Category: Uncategorized

Farvel, 2023 (Good-bye!)

Dear Liza,

I was feeling good enough New Year’s Eve morning to go out for an early walk. Auntie Bridgett was live streaming the service at Twin Lakes Church and Grandpa Nelson was still asleep. It was chilly and damp, but not raining. I layered up with my beautiful new sweater from Donna, warm presents from other years, and headed out.

Even though it wasn’t raining , it has been a wet winter so far and Laurelhurst is beautifully foggy. I don’t know for sure that Narnia runs through here, but it certainly could!

A fine mist hovered in the treetops, making everything mysterious and quiet. The people and dogs seemed to notice it, too. Everyone was extra quiet.

I made a long lap around the park and headed home, feeling that I have ended 2023 as I began it :

Grateful for the love and beauty in my life and ready to give back as I can.

Love,

Grandma Judy

De-Christmas-ing

Dear Liza,

This year’s Christmas has been, to put it gently, weird. We put up the tree and made the house pretty. Parties were lined up and concert tickets bought. Then I got sick with Covid, then Auntie Bridgett. Grandpa Nelson is still fighting the virus.

But it was still Christmas! Bridgett made the house beautiful with boxes and boxes of ornaments, bows and random wintry pretties.

And now it’s time to put them all away. I know, we usually leave things up until the New Year, but our tree is crispy-dry and may be aggravating Bridgett’s allergies. Mouse the cat is getting even nuttier than usual about the ornaments.

So to keep things simple, we’re de-Christmas-ing. Most of the pretties get wrapped up in old tissue and placed gently in boxes, which get Tetris-ed into bins which live in the garage. Some are being offered on our local “Buy Nothing” group in Facebook to make room for the new ones, sent by Bridgett’s mom or bought from local artists.

And the tree.

To get it out of the house without tracking needles over three floors, I got out the pruning shears and pared it down to the nubbins. The branches were taken down in bins and the stump will get lowered off the balcony, sawn in half, and composted. Mouse was not pleased.

I am looking forward to the New Year, but not particularly sorry to see this Christmas season pass. It’s been a bit of a stinker.

Love,

Grandma Judy

An Anniversary Walk

Dear Liza,

I WROTE THIS ON DECEMBER 22, BUT BY THE TIME I WAS GOING TO POST IT, GRANDPA NELSON WAS SICK AND IT FELT OUT OF STEP. BUT SINCE I DON’T HAVE ANYTHING CHEERY TO SAY AT THE MOMENT, I WILL POST IT NOW IN REMEMBRANCE OF A SUNNY, FUN DAY.

Hooray for testing negative! The other day was Grandpa Nelson’s and my 49th anniversary and I was well enough to go for a walk out to lunch. It was a bright, chilly day.

It was the Winter Solstice, so all the flowers and most of the leaves are gone. These bright linden berries, hanging around as a buffet for the birds and squirrels, sure gave some color.

We walked through the neighborhood, aiming for Monster Smash burger and making the longest shadows of the year. Alas, they were closed! But I was hungry, so we pivoted south half a mile to Zach’s. I got my tofu Chicago dog and Guinness, and Grandpa got his fries and orange soda, and we visited with Zach himself. He even gave us our lunch for free, since it was our anniversary. He’s a fine fellow.

When we were done, Grandpa’s back was bothering him so we took the bus back to our own neighborhood, enjoying the bright sunshine before another predicted wet week.

I hope you have some fun adventures this week.

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Merry Covid Christmas

Dear Liza,

While you were off in the wilds of Norway in search of the Northern Lights, we were spending a quiet, rainy Christmas Day here in Portland. Grandpa Nelson has caught Covid and had a bad few days of sleeping and being miserable, but now seems to be on the mend.

We had a very helpful Zoom visit with a Nurse Practitioner named Ronnie, who prescribed meds, gave advice, and provided some much-needed confidence.



For Christmas Eve dinner, we had hoped for our traditional dinner of take out pizza, but Straight from New York on Belmont closed early and it was too cold to look further. Bridgett proposed pancakes, which suited me just fine. I’m pretty sure red wine and Hennessy goes with pancakes, right?

Auntie Katie picked up groceries for us, and some lovely tulips, as well. Our table was lovely.

On Christmas Day we opened presents, then had FaceTime visits with Bridgett’s family in San Diego and Auntie Katie and the Cousins just across town. They built wonderful gingerbread houses!


Our Christmas dinner was Danish meatballs, pasta and roasted veggies. Special Christmas plates from Aunt Chris, placemats from friend Julie, and Katie’s tulips made for a festive view.

Auntie Bridgett and I played Bananagrams, watched an episode of the Great British Baking Show Holiday special, and snuggled with Mouse on the couch. Then it was time to give Grandpa Nelson his medicine and head for bed.

Merry Christmas, get home safe, and we’ll chat soon.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Beware of Over Confidence

Dear Liza,

This “recovering from Covid” thing keeps surprising me. With most illnesses I’ve dealt with (which haven’t been many, knock on wood) , there has been a steady upward curve of improvement. Like recovering from minor surgery last year. You get cut and stitched, then heal up.

This time, however, I can’t seem to make up my mind. “You are so much better!” I tell myself. “Let’s go for a walk!” So I layer up and walk a pleasant block, having a nap to rest up afterward.

“That bathroom is nasty!” Says my judgy self. So I scrub a little. And sleep for a few hours.

And the next day, a shower puts me back in bed and conversation is too exhausting.

