Memories of Christmas Goodies Past

Word of the Day

Narf - 1. The uncontrollable sound an idiot might make. 2. The word used when no other words will suffice. 3. An exclamation emitted when one's brain farts and sound deploys.

I started another batch of kefir milk which I plan to make into kefir-leban later this week. The cottage cheese that I made the other day (by mistake because I actually wanted to make congetella but...) tasted great in the lasagna (from scratch) that I made for dinner last night. It tasted and had the texture of ricotta cheese. I froze four two-serving portions for future meals and have another meal for HTP in the fridge for later this week. I had such good luck with the cottage cheese that I decided to expand my kefir horizons a bit. I'm using whole milk to make my kefir milk this time because I want to try my hand at using the resultant kefir-leban to make kefeddar cheese, a kefir version of cheddar cheese. Sis has been using her kefir whey to make sauerkraut and other things. Me? So far I've been using my kefir whey to fertilize my pomegranate tree despite the waste and the fact that Gypsy hates the smell. Sis is lots more creative than me.

I'm thinking about maybe doing some Christmas baking. I miss the smell of Christmas baking. I miss the doing, the baking. I miss sneaking a couple of cookies to munch on with my first cup of coffee in the morning. My body doesn't miss the calories but since I already have the ingredients, I may bake up a couple of batches of cookies...maybe tomorrow while I do laundry.

As a side note, my spell-checker doesn't like anything related to kefir.

Murphyism of the Day

Reynold's Law of Climatology

Wind velocity increases directly with the cost of the hairdo.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected.

- Jimmy Cannon

#1 Son - 199?

Word of the Day

Napjerk - The sudden convulsion of the body just as one is about to doze off.

'Tis the season for spam. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the volume of spam that I'm getting every single day but I wish my spam filter would toss it into the junk file so I don't have to wade through it all to get to the good e-mails. Of course, I also have to check the junk file before I dump that because sometimes good e-mails end up in there. So, I don't trust my junk file filter anymore. Right now I have 258 spam messages in my trash bin and I emptied that bin last night before I went to bed. Oh well...things will settle down after...oh wait, I imagine they'll start up on Valentine's Day stuff next...but after that. Right?

Murphyism of the Day

Jilly's Law

The worse the haircut, the slower it grows out.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

At Christmas I no more desire a rose
Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth;
But like of each thing that in season grows.

- William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

MC Daughter and DD Daughter decorating the Christmas tree - 198?

Word of the Day

Muxup - To mix and muck things up at the same time.

HTP and I went out to an olive grove this morning after we finished eating breakfast. Fun. Queen Creek Olive Mill. We took their tour. The owner of the "mill" gave us the tour. He said that it started out as a hobby and then morphed into a business. They grow different types of olives in the grove and press their own olive oil. Extra virgen. He blends a Tuscan style olive oil from several different varieties of olives that he grows in his grove. They also had someone set up with wine-tasting before the tour. It was interesting how they served a really sharp cheddar cheese with the wine (pallet cleanser)which they had chunked and dredged in olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of cracked black pepper. Really good. After the tour, they served all kinds of olives and tapenades and olive oils with morsels of bread for dipping. They had a fun store where you can purchase everything that they make and things that local farmers produce. I purchased a small bottle of the special Tuscan style olive oil, some feta stuffed olives, and some kalamati olives. I also bought a couple bottles of one of the wines HTP and I had tasted. I was intrigued by the fact that it came from a small vineyard, limited quantities and distribution. I also picked up some local grown pistachios...hickory smoked. I would have bought more olives but I noted the other day at one of our grocery stores that you can purchase a variety of different olives in their deli section and they looked really good...and not so expensive. I may try some next time I'm there. Although other people were purchasing meals from the deli at the "mill" to enjoy at the tables set inside the store or on the tables set up outside, after tasting all the wonderful types of tapenades and olives and oils, we weren't hungry. HTP isn't a fan of this sort of outing but I had a lot of fun doing something that was outside our normal day to day.

Murphyism of the Day

Jan and Martha's Law of the Beauty Shop

The most flattering comments on your hair come the day before you're scheduled to have it cut.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Christmas is a time when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.

- Matt Groening

#1 Son - Christmas 1988

Word of the Day

Musquirt - Water that comes out during the initial squirts of a mustard squeeze bottle.

