A huge barred owl flew down a Virginia family’s chimney, knocked over the star on top of their Christmas tree, and perched himself on top www.wusa9.com/article/life…
— Phil Lewis (@phillewis.bsky.social) December 21, 2024 at 4:14 PM
Per the local paper (Washington Post):
… It descended into a home in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday evening, first sitting on a highchair, then the kitchen cabinets, before pushing aside a gold star on the tree and claiming the top spot.
The Burgoyne family, who live in the Donaldson Run neighborhood, called the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. Spencer Murray, a sergeant with Animal Control, reported for duty. (One can only hope he said: “Owl do it!”)…
Savannah Burgoyne said she heard a sound coming from her chimney earlier that day. She checked with a flashlight but found nothing. Later, she heard her family’s Bernedoodle, Luna, bark and run around. Burgoyne dashed downstairs to see the owl perched on her daughter’s highchair. She called her husband, Jason, who called the Welfare League…
The Welfare League also hopes the tale serves as a friendly reminder to keep chimneys capped to ensure no feathered or furry friends sneak down to escape the cold…
After turning off the lights and opening the doors failed to encourage the Burgoyne’s tree topper to fly outside, Murray safely scooped up the owl with a net when it flew low enough.
Then he took the owl outside and watched it soar away, into the dark of night, not unlike Santa’s sleigh.
May our nation be blessed with the peace and light of the holiday season.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. pic.twitter.com/C1gBvivNKU
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 24, 2024
Science Christmas pic.twitter.com/ZYcG8Jrf5B
— Science (@ScienceGuys_) December 25, 2024
December 25, 1924: 100 years ago, Rod Serling is born.
As he put it: “I was a Christmas present that was delivered unwrapped.”
Lois Nettleton (“The Midnight Sun”) called him “a lovely gift to the world,” and who could disagree?
A toast to all on the centennial of Rod’s birth! pic.twitter.com/dCNR0FVVjU
— The Twilight Zone (@TheNightGallery) December 25, 2024
Ho! Ho! Ho!
On The Road – ema – Mister, Can You Spare A … Few Thousand Dollars?
Baud
Merry Christmas to those to celebrate. Happy Holidays to all the MAGA.
rikyrah
Merry Christmas, Everyone😊🕊🌲⛄🎄✨🎁
Baud
@rikyrah:
Merry Christmas.
TBone
Last night, just before bed, I sat outside in the soft glow of our Xmas lights and those of our neighbors, listening to the plaintive whoo, whoo of an owl. One day while visiting my parents in the before times, my mom handed me the binoculars to have a look at the barred owl she was mesmerized by. It was perched in a tree just outside the huge windows for hours. Thanks for the memories!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pSYw4RJzdGE
Rose Judson
Merry Christmas, Jackals.
My parents have a ridiculously amazing tree this year (will share later), but they’re jealous of that family with the owl.
Suzanne
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, just as Our Lord Timberlake has wished! I hope all jackals are starting the day off well.
We did not go to church last night, as Spawn the Youngest seems to be getting a cold. I am currently enjoying a few chaos-free moments with coffee. I will note that I messed up making the coffee this morning — because I hadn’t had any coffee yet. Damn, the struggle is real.
I do not have any days off work this week, other than today, because we are actually going on a vacation in January. So I didn’t do as much for the holiday as I typically do.
Professor Bigfoot
Io Saturnalia, you Jackals!
Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and all the rest, too!
J.
Merry Christmas to owl! What a great story. Hope the owl will be okay.
Suzanne
I will also note that the kids get presents, but Mr. Suzanne and I agreed to only get very small things, because we really want new kitchen cabinets and floor tile instead.
Buying the new refrigerator started a chain reaction, as these things do.
kalakal
Merry Christmas everyone!
dmsilev
@Suzanne:
My mom likes to say that the only thing she can do in the morning before having coffee is to make coffee….
Good morning to all. Things here are hectic but starting to settle down. Dad left hospital yesterday for rehab, hopefully for only about a week. We’ll go see him in a few hours, then Christmas dinner at my brother’s place. Ideally Dad will be home by New Year’s, so the whole family can celebrate a belated Chanukah plus my niece and nephew’s birthday together.
RevRick
Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/Happy Holidays to all.
raven
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, I got a reply nice sparkly fish, my bride got a Mary Poppins book and “a little bit of sugar” spoon and Artie got a Lands End coat. Off to the dog park and then Asheville
eta I got a great “Manhattan Beach Pier” book from the John Post Gallery. I already have two big framed posters of the pier in my living room and this book is awesome!
Geo Wilcox
While it is nice the owl was unhurt, they do make guards for chimneys so this does not happen… A lot of folks use them to keep chimney swifts out of their chimneys over summer breeding season.
Scout211
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate!
And since AL may (deservedly) take the day off from informing us about communicable diseases, I’ll share this:
Is your Tdap booster up to date?
Whooping cough cases reach highest level in a decade
RFK the lesser may or may not get confirmed but it’s still a good time to get your booster. Especially for those of us who are olds and anyone who will be around newborns.
SkyBluePink
What a bright and beautiful White House Christmas display!
Peace Love and Joy to all-
Phylllis
Happy holidays to all y’all. Having a lazy morning watching A Christmas Story & waiting for the sun to come out enough to get my walk in. Hope everyone has a lovely, peaceful day.
zhena gogolia
@Scout211: I’m reading a family chronicle I just found. Lots of child mortality, including from whooping cough
zhena gogolia
Merry Christmas!🎄
eclare
Whatever holiday you celebrate, even if it’s none, I hope y’all have a peaceful day with good food and good times, however you define that.
Baud
It’s called whooping cough because RFK whoops every time someone gets sick from it.
kalakal
Merry Christmas to you all!
