What a Sad-Looking Tree!

We finally put up our Christmas tree over the weekend!  Isn't it beautiful? 

Ok, this isn't really our Christmas tree.  It's just the top portion of our (artificial) tree, put in the stand for the fun of it.  Trixie thought it looked pretty pathetic (and was a little concerned that it might topple over on top of her). 

Our (fully assembled and decorated) tree looks much the same as it does every year.  Still, maybe I'll take a photo or two before it comes back down again...

As I Edit Christmas Photos...

Oh my.

I was just going through some of the photos we took on/around Christmas... (So that maybe one of these days I'll be able to go through the ones I took all the way back in the middle of November...) There are a few hilarious ones mixed in there, but I'm afraid I won't be sharing those.  Some of us probably wouldn't appreciate having them released onto the Internet.  (g)  Still, I get to laugh at them all I want, and I will e-mail them to the persons involved, so that they can also laugh at our own expense.

Note for future reference:  Jumping into the air for a group photo can yield some crazy results.

Season's Recap

So, did everyone have a merry Christmas?

On Christmas Eve (the day most of the festivities take place in Sweden) Donald spoke to family over the phone. Then we celebrated with my maternal grandparents (and aunts, uncles, cousins, and the rest of my family) on Christmas Eve night. I remember doing that as a child, too.  Back then, there was excitement with extended family-- then more excitement as we left my grandparents' house and headed home under a starry sky so we could be asleep before Santa showed up.

Christmas is less exciting as an adult than it was as a child (it just can't be helped), but it's still plenty of fun.  I look forward particularly to the game of Dirty Santa, as it's always good for laughs.  This year, Donald ended up with this book (which, I feel bound to add, was the joke portion of a real gift-- so you needn't feel sorry for him).  Don't want to bother clicking that link?  Well, here's a picture (that I shamelessly snagged off the 'net) of the cover:

Go ahead; admit it: you're jealous!  ;o)
Actually, I think this might be readable.  It looked like an interesting mix of funny, informative, and bizarre, at first glance. 

Our jokey gift this year (as we tend to do one straightforward gift and one that we hope is a little unusual or humorous) was a few little bags of candy/treats, ten walnuts, and a nutcracker.  For a goal price of $10, that seems like an awfully mean, cheap gift, does it not?  Fortunately, these were not ordinary walnuts, but the fruits of the legendary (some would say imaginary) money tree.  ;o)  Crack one open and find no nut, but a dollar bill!  I found the idea online and thought it sounded like fun.  There's no way I would've been able to execute it on my own, though, as I found breaking the nuts neatly nearly impossible.  Donald was a whiz at it, though, and then it was just a matter of removing the nut, folding up a dollar bill, sticking it in one half of the shell, and gluing the two halves back together.  (That part was easy.)

Yesterday, we spent the afternoon with just my immediate family. It was a wet, chilly, and very windy day outdoors (no flurries, though)-- which always makes it feel that much cozier inside. This is the first Christmas Day that I can remember us not visiting the grandparents on one side of the family or the other for lunch and the afternoon, which felt a little off-kilter, but I think we all had fun.  (Donald and I received some gifts we're really looking forward to trying out/reading/etc.  Thank you again, everyone!)

One of these days soon we'll be going to my paternal grandparents' home to celebrate with that side of the family.  (It was postponed a little so that Aunt Hilary's family could have a Christmas morning at home for a change.) 

In the meantime, I still have one more Christmas gift to work on and finish.  (I know; shame on me for not finishing it before Christmas-- but I knew I had more time to get this one done... and I might have finished it last week, if it hadn't been for the "lost day" of our water crisis.)  Honestly, I'm kind of burned out on working on Christmas gifts, at the moment, but I'm sure that once I get back at it, it will recapture my interest.

Oh, and I'm several days behind on posting photos for my 25 Days of Christmas challenge... but now that the twenty-five days are over, there's nothing left to do but catch up.

So, that's my little Christmas recap!
I hope yours was nice, too.  :o)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas (a little ahead of schedule)!

And when you're ripping into those festively wrapped presents this year, keep this in mind:

;o)

Ugh, NPR...

NPR's Nina Totenberg apologizes for saying "Christmas".

You can visit the link to watch the video, if you like.  Basically what happened was that this woman was talking about how agencies supposedly don't know how much money they have (because of the failure of the omnibus bill, etc., etc.)-- when she comes out with this:

"And I was at – forgive the expression – a Christmas party at the Department of Justice and people actually were really worried about this."

*gasp*

I don't know, Ms. Totenberg... I think of myself as a forgiving person (well, ok, maybe I'm not actually that good at forgiving, but let's just pretend I am), but you've really crossed a line this time.  You were at a Christmas party??  Ahem! Excuse me, but I feel sure you meant to say you were at a holiday party... or possibly a seasonal or winter-themed party.  But definitely nothing to do with... Christmas.  (Oh, the shame!)

