament to how nimble Second Helpings is that we pivoted overnight in how we deliver meals to the community. Not to mention doubling the number of people that we're serving.

I'm sleeping (mostly) through the night and I no longer obsessively take my temperature (now just before I leave the house).

I was feeling guilty that I didn't have a good answer to the question that invariably comes up in Zoom meetings, "what are you doing to keep yourself busy?" Answering "laundry and keeping the cat alive" doesn't seem ambitious enough.

I finally realized that getting through this is a big enough accomplishment in itself. In order to quit feeling like an underachiever I've given myself a list of small things that I can do to feel like I've accomplished something.

This evening I separated a jar of coins from the buttons, pocket lint, and safety pins that had collected there. I went as far as rolling the pennies and separating the Euros from the Canadian coins.

Look at me go!

thicken the plot: thinning down

[click on title for full post] 

I am excited to be participating in the Think Kit project again this year. Thicken the Plot: We're all writing the story of our lives as we go. How can you make your story interesting in 2016? And if you can't see around the bend, it's okay to dream. Let's make 2016 one of the most riveting parts of our tale, shall we?

I'm hoping this year is the year that I can see around the bend. While 2015 was full of fun, it was also sprinkled with two root canals and two crowns and repairs on the tenant side of my double, not to mention the two months it was empty and no rent collected. I'm working hard at chipping away at my credit card debt and being fiscally responsible.

I've also managed to accumulate stuff....most of it mundane... I've been making a real effort to use up the all of the dish soap, shampoo, canned soup, paper towels, weird smelling lotion, little packets of tissue, and other things that were either purchased on sale, given to me as a gift, or somehow came to to be at my house.

I've also done a good job of organizing and giving the gifts I've picked up for friends and family in the last few years, but never managed to actually get to the person I'd picked them out for. At Christmas I was mostly able to shop from my own gift shelf.

The more brutal project has been spending time in the basement sorting socks and tee shirts and pitching things that should have been tossed years before. I've taken a ton of clothes to the Toggery (resale shop) and the folks at Goodwill are starting to recognize my car and my trash bin is always full.

I look forward to enjoying my cozy house with no major projects hanging over my head. I look forward to looking forward to getting the mail each day - no more envelopes from the dentist or credit card company.

Even though I'm paring down, I promise the quirkiness of Chez Pez will continue - let's not go too far with this project....

pez and porch packages

Sometimes I forget that collect PEZ dispensers - even though I walk past hundreds of them in my hallway several times a day. I came home yesterday to a find a package on my porch from Amazon. My dear friend DM sent me the new Wizard of Oz PEZ set. I have so many wonderful thoughtful friends and DM is right on the top of the heap.

I love getting mail and used to be great about sending letters and remembering birthdays and leaving thoughtful gifts on on friends porches. I miss doing that sort of stuff and I don't know when I got too busy or lazy to keep it up. In the meantime I'll just add it to the list of stuff I need to get back to.

For today I'm just going to worry about whether I should keep the Wizard of Oz PEZ in the box or not. Thanks DM.

saint valentine's day 2009

This year might hold the new record for the number of guests at my annual Saint Valentine's Day party. According to my guest book (and my memory) over 100 people wandered through my house. I think there were at least 50 people there at once. I got wedged in the kitchen at one point and the hallway turned in to a one-way street. 

I love getting the house ready for Saint Valentine's Day. Decorating is so much more fun than dusting. It's no accident that the whole house is lit by candlelight and Christmas lights.

>

I did take a couple of hours to dust the PEZ collection for the first time in years. 

These beautiful roses were delivered to my doorstep the day before the party. Thanks Kristi!  

In twenty-six years the annual Saint Valentine's Day party as changed a little bit. Some of the early years the refreshments consisted of a keg of beer and a plate of heart-shaped cookies. 

Now the food is the focus. 

As you see, I added some healthier choices. I made myself eat two vegetables for every cookie. I ate a lot of veggies....and a lot of cookies. 

Not to say that there was not a well-stocked bar...

...or beer selection. 

There were more kids than ever this year. My nephew was the leader of the pack.

Here he is with his favorite PEZ. 


Aunt Nora was so preoccupied with her hostess duties that she absentmindedly handed him a lighter when he asked.

Don't the kids have the a "we're not doing anything look" on their sweet little faces?

I didn't take very many photographs -- I was too busy chatting and laughing. And eating and maybe drinking an Irish whiskey or two. 

Jeannie

Michael, Jane, Robert

Beth, Jerry and Ron

Beth, Anna, June Bug and Jerry

Joni and the girls. 

We all had great fun with the feather wreath from my front door....

Papa

And then the twins arrived....

Caroline and Katy

June Bug, Katy and J.R. 

Miss O. and Evan

Jolie and Katy

Katy in the wreath -- look at her little hand peeking out. 

Tammy (mother of those cute kids) and Papa. 

I had a wonderful time this year. I was able to take Friday off and Beth ran around shopping with me and we had a blast. Things are so much easier with help. I was able to sleep in on party day and still feel slightly organized. 