Suzanne
@dmsilev:
Well, that makes her more functional than I am this morning!
I was going to write the kids’ names on the ribbons of their packages in lieu of gift tags (which I don’t really care for)….. but my paint pens are not cooperating. Sigh. I actually really like pretty gift wrapping, and I just didn’t make it happen this year.
lowtechcyclist
@dmsilev:
This is why I always get the coffeepot ready before I go to bed. Then in the morning, all I have to do is push the button and wait for it to brew.
It’s a very weird Christmas here at my brother-in-law’s house. He’s self-quarantining, my father-in-law is in the hospital between the Covid and the fall he’s recovering from; nobody’s had the time or energy to get a tree, let alone decorate it. Hell, we really haven’t had time to even get presents.
So it feels like Christmas in Who-ville after the Grinch swiped everything. Only you don’t want to listen to me sing. Besides, I’d probably sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” to the tune of the Gilligan’s Island theme, or “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” to the “Leave It to Beaver” theme music.
But there will be roast beast later, so there is that. So merry Christmas, y’all!
satby
Happy Holidays to all!
I’ll be leaving in a few hours to drive to Chicago, spend the afternoon with my son and DiL at her family’s Christmas, and then be home before dark.
But my Christmas present to me is a trip to Ireland I booked this morning for my birthday in May. Wild Atlantic coast this time bracketed by a couple of days in Dublin. And a Copenhagen visit since I’ll have a long layover on the way back. 🎄🎆🎉
Baud
@satby:
Nice.
NotMax
Closed caption hijinx encountered the other day too good not to share.
Scene: A young man minimizing the juvenile antics of his companions to a young lady.
Dialogue: “I’m sorry about them. They’re harmless.”
CC: “I’m sorry about them. They’re Amish.”
;)
eclare
@satby:
Yay! Sounds great.
Suzanne
As for food…. I really enjoy the traditional prime rib, but no one else was feeling it this year. So we are doing stuffed Cornish game hens. Also delicious.
Jay
Best wishes to all in this Season.
TBone
The Juggler by Fulghum
Starts here
https://livinglifefully.com/flo/flobethejuggler.htm
Ends up
One year I bought a lovely trio of long sleeved, soft T-shirts for my atheist fam. They said, simply
Suzanne
@satby: Ooooohhhhh that sounds awesome.
TBone
@NotMax: snort!
TBone
@lowtechcyclist:
Believe!
brantl
Merry Christmas, all.
p.a.
Whatever you celebrate: enjoy!
eclare
@lowtechcyclist:
That sounds rough.
Raven
@NotMax: The Eddie was awesome but I always forget how small Waimea Bay is!
Warren Senders
How I solved our family Christmas tree problem (my wife’s intensifying pine allergy):
https://bsky.app/profile/warrensenders.bsky.social/post/3le3xrzs2ys2e
eclare
Stunningly beautiful sunrise here in Memphis. It was bright orange, now fading to purple.
eclare
@Warren Senders:
Awesome!
Splitting Image
Mister, we could use a man like Rod Serling again.
The greatest testament to Serling’s greatness is just how many individual episodes of The Twilight Zone are still ingrained in the public consciousness sixty years after the show went off of the air. The cornfield, the face at the airplane window, Talking Tina, a stop at Willoughby, “It’s a cookbook” and so many others.
The Simpsons must have parodied over a dozen episodes of the show over the years in the Hallowe’en episodes. They poked a bit of fun at Night Gallery, too.
Blazing Saddles even parodies an episode of the series. (“Mr. Denton on Doomsday”)
narya
Wishing a lovely day to all you jackals!
I used the egg yolks for brioche; haven’t baked it yet but it looks pretty. And it’s nice to be here (in PA) and here (with all of you).
TBone
@narya: welcome to the Commonwealth!
getsmartin
A friend sent this essay by Thom Hartmann my way about how the shamanic tradition of the Far North shaped the Christian celebration. Enjoyable read. Especially the bit about hallucinogenic reindeer piss.
TBone
@getsmartin: thank you for that!
TBone
My Christmas wish is that, by some miracle I will not understand, the rotating tags are restored to their former glory and place of prominence on my dumbphone, instead of flitting by in an instant, tantalizing tease!
Rusty
Merry Christmas to all! I convinced our two musically incluned daughters (one a voice major, the other a saxophone major) to sing with me in choir for the Christmas Eve service. That made it particularly special. For me, there is that moment when the lights are turned off, the flame is being passed from candle to candle and the whole congregation is singing Silent Night, when the wall between this world, and whatever you may think of that other world is very thin, in that moment there is Christmas. It catches me out every year and feels new.
dm
Merry Newtonmas (it’s Isaac Newton’s birthday, maybe modulo a switch to the Gregorian Calendar in the meantime).
A Capella Science drops a medley of Newtonmas songs today at 9AM US Eastern time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0cU-CmjKNY
HinTN
@TBone: I suffer that indignity on this ancient Android and I second that wish. Bring it, Santa.
getsmartin
@TBone: You’re most welcome! While I’m hardly optimistic about the lot of humanity in the coming new year and beyond, I wholeheartedly endorse this sentiment:
geg6
Merry Christmas to all the jackals!
it’s been a tough week for the geg6 family. My brother, who has been hospitalized and then in a rehab center due to a massive head injury from a fall, died on Sunday. One of my sisters and I had to go to the rehab center and get his belongings on Monday. Yesterday was a quiet day until I realized I hadn’t bought any groceries for our Christmas Eve dinner. Then it was a mad scramble to figure out what stores might be open. Since Aldi and Giant Eagle were closing in less than an hour, I checked Walmart as a last resort. When I saw I could still get delivery, I ordered some salmon, wild rice and asparagus and it came within an hour. The pieces of salmon were HUGE, so both Lovey and Cleo got a nice Christmas Eve dinner of salmon right along with us. So at least that was a nice thing.
