Miss Popularity she was not.

To add to our frustrations this afternoon, which were many, I just accidentally deleted everything I had written, making this the perfect end to a very aggravating day.  Don't ever let your wrecked car be impounded by Parker's Towing.  After three hours of arguing about whether or not they would accept payment from our insurance, and lots of phone calls between agents and managers and clerks (one of whom I mentally named Snarly) simply to allow us to visit our poor Subaru one last time, to get the license plate off, we finally, finally were allowed to do so.  I'm pretty sure no one else could see the steam coming out of my spouse's ears but I certainly could.  I can't wait for them to send us a Satisfaction Survey. 

Here's our last look at "Old Red."  On the brighter side, we will be taking delivery of "New Blue" on Thursday.

cookies!!!

 Today, again thank you to my west coast brother for the info, is "National Cookie Exchange Day."  In my much younger, but still old enough to have children, days, I vaguely remember being involved in some cookie exchanges, and they were fun, but honestly I've never been that thrilled with decorated cookies.  Don't get me wrong, I love seeing them and eating them, I just don't want to be involved in making them.  The cookies I make to share are more likely to be snickerdoodles or chocolate chip or molasses cookies.  Happily, I have great memories of my grandchildren helping me make those kinds of cookies.  Especially snickerdoodles.  If I had to make a big batch of these cinnamon sugar delights (and what would be the point of making a small batch?) my grandchildren would delight in rolling the dough into balls and then rolling the balls in a mixture of cinnamon and granulated sugar.  Then carefully arranging them in rows on the cookie sheet.  They were delicious served with a glass of milk, especially right out of the oven.  As an added bonus, there was usually enough of the cinnamon sugar mix to sprinkle on buttered toast for breakfast the next morning.  I may not be the master of elegantly decorated cookies, but I am near the top when it comes to easy to make, fun to eat comfort cookies.  Happy holidays everyone.

not according to plan..

 My west coast brother informed me earlier today that today is "National Look at the Bright Side Day."  As it turned out that was very good advice.  My spouse and I set out this morning on a pre-Christmas series of errands, pick up the ham we had ordered, pick up the bakery rolls, buy a few groceries, etc.  All was going well, until about a mile from home, CRASH! BANG! POOF! we collided with another vehicle (a big old tow truck to be exact) who didn't stop as expected at the four way stop.  A policeman later informed us that there have been several accidents at that intersection.  Actually not very comforting to know.  That poof! that I mentioned was the airbags inflating very rapidly.  Did you know that it costs $5,000 to replace a deployed airbag and there are almost always two involved, making any accident where the airbags go off considered a total?  Did you also know that airbags smell funny and leave lots of white dust floating in the air?  I didn't either until today.  I sat there in the passenger seat, stunned and bemused, watching white stuff float around a sad deflated big old balloon, while trying to figure out if I was hurt. I was, my chest hurt like someone had walloped me with a ball bat.  You've obviously figured out that, since I'm able to write this blog, the whole episode could have been much worse.  My spouse was fine, able to get out of the car quickly, have civil conversation with the other driver, call 91I, take pictures of the damage (considerable), talk with the police, etc.  My son, who lives right around the corner from us, came as soon as I called him and helped us get everything out of the car, wave good bye to our faithful Subaru, and then drive us home.  The next stop was the ER where I spent a fun afternoon while the professionals checked for any possible damage to  my chest.  Did you know that, once they have determined, after a CT scan and other fun tests, that a person has a cracked sternum (which I do) they then need to check to make sure one doesn't have a bruised heart (I don't)? That's why we're looking on the bright side.  Especially now that I'm fairly high on pain pills.  In case you're wondering, my wonder spouse was able to buy everything on our list, and Christmas dinner will go on as planned.  Although I may not be hugging everyone as firmly as I would like to.  Cheers everybody.   Keep looking on the bright side.

technology...

 Today, according to my west coast brother, is "Underdog Day."  This is how he spelled it, but I'm not sure if they mean an underdog like someone who is downtrodden or the amazing Under Dog of cartoon fame.  Today is also "Cathode-Ray Tube Day" when we salute whoever invented these tubes and the role they played in the development of television.  In one entry the invention was credited to Karl Ferdinand Braun, with a nod to Alan Archibald Campbell-Swinton.  For details look them up.  I'm pretty sure that our first color television, which we purchased in 1969 (just in time for the first moon walk) had cathode-ray tubes, or CRTs if you prefer. It certainly wasn't flat and light weight.  Which brings me back to Under Dog.  My first spouse and I quickly discovered that there was a lot of fine tuning involved in getting the color right in dramas, news casts and other similar shows involving real live people.  On the other hand cartoons showed their colors brilliantly.  Since we both worked during the week, Saturday mornings became our favorite TV watching time.  Such classics as George of the Jungle, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and, of course, Under Dog satisfied our Saturday morning thirst for fine TV watching.  If you were also watching these cartoons way back when, I know you won't judge (they were very funny) and if you never watched them, I'm really sorry.  

loud noises and music

 Today evolved around me from noise, the demolition of my husband's shower, which involved lots of thumping and bumping, to music.  After listening to thuds and banging all day, we now have a shower lined with Go Board by Johns Manville.  This material is, I am assured, far superior to ordinary dry wall.  It won't disintegrate or dissolve or get moldy behind the ceramic tiles if the calking happens to develop cracks, which, after 20 years or so, it probably will.  So tomorrow and Saturday should actually be quieter days.  Affixing tiles to the walls can't be that noisy, can it?  But that's for tomorrow.

This evening, after the tile team left at 6:30pm (they do work long hours) my spouse and I went to the Holiday Pops.  Music is a lovely antidote to rhythm-less noise.  It was a joy to hear the Fort Wayne Children's Choir sing, and the Philharmonic choir and orchestra were as wonderful as always.  Now I can go to  sleep with melodies like 'The Twelve Days of Christmas,' 'Rudolph' and 'White Christmas' weaving through my dreams, instead of thump, bump, clatter, bang.  Hooray for Christmas music.   

elfs and plungers...

 Happy Wednesday.  (One week 'til Christmas).  According to my west coast brother today is "Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day."  I'm told that Buddy the Elf says "This is Buddy the Elf. What's your favorite color?"  It's up to you to decide if you want to answer the phone that way.  Personally, I think a simple "Hello" works well.  But how many of us actually answer the phone these days?  I much prefer texts and emails.  However, today is also "National Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day" if you want to celebrate in a different way.  Again, I'm just a bearer of information.  I don't recommend this at all, especially in the weather we're having.  A wooly knit stocking cap or a Russian style hat with fur lined ear flaps is much preferable in my opinion.  But, if you want to attract lots of attention, the plunger might be an option.  Do make sure it's a clean one.  And don't stick it on too hard if you're bald.  You might create some suction there and you will be wearing a plunger, whether you want to or not for a long time.  Of course you can ask someone in your family to help you get it off,  but you will need to wait patiently until they stop laughing.  

Wright? write? right? rite?

 Today, again thank you to my west coast brother, is Wright Brothers Day.  Quite coincidentally, Mr. Wright from Wright Brothers came to our house today to start the process of renovating our kitchen.  Not one of the original brothers of course.  He came with his assistant who is not anybody's brother, but has some very good ideas for spiffing up a kitchen.  Thirteen years ago this same company did an excellent remodel of the kitchen in the last house I owned.   Wright Brothers Renovation and Design is the name of the company, and I am happy to recommend them.  We will be meeting with them on January 3, to get their estimate, and, if that's acceptable, to pick the style of cabinets and flooring we want.  Such fun.  But, about those original Wright brothers - my maternal grandmother's maiden name was Wright, and I was always told that we were related to the Wright brothers and also Frank Lloyd Wright.  I know that last is true because when I was in my teens, an attorney came to our door with a check for my mother from the estate of Frank Lloyd Wright.  Evidently he died without a will, and his assets were being divided among all the living heirs that could be found.  I believe my mother's share was $38.  Woo Hoo!  Isn't it great to be related to someone rich and famous?  Perhaps I should ask today's Mr. Wright for a family discount?  

not quite everything...

