AMAZEMENT

 I strolled out to the mailbox yesterday to see what folderol our postman had brought.

As I was scanning through the Christmas specials like $10,000 OFF the marvelous snap-on dental implants . . . (makes you wonder what the full price is) . . . and approaching the front door, I was stopped in my tracks by the sight of a BIG flat box leaning against the wall.

As usual, the agents who delivered it . . whether USPS, UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL or whoever . . . had not bothered to ring the bell to alert us to its arrival.

Who knows, it may have been there for days as I don't usually enter or exit the house that way.

On the other hand my neighbor, who lives in the other side of our duplex, usually sees such deliveries before we do and rings or knocks to let us know of whatever has come if it has been there for most of a day.

Well, we suspected this was a Christmas gift from SWMBO's only son as he is wont to send us a package of pre-packaged food for the holidays.

I struggled to open the box and finally accomplished that task and "what to my wondering eyes did appear" but this wonderland of goodies!

If you click on the picture it becomes even bigger and will allow you to read the labels.

As the tag on the package said, there may be enough here to last until Valentine's Day!

Apparently he knows that the way to a man's (or woman's) heart is through his or her stomach.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good feast!

MISCONCEPTION

 What you think Arizona looks like:

What it really looks like:

The view outside my window after a brief midnight snowfall moved through the area.

GETTING LIT

Sometimes I just can't wait til Friday.

 

THE DECORATOR

 At least someone (SWMBO) in our home has a wee bit of the Christmas spirit.

Me: "Yingle Bells, Yingle Bells, Yingling all der vay . . ."

She: "Oh, shut up!"

BRUCIE'S BAKERY

 When we woke to a chilly house yesterday and our maintenance request was met by a report from a backed up heating company that they could probably come by Monday afternoon we panicked a bit.

(It's 21 degrees outside as I am writing this!)

A second call to our rental management company got a visit from the nice lady who handles things with a couple of electric space heaters.

We already had our small fireplace going and the oven was on in the kitchen.

But a short time later a second call from the heating company told us they'd had a cancellation and a guy could be coming by within the hour.

Elation!

He came, he climbed to the roof, he fiddled and tested, he came down and said the circuit board was failing but he had managed to jerry-rig (or jury rig) it and the furnace was once again throwing out heat.

A new circuit board apparently is in our future.

There is still heat this morning so we can wake up smiling.

Now there's an even bigger smile on the face of this story.

I made about 5-1/2 dozen Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies yesterday!

They come from an old recipe found in SWMBO's recipe box, which includes dry oats to give them body, raisins to make them chewy, chocolate chips to give them their name and a combination of brown and white sugars and a slash of vanilla to make them . . well, you know, to make your dentists as happy as you'll be eating them.

SWMBO, who usually prefers a shortbread version of the classic cookie, has declared these the best ever.

And praise from that master of the kitchen is well-received by this rookie.

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 So how's every little thing this morning/afternoon/evening where you live?

Not too bad here except, as every year at about this time, our furnace seems to be acting erratically.

Not good when the cold weather is upon us like a shroud.

But there is one thing good about today.

Oh, and of course there are "The Holidays".

That's it for this week, Gentle Readers.

Now try to keep your holiday angst at large and enjoy a snow-white weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(er, kitty-kitty-kitty . . .)

HOLIDAY BAKING

 Okay, so we've been baking.

Today I attempted some Thumbprint Cookies.

As I was lining up a shot, Judy snarled, "You didn't TAKE any pictures of my Pinwheel Cookies."

So I did.

They're actually Date Pecan Pinwheel Cookies.

And while neither of the batches would win any awards for beauty, I can tell you that they're all delicious.

This is the one part of The Holidays that I like.

DECEMBER BLUES

 Blast!

It's that time of year again.

I seem to remember a time when I liked December.

Many, many, many years ago.

Now I'm overcome with ennui, facing the Xmas onslaught.

I made a batch of cookies about a week ago.

SWMBO has made a batch of different cookies today.

It doesn't do anything for me.

Yesterday, or was it the day before, I found a message on my telephone answering service, noting that I hadn't blogged recently and wondering if I was okay.

I didn't even have the energy to call my inquirer back.

I emailed a brief note, indicating that all was well.

That's a lie: the weather has turned cold.

(For Arizona. High temperatures in the 50's.)

The past two days the mail delivery has revealed a few Christmas cards.

I've been saying it for years but I think this year I really mean it: I'm not going to send cards this year.

I suppose some people will be offended though I'm not sure anyone will even notice.

I read a few blogs this evening but couldn't think of anything to say in the comments so I didn't.

Perhaps the most likely response that comes to mind is a famous or infamous one: BAH! HUMBUG!

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Reflecting on the state of the world this morning, I couldn't help but be reminded of a song from the 1950's: The Merry Minuet, as performed by the Kingston Trio.

You could Google it, if you're so inclined.

In the meantime, it is the end of the week and my job is to bring you this:

So we prepare once again for the furor that comes with holiday shopping but I caution you: take it easy, relax and try to have yourself a wonderful weekend.

And always remember to keep laughing!

Here, kitty-kitty . . .

(hmmm)

THROWBACK THURSDAY

 As the sand continues to run through the hourglass and your Catalyst grows ever older, he tends to look back more often.

At least as far back as he can remember.

Many of those memories are faded into oblivion now but some linger on.