We’re not doing the big family thing until Sunday because both nieces are in the medical field and won’t be off until then. Older niece, who has 3 little ones, is a nurse at a hospital where she lives, about thirty miles north of us and younger niece is a CT/MRI tech at Pittsburgh’s Children’s Hospital. So I wasn’t planning much for today, but sister who I went to the rehab center with is having friends over for the Steeler game. So we’re going there to scarf up her prime rib dinner and watch the game, which the Steelers will probably lose. Looking forward to Sunday with the kids. Older niece and hubby are getting a grocery gift card, which is what she wanted. She also asked we not get toys for her kids, preferring that we get them experiences instead. So I got them family passes to the Carnegie Museums here in the ‘Burgh. It’s good for the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (dinosaurs!), the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Science Center. My younger niece and I like to do things together such as seeing the Broadway series shows the Cultural Trust has every year (so far this year, we’ve seen Hamilton and MJ and have Funny Girl and Peter Pan coming up) and concerts. She called a couple of weeks ago and asked to go to the upcoming Billy Joel and Rod Stewart show on 4th of July weekend. So, because the tickets were so ridiculously expensive, I got us tickets to it. But I told her there will be no other presents for anything else this year. I got my John slippers. LOL!
satby
@Baud: @eclare: Yeah, it’s my 70th in May and I gotta do this traveling before I get too decrepit for it 😂
Suzanne
@geg6: I’m so sorry about your brother. It sounds like your family is able to come together — I hope that’s bringing you all some comfort.
Harrison Wesley
I heard the tune for ‘Rudolph’ but what came out of me was ‘Elon the Skipping Dipshit.’. Guess I don’t have the holiday spirit.
Suzanne
Oh, and I will note that SuzMom also got us the Carnegie Museums membership last year, and it’s great.
My favorite thing in Pittsburgh, hands down, is the National Aviary.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I’d be terrified if that owl flew down our chimney. Not that we have a chimney
eclare
@geg6:
I’m so sorry about your brother.
eclare
@satby:
I knew some people who were doing all overseas travel before US because it was more physically demanding. No ADA overseas. I still remember a couple carrying a stroller up the stairs in a Tube station. Ugh.
eclare
@Harrison Wesley:
Those lyrics fit quite nicely.
NeenerNeener
@eclare: What eclare said.
H.E.Wolf
@geg6:
Deepest sympathies to you and your family on the death of your brother.
NotMax
@Dorothy A. Winsor
Could be worse. Could be bats.
;)
eclare
@NotMax:
True. A teacher in CA recently died from rabies that she got from a bat bite.
TBone
@Rusty: you have captured the magic spirit in words!
I want to have this kind of moment kept safe inside my heart, to call upon when needed. We’re gonna need it.
I have a moment of The Peace that surpasses all understanding safe in there already (a long, private Christmas story known only to me and a select few), and now I’ll add Wonder.
Nukular Biskits
Good mornin’, y’all, and Merry Christmas to all!
Quiltingfool
@Suzanne: My husband and I are getting a new furnace this Christmas. Our current furnace crapped out on December 4, the new one goes in tomorrow.
We are pretty lucky the weather has been tolerable here in central Missouri; the gas fireplace and 2 space heaters in the basement have been a big help!
Josie
@Rusty:
My middle son and I sang in the choir for a similar service last night. It ended just at the stroke of midnight. Perfect timing and just lovely.
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate, and Happy Holidays to others.
noncarborundum
@lowtechcyclist: The Gilligan’s Island theme also works for a lot of Emily Dickinson. “Because I could not stop for Death –/He kindly stopped for me …”
lowtechcyclist
@geg6:
I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. I’m glad you have time with family ahead to help you get through this time.
@TBone:
I do. The Lord is present in all moments, very much including moments like these.
@eclare:
Mostly I’m worried about my father-in-law, who I love very much. He’s 83 and was in poor health before this happened, and now he has no strength in his legs. Once he recovers from Covid (please, Lord), they’ll be sending him to rehab for that. Hopefully that’ll help.
Suzanne
@Quiltingfool: I am by no means a minimalist, but I am actively trying to have less stuff. The abundance aesthetic of Christmas is lovely for a brief period and then I get overwhelmed.
TBone
The Potatoes Anna by Ina Garten need my full attention and all thoughts of success! They’ll keep warm on the warming plate all day while I wrestle roping and roasting the beest and not burning the Yorkshire Pudding in a roaring, flaming oven this year hahaha!
evodevo
@NotMax:
Yeah, I know! Really makes one confident in AI lol when close captioning can’t get it right…
NotMax
Think maybe salvaged the super senior moment yesterday from misreading a recipe and adding like 3 times the amount of water the recipe calls for. to the salmon mousse that gets poured into a mold (in this case one for a Bundt cake) . Poured it back into a bowl and used the hand mixer to whip in an additional two envelopes of unflavored gelatin*.
No idea what it’ll taste like but it will look pretty.
*checked the box: “Best if used by December 2017”
;)
frosty
@Baud: ISWYDT. Subtle!
ETA: Did anyone else notice the Russian flag?
eclare
@noncarborundum:
There is a funny bit Steve Harvey does in The Original Kings of Comedy where a church member starts off singing a hymn that morphs into Gilligan’s Island.
Quiltingfool
@geg6: My condolences on the loss of your brother! I’m so sorry.