Why is it that whenever I get my haircut, the gal at the beauty salon always makes my new hairdo look great and easy to style but the first time I shampoo at home....pffft? It never looks anything near the same when I style my own hair, nor as nice. I think it's another one of those times that you need at least another set of arms. Oh well...I'm letting my hair grow out to its natural color. Grey with white highlights. But this time I'm just going to deal/live with the skunk line which is getting wider and wider as I maintain my long hair. The gal at the beauty salon only cut off two inches this time, add that to the three inches she cut off when I got home to Arizona, my hair still reaches my shoulder blades. My hair grows fast. She tells me that all my natural color will be back in three or four months....haircuts. We'll see. HTP doesn't seem to mind the grey...much.

With a near constant sinus headache, I haven't felt like doing much. I haven't even plugged in my Christmas music. Gypsy has been letting me sit quietly and read...for the most part. When she's tired of napping at my side, she worms her way up, around my book, and sits on my chest and licks my face. Ewwww. It's kind of hard to read when you've got a dog licking your face.

Murphyism of the Day

Mason's Law of Synergism

The one day you'd sell your soul for something, souls are a glut.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know, the birth of Santa.

- Matt Groening (1954 - )

#1 Son - Christmas 1987

Word of the Day

Murse - A male nurse.

I checked my archives this morning to see what sort of things I wrote on this day over the previous years that I've been blogging. This was done in the futile hope that I might, maybe, find inspiration for what I could write and do today. Checking my old archives had the benefit of making me feel like I'm way ahead when it comes to my Christmas planning this year. Of course, since I'm not doing any baking this year, and I'm not frantically wrapping presents to mail out because I'm not mailing out any packages this year, and I've got all my shopping done because I'm not buying much, my archives also made me feel a bit Grinchy. Maybe I'll make a few Christmas cookies....a very few Christmas cookies....maybe...next week.

I've got a cold...or...maybe I've got allergies. It doesn't seem to matter since the symptoms end up being about the same. Hopefully, the OTC medicine that I took will relieve some of the pressure so my eyes don't actually start to bleed....pardon the exaggeration. However, I will say that I love the new Puffs tissues with the Vicks scent. Kleenex used to make one like it. I think someone used them to wipe their eyes...even though they told people not to wipe their eyes with the mentholated tissues. I'm betting that this might be why they don't make them anymore. I really miss Kleenex's mentholated tissues. I haven't tried to wipe my eyes with these Puffs tissues but I didn't buy them to wipe my eyes. I bought them for the Vicks. They're not medicated...they just smell like Vicks...but that smell tends to be soothing when you've got a cold or your nose is running around the house. I'm sure it's all psychological but I can feel my sinuses clearing up...however, it's probably that the OTC medicine that I took might be starting to kick in.

Gypsy and I decided to forgo our morning walk. OK. It was my decision but since Gypsy managed to jar her right knee while running madly around the house this morning in a reckless manner (lots of yelping and a total refusal to use that leg for a good five minutes while I started to think about taking her to the vet), and I'm just not feeling like limping around the neighborhood either (the weather outside is frightful...cold for here and my joints are complaining), we're going to hang around and maybe start wrapping Christmas presents. Thankfully, Gypsy's knee is doing fine (no vet required)...but my joints still hurt.

Murphyism of the Day

Denniston's Law

Virtue is its own punishment.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year.

- Thomas Tusser

"T'was the night before Christmas..." MC Daughter and DD Daughter - 1983?

Word of the Day

Murphyglobule - An inevitable glob of food that drips onto a clean white surface, often one's shirt.

As I poured myself a fresh cup of hot coffee this morning, I silently sent out a mental thank you to whoever it was that invented the timer mechanism for my coffee-maker. Most particularly, the person who made the timer mechanism usable for tech-challenged like me. What a wonderful thing to wake up in the morning to find that I've got a nice fresh pot of hot coffee waiting for me to pour that first cup of the day....if I remember to set it up sometime during the previous day. All I need to do is grab a clean coffee cup....not a problem. I have two coffee-makers here in Arizona. Wonderful! Actually, HTP and I only bought the second coffee-maker because HTP and I thought the first coffee-maker had croaked, died, shuffled off this mortal coil, headed to the junkyard. However, HTP is not tech-challenged. He took the first coffee-maker (broken) and fixed it...brought it back to life. Woohoo! So, I've got two fully functioning coffee-makers. So...anyway, with two coffee-makers, I can always have one coffee-maker set for delayed brew for the next morning's coffee or ready to switch to immediate brew if HTP and I NEED more than one pot of coffee during the day. Of course, should this happen, I immediately set up the other coffee-maker for delayed brew for the next morning. I love waking up to a fresh pot of coffee.

Murphyism of the Day

Johnson's Law

If, in the course of several months, only three worthwhile social events take place, they will all fall on the same evening.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Next to a circus there ain't nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit.

- Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930)

Gypsy Loves Santa - 2007

Word of the Day

Murfed - To be victimized by Mr. Murphy of Murphy's Law.

I'm taking Gypsy into the groomers later today. They just called to let me know that they don't have her updated shot records. Since I don't have a hard copy of her updated records, I told them to call the vet...which...thankfully, they didn't seem to mind. With grooming on my mind, I searched the entire house for the card that the gal at the beauty parlor gave me last time I got my hair cut. It was in the last place I looked...of course, but it took me an hour to find it. After making an appointment for tomorrow, I took the card and made a refrigerator magnet out of it so I wouldn't have to spend so much time finding it next time. Now...the question is, will I remember that it's on the fridge next time I need to make an appointment?

HTP and I sent out the last of our Christmas cards yesterday. Unfortunately, I've already got one card sent back to me (addressee unknown). Turns out that I didn't do as thorough a job of editing the Christmas card address file as was necessary.
One of the Marine Mom's sent me the updated address list and I still didn't get things right. I'm not sending Christmas packages to my Marine Moms this year but I at least hoped to get cards out to them all. Oh well... If at first you don't succeed, try...try again.

Murphyism of the Day

Cheit's Lament

If you help a friend in need, he is sure to remember you-the next time he's in need.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

No discernible source of income and flies to cities all over the world under cover of darkness? You sure this guy isn't laundering illegal drug money?

- Tom Armstrong quotes

MC Daughter, #1 Son, and DD Daughter - 1989?

Word of the Day

Murckle - The action of moving a mouse in a squiggly circling motion in order to find it on one's display, or to remove the screensaver.

We got enough rain last night so that Gypsy didn't want to "do her thing" out in the backyard this morning. My spoiled little girl doesn't like getting her feet wet. It wasn't even raining! I finally had to clip a leash on her and drag her out into the front yard where the ground wasn't as wet.

It looks like we may finally get some freezing weather this week....and in the coming weeks. My plants will be fine for tonight but it looks like I'll have to drag out my spare sheets and cover things up tomorrow night. I can bring my herb pots inside but my hibiscus and my rubber tree and milk cactus and my lantana and will need to be covered. I'll also have to cover the annuals that I planted when we got back here in October too. Over the last five years since we've lived at this house, I've gradually replaced the plants that couldn't and didn't survive the cold winter temperatures with plants and trees that don't mind the colder temperatures that I'm sure are a result of global warming....or the normal desert summer temperatures but I'll have to protect the ones that remain frost sensitive....the plants that have survived due to my annual sheet dances.

Murphyism of the Day

Ruby's Principle of Close Encounters

The probability of meeting someone you know increases when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Mail your packages early so the post office can lose them in time for Christmas.

- Johnny Carson

MC Daughter and DD Daughter with Santa - 1983?


Word of the Day

Muggle - To smother or cover completely. Used mainly when one is muggling another, or completely smothering someone with signs of affection, but to their annoyance.

I didn't forget to blog. It's just that I got distracted. I had an orchestra practice this morning and then after that I had to go over the music for the third service at church and then after that I played with the contemporary group for the third service. Three hours of playing a clarinet can take it out of you. And then I had to stop at the store to pick up some fresh milk and some bread. It was time for lunch by the time I got home.

After lunch, I started reading a book and even though I was going to blog before I sat down to read my book, I forgot. So, here it's already almost supper time and I can't think of anything to blog about but....blog.

Murphyism of the Day

Farmer's Credo

Sow your wild oats on Saturday night - then on Sunday pray for crop failure.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Many banks have a new kind of Christmas club in operation. The new club helps you save money to pay for last year�s gifts.
More funny

- Anonymous

MC Daughter and DD Daughter with Santa - 1982?

Word of the Day

Muckle - To smother with something sticky or dirty. To muckle something up, as to mess it up completely.

I've got music. The music director's husband (our pastor) dropped it off for me yesterday. It doesn't look too difficult. I suppose I should put my clarinet together today and run through the music at least once but...we'll see. It's going to be a full day at church tomorrow. I've got an orchestra practice at 8 AM, and then I'll be playing with the contemporary group for the third service. I have no idea what I'll do with myself during the second service. There really isn't enough time to make a round-trip home and back during that second service. Actually, that might be the best time for me to practice the music for the third service.

