Yes, SWMBO has been imbued with the holiday spirit of late. This dish should have been filled with these apricot/pecan pinwheels but I've been devouring them like a starving man.
Yummy!
(If you double-click the photo you can almost taste them!)
Monday, December 6, 2010
Hoopin'
As gawd is my witness, I read about this video in the Sunday New York Times. What to do when you're bored out of your mind. (And you have a bodyguard close at hand.) Enjoy!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
The softening of Scrooge Catalyst
After my annual Christmas screed last night, I got one of the longest e-mails I've ever received from the BRD. And it was one of the sweetest. She remembered many happy things that happened to her on Christmases during her childhood. One of her fondest stories was about the year she circled several items in "the Christmas catalog" that she'd like to get but did not mark the doll she really wanted because she knew it was too expensive. Nevertheless, when the presents were opened on Christmas morning, there for her was the doll. She was amazed and extremely grateful. But, she said, she was so nervous about it's beauty that she never took it out of its box to play with. She would look at it, occasionally straighten it's dress, but she kept it prim and pristine for over 20 years! She finally gave it to her younger sister to give to her first daughter when she got old enough to appreciate it. Now that's a Christmas story to melt any old Grinch's heart.
And to compound it, SWMBO and I were talking about it and she said the same exact thing happened to her when she was a girl. Her mother later told her when it arrived in the mail she knew it was a mistake because there was no way they could afford it. She had a serious moral dilemma that she fought over in her mind for days. She resolved . . . and this is a woman who had a somewhat casual relationship with religious belief . . . by determining that the doll had come for her daughter by divine intervention. Well! What can I say?
What I had forgotten when I was garrumphing (you can look it up, it's in the fictionary) was all the Christmas goodies. And today that started, with SWMBO's first Christmas cookies coming out of the oven.
Needless to say, they're delicious.
Man, I love the holidays!
And to compound it, SWMBO and I were talking about it and she said the same exact thing happened to her when she was a girl. Her mother later told her when it arrived in the mail she knew it was a mistake because there was no way they could afford it. She had a serious moral dilemma that she fought over in her mind for days. She resolved . . . and this is a woman who had a somewhat casual relationship with religious belief . . . by determining that the doll had come for her daughter by divine intervention. Well! What can I say?
What I had forgotten when I was garrumphing (you can look it up, it's in the fictionary) was all the Christmas goodies. And today that started, with SWMBO's first Christmas cookies coming out of the oven.
Needless to say, they're delicious.
Man, I love the holidays!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Christmas Joy - - - or whatever
All right. Here goes. It's time for my annual Christmas message.
You see I have a variety of acquaintances. One is a friend who SWMBO called the other day and asked if she was watching a particular program on television. "No," she said. "I was listening to Christmas music."
She told us once that she just loved the Christmas season because the radio stations played Christmas music all the time.
SWMBO didn't tell her that she avoids Christmas music like the plague!
Then . . . while a nurse was attending me in my cardiologist's office today, I asked "Are you all ready for Christmas?" (Gawd, how I do hate myself for asking everyone I see at this time of year that ridiculous question.) The nurse . . . snickered. No, it was more like . . . snorted. So then I asked her if she was ready for Thanksgiving. (Careful followers of daily events will note that Thanksgiving occurred a week ago.) The nurse said something like "that's about it." Then she said the words that endeared me to her. "I just wish I could go to sleep and wake up on January 2nd!"
Now those, I think you'd agree, are the two poles about Christmas. Quite obviously I fall into the second group. But I still enjoy my friend from the first group and listen to her tales of Christmas sewing and cooking and baking and planning and shopping and decorating and parties and get-togethers. She is, quite literally, Mrs. Claus!
On the other hand, SWMBO and I try to ignore the season as much as possible. We may attend one or two events. Or we may not. We very much enjoy the BRD's annual Christmas Eve steak and lobster dinner. We may even accidentally watch one of those Christmas movies that tend to tickle the gag reflex.
But I've gone too far. Let me just say that I could enjoy Christmas a bit more if . . . .
So, what do you think about Christmas? Go ahead. I can take a beating.
You see I have a variety of acquaintances. One is a friend who SWMBO called the other day and asked if she was watching a particular program on television. "No," she said. "I was listening to Christmas music."
She told us once that she just loved the Christmas season because the radio stations played Christmas music all the time.
SWMBO didn't tell her that she avoids Christmas music like the plague!
Then . . . while a nurse was attending me in my cardiologist's office today, I asked "Are you all ready for Christmas?" (Gawd, how I do hate myself for asking everyone I see at this time of year that ridiculous question.) The nurse . . . snickered. No, it was more like . . . snorted. So then I asked her if she was ready for Thanksgiving. (Careful followers of daily events will note that Thanksgiving occurred a week ago.) The nurse said something like "that's about it." Then she said the words that endeared me to her. "I just wish I could go to sleep and wake up on January 2nd!"
Now those, I think you'd agree, are the two poles about Christmas. Quite obviously I fall into the second group. But I still enjoy my friend from the first group and listen to her tales of Christmas sewing and cooking and baking and planning and shopping and decorating and parties and get-togethers. She is, quite literally, Mrs. Claus!