It was fun to dress up and show off the smaller Nora. I love this photograph -- and I have no idea who the guy behind me is. That's the beauty of the party, you never know who will show up in your living room.

post script: The handkerchief in the top photograph is from the folks that live in the Little Red House by the Park.  I adore it - and them. I need to apologize to the people that handed me tulips, candy and wine. Unless there was a card, I totally forgot who gave me what. The See's candy was totally worth the Weight Watchers points. 

chez pez on the road

Part of my PEZ collection is on display at the College Ave library through the month.

I need to snap some photos - now that I have a camera again!

r.i.p twizzlers

Hello lovelies,

I've missed you! I had a lull in blogging. Partly because I was swamped, but mostly because I believe in the 'if you don't have anything nice to say, don't blog it' credo.

I realized that I was in a funk a couple of months ago when I was trying to finish my 47 things about me post and re-read #2. I always wake up happy -- no matter how angry I was when I went to sleep or how I wake up. I always worry that if I heard a burglar in the house my first thought would be "Ooooh, fun! I have company!"

Whoa! That was not true for a couple of months. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong, but I sure was crabby and out of sorts. I really realized it about six weeks ago when I was hanging out with an old friend, that I was happy to see and all I could do was complain. I didn't even like being with me. Sheesh.

Ironically, that same friend told me that he woke up one day a few months ago and felt good for the first time in a long time. I told him that I was feeling like crap to keep the universe balanced. Well, I'm feeling better punk - I hope you still are too.

Long ago I decided this blog was not going to be about cats (have one, his name is Felix and he looks like a bat), hot flashes (been there, done that) or my weight. Well, you're just going to have to hear about my weight for a minute.

In order to feel better I started addressing the things that were bogging me down. The basement project was one. I stopped staying at work until 11:00 pm. I dusted off my bike. I reacquainted myself with the library - and thanks to Erin Brown I have a small display of my PEZ dispensers in the Glendale library. And I joined Weight Watchers.

I know that my activity level has declined over the years. I went from an active job at the coffeehouse to a mostly desk job. I started blogging and writing which requires hours on my bohunkus.

In the beginning I'd eat potato chips and other crunchy-saltys when I was writing. A year or so ago I switched to Twizzlers. They were 'fat free' and didn't leave trails of salt between the computer keys. I was feeling pretty damn good about myself.

The first time I typed my Twizzler intake in to the Weight Watchers program I almost fainted. One serving of Twizzlers is worth 5 points! The same as a cup of chicken and dumplings! So eating a bag of Twizzlers (not out of the realm of possibility in a three hour writing stint) was like eating four cups of chicken and dumplings! Or drinking 10 Miller Lites. Or eating two whole French baguettes. Or a one and a half Peanut Buster Parfaits.

So, the Twizzler jar is gone. And now that I'm paying attention to what I eat and am consciously exercising. I've lost six pounds in the last two weeks. Only twenty more to go.

And the State Fair started yesterday. How many points is a steak sandwich?

bethy's birthday (holiday party #28)

My younger sister Beth's birthday is December 31. We all gathered on New Year's Eve Eve to celebrate. Bethy will be 45 tomorrow. J.R.'s birthday is in February and for three months we'll be 44, 45 and 46. 

Beth and her hubby Ron.

Nephew John (Beth's godchild) and Dad.

Kiddies and Beth.

Beth and Molly.

Beth, Molly, Lauren, Bradley, John.

Beth Ellen blowing out candles.

Anna and J.R. 

John and Ron

Arni's is decorated with a bicycle theme. The banana seat one cracks me up every time. 

Molly with her High School Musical on Ice tee. 

John, Mom and Beth looking at my gift - a PEZ dispenser that serves up dog biscuits. 

Happy Birthday Beth!

a six pack

or my pallbearers

I have six godchildren. They range in age from 31 to 7.

Mike is the oldest and a cousin. I was 15 when my dear Uncle Con and Aunt Karen asked me to be his godmother. I felt very grown up and responsible when I stood at the baptismal font and promised to be responsible for this spiritual growth. I also took the gift giving part very seriously. The year of the puppy (I asked his parents first) was a hit. One of my favorite memories is taking Mike and one of his buddies to a Purdue basketball game. My college boyfriend Greg and I had a blast with the two sixth graders – who acted exactly like sixth grade boys are supposed to, giggling, goofy, soda spilling nerds. That little boy wound up attending Purdue for both his undergrad and graduate degrees. He is now living on the East coast and working for ESPN.

Caitlin is the next oldest. Her mom is an old friend from grade school. She was in grade school when she was baptized, so I didn’t get to hold her during the ceremony. She’s finished one year of college and is taking some time off to figure out what direction she’d like to take next.

Ben is number three. His mom and I have been inseparable since first grade (40 years for those keeping score). Ben gave me the only Christmas present that has ever made me burst in to tears. A framed copy of a school assignment.

