Oh, the momentous choices! What font to use! I didn’t want to use my usual Helvetica or one that was fancy but hard to read. So I chose Kailasa, mostly because I tired of looking at all the choices. (Blogger doesn't give me this choice.)
Here I sit on Christmas Day having procrastinated for one reason or another. The last reason took over two days before I gave up.
The reason: having already put this off, I thought I had the perfect photo. It was a waist-high stump at our cabin that was coated with snow and was topped with snow that had slid to one side, giving the impression of a head. I was going to put under the picture:
I am not the grouch that stole Christmas;
I just procrastinate too much!
Problem is: I can’t find the picture! I spent two days looking at all my devices for the picture. I looked at some folders two or three times. NADA! Why do I have such a clear memory of a picture I can’t find? I am sure I saw it in front of the printer two weeks ago.
To make up for this procrastination, I am sending this by email. Otherwise, I might not get the envelopes done until next year!
So, here we sit in Duluth, wimping out on going to our cabin because of a predicted snow storm. Also we are getting leery of driving in the dark (now at five in the afternoon). About six weeks ago Jan hit a deer, in daylight but heavy shade. She looked for the deer but never found it. Her car was drivable, but it took a few days of body work.
Otherwise, it has been a usual year: fitness center, cabin, meetings, plays, concerts, and family visits: in person, by telephone, or FaceTime.
We are slowly growing older, sometimes feeling it, sometimes doing things better than we ever did before!
May your coming year be one of good health and interesting activities, even if it is only lots of good books.
P.S. A sister-in-law has already responded. She misses my fruitcake of yore. I replied that the recipe is at http://magree.blogspot.com/2014/12/fruitcake-doorstop-or-holiday-treat.html.
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gifts. Show all posts
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Ghosts of Christmases Past
Our saddest Christmas was after a trip to Japan.
We escorted my wife’s mother on a multi-stage trip from Ontario to Japan and back to visit our son and his wife, new-born daughter, and many Japanese relatives. I spent so much time crammed into an airline seat that I didn’t want to ever fly again. Although Grandma at 92 didn’t have a lot of stamina for long walks, she greatly enjoyed the sites and the people.
Near the end of the trip, she awoke with jaw pain. Our son took her to a hospital where she was diagnosed with a heart problem, but she was cleared for the return flights to Canada.
After she was home she had more heart problems. She was hospitalized, had surgery that wasn’t successful, and slowly declined, dying at ten Christmas morning.
Almost all of our other Christmas celebrations have been joyous occasions in many different settings.
My earliest memories are great dreams looking at toy catalogs, seeing the train layouts in the department stores, and visits to Santa.
About Santa, I was Santa once at Mariner Mall. Never again. I never lied so much in my life. “I would like a Britney Spears…” “I’ll see what we can do about that.”
Several of our Christmases were spent at ski resorts. Twice with Club Med in Misurina, Italy, once in Kitzbühel, Austria, and once in Big Sky, Montana.
We’ve had many Christmases with a houseful of guests. It always seemed that everybody was sitting in front of the fireplace, eating sweet rolls, and waiting to open presents. That is, everybody, except an adult male. We had to wait for whoever it was that year to get up, shower, and shave before we could proceed. Was I irritated on the kids’ behalf or my own?
When we lived in Sweden, we picked up two winter solstice traditions: Sankta Lucia and julbord.
We had a Luciafest at work in Stockholm. One year I was appointed Stjärnpojke (Star boy), the guy with the pointed hat who was an attendant to Sankta Lucia. After singing a round of Sankta Lucia, we had glögg and princess torta. Glögg is a potent mixture of wine, vodka, raisins, and spices. Princess torta is a layer cake with whipped cream and custard between alternating layers and green marzipan covering the top and sides.
Julbord means Christmas table and is a variant of a smörgåsbord. No, it is not an all you can pile on your plate pig-out. It is a five course meal where you take certain selections for each course. You can repeat a course if you like. And have all the beer and snaps you want. (Snaps is akvavit, vodka, and their cousins.) We had a julbord for many years, but have given it up as too much fuss.
Another Christmas tradition that has succumbed to “too much fuss” is fruitcake. I am insulted whenever anyone refers to fruitcake as a doorstop. People looked forward to the fruitcake I made based on a recipe that my mother had found. One of the secrets is quality ingredients. You can find the recipe at “Fruitcake: Doorstop or Holiday Treat”.
We have given up on gift exchange in our family. We became too predictable: sweatshirts and t-shirts with funny logos or books. I like each of my sweatshirts but the pile threatens to fall off the shelf each time I pull one out. Many of the books are interesting, but I think most of us have only dabbled in some of them. I know I have one by a very famous author sitting on the desk at our cabin that I keep telling myself to read a few more pages of.
For awhile, I printed cards and a letter. Then I got a new printer that didn’t do the colors well. Then I felt I was writing the same old, same old newsletter, some of which would be about grandchildren the recipients would never meet. The good news is that by using different software I can print cards with great color. Now, I only have to finish this column on the Saturday before Christmas and address those cards.
