Let's Make it a Great One

 Maybe the best ever. 

In ways you could never imagine.

Blessed be.

Wisdom

 

Unintentional Selfie

 

The anagramming poltergeist is at it again.

Rowan Moon

Tonight the full moon shines forth from her home sign, Cancer. Tis the Rowan moon, children, we should all look within to find our inner strengths and bring them forth. We will need them in the New Year. Even when 2020 becomes the past the effects of so much negativity will linger. We must gather these strengths to overcome our difficult past. We are all in this together. 

I Know, I Know

 

When I embark on a task that requires my drill, the day before I need to remember to put the spare battery on to charge. Because it's entirely likely that the drill will poop out before the job is finished. Now that the backsplash is finished, it was time to put up the magnetic knife rack. Again. As you can see, I successfully drilled the first hole through the tile that is just above and to the left of the electrical outlet. True to form, the drill ran out of juice on the second hole, just above and to the right of the light switch. Doesn't the tile look great? I can hardly wait til grouting begins. Not. At least that part of the job doesn't require any power tools.

Emergency Room

When ER first aired in 1994, I was hooked. For the first half of its run on NBC I was a loyal viewer. Terrific cast, attention grabbing and interesting, often heartbreaking stories. Each episode covers one day in the lives of the ER staff and its patients. Some threads pick up again in subsequent episodes, some end with the closing credits without us knowing how that particular case turned out. Somewhere in the late nineties I lost track of the show so now I'm happy to say that I found it streaming on Hulu and have been enjoying it immensely. Unlike some series that are twenty-plus years old, it holds up really well. I think that's true when the characters are people you become invested in and can't wait to return to see what happens next. Great writing in character-driven dramas with an ensemble cast is a winning combination, even when over the course of the run of the show original cast members depart and new ones take their place. I'm almost through the first season and have fourteen more to go. This should get me through the darkness of winter that remains.

 

The Cardinals of Christmas

In the dining room

On the tree

On the windowsill

 

Atop the china cabinet

A Very Covid Christmas

Just a little plug for eight short plays, one of which was written by my playwrite cousin Cory Skurdal. I plan to watch all of them tonight! For a small donation you, too, can enjoy A Very Covid Christmas!   

Indulging in the Selkie Legend

We have a Christmas tradition going back many years of watching movies. Often there is a theme or sometimes we watch movies from a series of films. This year, in a salute to the Selkie legend, we watched two films, one with live actors and another that was animated. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) has been a favorite of mine for a number of years. John Sayles is a favorite director of mine, and this dive into magical realism is a joy to watch. Fortunately, I have it on dvd, I haven't seen that it is streaming anywhere now. Reid's choice was The Song of the Sea (2014), a delightful animated story. It is currently streaming on Netflix. These movies are appropriate for the whole family though there are some images in The Song of the Sea that might be a bit scary for little ones. I highly recommend both of these films! 

 

Remember This?

You can still play this very silly game online! Back in 2002, we downloaded a version of Elf Bowling and I admit I played it far too much. I also laughed a lot. The cigarette smoking elf and the blood everywhere and knocking an elf's head off were horrible visuals but very cartoonishly entertaining. I also remember an internet rumor that the game was infected with a virus that would pretty much destroy your computer at a certain time on Christmas day. A family member called us in Wisconsin where we were spending the holidays with other family to inform us of this rumor that didn't play out. As if we could do anything about it from a distance! Elf Bowling! A blast from the past! A video game I could actually win! Play it!

 

His Time is Running Out

 

Christmas Morning

First, a lovely cup of English Breakfast.

Followed by a mimosa and homemade cinnamon rolls.  

 

Did You Doubt That I Had a Metallic Pink Tree?

The pink sparkly tree is in place atop the refrigerator. Everyone should have a pink tree. Because my fridge is tall and I'm not, until I saw the photo I wasn't aware of how dusty it is up there. And that the tree is not properly foofed. I apologize. But doesn't it look pretty with my newly painted cabinets as a backdrop? Yes. Yes, it does.

