jingle bells

 Well, I've officially started my Christmas shopping.  Sitting here, in my pajamas, in my recliner, with my cup of tea handy.  There are some definite advantages to on-line shopping.  In years past, when my grandchildren were younger (and so was I) I treated them each individually to a day long shopping spree and lunch after Christmas.  Our destinations ranged from Chuckie Cheese's to a small town antique mall to Home Depot to Build a Bear, Victoria's Secret Pink section, Barnes & Nobel and so much more.  I let them take all the time they wanted and it was fun.  But last year during the pandemic we had to change traditions and they each sent me a suggested gift list of things I could order for them on line.  This year we are following the same process, not for health concerns, but because they are all grown up (almost) and busy with work and college and one last year of high school.  They will all be coming to my place for Christmas dinner so I will be seeing them, but a little piece of me still misses Build a Bear.

candy counters

 Today is National Chocolates Day.  Yummm. It's high time that chocolate was appreciated for the fine food it is.  I have always considered it one of the basic food groups, and it's a scientific fact that chocolate makes you feel good.  Of course you must use it wisely.  A friend of mine told me yesterday that, according to her chocolate filled Advent calendar, there are only three days 'til Christmas.  

it's in the mail

 Based on the mail stuffed into my mailbox yesterday, I'm thinking of writing a revised Christmas carol.  On the fifth day of Christmas my mailman brought to me one personal letter, two grocery fliers, three life insurance offers, four Medicare supplement offers, five pleas for money.  But no partridge, with or without a pear tree.  A pretty typical assortment of mail, especially at this time of year.  It's probably my imagination but I think I smelled a whiff pear tree wood in all that paper.  

Pass the pie.

 Today is National Bavarian Cream Pie Day.  I'm not sure how different that is from Sugar Cream Pie, one of my very favorites, but one recipe I checked seemed to want ice cream blended into the custard for Bavarian Cream Pie, which would seem to add one more level of decadence.  I doubt that I will ever bake a BCP but I will try to remember to order a piece if I ever see it available on a restaurant menu.  About my love of Sugar Cream Pie, I think I appreciate it most because of it's amazing flavor, but second, because it makes no pretense of being even a little bit good for you.  There are no cherries, apples, blueberries or peaches in there to dilute the sugar flavor.  I know, I know, there might be some eggs and cream in there, but they are totally overwhelmed by the sugar.  Every one knows that the eggs are only in there to hold everything together.  Just like in cake.  I rest my case.

Sinkie?

 My west coast brother's most recent text included the fact that today is 'Sinkie Day.'  I assumed that this was a misprint and he really meant 'Slinky Day.'  You remember Slinkys, don't you?  Those amazing springy toys that could tumble down steps and make you look like you could juggle.  Great fun, until they got tangled up, which they inevitably did.  So I asked my brother if sinkie was a misprint, but he informed me that sinkie is a real thing.  Any guesses?  Sinkie is the act of eating leftovers over the sink so you don't dirty more dishes.  I personally don't eat over the sink, much, but I suspect there was a lot of sinkie (sinkieing?) going on as people cleaned up after Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, or even as they prepared the dinner.  It is a very thoughtful act, actually.   Saving more dishes.  Today is also 'Buy Nothing Day' and I am happy to report that I celebrated by avoiding any urge to do Black Friday shopping in person or on line.  I spent the day assembling my old reliable Christmas tree instead.  It's a little like greeting an old friend.

holiday feasting

 I am still blissfully full from Thanksgiving dinner.  We feasted on turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, fruit salad, pumpkin pie and brownies.  So good.  Then we played a trivia game - some right answers and lots of laughs.  A very good Thanksgiving and I hope yours was too.  But it has left me very sleepy so I will close with a simple little riddle.  How are chickens and turkeys different?  Chickens celebrate Thanksgiving.  You're welcome.