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is "National Chocolate Covered Anything Day."  Anything???  I don't think so.  First of all, just to clear things up, I readily admit that I am a chocolate lover, especially dark chocolate and I know that chocolate is good for me.  It is after all made from a vegetable.  Beans are vegetables, and chocolate comes from cocoa beans so it's a vegetable, probably even a health food.  It is also, as every thinking person knows, it's own basic food group.  I'm sure it was somewhere in that food pyramid that we learned about in science class when I was in elementary school.  But, coming back to today's topic - chocolate covered anything??? I don't think so.  Strawberries, bananas, marshmallows dipped in chocolate, yes of course, that's fine.  Many kinds of nuts and peanut butter balls are enhanced by dipping them in chocolate.  But, I don't care how delicious the chocolate is, there are some 'delicacies' I will not be trying.  I've heard of chocolate covered grasshoppers, ants and crickets.  I'm told they are nice and crunchy, similar to chocolate covered nuts, but I will not be taste testing these toothsome bites.  "But Luci," you may be saying, "maybe these poor people don't have anything else to cover with chocolate."  Really?  Almost every primitive culture I've ever heard of grinds grain and creates some sort of bread or cake.  Chocolate covered cake sounds way better to me than chocolate covered walrus blubber.  To quote Marie Antoinette, "Let them eat cake."  Actually, I just Googled that quote and learned that there is no proof that M. A. ever uttered those words.  I think what she probably said was "Let them eat chocolate." 

just like her...

 My spouse and I have just come home from visiting my 90 year old cousin who lives in an assisted living facility.  We took her a Christmas gift and visited for a little over two hours.  As we walked away from her apartment, we each commented on what a pleasant visit it had been.  On reflection I realized that the main factor that made it so enjoyable was the fact that she never once mentioned her aches and pains.  She can't walk very much at all, gets around on a motorized scooter, and has, as you might expect, some health issues, but none of that came up in conversation.  Instead we talked about the horse she had some years ago that had once been a circus performer.  We talked about various trips she and her husband had taken over the years (she especially like Alaska) but thought Hawaii was a little too 'high brow' for her.  She was also very interested in a trip we're planning.  Of course we exchanged news about various family members, and she talked about the wildlife she has seen out side her patio door.  She also, just in passing, talked about the dearth of interesting men in her facility.  "They either can't hear or they only have one leg." 

All in all, it was a very nice upbeat visit.  I hope I remember, when it's my turn to be visited, to talk about anything and everything except what ails me, and to keep my sense of humor.  I want to be like her when I grow up.

Yummy...

 In this season of holiday treats, I would expect a special food day to be about some kind of pie, but not pumpkin, that's reserved for Thanksgiving.  National Fruit Cake Day also makes sense, although fruit cakes seem to have gone out of style.  I may be the only person in the US who really likes fruit cake.  Or maybe some kind of special dish like green bean casserole (a classic) or my husband's pineapple stuffing (less well know but delicious, especially with ham)?  Anything like that would make sense, but, instead, my west coast brother informed me that today is "National Biscuits and Gravy Day." This would have been a great thing for me to learn, because I really do love good biscuits and gravy.  'A Divine Encounter Cafe' here in Fort Wayne makes the very best, and biscuits and gravy is my favorite restaurant breakfast or brunch.  Sadly, by the time I got my brother's text today, it was well past brunch time. But now that he's whetted my appetite, we will find a time this coming week to go there. Happily, my wonder spouse also enjoys breakfasts out.  Hmmm, Friday might just work??

Agreat day undeed....

 First, for those of you who can't wait to find out, the German Pyramid worked like a charm last night, and it was a delight to watch.

So today was already off to a good start when we fell asleep at a little past midnight after watching the hypnotic movement of that pyramid. Very soothing.  

This morning, as we listened to our usual morning radio show, I learned that today is "Lost and Found Day" and that some famous person (I didn't catch the name) said that 80 is the new 60.  Both of these bits of information resonated with me because today I turned 80.  Yes, I have made it to the big 80!  As my spouse kindly informed me, I am now an octogenarian. He still has seven months to go.

I have obviously lost my youth somewhere along the way, but I have found so much more, demonstrated by the fact that we had a cake and ice cream party this evening with 14 of my nearest and dearest.  I love all of my family.  I blew out the candles (only two, an 8 and a 0) and they all sang happy birthday to me.  As far as 80 being the new 60, I have mixed feelings.  I wouldn't mind looking 60 again, but being 60 would mean going to work every day, and I really like retirement.  So, no thank you, I'll just stay where I am.  80 and healthy and loving life.  I am blessed.

The Hunt...second attempt

  When you read this blog, you'll understand why my first post was incomplete.  For some reason, the whole story after the picture disappeared.  Nothing about this situation was easy, but I'm trying again.  My husband owns a German Pyramid, or, if you prefer, a Weihnachtspyramide.  It has two tiers of little figures (a nativity scene) and a propeller on top that rotates in the currents when candles are lit at the base. Here's a picture of it.  It's about two feet tall.

My husband set it up in our bedroom two nights ago, thinking it would be a relaxing, fun thing to watch before we went to sleep.  Never fear, he had a candle snuffer handy.  He set it up on the dresser so it would reflect in the mirror, lit the candles and....  nothing.  The propeller turned listlessly once or twice, then stopped.  He tried moving it to various positions, closing doors to prevent drafts, nothing helped, so we went to sleep, planning to try again the next day (which was yesterday if you're keeping track).  Yesterday evening my spouse, who is an engineer after all, decided to take it apart, just a little, to make sure there wasn't any dust clogging up the works.  There is a shaft running up through the middle of the pyramid which is delicately balanced on a small, slightly indented amber disk, which should allow it to turn smoothly when the candle flame currents stir the blades.  The disk is about one half inch in diameter and a quarter inch tall, and exactly the same color as our hardwood floor.  As he was examining it, this frisky little disk hopped out of my husband's hand and landed on the floor.  We both heard the ping but neither of us saw exactly where it landed, and so the hunt began.  If you've ever dropped a contact lens, you know exactly what we were facing.  For an hour we looked all over the bedroom floor, used a broom and dust pan to sweep up certain areas, laid a bedside table lamp with a glass shade on the floor to better illuminate under the bed, and kept looking.  I'm not sure which of us was holding the broom when it slipped and the handle crashed down on the lamp on the floor, shattering the shade.  We picked up the large pieces and swept up the smaller bits (the broom was handy after all), checked the dust pan for the disk, but no luck there.  Finally my spouse spotted the disk way across the room.  It had slid all the way under the king size bed and out the other side.  We then spent a few minutes reassembling the pyramid, making sure everything turned smoothly.  Then, exhausted, we went to bed.  Tonight we will light the candles and see what happens.  I'll let you know tomorrow.

The hunt...

 My husband owns a German Pyramid, or, if you prefer, a Weihnachtspyramide.  It has two tiers of little figures (a nativity scene) and a propeller on top that rotates in the currents when candles are lit at the base. Here's a picture of it

Climb every mountain...

 Or at least feast your eyes on every mountain.  Today, according to my west coast brother, who lives near mountains and appreciates such things, is "International Mountain Day."  When I think about this, two international mountain experiences come to mind.  About 17 years ago, on my first ever trip to Europe, we flew into Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, then took a flight south over the Alps to Italy.  Now there are some real international mountains.  My friend, knowing that this was my first trip to Europe, kindly let me sit by the window.  It was a crystal clear day, and as we flew over the Alps they seemed to go on and on forever.  All snow capped and so beautiful.  I do remember thinking at one point that if the plane crashed it would be a rough hike to get out of those mountains.  Then I reminded myself that if the plane crashed, being able to hike out would probably not be an option.  So I relaxed and enjoyed the view.  

The second international mountain experience happened this fall when we drove to and through the Canadian Rockies.  Again we were blessed with a crystal clear day, and my wonder spouse was driving, so I could relax and enjoy the view.  And enjoy it I did.  We both agreed that it was like driving through an OMNIMAX movie.  Beautiful vista after beautiful vista unfolded before us.  I took some pictures but they simply didn't do it justice, so I decided to just relax and enjoy the show, and what a show it was.  God's 'handiwork' indeed.    

Old but it still works...

