Some Interesting Gifts
Larry, as always, was extremely generous in his gifting.
Christmas has a history of being frustrating for me, as I am always very busy with shows the last few months of the year. This year was so hectic that I am forced to reconfigure next year and every year thereafter because I can't take it mentally or physically. My body is telling me by being sick.
I always buy Larry nice things; music, books (if I can find the ones he wants in time--which did NOT happen this year) clothes, a sheepskin seat cover, and few other small stocking stuffers. He on the other hand, thinks he comes from Rockefeller money and goes NUTS.
One of my most special gifts from him was an antique mantle clock made around the same time as this house--in the 20's. It has a deep throaty bong on the hour and half hour, and once the company is all gone, it shall act as my mindfulness clock - when it is ringing, I stop what I am doing and stand in silence, bringing me to the here and now. Presently the clock is on top of the bookcase which houses my art books....it may be moved to the mantle when all the holiday things go back into their boxes for yet another year.
He got me more, but they are for other blogs.
Yesterday 12 of us threw a holiday party at the nursing home for my mom. We don't know how many holidays she has left on this earth, and since she can't leave the home, we brought some celebration into her life by going there.
For the past several years my mom has lived at Ferncliff, a nursing home set upon the banks of the Hudson River run the Carmelite Sisters. I am sure it has not seen or heard so much action in a while. We had three of her great grandchildren there, ranging from from 18 months to 4 years, running in circles. Larry dressed again as Santa for the party, marching down the corridors handing out candy, lots of snacks, not only to our family, but to some of the residents hanging out in the hall. I even stashed a bottle of Coquito for us to sip on for dessert.
It is family tradition now to give one another a gift or two that depicts a monkey, since Gibbons is our family name, which is a small ape. NICE. I was scarred as a child when a classmate said he was going to look my name up in the dictionary and found it, much to the laughter of all the bratty Catholic School kids. That was the beginning of my bad relationships with my peers and with the school.
So this year I got monkey key toppers, a monkey nail file, a monkey key chain that blinds you with his blue LED eyes and makes noise when you push a button (will use that in school). I also got a tube that said "Dutch Masters" which turned out to be a pen. My little grandson got a bottle cozy that was a monkey, Megan got a monkey air freshener, and I am sure that other monkey gifts got passed out in the ruckus.
I am still coughing, but joyful. There is still a lot of action in the house with the kids, never mind messes, but soon they will be gone and I will be sad in its silence and it will feel empty.
Off to shower and meet my brother for dinner at the Canard.
Patti O Chimp
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