I think it’s wonderful that parents want their children to have experiences rather than things. Great memories of togetherness beats stuff every time!
eclare
@lowtechcyclist:
Thinking good thoughts here.
frosty
I remember your post describing the daisy chain the fridge would start. Did you manage to cut it off in the middle or is it whole hog everything gets replaced?
Scout211
Yes! Lots of Easter eggs in that comic. Trump drinking from the sippy cup never fails.
narya
@geg6: I’m so sorry, that’s a lot of suck. I hope the family gathering provides warmth and comfort to you all, as much as possible.
NotMax
@evodevo
Makes one wonder how the truly hearing impaired interpret programs, dunnit?
Nukular Biskits
@geg6:
:>(
Condolences.
eclare
@TBone:
OMG those potatoes sound amazing!
RileysEnabler
@satby: ooooo! If you haven’t seen the Book of Kells exhibit in Dublin, I highly recommend. They are renovating the library but have put together a great exhibit in the temps spaces. Happy early birthday!
Scout211
@geg6: I’m so sorry to hear about your brother.
Quiltingfool
@Suzanne: I can get overwhelmed easily! Museums, quilt shows, Christmas shops, I can only do those in small amounts.
I think having season passes to museums, etc. is a great idea; you can go often and see bits at a time. When I lived in Kansas City I would go to the Nelson Art Museum all the time, but I would only go to a few areas each visit. There was some art pieces I loved, so I made sure to see them each time I went.
RileysEnabler
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to those who celebrate, sending wishes for peace to you all.
Frantically baking over here as my sister’s Christmas brunch unexpectedly grew by 5 people and I got the 6:30 am “help” text, lol. Shook out the pantry and found enough to make a pumpkin bread and a French toast casserole. That should cover the extras.
May your day be restful and restorative.
Suzanne
@frosty: We are leaning toward doing it all. Since we moved here in 2020, we have replaced all the appliances, so that is done. And the terrible break-in incident ended up breaking a bunch of the floor tiles. So the bulk of it is really new floors and new cabinets (plus some very minor plumbing and electrical), and I don’t want to do one without the other.
Sigh.
frosty
I do the same. But I plug it into a timer – I’m not sure I’m capable of pushing a button before I’ve had my first mug.
I know could buy a coffee maker with a built-in timer but that’s just too fancy for me.
Quiltingfool
@NotMax: My husband’s parents were deaf. He said his mom and his aunt (she was deaf, too) watched lots of horror movies in the pre-caption era. I figured it was because there was lots of action, not much dialogue.
evodevo
@NotMax: Speaking of that, we had a bat fly through our house the other day…don’t know how it got in, don’t know where it went lol
NotMax
Contemplating making Mom’s recipe for mandelbrot. 50/50 on whether I’ll work up the gumption to do so. But it’s so-o-o good, especially the variation with chocolate chips.
H.E.Wolf
@eclare: This is super tangential, but thank you for reminding me of one of my favorite song morphs, from the musical “Big River”. The first verse of a plodding funeral hymn by a white congregation morphs into a Black church spiritual.
ETA: YouTube links!
ETA2: Now with spelling correction.
From the Broadway album: the hymn starts at 1.20, the morph starts at 2.20.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lv_Z0Xrct8
The spiritual, by itself: live performance by Jennifer Leigh Warren, who sang it in the original Broadway production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNsNQIyC8KY
HeleninEire
@satby: How exciting. Keep us appraised about your Ireland trip. I am in Dublin every May. Perhaps we can have a Balloon Juice meet up!
kalakal
@RileysEnabler: A friend did her masters in librarianing at Trinity.
One of the ‘perks’ was that (some *) students get to turn the pages** of The Book of Kells. She said it was the most terrifying experience of her life.
*not sure what the selection process was
** They turn a page every 12 weeks.
NotMax
@Suzanne
Ain’t no such animule.
:)
TBone
@eclare: I just peeled them all and am taking a vape break. The Menu:
https://delishsides.com/potatoes-anna-ina-garten/
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/92754/onions-baked-with-rosemary-and-cream/
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/sunday-rib-roast-recipe-1941847
Plus fresh baby spinach, steamed, and of course Yorkshire Pudding.
First time cooking the prime rib boneless, will cross all fingers and toes (the butcher needed advance notice that I didn’t have this year to order my usual bone in).
TBone
@NotMax: need recipe! Not for today but for tomorrow if it’s not too complicated. What is mandelbrot (quick bread?)
geg6
Thanks for all the condolences. Jackals are the best for bucking me up when things look dark.
It’s one of those situations where it’s almost a relief when he passed. The fall he took (head meets curb = very bad) was terrible and necessitated them taking off half his skull for several weeks until the swelling went down. This left him with TBI where he couldn’t eat, talk or walk/stand for months. He also lost memory, including all of our names and his favorite foods. He could only communicate through his always expressive eyes and labored one or two words that were hard to understand after months of PT/OT. You could see that he was vaguely aware of how badly he had been injured and that he probably wouldn’t get better. He seemed to perk up a bit in November but things went quickly downhill. He was such a smart and athletic guy, even at his early 70s. It was so sad to see him like this. I hope it was peaceful for him at the end. The rehab and, eventually, hospice staffers were lovely to him and us. It is such a sad situation but we are at peace with his passing.
Hildebrand
Merry Christmas!
Happy Hanukkah!
Happy Kwanzaa!
frosty
@geg6: I’m so sorry to hear about your brother. My condolences. A difficult time of year to lose family members.
We’re also having a late Christmas because my older son is working today – he’ll come here on Sunday. It’s a little odd sitting here with my coffee like a normal morning while the rest of the world is opening presents.
ETA: We loved the Carnegie Museum dinosaurs when I was a kid. My grandparents who lived in Mt Lebanon took us there whenever we visited. Great idea for a Christmas present!