For example, I think it was in 2000, some 21 years ago, that a party was held, a reunion of sorts, at a nightclub/restaurant in Phoenix for some of the then old crowd.

It was occasioned by a visit to the old metropolis by one Ron Talley (nee Ron Thompson) from the East Coast.

Accompanied here by his lovely wife, Joanne, and one of his daughters, I don't think he had drunk enough at this point that he needed that post he's clutching to support him but who knows.

Ron was a reporter at our television station who had gone on to fame and glory in Washington, D.C.

He's retired now in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Some others in attendance included the late Bill Stull, anchorman-reporter-and-legendary ad libber on many election nights; Al Macias, who may still be employed in "the biz"; and a young pup known far and wide to readers of this blog as Baseball Steve, Mr. Torbeck by actual name, a fine photographer and friend of more than 40 years.

Smiling right into the camera, this is the always-stunning Cheryl Parker, a reporter and anchorwoman.

(Another reunion held some years later at her house drew a huge crowd!)

Here we find the photographer/assignment editor and news director  far and wide Roger (Rajah, as I call him) Ball; your beered and bearded scribe; and another who is gone too soon, reporter and chief partier Bill "Boom Boom or Boomer" Blannon.

I remember more than one party from back in the day when Boomer would show up with a bottle of tequila, margarita fixings and a blender!

And here we find my fellow traveler, Wacky Wally, surrounded by the highly amused Mr. Macias and your mugging host.

Wally Athey was a Texas transplant, a steady photographer (at least when not finishing whatever was in that glass, and a companion of Mr. Talley and myself on many trips to political events around the country.

And lastly a couple who were not from the t.v. crowd but good friends indeed, the beautiful Penny Pfaelzer and her husband Paul Dean, a newspaper writer extraordinaire.

It's good to look back, now and then, but as the ranks thin, a bit sad too.

Raise a glass to your friends, whether here or departed.

SOME PEOPLE I LIKE

 There a lot of people I don't like these days.

But let that be.

Tonight I want to show you some people I DO like.

First off, I call her "everyone's favorite redhead".

Other than being fantastic looking, she is an exemplary chef.

She is Melissa Clark, a food writer for the New York Times.

He is Jonathan Capehart, an extremely articulate columnist at the Washington Post.

She is Lisa Desjardins, a very intelligent and hard-working correspondent for the PBS News Hour.

He is David Brooks, a thoughtful writer on life for the New York Times.

He is Miguel Almaguer, an extremely hard-working correspondent for NBC News and easily the best-dressed man on television.

You, no doubt, will have other feelings about some or all of these.

You may, no WILL have others that you'd like to list.

So, let me know.

MUSE

 "When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be

And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me

Speaking words of wisdom, let it be"

Like Paul McCartney, I lost my mother early; mine when I was 13, his when he was 14.

The Mother Mary in the song "Let It Be" is a reference to his mother, not to the Virgin Mary.

But we all need some help from time to time getting through the dark days and nights, when, for example, a pandemic continues to threaten the lives of all of us yet misinformation or blind ignorance leads many of our fellow citizens to disregard scientific and medical advice.

Or when politics becomes ever more misguided and hostilities threaten the very democratic principles our nation has thrived on for so long.

Whom do you turn to?

I have a jolly little fellow who I've moved from atop a bookcase to a spot directly in front of me on my desk.

My little friend is there to remind me on a daily basis of my mantra which you see in my posts at least every Friday.

"Always Keep Laughing"

FOR THE FOODIES

 

TKSGVG RECAP

 Thanksgiving 2021 is now a thing of the past and it was a success in our house.

The Head Chef (aka SWMBO), I remind you, does not like turkey so we usually have roast pork tenderloin on this day.

This year she tried a new recipe and it was delicious.

Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast with a Honey Butter Sauce.

It began with a spice rub that included some cayenne to give it a bit of a bite and then was cooked slowly in the sauce that included honey, garlic, red cider vinegar and a lot of butter.

Wow!

This photo doesn't really do justice to it because the sauce was spooned over the pork, there was gravy on the mashed potatoes and spicy stuffing and a white marmalade sauce on the sweet potato medallions.

And the asparagus spears aren't very artfully arranged.

Other than that I could have been a food stylist, right?

The BRD was here to help out, mashing potatoes while the Master attends to her sauces.

She even took on "clean-up" duty once we all had happy tummies.

Don't criticize me: I did the washing of dishes and pots and pans over two days of preparation.

Oh, and yes, there was pie!

The head chef re-created Her Mother's Pumpkin and the BRD brought a Pineapple "Dump" Pie.

All in all a most excellent meal.

But.

Judy says she's been doing this for over 70 years, she's tired, and frankly we just don't eat like this any more.

So she's done the last of these humongous holiday meals.

I said, "That's fine. I'll do Christmas."

Whereupon she ran, screaming, and locked herself in her room!

THE FRIDAY FUNNIES

 Fellow Americans, I hope your holiday feasting went well.

Ours was a success.

The BRD was our guest but she helped out a lot.

I'll have some photos tomorrow.

Let's see what the humorists have in store for today.

No, no, no, don't hate me.

Just always remember to keep laughing!

Now I know we're already into a four-day foo-fa-rah of a weekend but please heed my admonishment and make it a good one.

Here, kitty-kitty . . .