You know, maybe we should just start saying (in hushed tones) "the c-word" when we refer to Christmas... Oh, but oops. There's already a forbidden-in-polite-company "c-word", isn't there?  (Even though I only learned of its existence a few years ago, sheltered as I am.)  Oh well.  We'll have to come up with some other solution.  Can't have people running around saying "Christmas" all the time!

Seriously, though, lady... No-one forced you to refer to a "Christmas party".  Next time just leave the word out altogether, rather than apologizing for it.  This just makes you look dumb.

Merry Busy Christmas-Time

Everyone knows this is a busy time of year, but who am I to break the custom?  ;o)

It's so busy this time of year!

I think I completed the last of my Christmas shopping yesterday, but I've only wrapped one little thing so far... And I still have some serious work to do in the next several days, if I'm going to finish a few hand-made gifts I'd like to have done in time for Christmas.  No matter how much I tell myself that I will start gift-shopping and -making early this year, I never seem to manage it.  Time always ends up being scarce in December... and I don't exchange gifts with that many people! 

I've recently come across a couple of people online who make at least one gift item per month, through the year. For handmade gifts (that you're fairly sure the recipient will still need by the end of the year or won't be able to buy in the meantime... or can use multiples of...), that seems like a very sound plan.  Maybe-- just maybe-- I'll try to adopt that course of action, myself.  I really enjoy making at least some of my gifts myself (even if it's just a little something extra), but falling short of time diminishes the pleasure.  (Of course, if I know myself as well as I think I do, even if everything were done and wrapped in July, I'd still find something to work on and worry over at the last minute.  Some of us just can't seem to help ourselves.)

I've kept up with taking a photo every day of December so far, but I'm not as good about posting one everyday... and some of them are pretty lackluster (see above re: busyness of the season, etc.)... Still, something's better than nothing.  (I don't think I'll try to do this again next year, though... It's just too busy a time of the year to bother much with photo challenges.)

We haven't sent out any cards yet... I just put up our stockings yesterday (and finally put away the boxes we use to store our Christmas decorations)... and we've yet to do any Christmas baking.

BUT-- We have at least a few treats planned.  I will make (and eat far too many of) the iced/glazed roll-out sugar cookies I like the best.  (I love those things; as a result, it's best if I don't make them more than a few times a year.)  Donald is going to make Lucia kattar (lussekattar?) one of these days, too.  (They're saffron buns-- a yummy, slightly sweet, traditional Swedish bread eaten on Lucia Day... which technically has already passed, since it's celebrated on December 13th.  That's ok; we always have our Lucia buns well past Lucia Day.)  Donald's also going to make some sort of rice pudding dish-- another Swedish Christmas tradition.  (And one that he enjoys alone, in this house.  Rice pudding holds little appeal for me... Kind of like glögg, which also failed to impress.  Sorry, Swedes!  I still like your lussekattar a lot... And your "house cheese" is extremely yummy... Also your boiled and fried potatoes with dill, your meatballs, and that gravy you serve with the meatballs and potatoes... Your pizza is very good... as is your candy.  And I've even learned to eat crispbread, on occasion.)

There may be one or two other goodies up our sleeves, too.  We'll see...

The song got it right-- the weather outside is frightful.  Chilly, wet, and raw.  But fortunately, we've no place to go today, so we can stay cozy, dry, and warm-- take it easy-- maybe play a board game this afternoon-- and generally just enjoy the comforts of home.  (And possibly I'll spend some time working on my little Top Secret Projects.)

Hey, I even think my case of the sneezy sniffles (which showed up yesterday afternoon) aren't as bad as they were and could be fading away altogether!  (So maybe I won't come down with a cold right in time for Christmas... Maybe.)

I hope you're enjoying a pleasant Decembery Saturday as well!

Dirty Santa "Prescriptions"

The other day, Donald found some files on his computer-- fake prescription bottle labels we made for a Dirty Santa gift a few years ago.

Brief explanation:  We play "Dirty Santa" every year at my maternal grandparents' Christmas get-together.  That year, for one of our contributions to the gift pile, we designed and printed the labels, pasted/taped them to emptied, cleaned prescription bottles filled with either candy or dollar coins, put the bottles in a little white paper bag, and stapled it shut with one of those notes like you get at the real pharmacist's shop.

I'd forgotten exactly what we put on the labels.  Some of it's kind of funny, if I do say so myself. ;o)

...I wonder what Dirty Santa will bring this year... (g)

P.S.  I forgot to explain why the years on the "prescription labels" are 2010 instead of whatever year we actually used them.  I changed that and took off a little text here and there (because it contained a family surname).  If any random person happens to find this entry and wants to use the labels (or an altered version of them) for his or her own gag gift, please feel free to do so.  :o)

Breaking News!

I just found the jingle bells. 
(I figured you'd all want to know as soon as possible that this Very Important Issue has been resolved.) 

They were even in the exact little checkbook box I remembered putting them in (so my mind's not slipping yet, after all).  For some reason, they were hidden under/among some packaging supplies-- tissue paper and bubble wrap I was saving to reuse. 

(Okay, I know it wasn't the biggest problem facing the world, but not being able to find those bells was really bothering me.  I hate not being able to find things when they're needed...)