NotMax
@kalakal
Beats the heck out of Professor Morbius’ Book of Krells.
:)
TBone
@geg6: hugs and gentle, top of your head kisses from me.
frosty
@satby: Good plan. Our financial advisors told us to spend money now when we can still get out and do things. Don’t save it *all* for later.
eclare
@H.E.Wolf:
Smooth!
Steve Harvey bit
https://youtu.be/3Th8pLri0VU?si=SGTpER6oYRVFKpoC
lowtechcyclist
@noncarborundum:
Oh yeah, ballad meter is the gift that keeps on giving. In addition to those already mentioned, and old favorites like “Amazing Grace” and “The House of the Rising Sun,” there are songs from “Joy to the World” (the Christmas carol, not the Three Dog Night song!) to “A Hundred Bottles of Beer on the Wall” that are in ballad meter. And within that universe, you can mix and match whichever set of lyrics to whichever tune.
In a completely different meter, you can sing the lyrics of “Lord of the Dance” to the tune of “Excitable Boy”:
Well, I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
excitable boy, they all said
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
excitable boy, they all said
Well, I’m just God’s excitable boy.
Hildebrand
@eclare: The choir at my church discovered, with the help of our young organist, that one of the old gospel songs morphs nicely into Bobby McFerrin’s ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’.
They were having fun goofing with that before church started – and then proceeded to do so again during communion distribution.
Dear friends, it was very hard not to bust out laughing whilst placing the communion bread into congregant’s hands. It was awesome.
eclare
@TBone:
All sounds wonderful.
So do you eat the onion skins?
satby
@RileysEnabler: I have, but I want to go again!
NotMax
@TBone
Like biscotti but better. Hold on, I’ll dig it out and transcribe.
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup raisins
1 cup oil
1 small package slivered almonds (3 oz.)
.
Cream eggs and sugar
Alternately add oil, vanilla and eggs.
Beat till smooth.
Fold in raisins and nuts (can also add chocolate chips instead).
Divide into three loaves.
Place on ungreased cookie sheet or parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until light brown.
Slice while warm.
Place slices on cookie sheet and brown slightly in oven.
.
WaterGirl
@geg6: I am so sorry for your loss, which surely didn’t begin with the final loss on Sunday. So sad for all of you, and for your brother who had to go through that.
eclare
@geg6:
All of that from a fall. So sad.
eclare
@Hildebrand:
How fun!
satby
@HeleninEire: Hope to meet up, though I’ll only be in Dublin the first two and maybe last night of my trip. Heading to Sligo for a night and probably a night on Achill Island. My ancestors were from the area.
SiubhanDuinne
@frosty:
I did! And Boris Badenov! And the other flag, with Ts arranged to look swastika-ish, is a nice touch too.
I also love the embedded photo of Melania’s Blood Christmas Trees, and Elon dancin’ like a dipshit. But the three in the lower right have me baffled — I can’t make out the sign in the fish bowl, the names on the stockings, or the identity of the seated person. Can anyone help?
The merriest of Christmases, happiest of Hanukkahs, and most joyous and peaceful of seasons, to all in this jackal family.
NotMax
@NotMax
Whoops-a-doodle.
Obviously accidentally omitted the step of adding the dry ingredients after thoroughly mixing the wet ones.
Also mistakenly said add eggs twice.
Miss Bianca
@geg6: I am so sorry to hear about your brother. My condolences.
frosty
@SiubhanDuinne: I missed all of those (except the T flag)! Back to the cartoon to investigate.
ETA KFC! The Klan hood!
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Baud:
Happy Holidays to all the MAGA.
Yesterday from the inimitable Frank Coniff:
I’m sure he was inspired by Molly Ivins.
Barbara
@geg6: I’m so sorry for your loss.
Miss Bianca
@noncarborundum: “The Yellow Rose of Texas” also works quite nicely as a tune for that particular bit of Dickensonian poesy.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Professor Bigfoot:
Right back at ya!
https://flic.kr/p/2qBNJ45
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Rusty:
Having two children not only getting a liberal arts degree but doing it in music is just fantastic.
Baud
I just realized it was Hanukkah today too.
🕎✡️
Miss Bianca
@NotMax: What’s “like biscotti but better”? I see your recipe here…(washing down the last crumbs of my pumpkin-spice bisco as we type.)
RevRick
@geg6: May the source of all comfort comfort you and your family in this time of grief.
frosty
@SiubhanDuinne: I went back to the original in Claytoonz.com
Goldfish sign: Maga Lardo
Stockings: Don Vlad Elon
Picture: Time Man of the Year being looked at by a rat. With flies hanging around it.
Sippy cup: Says Merry Poopmas
I imagine thinking up all these Easter Eggs must be one of the more fun parts of drawing these cartoons.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@geg6:
A little late to this but let me add to the chorus of condolences.
Thanks for sharing. I hope it helps in some minor way.
Tazj
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! Happy Holidays to all!
Thanks to everyone for the laughs and letting me vent. Although they say that venting really doesn’t make you feel better and you should be out playing pickle ball or something. I disagree.
catclub
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: In the church of Aphrodite,
Priestess wears a see-through nightie,
She’s an awfully righteous sightie,
and its good enough for me.
Gimme that ol time religion…..
Old School
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
Happy Day Off (or Double Time)!
NotMax
@Miss Bianca
Looks like bicsotti but softer texture.
Baud
@geg6:
My condolences.
Tazj
@geg6: My condolences on the loss of your brother. I’m glad he received excellent care and you will be able to gather later with family.
TBone
@lowtechcyclist: that’s a medley after my own heart!
catclub
Check out Andrew Tobias and eating past date food.