 Today is "Dewey Decimal Day."  My west coast brother shared this information with me and it made me curious.  So here are some fun facts about the Dewey Decimal System.  It was first presented in a 44 page pamphlet written by Melvil Dewey, an American librarian and educator, in 1876.  He had been working on the system for three years prior to that.  Before the DDS, books were arranged in libraries in order of acquisition. This did not make it easy to find what you were looking for.  Mr. Dewey decided that there had to be a better way and he created it.  Over the years, there have been 23 major revisions of the DDS, the latest being in 2011.  So yes, it's still going strong. It's currently being used in 200,000 libraries in over 135 countries.  If you haven't been to a library for a long time, you'll still find rows and rows of mostly non-fiction books shelved by their DDS numbers.  What you won't find are card catalogs, those cabinets filled with little, but very deep, drawers full of cards listing the author, title, etc. of each book in the library, and where it could be found.  It's all on computers now.  As it should be.  When I was in high school, decades ago, I loved to volunteer in the school library because it got me out of study hall.  We had it all, the DDS, the card catalogs, the little stamps to stamp the due date on the card that fit in the pocket inside the front cover of the book.  Come on, I know at least some of you remember those things.  What our little small town high school library also had were some rather adult (to my innocent mind) novels.  "A Town Like Alice" (my all time favorite book) and "Kristen Lavransdatter" come to mind.  Wow, I just discovered, while Googling the spelling of Lavransdatter, that the book is available as an audio book now.  Those we did not have way back then.  As I recall, the book was at least 800 pages long, so prepare yourself for a long listen, but, if you have a long driving trip coming up it might be worth checking it out.  Happy reading everybody.  

Still learning....

 This was a day of learning for me. I'm always happy to learn new things, even if I don't appreciate the immediate value, but in one case today the value in time saved was immediately apparent.  I had noticed, just in passing a few weeks ago, the small sign announcing UPS service on the front of our local Do It Best store.  I live on the east side of Fort Wayne and, until I saw that sign i thought my nearest options were way south of Fort Wayne near the airport or way north of town on Dupont Road.  Since my west coast brother told me yesterday that the best way to send a package to them was by UPS, I happily took the two packages I needed to ship right around the corner to Do It Best this morning.  They were wrapped, clearly addressed, excessively taped and, I thought, ready to go.  A helpful front counter clerk pointed me to the correct counter, at the back of the store, where I found another very pleasant clerk ready to help me.  There was NO LINE.  Of course that could change as we get closer to Christmas, but today the whole process was so easy.  Just one thing surprised me.  When I set my two boxes (one for the east coast and one for the west) on the counter, she said "Are you shipping something or dropping off?"  Well, that perplexed me,  because I was expecting to need to drop off my packages, if I wanted them to be shipped.  So, being not too proud to look dumb, I asked her what the difference was?  It turns out that you can go on line,  fill out all the necessary information, and have the official label on your package when you carry it in to the store.  Thus saving about ten minutes of the clerk's typing time.  A valuable lesson learned that I hope I remember eleven months from now. 

A long time ago

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is "Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day" and my west coast sister-in-law has requested that I 'travel back in time' to revisit my blue Mustang adventure. So here's the whole story.  The year was 2007.  My daughter-in-law's mother and I became good friends after my son and her daughter married and gifted us with two adorable (naturally) granddaughters.  She was divorced and my husband had died in the year just past, so we decided to take a trip together. She was able to take advantage of a time share on O'hau, about 20 miles from Honolulu. I agreed to take care of the car rental for the week. My 'out law' (our term for our relationship) had flown from Phoenix while I had the longer flight from Fort Wayne. She waited for me at the airport, and when I arrived, about 10:00pm, we went to the car rental kiosk where I thought I had a car reserved.  They did have my information but informed me that the only car they still had available was a Mustang. We looked at each other, smiled, and agreed that that sounded OK.  When we were taken to the car we discovered that it was a beautiful  bright blue convertible. We had a wonderful week driving all around the island.  I did all the driving since the lease was in my name. I know, such a tough assignment.  A lot of the driving was along the coast, such amazing scenery.  The only challenging drive was on the morning, still dark, when I drove my out law to her early morning departure flight. Did you know that the major, and only interstate, and yes, that's what they call it, leading to the Honolulu airport is six lanes in each direction?  We lived to tell the tale, but, while I would happily go back to Hawaii, I will not make that drive again.

remembering

 Today is Pearl Harbor Day, "a date that will live in infamy" and yet I wonder how many people my grandchildren's age or younger have ever heard of it.  Is it taught in US History these days?  I really don't know but I hope so.  I asked at the downtown library recently for a copy of a current US history book, middle school level or older and was told that the library doesn't stock text books.  I'm sure they have their reasons but I was disappointed.

Seventeen years ago my 'outlaw' (my daughter-in-law's mother) and I took a trip to Hawaii.  We stayed near Honolulu in her time share, while I provided the transportation in the 'only rental available' - a bright blue mustang convertible, great fun to drive but I digress.  While we were there we took a Duck Boat ride around Honolulu and then out into the bay to visit the memorial.  The memorial is built over the USS Arizona which was sunk on Pearl Harbor Day.  As you walk around the memorial you can look down through clear panes of glass at the ship which still lies on the bottom.  It was a very moving and also very eerie sight.  Everyone there was very quiet and respectful.  It's not something I particularly want to revisit, but I'm very glad to have seen it once.  

just so so...

 Usually, when my spouse and I come home from some theatrical production, I am bubbling over with enthusiasm for what we have seen and anxious to share the experience.  Not so this evening.  We went to a production of "Christmas My Way, a Rat Pack Holiday Bash" which featured six singers, three men and three women, and a key board, bass and drums musical group.  I will say the instrumental music was good, and the singers all had decent voices.  They could certainly carry a tune far better than I can.  But the show just didn't seem to come together for me.  There were duets, there were jokes and solos, jumping from Frank Sinatra hits to familiar holiday songs.  It wasn't all bad. Their version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" was funny and the final song, sung by all six, "I Did It My Way" was well done.  In their defense, we had terrible seats, right up front and off to the side, definitely not the best seats at Arena, and the dinner before the show was a disappointment.   The same company catered the meal at the last play and the brisket was amazing.  This time around they served us grilled pork loin with golden raisin glaze. It was dry, tough and hard to cut and the glaze was almost nonexistent.  My spouse did get three raisins, I got none.  The herbed carrots were ripple cut slices, gray in color and tasteless; really not good to look at at all, let alone eat.  On the up side, the au gratin potatoes, dinner rolls and Merry Cherry Holiday Fluff were all good so we didn't starve.  Even better, we were given free tickets to this show.  We will definitely be going back to Arena.  Most of their shows are very good, but this one may have proved the old adage, at least for us, "You get what you pay for."

so fashionable

 Earlier today my west coast brother informed me that today is "Bathtub Party Day" and "National Blue Jeans Day."  Since I am not old enough to have been around during Prohibition, I have never made bathtub gin, nor do I think that holding a party in my bathroom would be my first choice.  However, I am very fond of blue jeans, and will celebrate by wearing them any chance I get.  In fact I was a blue jeans trend setter in my youth.  In high school (but not to high school, we were only allowed to wear skirts) I wore my brother's jeans because we were both equally skinny and women's jeans weren't long enough for me.  But even earlier than that when I was six years old, I received my first pair of blue jeans.  Little girls didn't wear pants much at all back then, except for snow suits. These were great jeans because they were lined with plaid flannel (which showed because the cuffs were turned up) making them wonderfully warm to play in.  Coincidentally, a few years ago my west coast brother and his wife gave me a pair of flannel lined jeans for Christmas.  They are farm people so they know where to get such things. Happily blue jeans never really go out of style so I will be wearing these lovely warm jeans quite a lot this winter.  Now that I'm thinking about it, I should have worn them today.  When we woke up the wind chill was -5.  Of course by Sunday the temperature is supposed to be up to 50 degrees.  Fort Wayne winters are hard to dress for.  One type of jeans you will never see me in are the stylishly ripped and frayed kind.  Not only do they look cold, but my legs are not as toned as they once were and bulges through the rips would not be a good look.  But happy Blue Jeans Day everybody, wear them any way you like them.

rolling dice, etc.