read the warning

 Today is Thanksgiving Eve and I hope everyone is looking forward to family feast time tomorrow.  In the meantime, today is also 'National Use Even if the Seal is Broken Day.'  My first reaction to that news was "absolutely not" but then I got to thinking about it.  Are there some things I would use even if the seal was broken?  I think I've found a loop-hole.  Notice it says 'use' not 'eat.'  If I saw a small tear in a package of paper towels I wouldn't throw them away but if I found a tear in a bread bag I might hesitate.  Of course some bread comes double wrapped (which really irritates me).  When it comes to food, I really appreciate foods that come naturally sealed like oranges and bananas and eggs.  But lots of things aren't sealed at all and I still eat them, like celery, broccoli and asparagus.  I don't think the bands around bananas or the rubber band around celery bunches count as seals.  Can you tell my mind is on food.  My family famous sweet potato casserole is assembled and waiting in the refrigerator to be baked tomorrow.  My daughter-in-law, who is an excellent cook, is hosting this year so all I need to do is bring the sweet potatoes.  What a deal.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  

a trip to the mall

 It's been a long time since I went shopping at the mall but I decided to go today, to beat the Black Friday rush.  There were some specific gifts I was looking for to send to great nieces and nephews across the country.  I got there about 10:50 and discovered that the mall, at least the Macy's entrance, didn't open until 11.  Evidently it was a surprise to a few others as well, because when I went back to my car to wait I noticed several other people waiting in their cars.  Once we got inside I was reassured to see that Macy's has lots of Christmas stuff on display including several kinds of candy and toys from Toys R Us.  Nothing I was looking for however, so I wandered on out into the mall and was pleased to see that Santa's chair is all set up and waiting for him.  Another surprise, the seasonal store I expected to shop in was closed tight with lots of empty shelves to be seen through the windows.  I was particularly looking for calendars, so I moved on to walk past all of the temporary kiosks set up in the mall.  I have often found calendars I like in one or two of those little shops.  However, many of the kiosks were still tented and the ones that were opening up had nothing to do with calendars or anything else I would ever buy (except of course the sugared nuts) but they weren't open either. I continued my odyssey, eventually completing the loop and ending up at Barnes & Nobel.  They had books of course, and lots and lots of puzzles and games on display, but hardly any calendars.  The only thing I can figure is that all of the 'page a day' calendars in the world are stuck in one of those huge cargo ships off the west coast.  Either that or sellers really, really want me to shop on Black Friday.  Shudder!!

math flash back

 On Monday afternoons I tutor a fifth grader at South Wayne Elementary School.  He's a great kid and I really enjoy working with him, usually.  Today wasn't one of our most fun days.  Don't get me wrong, he was as hard working and well behaved as ever, but his teacher had sent two work sheets on least common denominators.  You remember fractions, don't you? Always a fun part of elementary school math.  I remember my husband trying to convince our then ten year old daughter that "Fractions are our friends."  She wasn't buying it. Today I first had to remind myself that the denominator is on the bottom, then we got to work.  Not at all surprisingly, his teacher teaches a different approach than I learned as a child, but we figured it out, sort of.  We will work on it more next week.  Unless they have moved on to something else by then.  Trying to keep up with a 5th grader is rather humbling.  

Something I didn't know

 I visited Alaska several years ago and it is beautiful.  We saw mountains and wild life, especially moose and bears, ate smoked salmon and watched an iceberg 'calve.'  But we were never told about the elusive Alascattalo. When I received the news (from my west coast brother, of course) that today is Alascattalo Day, I sensed by the name that it might have something to do with Alaska.  Although I do think it should be spelled with a 'k'.  Alaskan cattle maybe or buffalo?  Naturally I looked it up.  It turns out that the Alascattalo is the Alaskan mascot, a cross between a moose and a walrus.  Now I ask you, do you see anything about moose or walrus in that name?  Shouldn't it be Alaskamoowal?  Or Alaskawalmoo?  Or maybe Waskamoo? or Alamoorus?  I'm open to reasonable suggestions.  

What's in a name?