I started my policy of gifting wine and jam instead of baked goods yesterday. I made up a basket with a small bottle of Rhubarb wine and a small bottle of Dandelion wine along with a jar of my sugar-free raspberry jam and a jar of my sugar-free strawberry jam. When the pastor dropped my music off for me, I gave the basket to him. Merry Christmas. When I told him that he'd have to wait until next spring to drink the wine, he wanted to know why. Would it be bad? I told him that it wouldn't be bad but it would be better in the spring. The wine that I gave him was the 2008 wine that Sis and I bottled in September. It'll be better to let it mature a bit in the bottle...at least until the dandelions start blooming again.


Murphyism of the Day

Bedfellow's Rule

The one who snores will fall asleep first.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.

- Phyllis Diller

MC Daughter, DD Daughter and Santa - 1981?

Word of the Day

Mozzalastics - Large deposits of cheese that stick to the top of the pizza box.

Free stuff. HTP and I went out to get our free flu and pneumonia shots today. Actually, they were only "free" because HTP and I have health insurance. When you figure in the cost of what we pay for our monthly health insurance premiums, I'm not sure if you could consider the shots as "free". Oh well...they didn't cost us any additional money over and above our monthly health insurance premiums. However, while we were at the store where we got shot(s), I purchased some toothpaste for HTP (on sale 2/$4). The guy at the register overcharged me so I got the toothpaste for free.

I haven't started doing any Christmas baking. Actually, after discussing this over lunch today with HTP, I've pretty much decided that I'm not going to do any Christmas baking this year. HTP and I don't need the additional calories. Besides, I can just as well gift wine or liqueur to the neighbors.

Murphyism of the Day

Angela's Axiom

The last sheet of gift wrap will be six inches smaller than the last gift wrap.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered.

- Phyllis Diller

Gypsy with Santa - Christmas 2007

Word of the Day

Mousecurser - Someone who shouts at a mouse for overshooting the intended target.

I finished up all but one of the Christmas cards this morning, before and after breakfast. The "but one" is a card that I plan to send to one of my nephews but he moved this summer and I don't have his new address. Since I only just e-mailed Sis to ask for the new address before I sat down to blog, I'm sure I'll be able to get this last Christmas card finished up by tomorrow. No rush.

The house is decorated for Christmas....inside and out. Inside...my Charlie Brown tree is up and decorated with some of the homemade ornaments that HTP's Mom made for us when we first got married, along with some of the ornaments our children made when they were in pre-school and elementary school. I still plan to put out a couple of my snow globes and hang my needlepoint and crewel work pictures but that's all I plan to do when it comes to decorating the interior of the house. I figure the more I take out, the more I'll have to put away.

As far as the exterior decorating, I've got my faux poinsettias outside the front door along with the two large toy soldiers and the two small toy soldiers that my daughters and I made from clay pots one year. Think Nutcracker Suite....not GI Joe. Anyway, they've become a tradition, even though they're starting to look a bit tattered. The carriage lights have been switched out for green party lights and decked with red bows.

Gypsy is thrilled to see her Christmas toys again. I'd stored them away after Christmas last year and she was as excited as if I'd bought her some brand new toys...which makes me think that maybe I should pack up and store away some of her other toys for a few months and then present them to her as brand new toys. She'd never know the difference. Anyway, she was busily seeing if she could chew the stuffing out of her Santa Claus this morning but so far, his stitching seems to be holding.

Murphyism of the Day

Murphy's Second Law for Husbands

The gifts you buy your wife are never as apropos as the gifts that your neighbor buys his wife.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

A turkey never voted for an early Christmas.

- Irish Proverb

DD Daughter, Me, and Santa - 1980 (MC Daughter is there too but she wouldn't put in an appearance for a couple more months.)

Word of the Day

Mousecurse - A curse afflicting a user whose mouse pointer deliberately overshoots its intended target as many as a dozen times in a row.

I dug out my Christmas socks. When you can only wear something at one particular time of the year, I figure you shouldn't miss the opportunity. So, I was wearing my Christmas socks AND my Christmas sweater this morning when I took Gypsy for our morning training walk.

I finally hung my Christmas wreath on the front door. I decided that since the neighbors seem to have decked the exterior of their home for Christmas, I should get into the spirit of the season too. Besides, when Gypsy and I returned home after our walk this morning, the front door looked a bit bare. I'll tackle the rest of the exterior decorations after it warms up a bit.

In the meantime, I plan to get the creche out and set up. I may dig out a couple of my snow globes too....maybe. As for baking?....that will have to wait for another day. I've got ingredients, I just don't have the energy. Besides, I don't want the temptation or the calories.