 Today, according to my west coast brother, is National Sock Day, National Cookie Day, and National Dice Day.  Quite an array, I'm sure you'll agree.  I don't play dice games much, except Backgammon and Yahtzee, but the little guy that I tutor and I have recently discovered a board game using a large 12 sided dice and six ordinary six sided di.  Each player rolls the large dice, then the smaller ones and tries to find the numbers that add up to the number on the large di.  If you can do it, you get to move that many spaces. If not, you loose your turn.  This is such a simple game, but very ingenious, and tricky.  He doesn't even realize that he's adding.  This has become our 'play' time when all the reading work is done.  But enough about dice.  I am not going to comment on cookies because I'm trying to avoid food talk for the next couple of weeks.  Of course there are the cookies that show up on my phone, laptop and tablet - very annoying but nicely calorie free.  That brings me to socks. Notice that it's National Sock Day; not socks, sock, singular.  There is a reason for that.  One of my all time favorite humor writers, Erma Bombeck, once observed that it's a sad but true fact that socks do not mate for life.  It's so true!  Different people deal differently with this dilemma.  When I take my socks from the dryer, I match them up, two by two, setting aside any leftovers, and roll the tops down, trapping two socks together, then I stuff them in my tightly packed sock drawer, where they can't wiggle around and come loose.  My spouse, on the other hand, simply matches up his pairs of socks and folds them together - no rolling - and lays them on a shelf in his closet, where they can just hop off and run away if they want too.      I think he's taking a terrible risk, but at least I know what I can give him for Christmas. 

spread your arms wide

 Today is "Let's Hug Day" which sounds like a great day to me.  My west coast brother who sent me this information is a very good hugger himself, and so is everyone in his family, which makes visiting them quite wonderful.  I am a person who loves to be hugged.  Happily I come from a very huggable and hugging family.  My mother was a wonderful hugger, which came in very handy when I went through the inevitable breakups that come with high school romances.  My father would give my brothers and me one-arm hugs when we kissed him goodnight.  No lip kisses in our immediate family just foreheads or cheeks.  I used to laugh when my father would look up at me from his chair when I kissed his forehead, causing it to wrinkle in deep horizontal grooves that tickled my lips.  Interestingly, those deep wrinkles aren't nearly so funny when I see them in the mirror now.  But back to hugs.  Some people are just natural huggers (my wonder spouse is one) and you know that it's ok to hug them just about any time.  Some, not so much.  My first husband, who was an only child, was a fine hugger to me but I never saw him hug his mother.  They would shake hands if they hadn't seen each other for a while but never hug.  Happily, by the time my first husband and I had been married for several years, my mother-in-law would hug me, and she quickly learned to hug her grandchildren.  Going through life never hugging anyone would be very sad I think.  Lucky for me, I live where hugs abound.  

Don't cut yourself.

 Today is Safety Razor Day according to my west coast brother, and he does seem to know about these things. Do you remember the Christmas movie about the boy who wants a Red Rider bb gun, and his parents refuse, because, as they told him repeatedly, "You'll shoot your eye out."? Well, I had a similar experience in my youth except it involved a safety razor.  I was a freshman in high-school and desperately wanted to shave my legs like the cool girls did.  However, my mother was convinced that if I used a safety razor I would cut my leg off, or, at least slice an artery.  Now I grant you that I was not particularly coordinated in those days. I was a five foot, ten inch bean pole, with flailing arms and two left feet, so my mother had some cause to be concerned.  She was a kindhearted person though. For Christmas that year I received a lovely little red Lady Shick electric razor.  I used that for my legs for some time, finally switching to a safety razor in college, with an occasional  nick but no serious blood loss.

Lights on!!

 According to my west coast brother, today is "National Pie Day" and "National Christmas Lights Day."  Since I have vowed to myself that I will post no more blogs about food, at least for 24 days, I will skip any pie talk and go straight to Christmas lights.  With my wonder spouse's help (after I managed to get one super long string of lights hopelessly tangled on and off the tree) we did manage to get all of the lights on the tree.  We were just in time to celebrate National Christmas Lights Day.  Tomorrow we will start adding the ornaments.  I wonder if tomorrow is "National Ornament Hanging Day?"  I think it should be. 

Here is the result. We're making progress.

Hello old friend...

 It's two days past Thanksgiving, so obviously it's time to put up our tree, or so it seems when we drive around the neighborhood. Actually, many of our neighbors went straight from Halloween to Christmas outside lights with no pause between.  Bowing to peer pressure, my spouse and I put up our outside lights last Sunday and I'm really glad we did since it was sunny and 50 something last weekend, and windy and 20 something today.  But about the inside tree.  It has been my tradition for many years to put up our Christmas tree during Thanksgiving weekend.  So today was the day.  Since both my first husband and my current spouse had / have lots of allergies, a real tree is out of the question.  However I come from a long line of artificial tree fanciers so this is not a problem for me.  We were the first family in the little town where I grew up to have an aluminum tree.  So sparkly!!  Today, then, was the day when I pulled out and assembled my old artificial tree.  When I say old, I really do mean old.  I purchased this tree in 1983 so it's a little over 40 years old.  And yet, when I fluff all the branches and attach them to the 'trunk' all those old parts suddenly become a lovely Christmas tree, and when the lights and ornaments are in place (between us my spouse and I have many, many ornaments) it becomes a seven foot tall thing of beauty.  Welcome to Christmas 2024, my good old tree.

no surprises...

 Once again thanks to my west coast brother for keeping me appraised of these important dates.  His daily updates are something else I'm thankful for.  Today, not too surprisingly is "National Leftovers Day" and also "National Flossing Day."  I'll leave it to you to attend to your dental needs while I concentrate on the dilemma with leftovers.  Today, when most people were delving into the leftovers, my spouse and I and his son and family were celebrating Thanksgiving dinner at noon. Our second day of Thanksgiving feasting, this time with lasagna, salad, bread sticks, apple pie, and amazing made from scratch whipped cream.  My wonder spouse was the one who whipped up that decadent treat.  There was also delicious fudge and, as we all sat and digested, some very nice wine.  What we didn't have was leftovers, at least until suppertime when we finished off the salad and pie.  Tomorrow, although we should be thinking about fasting, my spouse and I will be exploring the two-day-old leftovers in the frig.  I'm planning on a big fat ham sandwich, and I'm pretty sure there's some fudge left and I could try some whipped cream on pumpkin bread???  Sweet dreams everyone.

On to phase two...

 We have had a lovely Thanksgiving Day - a gathering of eleven family members with lots of hugs from my four grandchildren, and one fiancee, who are almost all taller than I am, and all in their early twenties, in college or gainfully employed.  More hugs from my daughter, son-in-law, son and daughter-in-law and great conversation with my daughter-in-law's mother (my out-law?). My wonder spouse fit right in and even the dogs liked him.  And, oh yes, we did have an amazing array of food.  Everything you would expect - turkey, ham, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes, dressing, green bean casserole, relish tray, shrimp, cheese, nuts and mints, fudge (my spouse's contribution), fruit salad with little marshmallows, pumpkin pie, apple pie, pumpkin cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and the list goes on.  Obviously, no one went away hungry.  It was a great, delicious, loving celebration, and lucky us, we get to do it all again tomorrow with my husband's side of the family.  

so good....

 A friend of mine once described my sweet potato casserole as especially excellent because it tastes like candy but you can eat it guilt-free because it's a vegetable.  Throughout the year, I usually make my sweet potatoes three times, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.  It's equally good served with turkey, roast beef or ham.  Today I spent almost an hour assembling all the ingredients, whipping up the sweet potatoes and blending and crumbling the nut topping.  Since the topping recipe calls for some flour to blend the nuts, brown sugar and butter, I use gluten free flour,  then my daughter-in-law can partake.  She loves it.  So here, in case you ever want to try it is my sweet potato recipe.  The original recipe comes from an old cookbook of my mother's which I have tweaked over the years.  

Luci's Sweet Potato recipe

SWEET POTATO LAYER

1 40oz can of Bruce's Yams (drained and rinsed) - any canned yams or sweet potatoes, rinsed well will do.

2/3 cup sugar,   2/3 cup butter,  3 eggs beaten,  1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup milk

 

Drain and rinse the sweet potatoes, then heat them with the butter in the microwave (usually 2 to 3 minutes) until the butter is melted. Add the sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk and mix with an electric mixer until everything is well blended.*

Spread in a glass or metal baking pan - 9" x 13" works well.

*When you whip the potato mixture with an electric mixer a lot of the stringy fiber from the potatoes will stick to the beaters.  I don't mix this back in because I like a creamier texture.

TOPPING

1/2 cup butter (soft, not melted),  2/3 cup flour,  1 & 1/2 cup brown sugar,  1 & 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Blend the topping ingredients together with a wooden spoon or your fingers until crumbly, then spread evenly over the sweet potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees, middle shelf, for 45 to 50 minutes. Cover lightly with foil for the first 25 minutes, then uncover so it will brown.

You can keep this warm in the oven at a low heat for a couple of hours if neecessary.  Also, you can prepare it the day before, cover and refrigerate, and bake the day of your dinner.  I like things you can prep ahead. 