...Now if I can just get my sewing machine running smoothly again. 

I broke a needle on my last project, and after I replaced it, the tension was off (or something).  I've adjusted it this way and that... tried a different replacement needle (in case the other was defective)... opened up the bottom to clean and oil it as the manual suggests... took off the side (which the manual doesn't even mention) and oiled a couple of things in there, too.  I think the oil may have helped some irritating squeaking it had recently developed.  Fingers crossed it magically fixed the other issue, too...

Observation:

Possessing the sure and certain knowledge that there are large jingle bells somewhere in the house, but being unable to remember where-- and finding that tearing the house apart in search of them yields no results (other than that the house is even messier than it was before the jingle bell-hunting frenzy began)-- is enough to bring a person to the brink of insanity.

Where are you, you jingly little bells, you?!

Updates in General

I haven't been blogging regularly for a while (as you may have noticed).  Now that I'm here to write, I'm not sure how much there is to say, but at least I can write brief catch-up summaries of the few things that do come to mind.

The Holidays--
Our holidays were happy and fairly busy.  We visited my father's side of the family about a week before Christmas, this year, and spent the actual Christmas Day with my mother's side.  (Generally, we alternate years, but it varies, depending on when visiting family are able to make the trip.)

We stayed up until midnight on New Year's Eve, though I must admit that for the last half-hour or so I would just as soon have been asleep.  I guess I'm old enough now to not really see much point in staying up until midnight.  (So sad. (g))  Maybe if there were something exciting happening at midnight, but when there's nothing much more than saying "Happy New Year!" and hearing some distant fireworks. . . (shrug)

We wound up spending New Year's Day at my maternal grandparents' house.  I think everyone on that side of the family made it, so it was a full house again.  After a tasty meal (complete with black-eyed peas and turnip greens for those who wanted to ensure good fortune and propsperity for the year to come ;o)) and some conversation, many of us went out for walks.  Donald and I ended up going with my parents to look again at the future site of their new home.

(I think I mentioned before that it's been definitely decided that they're building, now?  The location is within a short walk of our house and my grandparents' house.  We'll none of us ever have to worry about inconveniencing someone to check on our dogs during our vacations. (g))

Resolutions for the New Year--
I hardly know whether it's more customary these days to make (and post to your blog) resolutions or to mention that you don't bother with resolutions at all.  I fall more in the latter category, but if I did, most of them would be the usual-- exercise more regularly, eat more healthily, prune back distractions to focus on what's truly important to me, and so on.  But since I really don't do the whole resolution thing, I won't.  (Oh wait, I just did. . .)

The Weather--
(This is one of those things that feel silly to write about now, because it's been in the news so much that people are probably sick of it-- but someday it might be nice to remember that, oh yeah, this was the year we had that cold snap.)

So, we've been having this cold snap. . .  ;o)  Though our weather hasn't been record-breakingly cold, it's been very cold (with hard freeze warnings) for quite a few days in close proximity.  (And if you ask me, lows in the teens and highs that don't hit 40 are plenty cold, even if they don't break any records.) 

For someone who complains about how miserable it is most of the summer and makes grand plans for doing all sorts of yard work, come winter, I don't seem able to handle cold weather very cheerfully, either.  Well, ok, that's not completely true.  I'm fine as long as I don't have to stay outside too long, and bundling up properly really does make a world of difference.  The heater helps, too (though I can't help but keep a subconscious reckoning of how much it's running).  Still, I'd be happier if we could just stretch out autumn and spring for most of the year and forget this nonsense about summer and winter.  (If that didn't mean the end of life as we know it, that is.)

The Consequences of the Weather--
We took what we thought were all the necessary precautions to prevent cold-related catastrophes, yet on Sunday morning (after we'd both had our showers, fortunately), we noticed a drop in water pressure.  After a little investigation, we discovered that the water spigot at the site of our future garage had a burst pipe.  (I guess we hadn't done quite a good enough job protecting that one.)  We had to go buy a few supplies, but Donald was able to replace the cracked pipe, and he seems to have done it well, because so far, it's holding up.  It wasn't a difficult repair, but figuring out the problem and fetching the supplies still turned out to take a big chunk out of our day.  Frustrating-- but thank goodness it was something we could fix ourselves!

Other People Dealt with Worse--
Donald's family had some trouble with their electricity and telephone service (and maybe Internet, too?), at different times, recently.  No electricity in a Swedish winter can't be comfortable, so all things considered, I shouldn't complain too loudly about our little troubles.  (Everything's working again, now, as far as I know.)

Project 365--
It's still going.  I haven't given up on it, yet, and I'm unlikely to, at this point.  Of course, I'm fully capable of forgetting to take a photo, one of these days, but even if I do, I'll just take two the next day.  So far, though, I've taken at least one photograph every day for eighty-nine days.  (I haven't always uploaded one per day, but I'm giving myself a pass on that issue.)