Church Christmas caroling did give my singing career a boost. The choir was going to be singing at St. Ann’s Residence in Duluth, and the director invited others to join. I drove the good singer in our family to the event and joined in the singing. I stood right behind the director and she invited me into the choir! I think it was my energy, not my skill. From there I went from being a timid off-key singer to a singing student to a singer who got invited to do solos to a singer who doesn’t practice much.
I think one of the best things I did for Christmas happened on our first Christmas together. We were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and I knew there was a policeman on foot patrol at Shaker Square, a five minute drive away. I took him some cookies and coffee. He was standing in a doorway and really appreciated it.
However you celebrate this solstice time, may the return of the sun bring you wonder and joy.
Also published in the Reader Weekly, 2014-12-24 at http://duluthreader.com/articles/2014/12/24/4568_ghosts_of_christmases_past.
We escorted my wife’s mother on a multi-stage trip from Ontario to Japan and back to visit our son and his wife, new-born daughter, and many Japanese relatives. I spent so much time crammed into an airline seat that I didn’t want to ever fly again. Although Grandma at 92 didn’t have a lot of stamina for long walks, she greatly enjoyed the sites and the people.
Near the end of the trip, she awoke with jaw pain. Our son took her to a hospital where she was diagnosed with a heart problem, but she was cleared for the return flights to Canada.
After she was home she had more heart problems. She was hospitalized, had surgery that wasn’t successful, and slowly declined, dying at ten Christmas morning.
Almost all of our other Christmas celebrations have been joyous occasions in many different settings.
My earliest memories are great dreams looking at toy catalogs, seeing the train layouts in the department stores, and visits to Santa.
About Santa, I was Santa once at Mariner Mall. Never again. I never lied so much in my life. “I would like a Britney Spears…” “I’ll see what we can do about that.”
Several of our Christmases were spent at ski resorts. Twice with Club Med in Misurina, Italy, once in Kitzbühel, Austria, and once in Big Sky, Montana.
We’ve had many Christmases with a houseful of guests. It always seemed that everybody was sitting in front of the fireplace, eating sweet rolls, and waiting to open presents. That is, everybody, except an adult male. We had to wait for whoever it was that year to get up, shower, and shave before we could proceed. Was I irritated on the kids’ behalf or my own?
When we lived in Sweden, we picked up two winter solstice traditions: Sankta Lucia and julbord.
We had a Luciafest at work in Stockholm. One year I was appointed Stjärnpojke (Star boy), the guy with the pointed hat who was an attendant to Sankta Lucia. After singing a round of Sankta Lucia, we had glögg and princess torta. Glögg is a potent mixture of wine, vodka, raisins, and spices. Princess torta is a layer cake with whipped cream and custard between alternating layers and green marzipan covering the top and sides.
Julbord means Christmas table and is a variant of a smörgåsbord. No, it is not an all you can pile on your plate pig-out. It is a five course meal where you take certain selections for each course. You can repeat a course if you like. And have all the beer and snaps you want. (Snaps is akvavit, vodka, and their cousins.) We had a julbord for many years, but have given it up as too much fuss.
Another Christmas tradition that has succumbed to “too much fuss” is fruitcake. I am insulted whenever anyone refers to fruitcake as a doorstop. People looked forward to the fruitcake I made based on a recipe that my mother had found. One of the secrets is quality ingredients. You can find the recipe at “Fruitcake: Doorstop or Holiday Treat”.
We have given up on gift exchange in our family. We became too predictable: sweatshirts and t-shirts with funny logos or books. I like each of my sweatshirts but the pile threatens to fall off the shelf each time I pull one out. Many of the books are interesting, but I think most of us have only dabbled in some of them. I know I have one by a very famous author sitting on the desk at our cabin that I keep telling myself to read a few more pages of.
For awhile, I printed cards and a letter. Then I got a new printer that didn’t do the colors well. Then I felt I was writing the same old, same old newsletter, some of which would be about grandchildren the recipients would never meet. The good news is that by using different software I can print cards with great color. Now, I only have to finish this column on the Saturday before Christmas and address those cards.
Church Christmas caroling did give my singing career a boost. The choir was going to be singing at St. Ann’s Residence in Duluth, and the director invited others to join. I drove the good singer in our family to the event and joined in the singing. I stood right behind the director and she invited me into the choir! I think it was my energy, not my skill. From there I went from being a timid off-key singer to a singing student to a singer who got invited to do solos to a singer who doesn’t practice much.
I think one of the best things I did for Christmas happened on our first Christmas together. We were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and I knew there was a policeman on foot patrol at Shaker Square, a five minute drive away. I took him some cookies and coffee. He was standing in a doorway and really appreciated it.
However you celebrate this solstice time, may the return of the sun bring you wonder and joy.
Also published in the Reader Weekly, 2014-12-24 at http://duluthreader.com/articles/2014/12/24/4568_ghosts_of_christmases_past.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
What the heck are these?