Eat hearty everyone, and have a blessed and tasty Thanksgiving.

 

 

the slippery slope....

 Today, according to my west coast brother is "Good Grief Day" and "National Cake Day."  Both strong indicators of what is coming our way.  I say coming 'our' way because I'm assuming that your eating experiences will be similar to mine over the next six weeks (I'm expecting that there will be some leftovers even into 2025).  I am already thinking "Good grief, not more food." and the feasting really doesn't officially begin until day after tomorrow.  Here's how it has begun for me.  1.  I bought a new pair of size 10 pants. It is my size now but will that last?  2. I bought three fruit cakes (don't laugh, I like fruit cake) from the Amish grocery.  Two are left. 3. My spouse and I had delicious cheese laden pizza for supper last night and there are leftovers in the frig. 4. I took a friend to lunch at 'Cheddars' today and had their delicious glazed rolls as well as a dinner size lunch.   5.  Arrived home to discover that my wonder spouse was making his amazing fudge, his mother's recipe, some with nuts, some without, to take along as a little extra for Thanksgiving dinner.  6.  I was handed a spoon and  invited to 'clean out' the pan that the fudge had been cooked in.  Ever one to be helpful, I couldn't refuse.   

You see where I'm going with this?  In addition to Thanksgiving feasts (I will have enjoyed three when this week ends) and a traditional Christmas dinner, and, at our house, a New Year's Day buffet, we are about to be deluged with incidental, but always delicious, extra goodies, including the candy canes on the tree and bowls of candy and nuts just sitting around.  Of course one can always say 'No thank you.'  Ha ha ha, like that's going to happen. 

What, already???

 Today, according to my west coast brother, is "Shopping Reminder Day."  Really?  As if we need reminding.  Every time I turn on my TV or check my email or Facebook I'm reminded of things I really should be buying for myself or someone else this holiday season.  I evidently need these things to make my life complete or to make me the most popular gift giver in my family.  Except for lots of turkeys in the grocery stores, we seem to be skipping right over Thanksgiving.  Do you remember Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when you could get up super early to stand in a cold line outside your favorite store, usually with friends, so you would be first through the door when it opens and first to snag the fabulous toy (remember Cabbage Patch Dolls?) or electronic gizmo that your child or spouse or grandchild or niece or nephew is longing for, at an amazing bargain price? Well, that fun is almost gone.  Stores have been advertising Black Friday bargains since just after Halloween. No pushing or shoving, you just click a few buttons and whatever you want will show up at your door.  Where's the sport in that?  But I really do wonder how many people are buying mattresses or new dining room tables or pickup trucks or luxury cars as Christmas gifts?   Maybe yes to the dining room table if you have lots of company coming.  Enough of this pondering.  I'm in my fluffy robe and slippers with my laptop before me and a cup of hot cider beside me, so it's time to start shopping.  

re

It pays to advertise...

 When I was selling real estate we were taught that you often need to reach out to a potential 'cold' customer with mailings or phone calls (in the olden days) at least 10 times before you get a positive response.  That's why so many TV ads are less than 30 seconds long but repeated frequently during a show.  It isn't just to give you more time to get a snack.  Well, I think my spouse and I are just about to become two of those customers thanks to some persistent advertising.  Over the last several years I have received numerous emails from a painter (or his children at this point?) that I knew and used during my real estate days, and also to paint the exterior of my house when I sold it 10 years ago.  He always did good work, but I really haven't needed painting services since, so when I've gotten his emails three or four times a year I have just deleted them.  However, my spouse and I have been talking about hiring someone to do some touch up interior painting for the last several months.  When I mentioned to him that I had just received another email from my painter offering a special deal, a 10 percent discount, on jobs scheduled between now and Christmas, we decided we should call to get a free estimate.  Then we took a walk through the house.  Eight rooms and lots of woodwork later we had an idea of what needs to be done.  I'm not sure if it will all be done by Christmas, but I am pretty sure it will give my painter a very merry Christmas.  Ho Ho Ho.  

dining out..

 My spouse and I and a couple we are friends with dined at Joseph Decuis in Roanoke this evening.  Notice I didn't say we ate out, or had supper or even had dinner with these friends.  When you eat at Joseph Decuis you DINE!  It was a fine dining experience in every sense of the word.  We started with wine, then we each had the acorn squash soup which was delicious.  My husband and I each had their famous wagyu beef filet with sweet potatoes, so tender, so so good.  Then we finished it all off with pumpkin creme brulee for dessert.  We usually don't have desserts when we eat out but it seemed so appropriate for the season.  But beyond the food, the dining experience was made special by the wait staff.  We had one waitress specifically assigned to our table.  She took our orders, kept our wine and water glasses full (and did it very elegantly).  But when it came time for each course to be brought to our table, there was no one struggling to carry a large tray laden with dishes of food.  Instead four wait persons came to the table and placed each course in front of each of us simultaneously.  Our waitress did ask if everything was to our liking after we had taken a few bites of each course, but not with annoying frequency.  She also waited until everyone was finished with each course before removing the plates and then bringing the next, and we never felt rushed.  All in all, it was a fine fun dining experience; the kind of dining you might want to do about once a year.  The fact that for two of us our tip was $50 will help you understand why.  

game on...

 This evening, since my daughter-in-law is out of town, my son came over to our house to play some Scrabble.  He always liked the game as a child and my spouse and I enjoy it, so it seemed like a good way to pass an evening.  My wonder spouse and I play Scrabble quite often and usually end up scoring over three hundred points each and with scores just a few points apart.  Therefore we approached the evening with confidence.  We even went out for Thai food to help him relax (maybe make him a little sleepy?).  Well, here's how the evening actually went.  We played two games.  He won the first by 60 points over the next highest scorer and the second by 39 points.  We figure we were closing the gap.  If we could have played five more rounds either my spouse or I might have won.  Sadly (or perhaps gladly) all of us are too old to stay up all night.  So my son shall remain the victor 'til next time.  

Hallelujah

 This evening my spouse and I attended Handel's Messiah.  It was performed by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra and chorus, plus four soloists and it was magnificent. I could go on and on. It was outstanding, excellent, exceptional, moving, a joy to hear and see.  But what surprised me was that it was fun. I loved hearing the old familiar story of the birth, life, death and resurrection, and the promise of life eternal, sung so beautifully. This was a first for both of us. We had heard the Hallelujah Chorus, of course, multiple times, but never the entire Messiah. As I said, this was the first time for each of us, but it won't be the last. 

'tis the season..

 Here we are in mid November and it certainly is the season in our house to prepare for Thanksgiving (yummy) and Christmas.  It looks like we could have as many as 18 people at our house for Christmas dinner which makes me very happy.  But it also seems to be the season for scams.  A friend of mine very recently lost $2,000 in a scam and today I had a voice mail asking me to confirm a charge of $1,400 for some computer equipment which I certainly didn't authorize.  I deleted it of course, but that really is a very sneaky kind of scam because if you call the number they so conveniently provide to tell them it's a mistake, they will need all kinds of financial information from you before they can 'correct the error.'  Another type of seasonal scams is pleas for money for dubious charities.  Did you know that you can go on line and check out charitable organizations to see what percentage of the money you donate actually goes to help the people or animals you are intending to help, and what percent goes to staff salaries and promotional materials?  Take some time to check things out.  Please understand. I'm really not being a grinch.  It's the season to give and give generously, and I do.  Just make sure that the money you donate will really help someone, not just line some pockets.  Happy Holidays, Ho Ho Ho!!

in awe of the masters

 Yesterday evening and this evening my spouse and I watched a two part history of Leonardo da Vinci, aired on our local PBS station.  It was very well done and completely captivating.  While watching it though, I was reminded of two very different experiences I have had while viewing famous works of art in Italy.  On my first trip to Italy, about sixteen years ago, the friend I was traveling with had planned ahead and made reservations for us to see Leonardo's Last Supper.  You must have tickets well in advance to see this masterpiece.  Viewing it was a wonderful, peaceful experience.  Only a limited number of people at a time were allowed in to see it, and I think we were allowed to spend a half hour there.  It was an excellent experience.  