My project photos are sometimes-- alright, often repetitive.  (There have been lots of photos of dogs-- one in particular-- for instance.)  Since it's mainly for my own entertainment, I'm declaring it "OK".  Why shouldn't it be repetitive, after all?  Life itself is pretty repetitive-- or at least mine is.  (Well, maybe that's a weak excuse. . .)

Part of me is a little (teeny-tiny bit) jealous of people who waited to start similar projects (or goals, challenges, whatever you want to call it) until the first of the year.  I'm not sure why.  I guess it just makes more sense to start this sort of thing at the beginning of the year.  Of course, there's nothing stopping me from keeping it going past photo 365/365. . . (We'll see. . .)

Other Projects--
There are many that need attention, some of them very interesting and others less so.  It's just a matter of kicking into gear on some of them (and trying not to ignore the less interesting ones too long). . .

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you the merriest of Christmases, full of warmth, good food, and congenial company!

Vacuum Belts, Swedish Candy, and Whoppers

I was right in the middle of vacuuming when I noticed a smell of burnt rubber and saw that the roller brush wasn't moving. I had a hunch the belt had snapped-- one that turned out to be correct. Donald thinks it may have gotten caught on something and burnt through from the friction. I'm not sure what happened, but at least it looks like we'll be able to get a replacement part at Lowe's for a little over a dollar per replacement belt (in a 2-pack).

