Notices by Norcal Gma 2 (norcalgma2@sfba.social), page 7

Pretty sky but not much of a sunrise.
Today is shopping with my daughter day.
Summer will take care of things at home until I get back.
Seeing the sun is a welcome change.
Good morning, Mastodon.

Byron is cute enough to get away with almost anything. Lucky for him.
#Caturday

As a child, I don't ever remember receiving a gift that was special or memorable. As an adult, finding a gift for people who don't need anything was stressful and a chore. Although my husband has come through with some thoughtful gifts over the years, I don't think either of us misses the process. We kind of give to each other year around.
The first year we quit giving gifts, I gave the grandkids each what we would have spent on them to turn into an act of kindness. We all agreed in advance that none of us needed anything so they thought it would be fun.They leveraged that money and some of their own into camo stockings filled with fast food gift cards, candy, little flashlights, little nutcrackers, and a gift certificate to a shoe store that was enough to buy a new pair of shoes. These were distributed to thirty veterans living in shelter.
They refused any recognition but received some lovely thank you notes.
That was my favorite Christmas.

Mastodon is really something special.
It is a place where I can give and take at my own pace. I can indulge in my feed without pressure to believe this or that and can filter anything that makes me uncomfortable.
Very unlike most of the internet where everything feels like it is coming at you at the speed of light, and you can't be sure what or who is trustworthy.
It is easy to shut down in the face of a barrage of negative, just like it is easy to open up in a space that is safe and welcoming.
Thank you to everyone who extends that welcome every day without conditions.
I think you are a lifeline to many.
Certainly to us.
Peace.

Right around this time, forty years ago, I was a single mom with a really smart daughter. She was getting in trouble at school because she was smart and thought she should be afforded a superior status. That wasn't going to fly at home or school.
We came to an agreement that her gifts should be used for good, and she was tasked with how to make that happen.
Her idea was to adopt a small care home for Christmas, so she helped me bake goodies, we sewed simple stockings, and she made these Christmas cards.
The week before Christmas, we visited the care home, and she distributed thirty stockings with cards and hugs. She chatted with everyone and told lots of people she had never met before that she loved them.
Every year until she left to be an exchange student, she cooked up a bigger and more involved plan and an updated card.
I kept one set of the cards all these years.

I reminded my daughter about caturday and got an earful about Byron's most recent escapades.
He is eating everybody's food, pushing important items off the counters, and partying all night long.
She might deserve it because she was such a handful as a kid.
#Caturday

For fifty plus years, my husband has gone up in the mountains with his friends and their families on the day after Thanksgiving. For many of those years me, the kids, and then the grandkids went along. We would be able to play in the snow, eat lunch at the top of a mountain, and get totally cold, wet, and tired.
We had great fun.
Between cancer and covid, the traditional trek has been on hiatus.
Early this morning, a crowd of friends from his school days came by the house, reviving the tradition, so away he went. Summer and I decided to stay home. Mostly because Summer gets a little bit car sick, and we don't want her to be miserable. I told them to take good care and keep him out of trouble.
I took this photo the first time I went on one of these excursions. Then, like now, my husband was just a kid who looks like a grown-up.
Good morning, Mastodon.

It seems like the older Summer gets, the more she wants incentive to run.
She drops toys at my feet until I take the hint.
It is a bright, beautiful morning here. I just wish it was a little warmer.
I am pretty sure she was having fun.

I am thinking about my mother this morning.
She survived Indian boarding school and all manner of hate and racial bias in her lifetime.
In those days, to live off the reservation, away from people that look like you, was hard.
Before she passed, we talked. She told me she had a good life. I was like, what about this or that? She said her life was a success because her daughters all turned out to be good people. She was content.
According to her measure, I have been a great success. My children and grandchildren are kind and generous people. Our dog is even a sweet and gentle creature.
So, with that thought, I am starting this Friday with a happy heart.
Good morning, Mastodon.