By contrast, during my most recent trip to Italy in 2023, with a very good tour group, we were taken to see Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling; another amazing work of art by an equally talented and renowned artist.  To see this masterpiece, our travel group of about 40 people was herded into a long corridor with several other groups.  We then proceeded to walk through what felt like five miles of chambers and corridors until we finally arrive at the chapel.  There we were allowed into the chapel in a group so large that it was literally "standing room only."  We were packed so tightly that we couldn't move around much at all.  We simply stood and craned our necks to see as much of the ceiling as we could see from our vantage point.  I can say I've seen the Sistine Chapel ceiling, but it certainly wasn't a satisfying experience.  Such a contrast.

Ring ring

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is "National Princess Day" and "Pushbutton Phone Day." Now, I am not a princess.  I don't even own a tiara, although that would be elegant.  However I do think I'm qualified to celebrate today because once, long ago, I owned a princess phone and yes, it was a push button phone. Actually that's not entirely accurate.  Back in the day we didn't own our own phones but leased them through Bell Telephone or whoever happened to be the service provider in your area.  So I guess it would be more accurate to say I had the use of a princess phone.  I had this phone while I lived in my little, but so cute, attic apartment in Monticello, NY while I taught their.  It was the first chance I had ever had to choose my own phone.  I opted to go with the slim line, oh so modern looking, turquoise princess phone with the push button display in the receiver.  It was so cool.  Of course, it didn't take pictures or allow me to check my email or send texts or share my exciting life via Facebook or whatever, and I certainly couldn't slip it in my purse as I left my apartment, but it was excellent for making and receiving phone calls, local and long distance, and just so sleek and elegant.  1967 was a good year for telephones. 

Going bananas

 In the children's sermon at church today the pastor used a speckled brown banana to teach that you shouldn't judge bananas or people by how they look on the outside.  She peeled it and showed the kids that it was still good inside.  As she was summing up she mentioned that bananas are usually good and good for you, to which one little listener, who was obviously paying attention, responded "Not if you eat too many."  I'm not sure how today's littlt expert learned that lesson but his comment reminded me that my grandson learned the same lesson the hard way.  My grandson was three and his little sister was one. They and their mother were living with us temporarily after her divorce. My daughter and I were both working so my then husband, who was retired, became Daddy Day Care.  Early on during this arrangement, he labored under the assumption that if toddlers were off in another room being quiet, the were behaving themselves.  Ha ha ha ha ha.  One evening when I got home from work I was starting to put a fruit salad together for supper.  I reached for the large bunch of bananas that should have been on the kitchen counter.  I had just bought them the day before.  There should have been at least eight fhere.  When I asked where the bananas were, my husband didn't have a clue, but my little grandson took me by the hand and led me into his bedroom.  There, in the one foot space between the bed and the wall, was a large pile of banana peels. He and his little sister had had quite a feast.  Strangely enough, he didn't want bananas for a long time after that.  Happily, their papa learned to pay attention to what they were up to from then on.

That's my state...

 Today, according to one list, is National Indiana Day.  I can't figure out why it's today because Indiana became the 19th state on December 11, 1816. 12/11/1816?  And all my Googling has not explained it. It has repeated it several times over but not explained it. However, today is also National Fast Food Day, National Check Your Wipers Day and National Button Day.  Once I saw the whole list, it became obvious to me why it's National Indiana Day.  We Hoosiers definitely need working windshield wipers, especially from November through July or August.  And we're practically the home of fast food.  After all, Wendy's was founded here.  As for buttons, it seems that for a few years a small button factory on Willow Sreet (city unknown, although there is a Willow Street in Vincennes, Indiana) produced as many as. 3000 buttons a week from fresh water mussel shells. This was around 1846, somewhere along the Tippecanoe River, and yes, that's in Indiana.  You can Google much more history about buttons if you're really interested.  So whatever the reasons, happy Indiana Day, and get those wipers checked.

check this out...

 Today I received a reorder of checks in the mail.  In this order are 60 checks, which will probably last me through most of 2025.  I'm laughing a little at this because I can remember when checks came in boxes of 200 or so per box (in nice little tablets of 25 of course) and were ordered in batches of 400 to 800 at a time.  Everything was paid for by check (or cash of course).  These days utility bills, mortgages, credit card bills, car payments, taxes, whatever you may owe, can all be paid "on line."  You simply transfer money from your checking account to whichever bills you are paying.  Or, to make it even simpler, you can set up automatic payments and you don't have to lift a finger.  Sometimes I wonder if there is any real money there at all of if it's just numbers adding and subtracting as the weeks and months go by.  Of course, I'm in that lovely stage of my life, retirement, where money just shows up in my bank account every month.  When I was in college, so many years ago that BSU was still Ball State Teachers College (it became a  university in my senior year) we freshmen were required to take a class called Personal Finance where we were taught, among other things, the correct way to fill out a check, and the correct way to balance your checkbook.  When was the last time you balanced a check book?  Things have come so far that I don't even write a check for my church donations anymore.  It simply comes out of my savings account once a month.  It does make me a little self conscious in church when they pass the collection plate and I don't put anything in.  Of course, I'm not the only one.  I would guess that more than half of our congregation members are giving on line these days.  I sometimes wonder though how it looks to people live streaming the service.  They probably think "Wow, people in that church sure don't give very much."  Sometimes I wish that we had little signs on sticks saying something like "I give on line" that we could wave at the usher as he or she goes by. These would be similar to, but maybe smaller than, the old fashioned fans supplied by funeral homes for those hot summer Sundays before air conditioning.  They had a balsa wood handle and  a picture of Jesus on one side and an ad for the funeral home on the other.  If you remember those fans you are part of my generation for sure.  So if you actually are still writing checks for some things it's ok.  Why do you think I needed to order sixty more?

ELF

 Elf is off the shelf.  Do you remember the 2003 movie "Elf" starring Will Ferrell?  The Fort Wayne Philharmonic took it off the shelf, dusted it off, and presented it in concert this evening with their amazing orchestral accompaniment.  The story was every bit as good as the first time I saw it and the live music just added to the joy.  I was really pleased, but not surprised, to see many more children in the audience than at a typical performance. What a great way to introduce kids to the philharmonic.  If you ever get a chance to see a movie presented this way, take the opportunity to see it.  You may not get to see anything as special as the great spaghetti with maple syrup scene, but you will enjoy it.

shuffle and deal

 According to my west coast brother today is "National Bread Pudding Day."  I do love bread pudding, and the adventure I associate with it.  When I was much younger and fairly new to the real estate game my boss and I went to a national Century 21 convention in Las Vegas.  We stayed at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino on the old strip downtown and it's still one of my favorite hotels ever, although I admit I haven't been back for a long time.  In addition to introducing me to bread pudding, which I had never heard of before (it was delicious), my ever thoughtful boss also introduced me to the joys of Black Jack, still my favorite casino game.  She was very good at Black Jack and took time to teach me the basics of the game.  Don't worry, I didn't become addicted and I didn't loose great gobs of money, but I did have a fine time and never lost more in an evening than the cost of a good dinner.  I still follow that rule, or try to.  $5.00 tables are getting harder and harder to find.  I would rather gamble in Las Vegas than anywhere else, which means I haven't gambled much in recent years.  I did think about gambling on our cruise last year but the casino was the only place on the ship that allowed smoking, and breathing that air was a gamble I wasn't prepared to take.  I was interested though to hear that a casino is going to be built in New Haven, only a few miles from where we live.  Maybe my ever patient spouse and I will give it a try sometime, but only at non-smoking $5 tables, and only if they serve bread pudding at the buffet. 

open that book

 Today is "National Young Readers Day." Thank you to my west coast brother for this information.  I have just this week begun to tutor a second grader who is struggling to learn to read, but I have great hope that by the end of the school year he will have improved substantially. I would like to think that my one hour a week will help, but I was much more encouraged when he told me that his mother takes turns reading with him at home.  I think kids who get read to at home, by parents, grandparents, or older siblings, will always do better at reading in life.  Interestingly, one of my favorite read aloud memories involves me and my west coast brother.  When I was 16 and he was six, I read the novel "Lassie Come Home" to him. At the end of the book we both burst out crying, but don't worry, they were tears of happy relief.  It's a great book. 

While today is a day to celebrate young readers, I am still an avid reader and so is my spouse.  Perhaps reading keeps us young, at least mentally.  Some might say childish but I prefer young.  I would like to give a shout out to the Allen County Public Library and all its branches.  From 50 years ago when I took my toddlers to the ACPL Bookmobile that parked down the street, to today, when the many branches throughout the county meet the needs of my aging eyes, I thank them.  These days they provide an amazing assortment of large print books and books that I can download on my tablet.  Hooray and thank you to the ACPL.  If you haven't been to the library lately, go and check them out.  I'm sure there's a branch near you.