 Today is "National Name Your PC Day."  It's also "National Absurdity Day."  Not sure if that's a coincidence or not, but I do know that people tend to name their stuff.  Some people even name their houses but I've never owned a house elegant enough to be named.  Although now that I think about it, my grandchildren used to call my last house 'the cow house' because the black and white stone work on the front of the house reminded them of the side of a cow.  I'm wondering now why I name some things and not others.  For example, I have never thought to name my phone or my tablet or my PC.  I've never named a kitchen appliance or a piece of furniture (except for the obvious like 'couch' or 'table').  I have, however, named my Roomba, mainly because when I registered it the sign-in required a name.  So I named her 'Rhoda.'  I think, because she runs around on her own vacuuming my floors and then plugs herself in to her little dock to recharge, she seems to have a personality.  Maybe I can give names to things that work without me.  On the other hand I have also named my car 'Blue' and I certainly don't want her running off on her own.  However I definitely do want her to run whenever I turn on the ignition.  And I certainly do appreciate her reliability.  By the way, if you're wondering how I know that 'Blue' is female, it's because she wears a necklace, made many years ago by a dear granddaughter, around her rear view mirror.  That's enough absurdity for tonight.

Early real estate experience

 Today is Play Monopoly Day.  I know I've reminisced before about playing hours long Monopoly games at my aunt's house on Christmas afternoons but it now occurs to me that, in addition to having fun, I was getting an early education in basic economics and dealing in real estate.  All those little houses and hotels and deeds and that colorful funny money added up to accrued wealth if you took your time and played your cards right.  Of course some lucky rolls of the dice helped.  Sounds a lot like real life, doesn't it?  Did all this game playing lead to my eventual career in real estate?  Maybe.  

M I C KEY......

 ..M O U S E.  Today, if you haven't guessed already, is Micky Mouse Day.  Naturally, that got me thinking about cartoons I have known and enjoyed over the years. Of course I remembered the cartoons I watched with my children and grandchildren (from Bugs Bunny to Kim Possible) but some of my fondest memories go back farther than that.  In July of 1969 my husband and I celebrated our first anniversary by buying our first ever color TV.  We bought it to watch the first ever moon landing, which, as it turned out, was exciting but not very colorful.  However we soon discovered that Saturday morning cartoons were brilliantly colorful and quite funny.  Our favorites were "George of the Jungle" and "Rocky and Bullwinkle."  Sweet memories.

Moo...

 My west coast brother tells me that today is National Farm Joke Day. Out of curiosity, I googled 'farm jokes' and it turns out they come in a great variety from kid's farm jokes to dirty farm jokes to sexy farm jokes.  I did not delve too deeply but here are three of my favorite safe ones: How does a farmer fix his pants?  With a cabbage patch. What do you get when you combine a cocker spaniel, a poodle and a rooster?  A cockapoodledoo.  And finally, in honor of the coming holiday - What kind of key has no lock?  

a little laughter

 Sometimes I really fear for the trees in this country.  This usually happens when I open my mailbox and find it stuffed full of useless paper printed with messages I don't want to read. Charities, furniture stores and insurance companies seem determined to separate me from my money.  But every once in a while something good slips through.  Today, for instance, my favorite catalog arrived in the mail.  I don't send them money either but I do enjoy reading their sweat shirt messages.  Here are my favorites from this edition:  "If you can't remember my name just say chocolate.  I'll turn around." "Day 12 without chocolate. Lost hearing in my left eye."  I sense a theme here.  "When I was a kid I wanted to be older.  This _____ was not what I expected." "Telling a woman to calm down works about as well as baptizing a cat." and my current favorite "You're never too old for nap time."

