Hola, jackals. What is this Easter? Arbor Day? I can’t be the only one basically confused as heck about what season – indeed, year – it is. Day 4, 873, 952 of the Trump Reich has broken my time sense. I get that it’s Christmas, but I’m still waiting for summer 2020 to happen and I can’t accept that we’re actually moving into 2021. How dare we.
Yet, this year has been a complete whirlwind. How can being stuck in one place also seem like you’re running pell-mell from thing to thing? Funny. It’s been good to tackle holiday cheer. That’s a nice feeling, the eternal battle to craft the perfect holiday treat. Holidays. A time to fatten your friends and family, that’s what I love.
I’ve also been doing zoom script reading after script reading. You’d be surprised how much narration a good reading requires. Somebody has to set the stage for the actors. I’m doing a little zoom reading of Gift of the Magi and a seasonal folktale or 2 on Thursday, about 3pm PST. If anyone is interested, feel free to shoot me an email for the link. Just doing something fun for people who don’t get to witness a table read. Next year, I’ll be starting a table read workshop focused on giving under-represented minority writers a chance to have their works read/performed. We’ll see how it goes, I’m not exactly a very important person. We’ve nearly made it to the end of 2020. That’s not a bad thing. Obligatory Hime & Odo photos below. No polly ticks! Take a break from the stupids.
Mary G
I bought myself a faux fur throw for Christmas to keep my legs warm, because we still open windows, but Chenille the cat luvs it and only allows me a tiny corner.
justawriter
Anyone else listen to Fireside Al on CBC radio every Christmas?
Felanius Kootea
My husband got me leopard print Ugg slippers for my birthday, because my feet are always cold. I put them on today and I just don’t know how I managed before I got them. I’ve always thought Ugg boots were ugly, but I had no idea their slippers were so so comfy!!! These will be my new go-to for Zoom calls/when I teach. It’s wonderful that no one can see your feet on work calls.
Pete Downunder
@Felanius Kootea: Legend in Oz is Ugg is short for ugly. Christmas down under is weird – forecast for tomorrow is 80F. There are people here who have never seen snow.
Punchy
Climate change is rapidly eliminating white xmases where I reside. We’ve had 1 snowfall [in Octy!) of ~1.3cm and not a flake more since. Typical of the last ~5 holiday seasons. Hows mah brain supposed to pretend this is xmas with green grass and windbreakers?
Punchy
@Pete Downunder: 6 White Boomers? Santa in shorts, and a sleigh powered by roos? Thats gold, Jerry……gold.
Felanius Kootea
@Pete Downunder: A “brutal winter” that’s 72 degrees F. Now that’s my kind of place :).
mrmoshpotato
@Pete Downunder: Looking at 53/17 in Chicago – at Christmas.
And who wants some pre-Christmas rain?
mrmoshpotato
@Felanius Kootea: Yeah, but summers are hot as fuck. 90-100+.
NotMax
I don’t get this at all. If anything what’s been going on has resulted in intently focusing on each day, each week, each month, each season that passes, bringing them into sharp relief against what is generally labeled normal.
sab
If I didn’t have to take pills from my little pill box I would never know what day of the week it is.
Yutsano
@Pete Downunder: Yeah well you live in Aussieville. Me lad in Kiwiville is from Dunedin, and hoo boy does he complain about the weather in July! -5 sometimes!
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Pete Downunder:
Hmmm, sounds like southern California.
NotMax
@Punchy
in Hawaii, Mr. Claus arrives on surfboard, wearing jams and festooned with leis, plus this year a mask.
;)
?BillinGlendaleCA
@mrmoshpotato: (Waves hands) Mrmoshpotato, mrmoshpotato, we’ll take rain here.
mrmoshpotato
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I’ll box some up for you tomorrow. :)
Pete Downunder
@Yutsano: NZ can be really cold. Queenstown in the South Island is a serious ski area in our winter. Beautiful in the summer though.
NotMax
@mrmoshpotato
Box of rain?
;)
NotMax
@Yutsano
Unless sleep overcomes me by the time it shows up, have a little musical diversion lined up for inclusion in the morning thread which you might find of some enjoyment.
mrmoshpotato
@NotMax: (sits down for 10 days to listen to one Grateful Dead song)
ruemara
@sab: you’re me
?BillinGlendaleCA
@mrmoshpotato: Thanks much.
TS (the original)
Christmas in my world is hot, salads and cold meats – salmon, prawns, ham & chicken. Pavlova dessert. And I’m touching so much wood – going to see the daughter & granddaughter for the first time since February. Sydney almost blew it – but so far, we can still get together – state border passes needed, queuing to get over the border and all.
I have seen snow once, over 50 years ago. Happy not to see it again – but everyone still sings “White Christmas”
sab
We are downplaying Christmas a bit this year since nobody but us is allowed in the house. We left the fiberoptoc tree in storage. I hung a wreath on the fence out front but no outside lights.
I am going to bring the little grinch out to sit on a shelf somewhere in the living room. I can’t decide if he should have a little mask. Maybe a neck gaiter would be more in character.
