Welcome to Chaos !!

Christmas Day or Juldagen as we say in Sweden is almost coming to an end. I am in bed (as usual when I write the blog) with achy legs and feet because I was on my feet for most of the day today.
Spent several hours at the Portland Art Museum with the Pet Pack. One of my few wishes this Christmas is that ALL animals have good lives. Please be kind to animals. And I wish for peace.
No wishes for any gifts, I have everything that I need but I did get myself some things that I have been wanting for a while and I will show you what when they get here.
And when I walked out from the Portland Art Museum I walked out with this little Christmas tree. I got if for free and I will plant it in the forest with all of its tree friends after it spend some time inside with me.
So this is my Christmas tree this year. Cute!

Let me tell you about my Christmas Eve or Julafton like we call this day in Sweden.
I left my house around 12 30 to go pick up a pet food donation. I had to get gas first. I brought some chocolate to the two places that play a large role in Pet Pack's existence (I am a Portland Pet Pack volunteer in case you are new to this blog).



I made it just in time to Stumptown before they shut down for the day - I got an oat milk vanilla latte. The snow had already started to turn slushy.



Then I headed over to where Pet Pack stores all the dog and cat food plus all the rest of the stuff. I met with a couple of my team members and we loaded up about 600 lbs of kibble (for dogs and cats), canned pet food, collars and leashes, toys and other pet related items.
We transported that to the Portland Art Museum that will be hosting a nice meal for the homeless, low income and people in need tomorrow. About 1000 people are expected and us the Pet Pack will be there to make sure that their pets get fed as well.



A Chihuly.



When I was done I stepped outside and noticed this giant disco ball hanging in the park outside the Portland Art Museum. SO NICE! Beautiful!



And then I started walking around some more and see this.....it reminded me of something you see at Burning Man. What is going on? I loved that as well.



I like this mural.



Then I went home and changed my clothes and drove over to my friend's house and had an amazing dinner.



I am in bed now. Going back to the Portland Art Museum tomorrow to give away the pet food.
Goodnight and Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Happy Holidays to everybody. ❤️

It has been extremely cold and windy here today. Five emergency shelters are open so the people in need and their pets (I sure hope so) can rest and not have to be outside. This cold weather will continue at least through tomorrow. I know there are colder places.....so I am not complaining. I recall my first winter in Alaska it got down to below 30 for like a week. Me and Chhaya somehow survived. And I used to live in Sweden and I recall childhood winters with massive droves of snow. Walking to school in the dark then walking home in the dark. Freezing at the bus stop hoping that the bus would come soon so I could hop in and warm up. Going out clubbing as a teenager not dressed for winter. I would never do that now. I bundle up because I need to be warm.
Now I have a car. No more bus. But yea.....I feel bad for the ones without a warm place to call home. It makes me sad to think about that, then I start thinking about the animals that suffer and that makes me more sad and then that turns into all kinds of sad thoughts about all the sad things in the world. SAD. Did I write sad enough times yet? Why are there bad things in the world.....why? Do you ever wonder that as well?
Today was a stressful day. I am trying to relax, the stress will be over soon I hope. I really need to rest.
I picked up some fun pastries that I ate already. I like to drink tea in the evening.



And here are the cute mushrooms that are hanging outside the door.



That is it for tonight. Tired. Sleep is like a wonderful getaway lately.

Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas where you live? Here in Portland the roads are thick with traffic with people frantically hurrying in and out of stores to get the food, the presents, the Christmas stuff done and ready before Christmas. I am one of those people. But I am basically done now. not much left to do. All I need to do now is go to the post office with a few gifts from Santa Tati to be sent off. Which is an ordeal by itself. A trip to the post office is NOT one of my favorite things to do, almost as bad as a trip to the laundromat. The plan is to go there early on Dec 23, better late than never.
No snow. It rained today.
A lot of the homes have amazing decorations outside of them.
I managed to hang a couple of ornaments in the tree outside my place. And I have a string of colorful felt mushrooms hanging above the front door. I might muster up some strength and dig out the wreath too.
I have these bottle to drink. From left to right.....Vintersaga a glögg from IKEA, then three Glühweins which to me is basically the same as glögg except that glögg is a Swedish word and Glühwein is a German word. I think I am taking one of the Glühweins to work next time I work and one I will sip on at home. I put cinnamon sticks, almonds and sometimes raisins too at the bottom of the cup before I add the glögg.



And now some Holiday trivia thanks to Starbucks (where I saw these). And whoever wrote that has beautiful handwriting.....Will you be able to get the right answers?





I am going to end here with quoting a stranger on the internet, I can relate to this, "I just checked out 22 books from the library, I have a full fridge, and a cozy bed. I think I know what I will be doing from now until Xmas. I just wish I had a cat, then my Spinster Crone bingo card would be full."
That sounds like the perfect Christmas to me! Many books to read, a full fridge and a cozy bed. The wish for a pet to cuddle, or a few....the more pets the better. No loud annoying man to disturb the peace. Sign me up!

Busy day today. Pet Pack then errands. Went to IKEA, on my way walking out I turned around and saw this rainbow and a few minutes later it was gone. It might very well be the last rainbow I see in 2022.



Tried the Hello Kitty face mask. It was a rainbow too. So a double rainbow today.



This upcoming week I have a ton of stuff to do before Christmas. Work three times and then no work for like two weeks until 2023 sometime, plus I am hoping to sign off on a project I have been working on for months now for my other job. That will hopefully happen this coming week too. And then I can put that behind me and get PAID.
Watched the highlights of the World Cup finals between Argentina and France and the penalty kicks of course. Super thrilling game.
And that was all the football I watched this World Cup. I like football but everything about Qatar made me tune out from the World Cup this time. Canada, Mexico and the US will host in 2026.
I do think that football is the best team sport that exists. But I am far from a football fanatic.

I do not know if I have the energy this year again, I didn't last year, to dig out all my Christmas stuff from storage just to put it up for a couple of weeks only to take it all down and stove everything back into storage again. The effort! I might just have a few items out.
Like the wreath, the Swedish angel chimes and hang some ornaments in the tree outside my apartment. I am leaning towards doing that.
I have a ton of other stuff I want to accomplish instead before this year ends. I am glad I do not have to compete with the Instagrammers for the most perfect Holiday IG feed.
Got some cupcakes today. This little snowman was my first and only Christmas decoration in my place so far this Christmas.