Try, try again

 I auditioned for another play tonight.  Actually this was the second night of auditions and I went both nights.  Yesterday I got to read several times since not too many people showed up.  Tonight there were more people there so I didn't get as many times on stage but I did get to read for the two parts I'm most interested in.  Win or loose, I do enjoy auditions.  It's fun to see how other people read the parts.  This particular play "Sylvia" is about a stray dog rescued by a kindhearted man whose wife really, really doesn't want this dog.  The dog is played by a woman, not running around on all fours but saying the kind of things you may have imagined your pet saying to you from time to time.  Admit it, we've all had pets we felt we could communicate with.   At the end of tonight's audition, the director assured us that he understands how hard it is to wait to hear if you've been cast in a part and that he would get back to us by next Monday.  I know that's reasonable, but a week feels like a long time to wait.  On the other hand, I'm perfectly happy to wait if I'm not going to get a part.  It's like buying a lottery ticket.  Until they announce those numbers you can keep dreaming.  

twist that tongue..

 Today is International Tongue Twister Day.  I grew up in a small town named Woodburn and our favorite tongue twister was "How much wood would Woodburn burn if Woodburn would burn wood?" You may have heard something similar about woodchucks but ours was better.  Interestingly, historically, Woodburn burned quite a lot of wood.  When those first enterprising immigrants from Germany came to what was then the 'Great Black Swamp' east of Fort Wayne, they realized that there was some potentially really good farm land if they could drain the swamp.  So they started cutting trees, lots and lots of trees. Some they used for houses, some they burned in smudge pots inside and outside those houses to keep the voracious mosquitoes away, and some they burned in huge piles as they cleared the land.  Eventually they burned more trees to fire the first kilns built in the area to make drainage tiles so they could drain that swamp land to grow better crops.  So, how much wood did  Woodburn burn?  Enough to get named for the endeavor.  

a toast

 My ever considerate west coast brother informed me that today is Actor's Day, Wine Tourist Day, one month until my birthday and six weeks until Christmas.  I decided I could deal with all the rest of it if I focused on celebrating Wine Tourist Day, so I took a quick tour to my kitchen and discovered that I still had one inch of wine in a bottle in the refrigerator.  So, "Cheers!"  I'm not sure if drinking Oliver's Soft White really qualifies as being a wine tourist but it was bottled in Bloomington so that would be at least a day trip, right?  It works for me.  

recommended

 I saw the historic drama musical "The Christmas Schooner" at the Civic this evening and I highly recommend it.  The actors/singers were excellent.  Of course I'm always in awe of people who can act and sing and dance.  The story, based on true events - the schooners who braved winter weather to sail from the heavily forested areas at the northern reaches of the Great Lakes to bring Christmas trees to homesick immigrants in Chicago in the late 1800s.  Lots of references to German traditions which I enjoyed.  About musicals and why I don't participate.  When I was much younger I took my turn singing in church choirs and even in our high school chorus.  It wasn't show choir in those days, no dancing all over the stage, we just stood still and sang.  As long as I could stand beside a good strong soprano I could follow along pretty well.  In fact, when my husband and children and I moved from Fort Wayne to Ohio many years ago, I received a note from a friend in the church we had just left, saying that she really missed me in the choir.  I felt pretty good about that until I read her next sentence "Now I'm the tallest person in the front row."  

a day to remember

 Happy Armistice Day or Happy Veterans Day.  That's what my west coast brother texted me earlier today.  But it makes me feel a little uncomfortable.  I mean it is a serious day of remembrance, right?  On the other hand, if you're a veteran, like my brother, that means you survived your time in the military.  That certainly seems like something to celebrate to me.  Plus, lots of restaurants around town give free meals to veterans today.  So happy Veterans Day to all of you fortunate survivors.  My brother also told me that Typhoid Mary died on this date in 1938.  Historically interesting but somehow, in this time of pandemic, I can't find any humor in that. 

feeling blue

 After a meeting this evening a couple of friends took me aside and asked me if I was feeling ok?  They said I seemed a little 'down.'  I assured them that I was fine (I am) but told them I was still a little weary from the play I was in.  That is true and it made a reasonable excuse.  It's also true that the holidays are coming up fast and that always adds a little pressure.  But, just between us, the real reason I was looking tired was because I didn't put on any makeup today.  I know, scary, right?  And if I was looking a little blue perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I have finished off the last of my leftover Halloween candy.  Alas!  Life is full of such tragedies.  