The Continuing Creeping Crud

Covid-19 has taken up residence in my body and does not seem to want to leave. My recovery has been three steps forward, one step back. I'm not nearly as sick as I was two weeks ago. The lingering dry cough is annoying, as is the loss of energy. But today and yesterday the chills, tummy trouble, and headache have returned. At this point I have been sick for a month. Sigh. All I want to do is take drugs* and sleep. 

*Over-the-Counter, children.

Bargain Clearance Item

This is something I would probably never buy. At least not at full price, which was $50. But in the post-Christmas clearance last year I snagged this set of LED candles for less than ten bucks. 

It has a remote! The candles run on AA batteries which I have an abundance of in the rechargeable version. This is fun! And the Velveteen Rabbit has nothing to fear being so nearby. Keep your bunnies away from an open flame!

 

Bears and Solstice Greens

 

Santa Drives a FedEx Truck

 

You Know Who You Are

 

New Zealand Wine!

So this wine caught my eye earlier today as I was shopping for champagne and red wine at my local booze store. It would be perfect if it had an e between the m and the s, but no matter. I'm pretty excited that there is a wine with almost my maiden name emblazoned across the label. I'll definitely need to procure a bottle for the next sisters reunion. The McBroome-Shuttlecock sisters, Frigga, Grace, and Heidi, will decide if this wine is worthy of its name. 

Blessings to All

 

Silent Monks Sing

Who knew the Hallelujah Chorus could be so much fun? I snortlaughed. I also watched it five times. Enjoy!

Frightful Crafty Things

Truly, I could not tear myself away. For eleven minutes I watched this shrill woman create a Christmas tree from clothespins using a hot glue gun. When finished she declared it cute and was planning to use it as an accent piece by poking it into one of her decorated trees. Tree on tree, so to speak. And while I was looking for a photo to screen grab and share with you, I saw that she was making a still more hideous tree out of dust mop heads. It seems she has a website and is considered a "professional" crafter. All I have to say is, bless her heart. I think she means well. 

The Ghost of Christmas Profanity

 We all know what this is supposed to say.

Atop My Bathroom Cabinet

 

Christmas Photos Gone Terribly Wrong, Vol 1

 

Not Dead Yet

Hello. Anyone there? I know, I've gone missing for a week myself and shouldn't expect y'all to be waiting patiently for my return. Today marks Day 7 since I got the test results for my Covid-19 test. It was positive. I am on Day 15 of being symptomatic. It's been a meandering two weeks of cough, low-grade fever, head and body aches, sore throat, an astonishing feeling of weakness, and diarrhea. I'd seem to improve a bit, then relapse into more severe symptoms. I'd creep back and forth from bed at night to the couch for most of the day. Doing my best to stay just hydrated enough without having to take multiple trips to the bathroom. During the worst stretch, I didn't have the strength to sit up at my computer and wore the same jammies and went unshowered for five days. Yesterday afternoon things finally took a break for the better, I actually felt like eating and found that I felt steady enough to take a shower and wash my filthy hair. Today I feel almost normal, though with a bit of a lingering dry cough and I do tire easily. For anyone who thinks the coronavirus is a hoax, I'll let you in on something. This shit is real, it is nasty, and you don't want to get infected with it. My son and I have experienced it about as bad as you can without requiring hospitalization. For our continuing recovery I am grateful. Also for friends and family checking in on us and asking if we need anything. All I have to say is, wear a goddamn mask if you must go out among others and maintain a six foot space between yourself and others. Wash your hands. If you must spread something, share accurate information about Covid-19, no bullshit conspiracy theories. Stay safe out there.  

Creeping Crud Update

Still waiting for test results. It was supposed to take 48 hours, which would have been some time yesterday. According to the website, the sample only arrived at the testing lab around 6pm yesterday. The Final Jeopardy countdown music is looping in my brain. I feel slightly less shitty than last night. Whatever virus has taken up residence in my body is nasty beyond belief. I am at Day 8 of symptoms. Stay home. Wear a mask. Keep six feet away from others. You don't want this.

