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