Fell asleep at almost 4 am this morning.  Woke up feeling tired and sick.  I don't know how to explain what was wrong, just that I felt light-headed and in a fog.  Perhaps it was due to not sleeping well.  After breakfast, M and I went to see cars.  We drove all the way to Pasadena just to check out a Taurus SUV.  It's red with grey interior and sits 7 passengers.  I think it will be just right for those family outings, now with mom included.  We are really leaning towards getting this suv.  Maybe by next weekend. 

I wish everyone a wonderful new year, one that is first and foremost, full of good health, followed by a lot of love and prosperity.

Day  was really cold today.  I went out to buy a few things for Christmas Eve and came home.  I stayed in bed, under covers, watching tv most of the afternoon and early evening.  I got the chance to watch again a couple of Pedro Almodovar's films:  All About My Mother and Bad Education.  I kept thinking that I would like to have Almodovar's film collection set , but I already have some of the movies like:  Talk to Her, Volver, Bad Education, and others that I cannot remember at this moment.  I would love to add Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown to my collection, as this is also a favorite film by Pedro.

Christmas will be here soon and I am as ready as will ever be.  I am not so gung ho about the festivities.  I may be turning a bit "scrooge" with every passing year.  I mean, I do enjoy the season but it's definitely not as I used to.  It's a bit like going through the motions.  Maybe it has to do a bit with the sad state of my personal relationship. 

Anyway, just to show that I am not totally "scroogy", I leave you a beautiful glittery image.

Hello

Yesterday I got a phone call from mom telling me not to get scared but she had fallen off a ladder in the garage.  She was tinkering around and lost balance and fell to ground, hitting the back of her head.  She got a big bump plus a cut that required her to go to emergency room and get four staples.  She was taken by ambulance since she was bleeding heavily and I followed to the hospital.  Thankfully, she checked out fine and only required the staples.  I don't know what is happening but since my mom retired, she's had some unfortunate things and scares happened to her.  For one, the very next day of her retirement, she had a car accident that left her car with terrible damage.  While this happened, she had a severe bladder infection going on that landed her in emergency room with a high fever, dehydration, high blood pressure and elevated blood glucose.   Again, fortunately, with some strong antibiotics, she recuperated.  Then with follow up doctor visit, it was found that she could be insulin resistant and that one kidney was not functioning well.  Or, as doctor put it in medical term: renal failure stage 3.  Renal failure!  Hearing this really scared and worried me for days.  My mom kept going back for tests and each time, kidney function improved.  Thank God.  But then something else, her liver.  Tests showed liver problems. She went for ultrasound and results were good.  Her liver looked normal. What a relief.  Still,  I could not believe the host of problems suddenly hitting my mom.  She had always been healthy and suddenly all this was happening.  It really scared me.  I came to the realization that I was now becoming my mom's caretaker.  I knew that this would happen, I just didn't expect it to happen so soon.  I guess I always viewed my mom as independent and still capable of leading a good life.  But one never knows what will be of our lives.  I still hope that what has been happening to her is not a sign of a downhill race.  Afterall, she is only 66.  Still young.

My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

What a wonderful treat Houstonians and other Texans had two evenings ago.  A rarity.  We had snow!  Mind you, it was just a little snow, but it was beautiful to behold all those floating flurries.  I drove C to Target and I took the feeder road just so I could go a little slower and enjoy the view.  It was like being in a snow globe.  I saw in news that we've been getting snow every four years and apparently, every year we've had a hurricane, we've had snow.  What a strange connection.  But then again, weather in Houston is so crazy.  We might have a day that requires our heater to be on and then next day, warm so that we need our air-conditioner.  Nuts!

Wurlitzer Prize (I Don't Want to Get Over You)

I'm not here to forget you
I'm here to recall
The things we used to say and do
I don't want to get over you
I don't want to get over you
I haunt the same places
We used to go
Alone at a table for two
I don't want to get over you
I don't want to get over you
Outta give me the wurlitzer prize
For all the silver I let slide down the slot
Playing those songs so blue
Help me remember you
I don't want to get over you
A fresh roll of quarters
Same old song
Missing you through and through
I don't want to get over you
I don't want to get over you
Outta give me the wurlitzer prize
For all the silver I let slide down the slot
Playing those songs so blue
Help me remember you
I don't want to get over you
I don't want to get over you
I don't want to get over you

The aftermath.

and so Ike did hit Galveston and Houston, causing considerable damage.  Other nearby towns were also affected. Some lives were lost, mainly those who refused to evacuate in Galveston.    Millions were without electrical  power, including my family and relatives. I took us four days to get our electricity back but not so for many others.  Some had to wait close to a month to get their electric service restored.  A consequence of devastation, stores and businesses were closed down while cities began reconstruction. Thousands of trucks for other electric companies in the USA and some from Canada came to work 24 hours a day to bring us back electricity.  In the mean time, food was scarce, water was undrinkable and government help was slow.  Our family, thankfully,  had minimal property damage, save a tree that fell, tree debris and back fence downed.  All in all, it was quite an experience.  It was a scary experience to live through a hurricane.  I will never forget the menacing howling of wind gusts. Briefly, I envisioned the tornado scene in The Wizard of Oz, where Dorothy's house is blown away.  It sure felt like that would happen to us!