Veterans Day

 First, "Thank you for your service." to all the veterans out there, especially my west coast brother, my daughter and my son-in-law, who will soon be retired from the military.  My daughter and son-in-law have both come through multiple deployments without serious injury, for which I am eternally grateful.  

On a much lighter note, my daughter told me that they would be getting free meals today and I applaud those restaurants that give free meals to veterans on Veterans Day.

I am amused though by all the sales going on.  I've heard so many ads for sales on mattresses today that I've lost count.  If they're so over stocked perhaps they should consider giving every veteran a free mattress.  There are also sales on other furniture of all sorts.   La-Z Boy does seem appropriate. Let those guys and gals truly relax on their special day.

Enough of this musing.  I hope you had a chance to thank a veteran today.

Say that ten times fast.

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is "International Tongue Twister Day."  I'm not sure why it's an international special day, but that's only because I don't remember enough high school French to create a non-English tongue twister.  Having said that, my all time favorite tongue twister is 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore.'  Even reading it, it's hard to say it ten times fast.  I grew up in Woodburn, Indiana (the smallest city {city because it has a city style of government} in Indiana) and our local favorite tongue twister was 'How much wood would Woodburn burn, if Woodburn would burn wood?'  As it happens, historically speaking, Woodburn burned quite a lot of wood.  Woodburn now stands in about the center of what was once referred to as the great black swamp, which spread for quite a distance from east of Fort Wayne into what is now Ohio, explaining why the land around this area is so flat.  When Woodburn was first settled, more than 160 years ago, enterprising farmers, mostly German, fresh from Europe where hard physical work was the norm, set to work clearing the swamp, and eventually tiling the fields to drain them, providing extremely fertile soil.  The challenge was that it was all heavily forested.  Those trees had to come down.  Some were used to build houses and barns, but many were simply burned, hence Woodburn.  In 1871 there was a forest fire which, according to one source, halted the growth of the little city but sealed its name as Woodburn (even though there were some attempted name changes later).  So how much wood would Woodburn burn?  Quite a lot as it turned out. An interesting side note - the earliest settlers would keep smudge pots smoldering and smoking under their tables to keep the mosquitoes away while they ate.  Life was not all fun and games back then.  

pure fun!!!!

 First, a special Thank You to my long time reader C.V. for her very kind comment on my recent Celebration of Life blog.

This evening's fun was the concert presented by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, "Tango Rhythms and Latin Dances."  Much of the music played was by Argentinian composers and very light and lively.  I was amazed and amused by the sounds being produced by our often oh so traditional orchestra.  How did they play the same instruments they always play and produce such a different sound?

One of the very special treats of the evening was guest soloist JP Jofre, playing the bandoneon, accompanied in one piece by our own Violetta Todorova on the violin, the whole piece was beautiful and their duets were blissful.  

In case you don't know what a bandoneon is (I certainly didn't until my spouse Googled it before the concert started) it is a variation on the accordion, more closely related to the concertina. It was invented by a German instrument maker, Heinrich Band, and is most popular in Uruguay and Argentina, where we're going in February.

All in all, a positively delightful evening.

being a good spouse

 Among many other volunteer positions that my wonder spouse has, he is in charge of mailing out our neighborhood association dues notices, and then collecting those dues.  He also responds to inquires from title companies checking if association dues have been paid.  Many homeowners don't seem to realize that unpaid association dues, plus any late fees, are a lien on their property and must be paid off when they sell their property.  Most of the people in our association pay their dues every year on time.  One unlucky soul recently had to cough up $800 for unpaid association dues before the sale of his house could be completed.  Our dues are only $48 a year so that's a lot of unpaid dues and late fees. 

This is the time of year when the statements go out, and I, attempting to be a good wife (you know - for better, for worse) have been helping in a small way.  Yesterday I stuffed 400 envelopes. Happily his printer prints the addresses on the envelopes.  I want to be a good helpmate but hand addressing all those envelopes would have been just too much.  Also happily, the envelopes were self sticking so no licking.  That would have been icky.  Today, again without licking, I put the stamps on those 400 envelopes.  My spouse, in case you're wondering, was not just sitting around while I did these chores.  He was organizing and printing out the special notices (one year, two years, three years, etc. past due) to those few recalcitrants who are behind on their dues.  

So the next time you get an association dues letter, think of the poor person and, quite likely, his or her spouse, behind the scenes, toiling away to get those notices sent out, and pay your dues.  Or better yet, volunteer to take over the job.  We're not getting any younger.

Even more about compasses...

 My west coast brother has shared the following story with me after reading last night's blog.  He said that this is a story he heard long ago about the Tates Instrument Company.  During WWII they made compasses for use south of the equator.  After the war a lot of Tates compasses showed up on the surplus market and were bought by private pilots.  Since the Tates were oriented to the South Pole, pilots would end up going the wrong way, which gave rise to the saying "He who has a Tates is lost."  

I know, I know, a pun is the lowest form of humor. But, and this is no joke, I'm having a problem posting my blog tonight so this is all there is. 

Which way is up???

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is "Marooned Without a Compass Day."  Fortunately for me, I seldom roam far enough from home to need a compass and if I have gone that far we are likely to be in my husband's car which has a compass built into the rearview mirror.  That does come in handy occasionally.  But with GPS even that isn't really necessary.  However, now I'm wondering, do compasses work the same if you're south of the equator?  As soon as i wrote that question I realized that I could Google the answer and so I did.  Bottom line, a compass made specifically for the southern hemisphere will work better there than one intended for northern hemisphere use.  In fact manufacturers of compasses customize them for five different geographic zones.  Just Google the question yourself and you will learn more than you ever wanted to know about compasses.  In case you're wondering why I even care about this it's because, in February, my wonder spouse and I will actually be travelling in the southern hemisphere, and while we will mostly be on a ship, you just never know when a compass might come in handy.  

still counting...

 I voted today, as I'm sure most of you did.  Then this evening I attended a church committee meeting, totally unrelated to politics. At the meeting a wise young man, realizing that we all had the election on our minds, gave us some good advice.  Among other things he said take a deep breath (or several as needed) and decide on a time to turn off your TV and go to bed.  I've decided that the time is now, so good night.  Sleep well.  The world will still be turning in the morning.

Here it comes...

 Election Day is almost upon us.  I don't mean to make light of it, at least not too much, but I did have to laugh when my west coast brother sent me the 'day' for today.  It happens that today is "National Waiting for the Barbarians Day."  I think that some people are so tense about this election that they actually do envision an invasion of barbarian hordes.  Can you imagine what it was like in the Dark Ages when barbarian hordes were actually rampaging around Europe, and, especially if you were a serf, tied to the land, you might nor have had any forewarning of doom on horse back coming your way?  Compared to that, life in these United States is not so bad.  So tomorrow go vote, if you haven't already, and on your way home or while you're waiting for results (which I fervently hope are clear-cut and decisive) take a deep breath, or several, and count your blessings.  

another saint...

 Today we celebrated All Saints Sunday at First Pres. It was a lovely service with candles lit and names read, to remember the saints who had died this past year and also those we chose to remember from the past.  Their names were all printed in the bulletin.  We sang "For All the Saints" and "Blest Be the Tie that Binds" and it was all quite moving.  It naturally got me thinking of all of the saints in my life and this evening I want to honor my mother who was a truly good person.  From an early age she had wanted to be a nurse but her mother, a pastor's wife, didn't think that was an appropriate job for a well brought up young lady (whatever that means) and insisted that she become a teacher.  So my mother became a teacher and worked at that career for several years.  During the summers having lots of summer jobs and travel adventures that I loved to hear about.  But after her mother died, when Mom was 33, she started working toward her dream. She was accepted for nurses training at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.  I have no doubt that she would have been a marvelous nurse, but during that year she met and fell in love with my father, an Army sergeant, and they got married.  Sadly, that was the end of her nursing dreams, because in 1943 you couldn't be married and be a nurse.  Fast forward twelve years and Mom was teaching third and fourth grades full time at our little Lutheran elementary school.  Although she never wanted to be a teacher, she was a wonderful one.  I asked her once, while I was at Ball State, studying to be a teacher myself, what her secret was to being a good teacher.  Her answer "You must find something to love about every child."  She must have succeeded because for years, whenever I have been back in my hometown, someone will say "Your mom was my favorite teacher." or "I loved your mom."  She died much too young, at 56, but she will always be remembered with great love and admiration.

just for fun...