SiubhanDuinne
@Miss Bianca:
I enjoy singing the “Brady Bunch” words to the tune of “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean.”
TBone
@eclare: nope, hahaha! If you never thought you’d eat a whole-ass onion, scooping out the insides like it’s a sea urchin, you might be surprised!
TBone
@NotMax: thanks ever so! Even I can do that for tomorrow! YUM
SiubhanDuinne
@frosty:
Thank you! Knowing all that adds immeasurably to my enjoyment.
TBone
@NotMax: I emailed it to myself so I can easily fix
NotMax
Ha. Listening to some old radio while perusing here and heard an ad from the 1960s promoting a film. Included was a quote from a critic: “a stick to the ribs of your mind movie.”
Talk about yer tortured prose.
;)
rosalind
@Quiltingfool:
my bestie’s furnace went out and she was very concerned as their fam can’t afford a new one at the moment and they weren’t looking forward to a cold winter. they finally found a repairman who came out, did some exploring, and discovered a huge spider nest inside. he cleaned it all out and…it now works great! her xmas present.
eclare
@TBone:
Gotcha. Like roasted garlic cloves.
TBone
@eclare: the chicken stock they bake in, combined with the cream splashed over later near the end, combines with the fresh rosemary for a delightful sauce to spoon over.
Kathleen
@Baud: I eagerly await RFK JR’s new “Children Now Free” healthcare model. Children now free to get polio! Children now free to get measles! Children now free to get tetanus! Etc.
I can’t wait to trade in germs for food!
Kathleen
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy Hanukkah to everyone!
NotMax
@Kathleen
Cryptogerms are the future!
//
Steve LaBonne
@geg6: I am so very sorry that you had to watch this terrible sequence of events. After a certain age the fear of taking a bad fall never leaves one’s mind.
Nukular Biskits
Apropos of nothing: Slow morning here in House of Biskits, the result of doing some reminiscing last night enhanced by bourbon (bourbon recommendations appreciated, BTW).
Not sure when we’re opening presents or when I’m going to catch up with my other g’babies to give them their presents.
Ms. Biskits is cooking breakfast (which will be lunch by the time she finishes … LOL … but let’s keep that to ourselves because she already told me to GTFO the kitchen).
Rain moving in later so I’ll probably be in the garage still polishing the metal on my bike, a Sisyphean task if there ever was one. I’d rather wash my F150 three times with a Qtip than clean a motorcycle.
Anyway, be sweet, y’all.
Kathleen
@satby: What a beautiful birthday gift!!!! Good for you. Merry Christmas!
Steve LaBonne
[Putting on War on Christmas armor] Happy Holidays!
evodevo
@SiubhanDuinne: On DailyKos they were speculating that the sippy cup said Merry something, the fish sign said MarALardo, and the stockings were labeled Vlad, Elon and Don?
Ohio Mom
@Baud: Starts tonight at sunset and ends just before sunset January 2nd.
I read somewhere that this is the first time Hanukah and Christmas have coincided in twenty years.
@geg6: I had a vague memory that your brother had been failing for a very long time but I don’t know if I knew all the details you listed here. You have been through a lot. I’m sorry for your loss.
Miss Bianca
@rosalind: Yay! Eek! Yay!
NotMax
@Nukular Biskits
Suitable everyday imbibement: Bulleit (although personally prefer their smoother rye for sippin, bourbon for mixin’.)
Miss Bianca
@NotMax: I just added this to a file I have called “BJ recipes” and now I’m scrolling through the whole list going, “this one sounds awesome! Why haven’t I made it yet??”
Steve LaBonne
@NotMax: Bulleit Rye is my daily tipple. Excellent value whiskey.
evodevo
@evodevo:
Or what frosty said…
frosty
@Nukular Biskits:
OK, here goes:
When we did a smallish distillery tour in Kentucky a few years ago my favorite was Woodford Double Oaked. At $60/bottle it’s not something I buy very often. Woodford Reserve at half the price is good. I liked Willet but it’s hard to find. Makers Mark didn’t do anything for me. I usually get Wild Turkey 81. 100 proof gives me a headache.
I tried Pennsyltucky (from Harrisburg, distilled in Indiana) just because of the name and because that’s where I live. OK, no great shakes. I like their rye though.
TBone
I didn’t buy any alcohol for this Day, and now I’m rethinking that decision. We had expensive champagne last year but the feast kinda overwhelmed it so I skipped it.
The neighbors ‘ adult children (married couple) are outside now, having it out in the driveway so their parents won’t be too disturbed. Ack. No drama zone pierced!
Good money on cooking wine well spent!
Glidwrith
@Rose Judson: Merry Xmas to all! I will see your owl and raise you a kestrel. One has decided the eaves of my parents house are a good wintering spot.
TBone
@Glidwrith: ooh! Have you seen the movie Kes?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kes_(film)
Spoiler: not a happy holiday ending
Nukular Biskits
@NotMax @frosty
Thanks for the recommendations!
I’m a newbie when it comes to bourbon and scotch.
Kathleen
@geg6: My deepest condolences.
zhena gogolia
@geg6: I’m so sorry about your brother.
Nukular Biskits
@TBone:
You gonna put it on TikTok? ;>)
zhena gogolia
@Dorothy A. Winsor: We have a guard on ours, since a flying squirrel came in many years ago.
zhena gogolia
@Quiltingfool: It’s a great museum. We got to see the new addition right after it opened. I spent a large part of my childhood there.
TBone
@Nukular Biskits: no but that made me lol! Thanks!