love that art work

 According to my west coast brother, who keeps me up to date on such things, today is "Go to an Art Museum Today" day.  I didn't quite do that but almost.  A friend and I went to the Bradley, the newest downtown hotel, for brunch.  It was tasty.  I had the French toast and maple sausage, all very good, and just a little on the pricy side.  After we ate we explored the public areas, decorated, as you might expect, with Vera Bradly wall paper patterns and carpets.  But, and here's where the 'art museum' part comes in, what I really enjoyed, was the long hallway decorated with original art, much of it created by art students at Purdue Fort Wayne.  According to one of the managers (everyone was very friendly and helpful) this display will be changed frequently, giving several students a chance to show their creations.  What a great idea.  Of course I'm also living in an art museum.  The large lobbies in our two buildings are decorated with original paintings and sculptures displayed by members of the Fort Wayne Artist's Guild.  These are changed every three months or so  and I do enjoy looking at the art.  So far I have resisted buying anything.  So far.  

the FedEx saga

  In all of the plays I have been in (admittedly not that many) some of the actors give little gifts to everyone else in the cast and crew, or a nice note.  This time around, my son Tom, who really is a good artist, designed the T-shirts (another tradition) and I really liked the design so I decided that it would be fun to have a puzzle made of the same design and give one to each member of the cast and crew.  I thought of puzzles because there were some recurring themes about puzzles in the play and one of my lines included the word 'puzzle.'  Anyway, I thought it would be a fun idea and enlisted my son to actually order the puzzles and arrange for shipment.  I paid, while he did all the work.  He sent the order and then the nail biting began.  I didn't know that the puzzles were manufactured in China.  When the order was placed, we were told that delivery would be between November 3 and 8.  There really wasn't a faster option.  I had visions of all the container ships stuck in the west coast bays but FedEx uses airplanes, thank goodness.  The dates were reasonable except that our last performance was on November 7.  I had worrying visions of getting them on the 8th and then figuring out how to distribute them to everyone.  We're talking 20 people here.  On the 3rd my son started sending me updates as he got them.  The shipment had left China and arrived in Japan.  On the 4th, the shipment had passed through customs, after some unexplained problem, and was on its way to Indianapolis.  And finally, on the afternoon of the 5th, the box showed up on his front porch.  We were able to give them to everyone that evening, before the show started, and everyone loved them.  One lady said she was going to put hers together then preserve it and frame it as a memento of the show.  The only slight flaw was that one of the young actresses, who played the child star, missed one of her entrances because she was busy putting her puzzle together and lost track of time.  In her defense, the green room speaker wasn't working that night and she had no way of knowing where we were in the show. We covered for her and I don't think the audience even noticed.  Live theater is fun.  Kudos to FedEx for delivering as promised.  

strike

 This afternoon was the last performance of the play my son and I were in, and as you might expect during a last performance some things went wrong.  I keep thinking (hoping?) the audience didn't know, but they might have guessed that things weren't quite right a couple of times. For instance, when I caught the heel of my shoe on the edge of the chair I was sitting on and ended up limping across the stage to make my exit.  Up until then it had been a perfect scene.  Earlier in the show, I had to quickly make up some lines when a conversation (not one of mine) had been skipped and our quick witted young star had to get some necessary information into the show another way.  So she asked me a question and I gave a response that sounded perfectly reasonable, none of which was in the script, but it did the trick.  Live theater is fun, and then it's over, and in a theater like ours, where most of the participants are amateurs, the last step is to 'strike the set' which is a good way to say goodbye to the production.  Striking the set involves cleaning the dressing rooms, and other behind the scenes areas, dealing with the costumes (I was very happy to say goodbye to my fragile blue dress) putting away all the furniture and other props that make a stage set look good, and disassembling all the walls, windows, doors, and trims.  By the time we were finished, fours hours after the performance ended, there were no signs of the play left on stage.  Happily, one of the cast members, a young man who loves to bake, brought a truly excellent apple pie for all of us to share when the work was finished.  Sitting around, eating pie, and quietly talking, was an excellent way to put the play to rest.  And speaking of rest, I may sleep for the next twelve hours.  Good night.