 Don't go if what you want is high-brow sophisticated entertainment. But if you want a ridiculously silly evening of comedy, I highly recommend the play currently running at Arena Dinner Theater.  It's on for one more weekend, so you still have a chance.  "Murdered to Death" is a spoof on every Agatha Christie novel ever written. Even Miss 'Maple' makes an appearance.  The cast did an excellent job of bringing the zany characters to life.  From the doddering butler to the blundering detective, aptly named Inspector Pratt, the actors were great fun, and very well cast in their various roles.  

Kudos also to the caterers, Walnut Hill Catering & Events,  The meal was one of the best I've ever had at Arena, featuring smoked beef brisket.  It was the best brisket I've ever had.  Truth be told, I've only had beef brisket twice in my life, but this was far and away the best.

All in all, a delightful evening.

a gift...

 Today I attended another Celebration of Life/Memorial Service.  That's two this week if your counting.  Not too surprising since I have attained a certain age.  I didn't know until I saw the dates, but the deceased was only a year older than me.  That gave me something to think about.  As I was driving to the service I was having some rather uncharitable thoughts about why I was even going.  While I knew the deceased, we weren't particularly close, and I was really going to be supportive of her husband who was ten years older than his wife and, from what I had been told, very shocked as well as grieved by her unexpected death.  I do know what he's going through because my first husband died very unexpectedly.  But even with that knowledge, I was still doubtful that I should be bothering to go since I might not even get a chance to speak with him.  As it turned out I was right about that.  His family was, rightfully, very protective of him.  During the service, his daughter read a beautiful 'family remembrance' which she had written and in which she stressed, among other attributes, that her mother had been excellent at organizing things.  I had to laugh at that because I think, probably sacrilegiously, that she was still organizing things from heaven.  That's because, before the service began, a good friend from my days in real estate, whom I hadn't seen for nine years, came up to me and suddenly it was like we had never been apart.  I did not go to the funeral expecting to have a pleasant time at the reception, but that's exactly what happened.  I'll take little miracles however they come along.

Boo!

 Well, I hope you've all enjoyed your Halloween or All Hallows Eve if you prefer.  It's also Reformation Day if you care to be more serious.  Evidently Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the church door on October 31 because he knew there would be a good crowd at mass the next day for All Saints Day.  Like many of you, my spouse and I spent the time from 5:30pm to 7:30pm opening the door and handing out candy.  We had ghosts, lots of skeletons, little 'pumpkins,' super heroes, nurses, a coal miner and my favorite costume from last year, a traffic cone.  It's actually a good safe costume to wear as you walk dark streets on Halloween, those orange and white stripes really show up.  The sweetest was a little 3-year-old princess who was so proud that she knocked on our door all by herself.  Her mother and little baby brother were right behind her of course.  Earlier in the day my west coast brother informed me that today is also "Sneak Some of the Candy Yourself Before the Kids Start Knocking Day."  I'm happy to report that we did just that.  

This explains a lot...

 My west coast brother has informed me that tonight is "Haunted Refrigerator Night."  I've always suspected that our refrigerator is haunted, so I'm not surprised that there is a special night for it and others of its ilk.  I have yet to catch it in the act but I know that mysterious things happen when I'm not looking.  For example, often, in the deep dark middle of the night, I have heard clunking and thumping from downstairs in the general area of the kitchen.  My spouse says it's just the icemaker making ice but I suspect that the refrigerator is taking its nightly stroll around the kitchen.  My sleep fogged brain would rather accept a haunted refrigerator moving around the kitchen than think that some suspicious character has broken in.  I'm pretty sure my spouse feels the same way.  More proof of the haunting is the strange disappearance of food.  It eats the good stuff.  One day our refrigerator will be nicely stocked with cinnamon swirl bread, molasses cookies, sugar cookies, apple bread and other tasty treats from the bakery and by the next day they will have started to disappear at an alarming rate.  Not the healthy stuff though.  Oranges, apples, celery sticks and tomatoes remain untouched.  I don't know where it keeps its arms (that's one of life's mysteries) but lately it has taken to raiding the pantry.  I know this because the three large bags of candy that I bought for tomorrow night's trick or treaters have diminished to slightly more than two bags full.  Maybe we'll have to hand out oranges.

a celebration of life...

 This may seem like a macabre thing to write about but it really isn't.  Today I attended a memorial service/celebration of life for an old friend from my church.  It was a lovely service with familiar hymns and Bible verses and the promise of life everlasting. She and I had served on several committees together over the years and I was amazed, at the service, at how many happy memories came back to me as her family remembered her with wonderful essays about her life.  I selfishly found myself wondering if my children or grandchildren would say such nice things about me?  I even thought maybe I should write out some little speeches for them, but I guess not.  It was interesting though, I found myself smiling through most of the service, when I had expected to be crying.  I was even reminded, at the reception following the service, of a crazy conversation about sea horses that we had had at a dinner I hosted 12 years ago.  I found myself wondering what my funeral will be like (hopefully not for 10 or 20 years) but then I realized that recently I experienced something better than a funeral.  Back in January I was very ill and wasn't able to go to  church for four months.  Happily, I felt up to going on Easter Sunday.  I've been a member at First Pres for 40 years so I know quite a few people there. Before and after that service I was greeted warmly and lovingly by so many old friends that I almost felt like a celebrity.  So I really don't care who comes to my someday funeral or what they say.  I've already experienced an excellent celebration of life.

yet another recollection...

 Here's another memory triggered by conversation with our house guest.  He's leaving tomorrow so then I'll need to resort to other sources of inspiration.  May I say here that having a conversation, over cups of mulled cider, with no TV or cell phone interruptions, is a rare and wonderful pleasure.  We got to talking, as grandparents are likely to do, about funny things our grandchildren, or children, have said or done.  Which brought this memory to mind.  The year was 1976; my son was five years old and my daughter was three.  A five year old neighbor boy from across the alley had come over to play.  This was a common occurrence and generally the three of them got along very well together.  On this particular morning I was in the kitchen and could hear their conversation from the next room.  Suddenly I heard little 'Bobby' (names changed to protect the innocent) saying to my daughter 'Betty' "Betty, Betty, come here a minute, I want to show you something in the bathroom."  Instantly, my Mom-dar went on alert.  I didn't yell or anything, but I walked to where I had a clear view of the little half-bath under the stairs, ready to pounce (I mean gently intervene) if they shut the door.  Then I heard him say "Look, I can turn this light switch on and off with my elbow."  Whew!!

a reflection on my housekeeping????

 We were reminiscing with a friend this evening about schools we had attended and schools we had taught at, and variations on that theme and I was reminded of an incident that happened when my son was in first grade.  We lived in the Southwood Park neighborhood of Fort Wayne, about eight blocks from Harrison Hill Elementary School.  My son and three other neighborhood kids walked to school together every morning and home again in the afternoons.  One day at noon I got a call at work telling me that my son had run away from school during recess after lunch.  I think my husband was also called. Needless to say I rushed to the school as fast as I could get across town, to discover, to my great relief, that the principal had gone driving around the area and found my son sitting on our front steps, just waiting for someone to come home.  He wasn't hurt or upset, he was just waiting.  The principal took him back to school and I came and picked him up from there.  This all happened 46 years ago.  No cell phones or tracking devices.  When I asked my son why he had run away from school he said it was because his teacher had told him that after recess he would have to clean out his desk and he didn't know how to do that.  I went with him the next morning with a paper grocery bag into which we dumped a whole semester's worth of papers.  He was a good student, most of the papers had As on them, but it seemed he just couldn't be bothered to bring them home. No one has ever accused me of being a good housekeeper (Mrs. Clean I'm not) but, in my defense, I had taught him to pick up his room, at least every once in a while.  I guess that training just didn't transfer to keeping his school desk picked up.  The reason his teacher had told him to do the clean up was that papers were starting to fall out on the floor.  After that incident he did start bringing his papers home almost every day.  Some ended up on the refrigerator but many more ended up in and on the desk in his bedroom.  I wish I could say that he has grown up to be a model of organization, but he is his mother's son.  It's true that his paper stacks aren't as high as they once were, but that's largely due to the fact that he does so much of his work on his computers these days.  If only he had had one in first grade.