Almost Retired
@raven: There you go. I just passed the Manhattan Beach pier this morning on my morning “run” (which is actually more of a cross between a walk and skipping like a dipshit).
frosty
@Nukular Biskits: If you’re a bourbon newbie and you don’t want to be, drive up to Kentucky and take some tours. We did the four I mentioned plus Limestone. The scale went from one small still at Limestone to a 7-story still at Wild Turkey. I have no idea how big Jim Beam or Jack Daniels would be.
Fair warning: We didn’t get out of a single gift shop for less than $100!
TBone
@zhena gogolia:
Flying…
Hahahaha what? I got distracted. It was the visual!
Nukular Biskits
@frosty:
Last year, we did a “split vacay” where we spent a few days in Sevierville, TN and then drove down to the Big Easy for the remaining few days.
While in TN, we went to an Ol’ Smoky moonshine outlet, sampled some, and bought probably $150 of booze. Some of the stuff we sampled was pretty good. The “Blue Flame”, however, was nothing but fuel for internal combustion engines.
UncleEbeneezer
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwaanza, etc., to all who celebrate.
dkinPa
@geg6: So sorry for your loss — may his memory be a blessing.
Kathleen
@NotMax: Can I ask your source for the old radio shows?
NotMax
@TBone
Speaking of flying, eternal love for this production which have linked previously.
Guaranteed broad, warm smile.
Kathleen
@NotMax: Brilliant! Cryptogerms paid for with bitcoin. They can’t just hand out germs for free, dagnab it!
Kathleen
@Ohio Mom: OT from a thread yesterday (I think) can you tell me which drug store you use for your compression sleeves? Thank you!
Soprano2
@Suzanne: This is one good thing about having a Keurig, you can make a decent cup even if you’re half asleep!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone! We had our family Christmas on Sunday, so the only thing on my schedule is to go have breakfast later. We didn’t get anything for each other because we don’t need anything and I didn’t want him to think he had to get me anything.
NotMax
@Kathleen
I tend to flit around here and there. This particular one was from a Jean Shepherd show.
Scads of sources on YouTube. Here’s just one.
Soprano2
@Geo Wilcox: I have a friend who had to get the rabies shots because a bat came in through her chimney and she wasn’t sure it didn’t bite her. Hard way to learn a lesson.
Juju
@Warren Senders: That’s an interesting solution. I also have a pine allergy that seemed to get worse every year. I bought a fake tree that looks very realistic, which is something I swore I’d never do.
NotMax
Bad link above. Fix.
@Kathleen
I tend to flit around here and there. This particular one was from a Jean Shepherd show.
Scads of sources on YouTube. Here’s just one.
Soprano2
@geg6: I’m so sorry about your brother, that’s tough. I’m glad you’ve got family with you, that can be a comfort.
Soprano2
@Rusty: I’ve had that kind of moment a few times while performing, it’s sublime. I’m glad you got to have that with your daughters.
Glory b
@Suzanne: My favorites are Carnegie Natural History and Phipps Conservatory.
Also, the Frick mansion, in walking distance of my house and a very close up view of how robber barons lived. His daughter donated all of their real estate,houses and even their personal possessions, down to combs, brushes & hairpins. It’s fascinating.
kindness
When I first went to college, I went to Ithaca College. At the time Rod Sterling was listed as one of their professors. He had taught some media classes there. Sadly he wasn’t well (he died summer 75) and did not teach anything while I was there 75-77. I wish but oh well.
eclare
@Soprano2:
Way better to be safe than sorry with rabies. Sounds like a truly horrible way to go, up there with CJD.
Someone in my tour group to Peru had to leave early to get the shots because he was bitten by a wild dog. This was late 90’s, he said they were not as bad as they used to be.
Glidwrith
@TBone: Nope, and I won’t. I avoid dramas and heartstring-pulling movies because there’s too damn much of it in real life, I don’t need it in my entertainment.
Dragon Prince or Lucifer pretty much span my spectrum.
kalakal
@TBone:
Masterly understatement.
It’s a superb film though
geg6
@Glory b:
I’ve been to the Frick Mansion! It’s very cool to see how they lived.
Kathleen
@NotMax: Thank you very much! Are you familiar with reelradio.com? Also, my dad was in radio for over 50 years. Below is a link to a tribute from a fan from Dad’s Twin City days (1961 to 1967).
https://twincitiesmusichighlights.net/radio-personalities/oneill/
Glidwrith
@NotMax: I love biscotti but they’re too hard. Thanks for the recipe!
Kathleen
@Glidwrith: All the better when dipped in coffee!
lowtechcyclist
@NotMax:
Here, you’re all set.
MCat
@geg6: So sorry about your brother.
Soprano2
@catclub: I found out you can’t use Graham crackers marked “best by 2018”. 🤣🤣 Luckily I smelled them before using them.
Timill
@Soprano2: OI, you! What are you doing in our pantry?
Gloria DryGarden
@Harrison Wesley: I’ve been re doing the words to a few holiday songs myself, all quite irreverent.
away
in a mangeron the beach, no clouds in the sky…o Christmas treego jump in a lakeSoprano2
@Timill: They were in the back corner on the top shelf in our corner cabinet. There was an open box from 2013!!
Gloria DryGarden
@geg6: I’m sorry for your brothers passing, yet glad you are at peace with it.
Even with all the care and love that went into his last months, it’s a lot to process during holiday season (or any time). May all the good parts of this become memories of kindness.
Ruckus
@satby:
(And everyone else!) Merry Xmas
Ruckus
@Tazj:
Never keep it all inside. !!!!
I was a mental health counselor for 4 years and have seen what keeping it in and what letting it out does.
Letting it out is better. Far, far better.