I'm a bit annoyed that we're having to make any repairs this early in our ownership of this particular vacuum, but at least it's a cheap repair, and one that shouldn't be too difficult.

~~~~~~~~~

A Christmas package from Sweden arrived today. (Thank you, everyone!) Donald should be all set for Swedish candy for quite some time to come. (g)

Gelé Hallon:
(These are raspberry-flavored gummy candies. Hallon = raspberry.)


Many, many Bilar:
(These are chewy, car-shaped candies-- Donald's favorite.)


There were also a selection of Marabou chocolate bars. One in particular intrigues me:


Marabou Amigo. "Crunchy corn snacks". Judging by the illustration, there are bits of Bugle-esque corn-flavored "chips" embedded in the chocolate. I've never heard of such a thing. I wonder how it'll taste. . .

~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of candy. . . "Santa" brought me some Whoppers (malted milk balls). I'm proud to say that I've held off opening them until this afternoon. (Of course this monumental display of self-control had nothing to do with the fact that there were various and sundry other holiday treats scattered through the house. No, nothing at all to do with that.)

Anyway, I came across one that was soft in the middle. If you've eaten these candies, you know what I mean. Usually, they're crisp-- even sharp-- in the center, but there are usually two or three in a carton that are chewy in the middle. Still tasty, but not an ideal milk ball. They're duds. So then I wondered if that was the origin of the Milk Dud. As it turns out, probably not-- at least not according to anything I was able to find with a quick Google search. (I haven't eaten Milk Duds in a very long time. Maybe they taste nothing like the Whoppers "duds".)

So, while I was doing "research" for information to back up my very interesting Whoppers/Milk Duds theory, I came across some people commenting on how horrible Whoppers are-- and a few who like the candy, but could only eat a few before feeling sick. I imagine it means I lack empathy or something equally awful, but I still find it amazing that there are people with such different tastes from my own. I mean, yes, technically I realize that there are weirdos out there who actually enjoy Julmust. There are even a few poor souls who prefer the lemon-flavored Starburst candies to the cherry ones-- and people who (shudder) don't like any cherry-flavored candy. (Seriously. How do they summon the will to get out of bed in the morning?) I guess I just prefer not to dwell on the darker side of life. ;o)

Was there a point to all this? No, not really. (You're welcome.) Maybe I was just looking for an excuse to include this question I found on Yahoo! Answers:

Yes, Random Stranger, it's ok. (Just wait until no-one's looking.)

Christmas Recap

We had a very nice Christmas again, this year. The weather did turn out to be fairly gross-- off-and-on rain, pervasive dampness, and unseasonable warmth-- and it's still muggy out there. Of course, it could've been worse, and since our festivities mostly took place indoors, we hardly had to think about the weather.

We got to see family on Christmas Eve (father's side of the family, and later a cozy gathering of just my parents, Kimberly, Carrie & Victor, and ourselves) and on Christmas Day (mother's side of the family). I didn't get everything done that I'd wanted to-- I probably ought to add "as usual" here-- but I got enough done, I guess, and now I can start working on the ideas I didn't get to so that I have things ready when birthdays (or next Christmas) roll around again.

Donald and I shot some video-- which I've yet to even load onto the computer-- so maybe there'll be some short clips, later on. We also have yet to give Molly and Trixie their gifts-- another event to video. ;o)

Donald put in some hours working from home on Wednesday morning and Friday, but we still managed to squeeze some fun in there-- and he got to talk to his brother and mother yesterday. Now we're probably going to spend the weekend being lazy and doing just whatever we please. (So. . . as usual, mostly, though perhaps with a little more luxuriance-- finally able to "do nothing" without a mile-long holiday-themed to-do list in the back of my mind.) I've done precious little housework this whole week, and frankly, I don't intend to start until Monday (except for what absolutely must be done).

Off to luxuriate, then! ;o) (While trying to ignore the pain I've had in the right side of my neck for a few days. And, which is much more difficult to do, trying to believe-- not just repeat to myself, but persistently believe-- that it's just an irritating pain and not a sign of something serious. Stupid hypochondria!)

Counting Down to Christmas

It was cold yesterday-- well, cold after a week with highs in the 70s. Yesterday, it wasn't supposed to even reach 50! (That qualifies as "cold" to me. (g) Also, I'm not completely sure if the forecast turned out to be correct. I really need to get an accurate thermometer for outside, one of these days.)

Personally, I prefer a little chill right around Christmas. Snow is usually way too much to hope for, but there should at least be a little nip in the air. Unfortunately, we're forecast to have warmer temperatures (and rain) by Wednesday and Thursday. Oh well! We'll just have to make the most of it! But this might mean no after-meal stroll. . .

^^^^^^^

Online, everyone seems to get quiet right around this time of year. Too busy with Christmas preparations and early celebrations to blog, I guess. I am, too, but Molly and Trixie woke me earlier than usual, this morning-- too early to warrant starting any big, before-breakfast projects.

Of course, now that I'm here, I can't think of much to say, because the main thing on my mind is what I've managed to finish from my gift-making list and how much is still left to accomplish. And I can't very well write about that here, where some of my family are likely to read it.

Shall I also admit that I have nearly all my wrapping left to do? I was waiting until I had absolutely everything ready to wrap. Well, that's alright. Gift-wrapping is one of those things that put me in the Christmas mood. It's as good as Christmas music!

^^^^^^^

Donald was excited, earlier this month, to discover that World Market is carrying a Swedish Christmas treat. In years past, World Market has been a source for genuine Swedish pepparkakor ("pepper cakes", gingersnaps) and glögg (mulled wine, though I think ours was a nonalcoholic version). (The pepparkakor are yummy; the glögg is. . . not, in my not-so-humble opinion.) This time, Donald found Julmust:

Julmust ("Christmas Must") is a special Swedish soda usually only sold around Christmas. (From what I've read, it sounds like they're expanding and selling it for other holidays and seasons as well, but I think it's mostly a Christmas tradition.) According to Donald (and Wikipedia), Julmust outsells Coca-Cola during the Christmas season-- with Coke sales sometimes dropping by as much as half!