Today I start the cookie baking.
sab
My grandmother grew up in a town in Wisconsin where nearly everyone spoke German at home. She didn’t, but she learned German around town and spoke it fluently.
We have from her a family cookie recipe called “eier kringle” that uses a lot of eggs. It is very rich and not sweet at all. We only make the cookies for Christmas because that is about the only time we make cookies. Since it is so rich, we make the cookies tiny. Little stars, little reindeer, little pine trees, little wreaths.
We always thought it was a Christmas recipe because that’s when we make it and the name has ” kringle” in it ( e. g. kris kringle.) Turns out it just translates directly as “egg rings” or “egg circles”. Not Christmas at all. And we have been making them in the wrong shape. So now I make them later in winter, and shaped like little pretzles.
WereBear
Adorable happy kitties!
And they are not lazy. They are conserving their energy.
opiejeanne
@mrmoshpotato: We had snow last night but the temp outside barely hit 32 before heading back up, so most of the snow was gone.
Tonight the low will be 27 but no moisture.
sab
ruemara: what are those cookies in your photos? ( not recipes, just descriptive titles.)
opiejeanne
And my greenhouse burned down tonight.
Photos at flicker, here, at the bottom of the page:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/snowwhite/albums/72157714036513623
opiejeanne
Ruemara, your kitties are lovely. Thanks for sharing.
Tonight I am finding it hard to sleep (small wonder).
Amir Khalid
@opiejeanne:
I saw a photo of the damage. It’s a tough break to have that happen just before Christmas. When does the fire inspector come by?
sab
@opiejeanne: I am so sorry. That “she shed” insurance commercial isn’t so funny when real people live it.
sab
@WereBear: I bought a cat tree for my bedroom that didn’t work out. To big, not enough actual cat space. So I bought a much better one, and put the old one on the upstairs landing temporarily.
Problem: cats love new cat tree, but they love old cat tree in hall more. I meant to move it downstairs by front door, but Mac the blind cat pees everywhere because too hard to find litterboxes or ubiquitous wee pads ( yes I am judging a blind cat and finding him morally lacking.) So old cat tree on (too small) upstairs landing. Cats are thrilled. Husband is not, but 4 of our 5 cats are his. Suck it up, guy.
opiejeanne
@Amir Khalid: The inspector came tonight, by 9 pm.
I think I’m in shock now. I was sad at the time, but just now it’s hitting me.
opiejeanne
@sab: Yes, and if it had been my shed or Dave’s workshop I would have been weeping.
It was a surprisingly big fire. We lost some plants but more important, we lost all of our garden tools, our shovels and hoes and clippers and the tree lopper. All of our equipment and materials for starting seeds, potting out seedlings, all of the plastic trays and pots we used, the watering equipment, bags of soil and enhancements.
All just lost in 90 minutes.
opiejeanne
@Amir Khalid: It’s 2020, the year that just keeps on giving.
satby
@opiejeanne: That’s terrible! I’m so sorry. Hope your insurance covers it all and you can replace everything.
Zinsky
I would be happy to eat a plate of your Unicorn Vanilla cookies! Yum! Merry Christmas and thanks for sharing!
Geminid
@opiejeanne: I am sorry to hear about your greenhouse, and I hope you will be able to “Build Back Better.” Or at least as good.
opiejeanne
@satby: Thanks. I made a joke yesterday when we were having wild weather, and a plastic garden chair had fallen over in the wind. I pointed at it and told David that we will rebuild.
The next greenhouse will be better because we won’t use polycarbonate panels. I think we might go scrounging for windows in wood frames. The salvage places around here seem to have quite a few.
opiejeanne
@Geminid: The next one will be better, and one of my adult daughters has offered to help.
Geminid
@opiejeanne: With all the energy saving windows being installed, there are a lot of good windows going to the dump. You might get on that internet thing I’m always hearing about and hook up with an owner. The installation companies might help. My friend Joan had eight nice wood double sash windows pulled out of her house last spring. She hated to discard them but she did.
Gvg
@opiejeanne: Any idea what started it? I have always feared fire. I am sorry.
Geminid
@opiejeanne: Window replacement companies send a lot of old windows to the dump, but they have reasons to fend off third party salvagers. You might have success, though, if you show up at the office in person, and charm them.
Geminid
debbie
@sab:
Looking for a different option?
Elizabelle
Merry Christmas, ruemara, to you and the kits. I think your table reads idea is a great one.
Debatable. At the very least, add a “yet” at the end of that sentence.
To 2021 being a far better and healthier year for us all.
Elizabelle
@opiejeanne: I’m so sorry about the greenhouse. In your second short video: not the seasonal red lights you want to see in your yard.
Your flickr photos are beautiful. And you will be resilient too, but — sucks about the fire. I am sorry for what you have lost.
karensky
@Mary G: Awesome cat name!
karensky
I want some of those lamb patties right now and mebbe a beer!
sab
@debbie: I love that