“A Very Special Person”
The person who I admire is my godmother. Her name is Nora. I admire her because she’s nice. She collects Pez and gives us Pez candy a lot, and she’s funny. My mom knew her ever since she was a girl, and on Christmas she dresses up like Santa Claus.
Ben (August 25, 1997)

Ben is now a freshman at Hanover College, on the football team and a great student.


Sweet Mallory is Caitlin’s sister. Mallory is a middle school student. She’s creative, sensitive, independent and well traveled. She knitted me my favorite scarf.

Thomas is little brother to Caitlin and Mallory. He’s a hockey playing, sports loving grade schooler. He was a very rambunctious little boy. One time his mom called me and asked me to pick Thomas up from pre-school. Cassie was so angry with him that she thought it was better that I fetch him. In the past when I’d picked him up I’d have to sign in and show my identification. This time the teacher was waiting outside with him and she pushed him toward me the when I opened the car door. Thomas had bitten a classmate and not for the first time. Once I got him buckled in and asked him what happened.
“You know how it is when you’re tired, Aunt Nora. I just lost my head.”
Out of the mouths of 4 year olds.

My dear sweet niece Molly is number six. You can read more about her tomorrow.

little boys and things that shoot

I have not talked much my collection, but this blog is named Chez (French, from Latin casa, cottage -- pronounced 'shA) PEZ (acronym for the German word PfeffErminZ).

I have over 400 PEZ dispensers on display.

Besides the traditional character head dispensers, I also have some specialty pieces.
I'm not one of those collector nuts that has to have things still in the original box, but if they are still in the package I keep them in it.
One of my MIP (mint in package) pieces is a PEZ ray gun. As you can guess, they did not stay on the market for very long. You can imagine the "you'll put an eye out, Ralphie" potential with that toy.

I had a party Monday and the kids were hanging out in the house.
They live in a four bedroom lovely house in a suburb, so my urban lifestyle holds much fascination to them.
My laundry chute kept them entertained for half an hour, my cat was well-loved and I'm sure they ate their weight in PEZ candy.

My darling nephew wandered in to the backyard, tugged on my dress and asked "Auntie Nora, how does this work?"



Yes, the ray gun was out of the package.
Oh well, I've kind of always wanted to play with it anyway.

I loaded it up and told John he could only shoot the candy in to hands -- no mouths or eyes.
Guns are scary.
And as my friend Dean pointed out, it could be really dangerous if all of that sugar hit a diabetic.

baby steps

My wonderful landlords (Mr and Mrs Young) have offered to sell me the double (duplex) that I've been living in for a dozen years.

It is a great house.
Brick with a big screened in front porch, hardwood floors, plaster walls and the original wood trim and doors.
The backyard is amazing. It is a double lot, with 15 mature trees. The yard backs up to the Monon Trail, an old railroad trail-turned-linear-park.

The house is also very linear. Living room leads to dining room to a long hallway (home of the PEZ display -- all 400 of 'um). The kitchen is on the first door on right, the bathroom is the next door. The bedroom and the only closet is at the end of the hallway.

I've felt good about renting all of this time. My landlords have been great. The rent is extremely reasonable and any repairs have been made pronto. It has been a great experience for me, and allowed me to have a series of crappy jobs and find a career that I love.

I told the Young's that if they ever decided to sell, I wanted to be first in line. The bought a couple of properties when they married to put their kids through college. The youngest graduated this year.
I signed a purchase agreement this February and promptly freaked-out.
It felt like I was making a life style decision.
"I'm never going to get married"
"I'm going to die alone in this house"
"I'm going to be the crazy cat lady in the neighborhood"
"I'll become the woman who's house is so stuffed with stacks of books that she moved in to the other side"

Luckily the purchase agreement is good until the end of the year.

I finally turned my thoughts around.
"I will become a woman of property"
"I will have rental income"
"If I'm still here in 10 years I can knock out some walls, have a fabulous kitchen on one side and big bathroom on the other and finally have more than one closet"

I called a mortgage broker this morning and so far so good.
I was afraid a giant anvil would fall from the sky when my credit record was checked.
Did I purchase a boat in my sleep? Had I never paid back school loans?
The credit check came back okay.

So naturally I came home and freaked-out one more time (I'm sure it won't be the last).

I stood in my beautiful back yard as the sun set and watched the cat chase the fireflies.
It was all okay again.

I came in and gathered the documents the broker needs.

The mortgage train has left the station.

chez pez on tour

woo hoo...nora got a camera, nora got a camera....

I was honored to be invited to display some of my PEZ collection at the Irvington branch of the Indianapolis Library in January.
I included a lot of history and fun PEZ facts. It was very well received: the Central (Main) Library has asked me to show them in March.
Two of my favorite things, PEZ and the library.
Life is good.

When I was setting up the display I met a young girl and her mother. O. is a budding PEZ collector.
She left her telephone number for me with a librarian, but I felt weird calling her. It's pretty sad that a 45 year-old woman should feel strange calling an 8 year-old. When I took down the display I left O. a bag of goodies. PEZ, books and copies of research I've done with my phone number. I decided it would be better if O. contacted me.
O. sent me a nice thank you card today with some PEZ questions. I think this will be a fun friendship.