My observations? First, it's extremely foamy when poured from a freshly opened bottle. Second, it looks just like Coke, aside from the thick foam, which eventually fades away.

When Donald said I "had" to taste it, at first I wasn't entirely unwilling. Despite my experience with glögg, I didn't see how any cola could be that bad. Still, better to err on the side of caution, so I gave it a tentative sniff. Hm. Distinctly medicinal. Not a good sign. I knew that nothing that smelt that way could taste good, but I took a sip anyway. Yep, just as I'd feared-- another nasty-tasting concoction. It tasted a little like beer smells-- possibly because hops and malt were on the list of ingredients. (Incidentally, I think it's funny that the ingredient that makes malted milk balls and malted milkshakes sooooo delicious is also in beer and whiskey, which seem kind of gross to me.)

My final verdict is "yucky", but apparently Swedes love the stuff. Wikipedia says that the country of about 9 million consumes 45 million liters each December-- about half of the total soft drink consumption for that month.

^^^^^^^

After just a little playing around with video, I've already come up with this list of reasons why photography-- particularly macro photography-- is easier (for me) than videography:

• Photoshop is so much simpler than the video editing software! (Of course, this is because I'm more familiar with Photoshop-- or at least with the parts of it I use.)
• Processing photos doesn't require long waits. Rendering video sometimes does, especially if you try to use fancy effects. Fancy effects applied to photos take no time, by comparison.
  
• (Macro) photography is extremely focused. You find one "beauty spot"-- even in the midst of ugliness-- and in the end product, that is all that's visible. The other people viewing the photo have no idea whether that flower was growing in a woodland glen surrounded by hundred-year-old oaks or by the littered shoulder of a noisy highway. It's easier to idealize the world through photography, and that's generally what I like to do with the camera. (I'm sure it's easy for some people to do that with video, too, but I'm not at that point.)

Most of the problem is inexperience, which can be remedied with practice. Once this Christmas rush is past. . .

^^^^^^^

Ok, enough chit-chat. Back to the top-secret stuff. ;o)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Actually, the tree's been up a while, now, but it wasn't until last week that I felt like photographing it-- and then I had to get around to uploading the photos. . .



There are a few more photos (close-ups of ornaments, mostly) on my Flickr page, if you're interested. I know how exciting it is to look at photos of someone else's Christmas tree. ;o)

Quizzes and "My Day So Far"

First, some pointless quizzes to disrupt the tedium of a rainy day:

Saw this quiz on someone's blog today: Is you cat plotting to kill you? (I feel like I've seen it before, which probably means that you all have, too...) Fortunately, I don't have to worry about this particular problem, but for you cat-owners out there, it might be worth your time. ;o)

Dog-lovers: Click the image below to take the "Name That Dog Breed" quiz.

I only got one wrong, and wouldn't you know that the one I'd miss would be the cocker spaniel? (g) (Sorry, Molly.) I knew it was some type of spaniel, but guessed Brittany spaniel instead, because. . . I don't know why. I guess I didn't know what the Brittany looked like. Now I'll spend the rest of the day with my head hung in shame. ;o)

One more quizzy link:

I'm thinking that this is one of those quizzes where the lower your score, the better. ;o) I was altogether too familiar with many of these candy bars. (Honestly, though, I haven't had most of those in years. Funny how I can remember what's in a candy bar I haven't eaten since high school, probably, yet I forget where I put my jeans half a year ago!)

******************************

Now for some thrilling snippets that I like to call. . .

My Day So Far:

• Rain, rain, and more rain. Woken early by lightning & thunder. Now things have calmed down, but it's been raining off and on all day. Usually, a little rain is ok, but today, I'd actually have preferred dry weather. (Also, see next item.)
• Trying to keep the puppy satisfied with staying in her crate as much as possible, which isn't so easy, now that she's gotten used to being outside much of the day. Leaving her loose in the house isn't feasible, at this point, unless I can watch her like a hawk the whole time.
• Putting away cleaned dishes.
  
• Picking (and tossing over the fence) a crop of (inedible) mushrooms that had sprung up in our yard. This was an effort to keep Trixie from sampling them. I don't think she would-- and I don't really know if they'd hurt her, even if she did-- but I thought about removing them, and having thought it, knew that if I didn't, I'd never forgive myself if she actually ate them and was poisoned. (Plus, there were quite a few of them-- big ones, some with red caps-- and I thought she'd be likely to notice them.) And then of course Trixie saw what I was doing and was possibly more interested in them than if I'd just left them where they were. (sigh)
• Putting away the boxes the Christmas decorations were in. Still need to arrange the nativity and a few knick-knacks.
• Run out in the rain to get something from the mail lady. (It wouldn't fit in the mailbox.)
  
• A couple loads of laundry (towels and whites).
• Made the bed. (Always harder this time of year. All those layers add up-- especially on a king size bed-- and it's hard to get them to budge.)
  
• Tidied up a messy jumble of boxes and packaging stuff. (Had to, to get past them to the closet where the Christmas decoration storage goes.)
  
• Lunch. (Ham salad sandwich. Pretty good, if I say so myself.)
• Trying to clear off the table and counter so that I can put on a seasonally appropriate table cloth and a few decorations. Those surfaces are almost always cluttered. Very bad habit-- but hard to break, since they're so conveniently placed by the door. . .
  
• Vacuuming much of the house.
• Asking Trixie why she's barking. Does she want to go outside? Not particularly. But I put her out there anyway. (g) (Don't worry-- it's not even raining right now.)
• Feeling stressed out by all the things I need to do this month. . .
  
• Etc.
  

(Incidentally, I know that my list isn't "parallel". I've just decided to break as many of the rules as I like-- and that's one I can certainly do without, today.)

Now. Back to the de-cluttering. . .

This & That

The other day, I pulled out the scrapbooking stuff for the first time since August (I think). There were a handful of pages with everything in place but the captions, which I'd left off until I could make sure I got the locations right. (These were pages of photos from our trip to Norway, which was extremely unstructured-- the type of trip where we didn't know much about what we were looking at, sometimes. It was so beautiful that we didn't really need to know anything to appreciate it, but now, I'd like to put names to some of those unidentified places. It took me a while to pinpoint a few of them, but that just made it more exciting when I finally did.)