We humans (most of us) have a lot of space in our brains, and just because when we get OLD it gets harder to recall all that’s in there means we should let it out while we can. Of course like everything else in humanity, we can go too far on occasion. What’s that we were supposed to learn as kids – don’t hold it in and get so far into being pissed off that we become angry all the time, pick your moments and let it out in a reasonable manner. But on the other hand, learn early on how to pick your moments, because there are limits to everything. Being a grownup does take a bit of effort. But then that’s life.
Gloria DryGarden
@NotMax: now I want to know if it turned out ok.
more salmon?
liquidey, served over rice? This could have gone several ways. I have no experience with gelatin dishes, and aspics, but I did try some agar recipes in my twenties, that never set up.
Gloria DryGarden
@catclub: love it
Gloria DryGarden
@eclare: that’s really nice. Thank you for this inclusive sentiment.
@TBone: your recipes sound amazing. Oven carmelized whole onions, well, halves, sounds so amazing. I wonder how it would turn out if I skipped the cream? Might still be amazing. Maybe coconut cream?
@Ruckus: I agree, letting it out is better. My family preferred I keep it in, with the big secrets, and silenced me with gaslighting, so I wouldn’t trust my perceptions. They don’t particularly mind that I pay a big price; they wonder at my anger over the layers of enforced pretense. While they’re busy making sure we don’t talk about the elephant in the room, my personal summary is hey, that elephant is standing on my foot.
it’s dark stuff, which has flavored family gatherings for me, and has made the holidays a pretty rough time for me. So I’ve been a solstice girl for decades, as a positive work around.
There are some lovely memories around the foods and gift giving, and the family stocking stuffer opening ceremony (one by one, taking turns, making it last as long as possible, sipping homemade eggnog in cut crystal goblets, while sitting on the parents’ king size bed), and of course giggling over the silly items)
on venting, some of my friends prefer not to cry, saying it just gives them a headache. I’m better off once I can induce tears, and going in deep to find them, all jammed up frozen in there, I end up feeling closer to myself.
I wish that for everyone, that better feeling.
Ruckus
@dmsilev:
I used to get up at about 5:30 every work morning so I could get dressed, eat and drive the 33 miles to work so I could start at 7 AM. For a 10 hr work day.
Dad was an early riser and so liked an early start, plus LA traffic. Even in the way back traffic in LA was not fast moving. Too many people, not enough road. And each one in their own car. And while there were busses to go there, you’d have to start earlier and take 3 different routes. And that equals more time. It really is only slightly better today – we have a commuter train system but there are not enough routes to cover all of LA. Decent coverage if you are going where they are and live reasonably near a station.
TBone
@NotMax: you gave me that gift last year too! I ADORE it and believe I’ll make that a new annual tradition. Thank you SantaMax!
Ruckus
@Gloria DryGarden:
I don’t know the situation now but as I’ve stated I was a mental heath counselor at a local mental health center.
About half the issues that people had revolved around – wait for it….
Family.
Sibling rivalry, overly or under controlling parents, just growing up, parental expectations and demands, both parents working and long work hours, less entertainment for the kids, just being a kid and growing up. Possibly not growing at the rate of your classmates – we all do this at our own pace – that our genes allow. (I was sent to a Catholic all boys trade school, and didn’t grow from about 8 to 14 or 15. IOW one of the smallest kids in freshman class. Good times)
We all go through this to some extent, some parents are better at parenting than others, some are far worse and most in the middle. And we as adults are responsible for our words and actions but we are all different in some ways good and some ways bad. It is humanity after all. We are human – most of us. We know what we know and we learn what we are capable of and what we actually have to work to learn. Once again – it’s humanity, it’s experience, it takes some effort, more for some, less for others. And many don’t get the time and process that they need. And it often depends on those around you. Are they jealous of what you learn and how easy it is for you to do? Are they the other gender and don’t get the life that you have which is at some points going to be different than theirs? Do they or you learn with more or less difficulty?
We are all individuals and in my opinion should be raised with that in mind. That’s not how it always works.
Peke Daddy
@Splitting Image: Other Christmas babies:
Sir Issac Newton.
Ken Stabler.
Rickey Henderson.
Geminid
@Ruckus: Merry Christmas!
How is the wearher out there? It’s 46° and overcast in my corner of Central Virginia, not as cold as the last few days.
Gloria DryGarden
@Ruckus: “ many don’t get the time and process they need”
well said.
Also, knowing that, one tries to give it to others.
Soprano2
@Gloria DryGarden: One of the effects of taking Prozac is that I don’t cry much anymore. It’s a mixed blessing, but it’s necessary to stop the anxiety attacks. I’d probably be crying today, I miss my family a lot on a day like this. It’s one of the downsides of not having kids.
The Lodger
The owl story reminds me of my friend Lee who’s also from Arlington. Looks a bit like him too.
Gloria DryGarden
@Soprano2: sending you hugs. Anxiety is no joke. I use GABA supplement for that, also rescue remedy, various amino things like L -theanine. Holidays are a tough time. I don’t have kids either. Every now and then I get very sad and have even burst into tears in public over it.
rivers
@geg6: I’m so sorry. This must have been incredibly difficult for you and your family.
Kayla Rudbek
@geg6: I’m so sorry to hear about your brother. It’s tough to lose him at this time of year in particular.
Kayla Rudbek
@satby: that should be fun. We liked our bike trip in Ireland; we saw Marconi’s transmission station which is now a national park when we did the Wild Atlantic Way. I don’t recommend bicycling in Dublin as you share the bike lane with double decker buses.
Ruckus
@Geminid:
Getting back to you rather late your time, sorta late my time.
It’s 12:45 am and in SoCal it is 49 degrees. Not single digits or in the minus column, which I’ve seen living in other states but 49 is rather cold here, even this time of year. Supposed to get down to 47. That’s damned cold for SoCal. A balmy day in other parts of the world.