By Georgia Osten
We’re sailing into the 2nd week of the new year and thankfully, things have really slowed down, especially my emails. First thing I do in the morning is thank my husband for fixing my coffee and placing it by my computer. Next thing I do is take a look at all these mundane emails. They’re not all mundane, some are vendors wanting space at the Crab Festival. I get a thrill out all the vendors who want to return. Yes, after that awful Rain Fest we had last year, everyone wants to return. Grateful am I!

I finally had a break in the activity to “take down Christmas.” Surprisingly, everything seemed to come down a lot quicker than it went up. Of course, I organized everything, wrapped each ornament, kind of grouped them in categories and stashed them into totes. Surprisingly, again, I didn’t need the extra tote my husband offered me. Everything fit in the upstairs closet, along with all the cookie tins I usually stash under the beds upstairs. How did I ever collect so many cookie tins, and why?

The tree we’ve had for over 10 years found a new home. Okay, a temporary home – it’s at Second Going. Heartache, I loved this tree from the day I bought it. I used to work across I-10 from Cornelius Nursery when it was still on Dairy Ashford. Every year, on one day, Cornelius would mark everything 50% off, then another 50% on this one special day. You had to get there at 9 am when they opened. This is the day they would sell the ornaments off their displays. It was kind of like “everything has to go!”

The tree found a home with me for so many years. Finally, last year, several lights began to go out. We tried to find replacement bulbs to no avail. Reluctantly, this year, I figured it was the last.

My families have all settled down from their skiing trips – back to work, back to school, back to another country. The college kids have gone back, leaving their Mom & Dad in the Empty Nest.

Lots of things coming up this year, Oh Dear … I pray for everyone’s safety and success.

Be kind to one another and God bless you all.

GO’s Sand Bucket is only one beach bum’s journal of life at the beach, probably something each of you can relate to. Please feel free to email me with your thoughts, visions and/or feelings of just exactly what the beach means to you. Email: [email protected]

[1-6-2020]