I'm almost ready to start on completely fresh pages, now that I really ought to be focusing my energy on my Christmas list. (Such as, you know, making one. I'm not that great at figuring out what people might want or need-- always second-guessing myself. . .)

^^^ ^^^ ^^^

Speaking of Christmas, a couple of local radio stations have been playing holiday music 24-7 since before Thanksgiving. Now that it's finally the Right Time for Christmas music, I decided to tune in while scrapbooking.

The first little bit was nice and cozy. Maybe they weren't all my favorite songs, but it was pleasant to have a random mix of songs that I myself hadn't carefully chosen. Even with the mp3 player on "random", I know exactly what's in the pool to begin with-- so it's not quite the same experience as listening to the radio.

However, as time went on, I began to see a pattern-- one which became more obvious when I listened to the radio again, another day or two. Apparently these radio stations have a very limited number of Christmas songs available. Either that, or they only really like about 30 songs, because they play the same ones over and over and over again. (I seem to recall this from previous years, as well. . .)

This constant repetition of songs gets old in a hurry. Yes, there are only so many Christmas/holiday melodies to begin with, but there are plenty of different versions of them available!

Pointless complaint, but oh well. There it is, anyway.

^^^ ^^^ ^^^

Remember how I was complaining about how none of the pants that used to fit me fit this year? Well, part of that mystery's been solved.

While dressing yesterday morning, I thought I remembered, somewhere in the back of my dimming, nearly-thirty-year-old brain, a particular pair of jeans. That memory triggered one of another pair, and so on. But. . . where were those pants? I couldn't find them in any of my usual hiding places for out-of-season clothes. Finally, I walked back to stand in front of the chest of drawers and realized that, hey, there are four drawers there, and I haven't looked into the fourth in many moons! (Gosh, I sound ditzy. I think I am getting ditzier as time goes by. Scary.)

So, until now, despite several weeks of "pants weather" and searching each morning for something to wear, I'd just never noticed that fourth drawer-- the drawer, it turns out, where I was keeping most of my comfortably-fitting pants, the last time it was cold enough to need them.

The good news: I now have several more pair of wearable pants. Though I still want to lose a little around the waist, at least I have something to wear in the meantime.

The bad news: Apparently my memory is faulty. How could I walk by that dresser several times a day and never realize that there was a whole drawer I wasn't (currently) using? Is this how it feels when you first begin to lose your mind? I'm going to at least pretend to believe that everyone does this-- that it's due to being such a creature of habit that I simply cease to see things that I don't use on a regular basis. (Maybe this could also be an excuse-- er, explanation for clutter and unfinished projects. . .)

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Earlier, I was enjoying a rare peaceful and quiet morning at the computer. Usually, Trixie can only go fifteen to thirty minutes in the morning without barking to either go outside or be played with. Today, she was already outside, and for some reason, she wasn't yet barking or "bouncing the door" to tell us that she was ready to come back in.

Uh oh. That sent up a red flag. (Just like parents always say about their kids, any puppy owner knows that too much quiet usually indicates that mischief is afoot, somewhere.)

I betook myself to the back yard, looking for her, and soon enough, here she came bouncing toward me. As soon as she saw that I'd seen her, she turned and ran back to something she'd left on the lawn. Something dark and longish and oh-my-gosh-is-that-a-snake?? I called out to her-- pointlessly, as she had already reached it. (Yes, believe it or not, my frantic call of "Wanna go inside?! TREAT?!" went unheeded.)

I had just enough time to think, "Well, it seems to be still. Maybe she's killed it..." before she lifted it and I saw that it was a piece of fabric. Fast-forward a few minutes and some toy-squeaking distraction efforts, and I'm holding a soggy black sock. She's always had a fondness for socks, but this was the first time she'd had her way with one since her baby days, and she took full advantage of it. Now it's not so much a sock as it is the new, trendy, sock-y equivalent of the fingerless glove. Everyone will be wearing them, soon! ;o)

Oh, Trixie.

^^^ ^^^ ^^^

We put up our Christmas tree over the weekend. I have yet to put away the boxes and vacuum all the needles and bits of glittery garland that fell around the room in the process of putting it up-- and until that's done, no photos!-- but it is good to have the tree up. Christmas is sneaking up on us early this year. Or at least that's what it feels like. . . So much to do, so little time!

Why the Christmas Tree Still Isn't Up

Yesterday, we started out thinking we'd put up our Christmas tree, but (it seemed to me that) one thing hinged upon another so much that we needed to get a few other things done first. So, though our tree is still languishing in its box (yes, it's artificial), the dining room is back to rights, now. Sure, it still needs a little tweaking from a decorator's point of view (table cloth, etc.) and a little sanding and touch-up paint where Trixie chewed things she wasn't supposed to chew-- but the cyborg/sideboard is out of the living room, and our foyer feels huge after being cramped for months with table and chairs.

We also reorganized the laundry/utility room so that it's roomy enough for Molly to sleep in there at night (instead of the dining room). The plan is for her to become a mostly-outside dog who comes in to sleep at night (maybe eventually only on cold nights) and possibly on miserably rainy days. We'll see. . . Part of me just isn't up to the challenge of house-training two dogs simultaneously, but I still feel guilty for thinking about training Trixie for more indoor living than Molly-- especially when, for the moment, Molly's actually more reliable than Trixie. . . I don't know what we'll end up doing.

As Donald pointed out yesterday, I'm looking at this from a human perspective-- indoors = good and outdoors = bad. So long as the weather's decent, I imaging most dogs would rather be outside than cooped up in the house. The problem is that when they're outside all day and are we are inside most of the day, they don't get enough time with us. (And that, I think, contributes to my awful nightmares of finding neglected, malnourished or dead infants that I was supposed to be caring for.) Of course, one solution for that problem would be for me to spend more time outside. Goodness knows the yard needs some attention! I could also be better about scheduling time for just playing with the dogs-- running around with them, playing fetch, taking them on walks down the easement.