 

Marriage

Today is the birthday of British essayist, historian, and philosopher Thomas Carlyle. He was married for forty years to Jane Baillie Welsh and they were intensely unhappy together. I have no idea to whom I should attribute this quote, but someone who must have been familiar with the couple said this, "It was very good of God to let Carlyle and Mrs. Carlyle marry one another, and so make only two people miserable and not four." Proving that misery does, indeed, love company. If I were a better person I would not have found this so amusing.
 

The Creeping Crud

The son and I have been swabbed for the Covid-19 PCR test. Results in forty-eight hours or so. I have made an enormous pot of chicken/turkey noodle soup. This will sustain us for a few days while I most likely won't feel much like cooking. Reid is on Day 8 of symptoms and is feeling pretty perky this evening. I am on Day 5 and in a bit of a downward spiral. It must be time for soup, Advil, and flannel pajamas. And a blankie. And my big, comfy chair. Which is conveniently located in front of the TV. Maybe Newt will cuddle with me. Yes, I am pitiful. 

2020 Just Keeps On Giving

Both the son and I have come down with some nasty viral sort of thing. Tomorrow we get tested for Covid-19, there's a testing station just a few blocks away and it's free! Cancelled dentist appointments and a pause in my seasonal decorating frenzy and living in pajamas have become the norm around here. It's one thing to laze about and accomplish little but taking up space. It's quite another to feel like space occupation is exhausting. I have become enamored of drinking this lemonade/ginger ale concoction. Hydrates and cleans out the phlegmy feeling. Time for another episode of The West Wing. 
 

December Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit

 

It's Begun!

Holiday decorating has been in full swing for the last few days. The whole house looks like the Christmas fairy barfed all over after a wild ride on a reindeer. The main tree is up in the living room and all lit up with red lights awaiting further festoonment. Yesterday the outdoor decorations were placed and a timer turns on the lights at sundown. As usual, Newton is no help at all. But he does look awfully darn cute whatever he's up to. Think I'll pop Love Actually into the dvd player for inspiration and get busy with the tinsel. 

WW IV

I'm watching The West Wing. Again. And it's a good thing, too. As of Christmas Eve it's dropping off of Netflix and going somewhere called HBO Max. Whatever that is, I don't have it. I'm well into the third season so I'll be able to complete this binge before it departs. I caught about half of the series when it originally aired and watched it in its entirety when I found it on Netflix back around 2013. If memory serves correctly, I believe this is my fourth binge of The West Wing. Maybe it's the recent turn of the political tide, but I'm feeling hopeful again even though many of the issues popping up on a drama filmed in the early aughts have yet to be solved. I still tear up when Mrs. Landingham dies. I still think VP John Hoynes is a rat. And I wish all Republicans were as decent as Ainsley Hayes.  

Happy Holidays!

 Don't forget the Solstice. We Pagans celebrate, too.

Love, Actually

 

Happy Day of Thanks

 

Thanks, Dave

In these uncertain times, I feel so terribly reassured by this note. Certified, weevil free sweet potatoes. Count this among the things I am grateful for.

More Than This

I love this song. I've been sitting here with it running around in my head so I took that as a sign that I should blog about it. I especially like the title. In reference to almost anything I adore. Like dessert or sleeping extra hours or extra whipped cream on desserts. I actually prefer the original video to this dance mix version but this was all I could find. And there are two things I love about this video aside from loving the song. Firstly, my friend Emma bears an extraordinary resemblance to vocalist Mary Ramsey, which I find endearing. Then there's the setting, the famed House On The Rock located near Spring Green, Wisconsin. I have visited twice and could go a third time just for fun. Emma also has great affection for THotR and has visited numerous times, even for a Halloween party. So it almost appears to me at times that Emma is singing a 10,000 Maniacs song in one of her favorite places. I find this delightful. I must credit Bryan Ferry for writing the song but I vastly prefer this cover to the Roxy Music original. Which I know is blasphemy to some people. I will not mention these people. I am acquainted with a few. If any of you read this, please feel free to chastise me in the comments. 

