Well, the holidays have caught up to me. Too much good food, good drink, and good company have laid me low for two days now, as I seem to have caught the flu at a big party on Saturday. I hurt like hell yesterday when I woke up, choking on razor blades, but today, although I was still spitting up blood, I am fortunately much better. If I'd have got much worse I'd have had to go the hospital, and I'd rather chew off one of my toes.
So I'll be taking it easy tonight, and won't be spreading the flu because I'm not infectious vermin, but good enough people to miss a party rather than make people sick.
A lot of folks were touched by the Christmas story I shared, so I wanted to update folks on the bicycle I gave a little girl for Christmas that turned out to have been shipped without the seat. Her mom managed to put the seat from her own broken bicycle on the new bike, so she didn't have to stare at her new bike and not be able to ride it, but hopped right on it in her Christmas pajamas and is riding like the wind. I managed to get ahold of Walmart Monday, and they're sending a whole new bike that will be here in a couple days, which means Olivia will even have a matching bike to replace her broken one! A Christmas miracle. Of course the AI everyone has answering phones nowadays is how that call started. The AI was able to find the order, but unable to solve the problem (because it only has the options programmed into it). When I explained Walmart owed the little girl a bicycle seat the AI was not at all swayed, having no heart strings to tug. But when I mentioned court, the AI had an option for that and transferred me to a human being real quick who did solve the problem. Olivia managed to email me pics because I can't get my phone to transfer to my computer the ones she texted me.
IMG source - Olivia - Riding the new bike along the wild blueberries
IMG source - Olivia - Riding the Christmas bike clear over by the Airport
Some folks were also touched by my Christmas tree, a branch from a Shore Pine blown off in a storm with one ornament I tossed on the dash of my truck when I was hauling trash years ago, so I wouldn't break it into tiny shards of glass, and that meant I knew where it was, unlike almost everything else I own that is scattered across the county in five different places where I was able to secure it from the evil corporation trying to steal it last month. I have taken a room a friend offered me when Evil, Inc. rendered me homeless overnight, but my stuff won't fit in the closet and is being stored by other good people elsewhere.
@agmoore even wrote a deeply touching story inspired by the little tree I cobbled up, and a lot of folks really enjoyed it. I was almost brought to tears by it. It's a quick read with a moving message I recommend everybody take a couple minutes to enjoy. I tried to take a pic of the tree so I could post it here for ya'll, but, just like the bike pics, I can't get my computer to receive it from my phone.
Today is New Year's Eve, and we can put 2025 behind us. Tomorrow will be 2026, and I hope it's the beginning of better times for everyone that has been dismayed by 2025. It's been a tough year in a lot of ways, for a lot of people, and for Hive itself. Let's see if we can make things better in every way in the year to come. I hear kissing a loved one at midnight seals the deal and guarantees it. Sadly, I don't want to give anyone the flu, so I'll just have to make good things happen without the kiss magic. I'll do that as best I can.
See you next year!
This made me smile. What a rollercoaster of a holiday you had. Lovely to see the little girl enjoying the bike, she will never forget your kind gesture. Sounds like a bad flu you had, take it easy and get better soon. Do you normally spit up blood when you have the flu, or just this time?
The shore branches a Christmas tree sounds beautiful, nature always has something to give. Happy New Year and yes hopefully 2026 brings better days for all of us!