Are they some kind of modern art? Are they some kind of interstellar spacecraft? Are they some wierd musical instrument?
We wondered what they could be when we saw one on the cover of the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, one of the pile of catalogs we received today.
I kept looking in page after page for the object pictured on the cover. I saw many interesting things, from reasonably priced to no way. Finally on page 81 I found them. Hammacher labels them as "The Optimal Resonance Audiophile's Speakers. They are only $60,000 for the pair, just the thing for your millionaire friends, if you're a millionaire too.
Maybe I'll buy a pair when I get my third million. I'm working on my second million now; I gave up on the first million:)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Forgetfulness leads to rude awakenings
Sunday night at our cabin I managed to go to sleep reasonably soon and was dreaming. Suddenly, I was bolt awake. Did I put away "the saw"?
"The saw" is a nice, sharp pruning draw saw that our son gave me one Christmas. It also has a nice thick leather scabbard that one can strap to the leg. It is the middle way between nippers and a chain saw. My wife and I have both left it out overnight or longer.
I looked in the corner where we usually keep it. I no see the saw:( Nippers, yes, but no saw.
I put on a rain jacket and rubber boots. Of course it's raining when something gets left out. I took a flashlight and looked at several likely spots, including the cart by chipper where I had last used it. I came back discouraged.
By now my wife was fully awake and suggested I use a big flashlight from our car. She also said that I didn't have it in my hand when I greeted Kevin. Kevin plows our drive in the winter, does heavy equipment work for us, and has cut down some really big trees. The current job is replacing a rusty culvert along the road.
Now memories of the day came back. I was just finishing up with the chipper when I heard a heavy truck maneuvering on the road. I picked up my saw and went down the path. As I got to our parking area I saw a dump truck backing down the driveway. Why is Kevin bringing us gravel now? Kevin stepped down from the truck and greeted me. I greeted him back and we shook hands; I remembered taking off my glove. He said he came for his Lo-Boy to move a skidder for another job.
We chatted about a few things, looked at the work he had done and he told me what he still planned to do. We discussed a few other odds and ends. He hooked up his trailer and left. My wife and I went on about our evening.
With these thoughts in my head I went out again in the drizzle. I got the big flashlight out of the back of the SUV and started walking toward the chipper. Oh, wait! If I was walking toward the backing truck with the saw in my hand, could I have put it down on the hood of the SUV? I turned around and went to the front of the SUV. Sure enough, there it was on the hood with a soaked scabbard.
When I got back in the cabin I pulled out the saw and found that it was still reasonably dry. I set it aside and hung up the scabbard to dry. With a few kicks to my own butt, I was able to get back to sleep soon enough.
The story doesn't end there. The next day I noticed a chewed place on the scabbard. It might have been chewed before and I hadn't noticed. More likely a squirrel hopped up on the hood and had a small feast of protein.
Hey, Darryl! Despite our careless handling of your gift, we really do appreciate it.
"The saw" is a nice, sharp pruning draw saw that our son gave me one Christmas. It also has a nice thick leather scabbard that one can strap to the leg. It is the middle way between nippers and a chain saw. My wife and I have both left it out overnight or longer.
I looked in the corner where we usually keep it. I no see the saw:( Nippers, yes, but no saw.
I put on a rain jacket and rubber boots. Of course it's raining when something gets left out. I took a flashlight and looked at several likely spots, including the cart by chipper where I had last used it. I came back discouraged.
By now my wife was fully awake and suggested I use a big flashlight from our car. She also said that I didn't have it in my hand when I greeted Kevin. Kevin plows our drive in the winter, does heavy equipment work for us, and has cut down some really big trees. The current job is replacing a rusty culvert along the road.
Now memories of the day came back. I was just finishing up with the chipper when I heard a heavy truck maneuvering on the road. I picked up my saw and went down the path. As I got to our parking area I saw a dump truck backing down the driveway. Why is Kevin bringing us gravel now? Kevin stepped down from the truck and greeted me. I greeted him back and we shook hands; I remembered taking off my glove. He said he came for his Lo-Boy to move a skidder for another job.
We chatted about a few things, looked at the work he had done and he told me what he still planned to do. We discussed a few other odds and ends. He hooked up his trailer and left. My wife and I went on about our evening.
With these thoughts in my head I went out again in the drizzle. I got the big flashlight out of the back of the SUV and started walking toward the chipper. Oh, wait! If I was walking toward the backing truck with the saw in my hand, could I have put it down on the hood of the SUV? I turned around and went to the front of the SUV. Sure enough, there it was on the hood with a soaked scabbard.
When I got back in the cabin I pulled out the saw and found that it was still reasonably dry. I set it aside and hung up the scabbard to dry. With a few kicks to my own butt, I was able to get back to sleep soon enough.
The story doesn't end there. The next day I noticed a chewed place on the scabbard. It might have been chewed before and I hadn't noticed. More likely a squirrel hopped up on the hood and had a small feast of protein.
Hey, Darryl! Despite our careless handling of your gift, we really do appreciate it.
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