My Dad was a do-er, always up to some project over and above his regular job. I was raised to walk the line between ‘taking care of yourself’ and ‘challenging yourself’, usually erring on the side of ‘being busy’. This is currently not working for me. Just holding these thoughts in my head and typing them are pushing my limits.

So I’m going to listen to my body, make like a possum, and see you in a few days.

PS. This photo was taken July of 1980, the month before your Daddy David was born. It has no relevance to this post. I just really like it and thought it would make you smile.

Love,

Grandma Judy

A Short Walk Out

Dear Liza,

You knew I couldn’t stay inside forever, didn’t you? Yesterday, after a long and lazy morning in the couch, I got inspired. I had some energy and spunk. Grandpa Nelson was heading for Zack’s Hot Dog Shack. Would he walk me around the block before he headed off?

Since it was 48F out, I bundled up. Long underwear, jeans, sweater, scarf, wooly hat. Getting dressed nearly wore me out, to be honest, but I was determined to breathe some fresh air.

And we did a lovely, well paced turn. I saw new For Sale signs, beautifully bright leaves, and even a few fellow pedestrians. I felt extremely grateful to be up and out.

When we had checked the mail and gotten back to the house, Grandpa Nelson made sure I was okay and then continued on his way to lunch. I used the last of my energy to wrap a few presents, and got right back into my pajamas, and into bed.

It was a great first effort, but we shouldn’t be foolish, right?

Ready for a good snuggly rest until dinner.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Low Key Christmas

Dear Liza,

We are usually a two-holiday household. We tag-team on Hannukah and Christmas, Easter and Passover. We find something to celebrate in everything.

We sort of take on the More is More philosophy.

But this year is a bit different. I got sick on the first day of Hannukah and haven’t been out the front door since. Getting out of bed for a shower requires both preparation and recovery time.

Needless to say, we are downplaying the holidays. My Advent calendar games of ball toss and charades are beyond our capacity, and I still can’t taste most of the Christmas goodies.

We are still finding joy, but with low energy and quiet volume, it’s hard to see from the outside. But never fear. A hand squeeze, a hot cup of tea, and getting teary-eyed when Kermit sings “One More Sleep ‘til Christmas” will see us through until the virus is banished.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Coming to My Senses

Dear Liza,

I am rejoicing! After more than a week of nothing smelling or tasting like anything, I can smell again!

When Auntie Katie heard that my nose and tongue had checked out during my bout of Covid, she encouraged me to “keep smelling stuff! Keep a lemon by your bed!”

I didn’t have a lemon, but I did have this tiny bottle of Orange oil that we bought in New York ages ago. We had been walking all over lower Manhattan on a sweaty, dusty day, with no place to clean up properly before changing (in a restaurant lavatory) to go see The Lion King on Broadway. This bottle was my bow to feeling “lady-like”.

It worked then, and it has proved its worth again. This morning, after days of hoping, I smelt Orange! And not a moment too soon, because…

Bridgett’ s Aunt Linda sent us goodies! Kiss cookies, coconut blondies, wedding cookies, and, most heavenly of all, peanut buckeyes! For a long time, I just hovered over the containers and sniffed, almost drunk with the wonder of it. Then I chose one buckeye and ate it in tiny, grateful nibbles.

Now, don’t get me wrong. We aren’t through this yet. This evening I was able to taste a pot of chili (which I made), but I am still spending most of the day in bed, and I am still on Paxlovid.

BUT Life will go on, I will get better, and I will cook (and eat! And drink!) again.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Finally, I Got It

Dear Liza,

We have been hearing about Covid-19 since …. Well, since 2019. It was a rare virus out of China, our then-President emphasized. Couldn’t possibly get here. Like most things, he got it wrong. Then all heck broke loose.

So I wish I understood how, nearly four years and three vaccines later, I finally caught the darn thing.

There’s not much to write about having Covid. I’m avoiding breathing on my dear people, leaning on furniture when I walk anywhere, and feeling generally stupid. Forgetful. Foggy.

I’m listening to Agatha Christie books read by Hugh Frasier on Audible, which I enjoy because of Madame Christie’s wonderful writing and Mr. Frasier’s magnificent voice. But I can’t hold a clue in my head, so the endings are always a surprise. And that’s okay, too.

And nothing tastes or smells like anything. I’ve tried pickles, mustard, vanilla extract, onions, chocolate chip cookies, and roast turkey. It all tastes like my own mouth, it all smells like air. Blech.

I hope/pray/have great confidence that this will pass. I’ll keep you posted.
Enjoy some Christmas yummies for me!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Filling the Advent Calendar

Dear Liza,

You’ve seen the advent calendar that Auntie Bridgett made years ago. It is adorably decorated paper sacks that we hang on a ribbon. We’ve now used it in three different houses!

We re-use the bags every year by filling them with sweet things, which become evening surprises as we approach the holiday.

But candy every evening isn’t so good for our house of grown-ups, so I need to get more creative. Our staircase lends itself to tossing games. This year I will employ my folding top hat and some soft balls and set up a challenge. Toss the ball towards the hat and if you get it into the hat two out of three times, you get a treat. Treats can include snacks, a glass of wine, or getting to choose the movie of the evening.

If you don’t make your shots, you have to do a trick. Those can include fetching treats for a spouse, naming four of Santa’s reindeer, or other silly thing.

We also have bits of trivia about the creators of some of our favorite Christmas stories… Jim Henson, Dr. Seuss, and Charles Dickens.

I like being the Advent Queen! It is as close as I ever want to get to doing lesson plans again.

Love,

Grandma Judy