On the other hand, SWMBO and I try to ignore the season as much as possible. We may attend one or two events. Or we may not. We very much enjoy the BRD's annual Christmas Eve steak and lobster dinner. We may even accidentally watch one of those Christmas movies that tend to tickle the gag reflex.
But I've gone too far. Let me just say that I could enjoy Christmas a bit more if . . . .
So, what do you think about Christmas? Go ahead. I can take a beating.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Remotely Problematical
Yesterday apparently was my half-zeimers' day.
It began when I was commenting on a blog post by my friend Meggie in Australia. I was writing about one of our cats, named Blackwell. Except, I called him Blackwood.
Then, a little later, SWMBO was having a problem at a discount store that refused to accept either of her credit/debit cards. We both knew that each account had funds in it. So, I told her on the telephone to go to the bank to get it figured out. After several permutations, the nice lady at the bank told SWMBO that the problem was with the terminal in the store and had nothing whatsoever to do with her cards. As a matter of fact, she said, she had had the same problem with the same store with one of HER cards recently. Apparently the store's card readers get dirty and that's the result.
Of course, as SWMBO was relating this entire story to me, I was getting more and more "worked up" and more than a little ticked off at the store for treating my wife as if she was a common crook and embarrassing her.
Then I had to go run some errands and when I got to the car I found in my hand (1) the car keys, (2) my small camera that I take with me everywhere, (3) a notebook that also accompanies me, (4) my billfold, and (5) the remote control for one of the television sets in our home!
I walked sheepishly back into the house, handed the remote to SWMBO and said "I don't know what I thought I was going to do with this!"
She laughed and said "You certainly would have confused me when I tried to turn the television on."
My response, "Maybe you could have tried one of your ATM cards!"
Yes . . . old age is a b_____ but at least it can be amusing some times.
It began when I was commenting on a blog post by my friend Meggie in Australia. I was writing about one of our cats, named Blackwell. Except, I called him Blackwood.
Then, a little later, SWMBO was having a problem at a discount store that refused to accept either of her credit/debit cards. We both knew that each account had funds in it. So, I told her on the telephone to go to the bank to get it figured out. After several permutations, the nice lady at the bank told SWMBO that the problem was with the terminal in the store and had nothing whatsoever to do with her cards. As a matter of fact, she said, she had had the same problem with the same store with one of HER cards recently. Apparently the store's card readers get dirty and that's the result.
Of course, as SWMBO was relating this entire story to me, I was getting more and more "worked up" and more than a little ticked off at the store for treating my wife as if she was a common crook and embarrassing her.
Then I had to go run some errands and when I got to the car I found in my hand (1) the car keys, (2) my small camera that I take with me everywhere, (3) a notebook that also accompanies me, (4) my billfold, and (5) the remote control for one of the television sets in our home!
I walked sheepishly back into the house, handed the remote to SWMBO and said "I don't know what I thought I was going to do with this!"
She laughed and said "You certainly would have confused me when I tried to turn the television on."
My response, "Maybe you could have tried one of your ATM cards!"
Yes . . . old age is a b_____ but at least it can be amusing some times.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!
I don't care what you say. It's cold! Normally when Northerners laugh at Arizonans who are complaining of cold temperatures, it is because the temperature has fallen down into the 60's. That is not the case today. It's 12:45 in the afternoon right now and, while sunny, the thermometer says it is stuck at 36 degrees outside with an afternoon high of 39 predicted. Overnight, the mercury dropped to 19 degrees and we had snow on the ground yesterday morning. Sure it was just a trace but it was snow. And it snowed again yesterday afternoon though none of that apparently stuck.
Now don't you Northerners give me a lot of static on this. I grew up in North Dakota, just about 50 miles from being a Canadian, and I have known some cold, cold days, weeks and months in my time. But I was smart (or lucky) enough to get out of there 41 years ago and I've managed to live in much warmer climes ever since - Indiana (which had three mild winters while I was there, Arizona, Mexico, Texas and back to Arizona. I have thoroughly enjoyed the balmy days and nights as opposed to plugging my car in at night to keep it warm enough to start in the morning. Or shoveling snow. Or walking daintily on ice. Or much less daintily through drifts of snow that I hadn't shoveled.
I like sunshine and warmth. And right now I only have one of the two. It's supposed to begin warming up tomorrow, though. I can't wait.
Now don't you Northerners give me a lot of static on this. I grew up in North Dakota, just about 50 miles from being a Canadian, and I have known some cold, cold days, weeks and months in my time. But I was smart (or lucky) enough to get out of there 41 years ago and I've managed to live in much warmer climes ever since - Indiana (which had three mild winters while I was there, Arizona, Mexico, Texas and back to Arizona. I have thoroughly enjoyed the balmy days and nights as opposed to plugging my car in at night to keep it warm enough to start in the morning. Or shoveling snow. Or walking daintily on ice. Or much less daintily through drifts of snow that I hadn't shoveled.
I like sunshine and warmth. And right now I only have one of the two. It's supposed to begin warming up tomorrow, though. I can't wait.
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