time and more time

 Yesterday, after our evening performance, several of us in the cast went to Henry's for a late night drink and snack.  Some of the cast had been doing this almost every evening of the show but, for a variety of reasons, last night was the first night I was able to go.  It was fun, in a loud, crowded, busy kind of way, but when someone suggested going again tonight I politely declined.  It's possibly an age thing or maybe just common sense.  I decided it would be more fun to come home and turn my clocks back.  Two done, two to go.  The others will reset themselves.  My only real challenge is resetting my car clock.  It's really very easy, once I remember which buttons to push, but it always takes me a while to figure it out.  Because I'm usually in a hurry to get somewhere on time when I hop in my car, it's often three or four days before I get it done.  I know, I know, I could just leave it alone and it would be right half the year, but where's the challenge in that. 

cookies anyone?

 Today is National Easy Bake Oven Day. Easy Bake Ovens were cute little gadgets styled to look like a small stove with oven.  As I recall, the heat source was a light bulb and you could really bake cakes and cookies in cute little pans.  And they were edible (the cakes, not the ovens).  I suspect that my mother gave me an Easy Bake oven for Christmas when I was 9 or 10, in hopes that it would keep me from doing serious damage to myself in the real kitchen.  I may have mentioned a time or two that coordination was not my strong suit as a child.  My mother had reason to be concerned.  As I entered my teens and tentatively entered the kitchen I managed to burn my arm on a very hot pressure cooker, and stick my finger in a cake that I was supposed to be lightly tapping to test for doneness, burning it on the inside bottom of the pan.  My kitchen duties typically involved less dangerous pursuits like setting the table and washing dishes.  Well, less dangerous to me anyway.  I did manage to drop and break five plates at once, when carrying them to the table.  These days I have a great fondness for Corelle Ware.  When I asked my mother if I would ever be able to cook she said "Yes, you know what good food tastes like, and when the time comes you will be able to cook it."  Happily, she was right.

I wonder??

 Yesterday was Election Day in many parts of the country.  It was also Skeptic's Day International.  Coincidence?  I don't think so.  Today is World Jellyfish Day and National Sandwich Day.  It's hard to imagine celebrating jellyfish.  I mean it's not a very snuggly pet and you can't take it for a walk.  Now I can celebrate sandwiches.  I really like sandwiches.  Ham salad is a particular favorite.  My west coast brother suggested a peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich in honor of the day, but I think not.  Maybe on the west coast, but I don't think it will become a big favorite in the conservative mid-west.  If you decide to try it, let me know.

decision time

 Today was laundry day, and as I remade my bed with clean sheets (not ironed, don't be ridiculous, but fresh and clean) and, as I was smoothing the top sheet, I made the big decision.  It was time to put on the electric blanket.  After all, my favorite weather man told me that the low tonight will be 28 degrees.  Sounds cold enough for me.  Happy fall everyone.  Keep warm.  

new tricks

 On Monday afternoons I tutor a fifth grader at South Wayne Elementary School.  Last year I tutored the same boy but we spent the whole year studying together by Zoom.  Now that I've met him in person he's taller and thinner than I expected.  I suspect he had a growth spurt this summer.  He spent most of our first session, last week, telling me about the roller coasters he rode at Cedar Point this summer.  But this week we really got to work.  He's very serious about strengthening his math skills and worked carefully through a page his teacher had given him.  It mostly dealt with fractions, but also included some multiplication and division.  One problem involved what we used to call long multiplication (in the olden days).  I watched him work the problem and he did it all wrong, in other words not the way I was taught, but surprise, surprise, he got the right answer.  His way looked more complicated to me.  When I showed him my way he said yes, they had been taught both ways last year but his way was easier.  Maybe, maybe not.  But if it works for him who am I to argue?  Isn't it fun when the teacher gets taught?