Snowvember

 

Two and Counting

I just now read this quote and can't find its author. I'm sharing it now with the hope that someone smarter than me, or at least with better googling skills, can enlighten me as to its origin. The writing is a bit stilted which suggests to me it comes from an earlier form of the English language, or perhaps it was translated from another language entirely. It grabbed my attention because of its startling similarity to my own earlier life and what I hope the future holds. 

"To love and being loved by the same person is one of the best feelings in the world. But, not everyone has the luck to find true love from the first relationship. For centuries, mystics and philosophers believed that one falls in love only with three different people in the life; ‘the one shows our stupidity’,’ the one breaks and makes us’ and ‘the one without a reason’."

Looking back I can see why the quote spoke to me personally. Thinking I was smart. Feeling broken beyond repair and managing to put myself back together and move on. And still to come, the heart wanting what it wants for no reason. That's reasonable enough for me. 

It's The Little Things

Today was a new panties day. I love new underwear. And the first time I wear a new pair of panties I feel just a little bit fancier than usual. Today's new unmentionables are lavender in color and very comfortable. So I'm adding Vanity Fair's style #13164 to my mental list of Panties To Buy Again. Even if they think the color is Dusty Mauve, which it isn't, it's definitely lavender. If the rest of the day is crap, at least you can celebrate the fact that it was a new panties day. 
 

For Impertinent Onion-Eyed Miscreants Only

Personally, I prefer to say prefaced, prefced is a form I'm not familiar with. So I shall avoid it like the saucy common-kissing harpy that I am. 

Backsplash Tile Status: Complete

Notice how I left the smaller area needing tile for today. In order to get the biggest part of the project done first. Sometimes I'm terribly smart.

And several hours later, ta-da! Let the excesses of Christmas begin! 

And because I'm such a stickler for symmetry, I injured my left index finger today. Those tile shards are like razors! I am delighted that the backsplash tile phase of kitchen updating is now complete. All that is left now is grouting and some paint touch-ups, both of which will wait until next year. Is anyone else exhausted?

It's a Bloomin' Miracle

 Most every fall I can't resist picking up a mum plant, either from a garden center or grabbed from a colorful display on a grocery run. I find them to be a lovely pop of color indoors while everything outside is turning brown and looking generally sad. It's a lot of happy for around five bucks. Usually they end up in the compost after a couple of months once the blooms fade. This year I must have chosen a particularly hardy one, it was still full and leafy after it was finished flowering. So I kept on watering it and around the beginning of October I noticed a number of tight little buds amongst the spent blooms. Thinking that deadheading often encourages more flowering, I lopped off the old flowers. Just today I discovered five fresh new blooms had opened up! I've never had this happen before! Perhaps my thumb is just a bit less brown than usual. I appreciate a miracle of any size, especially in this freakish landscape that has been 2020.

November

 In Three Days of the Condor, CIA operative on-the-lam Joe Turner (Robert Redford) tells photographer Kathy Hale (Faye Dunaway) that the pictures hanging on her apartment wall are neither fall nor winter, but something in between. November. That's the first thing I thought when I looked outside today. November. Looks like November. If you haven't seen it, I recommend you find it somewhere and watch it, sooner rather than later. Sydney Pollack's 1975 thriller is one of my favorite movies. It should be one of yours.

Whining and Tiling

Never make a deal with yourself. Because if you're anything like me, you might want to renegotiate and my experience is that this bitch ain't budging one bit from the original bargain. Which is why I got busy with finishing up the tile on the kitchen backsplash today. I told myself that before any Christmas decorations go up, you must finish the tile job in the kitchen! And since so many are getting a head start on holiday fun this year, I thought I might get by with snudging on that deal. Just a little. But no! Slavedriver that I am, the goal for today was to get the tile on this section of wall. I sighed deeply and brought the tile and the cutter in from the garage.

As you can see, I mean business when I tell myself something. Approximately five hours later the tile has been installed. With just one short lunch break.

And only one boo-boo! Under that bandage is a tiny shard of glaze that worked its way into my finger. I'll figure out how to remove it later. It's beer time!