Best wishes that your Christmas is a wonderland!

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(¸.•´ (¸.•´) Tristan

Back in Blogland After the Longest Year of My Life

 

Hello and thank you for visiting me again and most joyous of holiday seasons to you and yours! It's been almost one year exactly since I have posted here at Enchanted Revelries. It's been a long 2022 here in New Haven ... but things are beginning to look up and I'm feeling more energized. So, I'm going to make a start at a return to my blog.

I'm not going to go into a long dissertation about the woes of the past 10 months. But, I'll give you a brief run-down of why I have been inactive and out of the loop. I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Large Cell Lymphoma; underwent 12 weeks of high intensity chemotherapy and radiation; contracted pneumonia; contracted Covid; due to the combined forces of pneumonia and Covid, I got a collapsed lung. During the 7 months I was in the hospital, my muscles atrophied from disuse, and was unable to walk (had to use a wheelchair).

AND, I've had to give up driving (permanent issue). So, not only is it inconvenient to get around, I don't just get up and run out to do an errand, since it requires a transport scheduling (they have to be able to wheel me into the van in my wheelchair).

That's it. But, the year is over, and I'm improving dramatically. My visiting nurse who comes daily to drain the catheter from my collapsed lung says that the volume is diminished noticeably by the week. I've done a little baking for the holidays (though nowhere as much as I used to do!).

And just to show you  how shallow I really am, the worst part of this whole ordeal is that the chemo took out my hair, beard and eyelashes. 

 I have managed to do a little decorating for the holidays. I decorated Christmas trees (seven this year), and put up a few displays - but, it's a low key holiday for us, so it's more than sufficient. Before I sign out for the day, I thought I'd share some of my Christmas trees and the decorations. (Oh! And I don't know if they've changed the program here in the past year - but I believe if you want to examine something closer, if you click the image it will embiggen!)

This is the Marilyn Monroe tree ...

 

 

I've always loved the Nutcracker Suite ... Here is our tribute tree to Clara and the rest

 

and a few of our Nutcracker Suite music boxes under the tree...

Here is our Valentines tree ... I should probably wait until Valentines Day to put it up, but I decided to go ahead as I was on a roll! That ugly cord isn't nearly as obnoxiously obvious and visible in real life!

And another holiday-specific theme tree - our Hallowe'en tree - these ornaments (almost all made by various craftsmen and artists) are too special not to be seen except for a week or two in October!

My favorite children's film from my younger days right up until today ... the Wizard of Oz! We have two trees with ornaments. And then a few of our Wizard of Oz music boxes and collectibles. There's just no way to get them ALL out at one time!

I've been a fan of the classic Disney films since I was a child. I've been collecting ornaments, memorabilia, music boxes and vintage (as well as a few newer pieces) figurines for almost 50 years.

...and quite a few of the music boxes, and figurines, and memorabilia. I only collect the three classics (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty) and only a couple of favorites of the newer ones (Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and 101 Dalmations).

Well, that's it for today. Again, thank you for visiting me again after all this time! I hope to be back soon as I continue to get back in the swing of things!

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¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´) Tristan