If only I were as good at executing plans as I am at making them!

So, that's why the tree isn't up, yet. We were sidetracked. (Or I got us sidetracked.) Maybe this evening will be the Right Time.

It's the shelt-sheltiest time of the year!

The sheltie lovers among you might be interested in a few photos I just uploaded to Flickr.

Donald took these on Christmas Day, when we were over at my parents' house. They're mostly of Kolby (oops, just typed "Sheltie" by accident-- very creative name, that would be!), but there's one for the Mandy fans, too. (g)

Friday's Feast, etc.

Time to get back in the groove of posting!

First things first-- I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. Ours was very pleasant. Visited with family (except for those living overseas, of course), ate lots of good food, gave and received gifts, and had some laughs. Now that Christmas is over, I'm looking forward to a fresh start for the next year, but I have quite a bit of cleaning and organizing to do-- starting with taking down the Christmas tree. Maybe I'll start over the weekend. Or I might put it off until Monday. ;o)

Here are this week's questions from Friday's Feast:

Appetizer
Name 2 things you would like to accomplish in 2008.
I'd like to get into healthier habits-- less junk food, more (consistent) exercise-- and as an added benefit, shed a few unnecessary pounds. (Not very original, I know. (g)) I'm also planning to focus more on treating the polymer clay "thing" as a real business-- at least make more of an effort at it and see what happens. I have at least a couple more things, but since you only asked for two. . . ;o)

Soup
With which cartoon character do you share personality traits?
Hm. Nothing comes immediately to mind. Maybe I share Donald Duck's bad temper? I don't think I'm quite as volatile as he is, but I do let things get under my skin more than I ought, sometimes. Oh, and sometimes I feel like I'm the Goofy character in one of those old narrated Disney cartoons in which every possible thing that can go wrong does (not exactly a personality trait, maybe. . .). But fortunately I don't feel that way not too often. ;o)

Salad
What time of day (or night) were you born?
I think it was about 9:45 p.m. On a Wednesday night, if you're interested. (g)

Main Course
Tell us something special about your hometown.
My hometown is small and fairly rural. (Though it was more so thirty years ago than it is now. These days, it even has several fast food places. Pretty impressive, huh? (g)) Technically, I never lived in the town-- not in city limits-- but our address included this town and it's where I went to middle and high school, so I'm claiming it as my hometown. Ok? ;o)

So, something special. . . I don't know how special it is, but it's kind of interesting to me. This town in (or maybe I ought to say "this area of") southernmost Alabama was originally settled (in large part) by people from Chicago. I think two of the streets in my town are named "Illinois" and "Chicago", probably due to this fact. (Of course, I think there might be streets named after Michigan and some other places, too, so. . .)

What? Not "special" enough for you? ;o)

Dessert
If you could receive a letter from anyone in the world, who would you want to get one from?
Anyone from any time period? And it'd be translated so I could read and understand it? I think a letter from Jesus would be pretty interesting. But maybe that's a dull answer-- kind of like choosing the Bible as the book you'd most want on a desert island. ;o) In that case, if the whole "any time period" thing still holds true. . . Maybe a letter from a favorite author, such as Charlotte Bronte. A letter from a great-great-grandmother (or someone of that sort) could be interesting. I'd also love a letter that would definitively explain some old mystery-- something explaining what happened to the Roanoke settlers, maybe.

A letter from the future (post time machine, of course (g)) could be fascinating, but I don't think I'd really want it. I'd be afraid to read it, somehow. . . I don't think I want to know what's going to happen in the next ten, twenty, or thirty years. On one hand, maybe knowing that you have twenty good years with no great tragedies would "free you up" to enjoy yourself fully for those twenty years. On the other hand, could you enjoy yourself, or would you be constantly dwelling on the inevitable, even though it was still twenty, fifteen, ten years down the road? (I'm the type of worrywart who probably couldn't keep the future troubles out of my mind.) Anyway, I don't think we're meant to know our futures. If it were even possible, that is. (g)

If it has to be from someone presently living, then I think I'd just as soon receive a letter from Donald as from anyone, right now. I can't think of a specific person still living and not already in my life that I desperately want a letter from.

. . .
Cue abrupt subject change. ;o)

I think it might be time to put some L.M. Montgomery on my bedside table. I could use a little escape into the past. . .

The last book I read (solo) was Agatha Christie's A Murder is Announced. It was the third Christie I've read-- all within just the past few months. I can't decide what I think of her. I guess I like it well enough, since I keep reading until the end. It's interesting in its way, but a little bit empty. I don't really come to care much about the characters. I guess that might be a typical side effect of the murder mystery format, though. Most of the characters are suspects-- kept somewhat mysterious and distant-- so you aren't very likely to form an attachment to a character.

Anyway, of the three I've read so far-- And Then There Were None, Elephants Can Remember, and A Murder is Announced-- I think I enjoyed the latter the most. The first was too depressing. Yeah, yeah, I know: Who reads a murder mystery for laughs? But still, it didn't have to be that dark. The second was. . . too much of the same old stuff being told and retold. And the whole "event" had happened so long ago (in the book, I mean) that it was just hard to care one way or the other.

I have a couple more that I'll read, since I already have them (all were bought very cheaply at a library book sale), but so far, I think this is the type of book I'll read once but not particularly care to read again. Though with my memory, I'm sure I could read them in a year or two and still be surprised by the ending!! ;o) I'll have lots of "now this seems familiar" and "oh yeah, I remember her" moments, of course, but honestly, I've already forgotten the particulars of the other two mysteries. I hope that's not an ultra early symptom of something awful. Reading is supposed to be good for your memory, right? (g)