My focus will be on the Christmas letter and Christmas cards in the coming days. I'm hoping to get my cards all addressed and in the mail...next week? HTP and bought our Christmas stamps. I have to do a final edit of my Christmas letter. I have to edit my Christmas address book before having HTP print out the letter and the address labels. Sadly, we lost some of our family members this year. Some of our family members have moved.

Murphyism of the Day

Murphy's First Law for Husbands

The first time you go out after your wife's birthday, you will see the gift you gave her marked down 50 percent.

Corollary

IF she is with you, she will assume you chose it because it was cheap.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

A good conscience is a continual Christmas.

- Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)

DD Daughter - 1979

Word of the Day

Motodrift - The mistaken belief at a stoplight that ones car is moving backward when, actually, the car beside them is moving forward.

I dug my Christmas sweater out of the closet and wore it this morning when I took Gypsy for our training walk. I'm starting to teach her the "down" command. Of course, she pops right back up the second I'm not forcing her to lie down but...it's a start.

Speaking of starts, I'm starting to force myself into getting ready for Christmas. I wrote the annual Christmas letter last night and will probably spend the next few days revising and editing. I also compiled a bunch of Christmas photos from the past and downloaded them into the digital picture frame the kids got us last Christmas. I copied the pictures that I had previously downloaded to the picture frame into a file on my computer so it'll be easier to load them back up after Christmas.

I still haven't decorated the exterior of the house. Maybe I'll tackle that chore after lunch. We'll see. It really doesn't take all that much effort to hang a wreath on the door but....I wouldn't want to do too much in one day. I figure that by Christmas, whatever gets done, gets done.

Murphyism of the Day

O'Reilly's Observation

It's not love that lasts forever, it's plastic.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, snow on snow, Snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, Long ago.

- Christina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)

DD Daughter - Christmas 1978


Word of the Day

Motate - To leave.

Sometimes I wish I had more than just one set of hands attached to arms...oh....and they'd have to be functioning and I should be able to tuck them away where I won't be providing anyone with their own personal freak show on a daily basis or get in the way when I don't need them but... I strained out the pulp from my pyracantha wine yesterday. First of all, I discovered that my strainer bags only fit on my 3 gallon buckets. Since all my 3 gallon buckets had pyracantha wine in them that needed straining, I had to make do with trying to juggle and pour the wine from one 3 gallon bucket into a straining bag that kept collapsing that was sitting in my 5 gallon bucket. Not an easy task. And then....the recipe called for letting the stuff drip for 45 minutes, which meant that I'd either have had to hold the bag up for 45 minutes as it dripped slowly into the 5 gallon bucket or find some other way of accomplishing the same thing without standing around for that length of time. You know...I really should buy some sort of tripod for this sort of thing but since I didn't have anything like that, I transferred the strainer bag of pulp into a large colander which I stuck over a stew pot because the colander wasn't big enough to rest on the lip of the 5 gallon bucket. So...I quickly washed out the 3 gallon bucket while the bag of pulp was sitting in the colander so I could rest the colander over the lip of the 3 gallon bucket where it did fit. Meanwhile, during all this transferring etc. you can imagine that I ended up with drips of wine all over my kitchen floor...and this was for just the first bucket that had to be strained. Oh well, I syphoned the strained wine (to which I had added additional sugar as per my recipe) into a large 5 gallon fermentation jug and started the straining process for the second 3 gallon bucket of pyracantha wine...and then 45 minutes later, the third 3 gallon bucket. After the initial bucket, the remaining buckets were easier to deal with because I had freed up one 3 gallon bucket so I didn't have to worry about the "straining bag that didn't fit into the 5 gallon bucket" issue. After all was said and done, sugar added and blended, I ended up with over 10 gallons of pyracantha wine (can you call it wine if it isn't done yet?)....pulp discarded. Thankfully, my one and only 5 gallon fermentation bucket holds closer to six gallons with a good 2" of head space remaining or I would have been in trouble. My 5 gallon fermentation jug (a Water 'n Ice water jug) only holds 5 gallons, max....no leeway, no head space. When Water 'n Ice sells you 5 gallons of water, that's all you get because they don't figure that water will create gases building up or that said water will start foaming all over your carpet. When you make wine, you need to worry about such things. Ask Sis. Ask Sis' son who called her at The Lake one year, frantically describing the disaster she had foaming all over her laundry room and asking her what he should do about it. From what I heard, the fruit flies were having a drunken orgy. She told him to break up the orgy and clean up the mess....but not to dump the wine. Sis tells me that the resultant wine did end up tasting pretty good. I'm sure she strained out any fruit flies that had expired during the orgy. I don't think I'll have to worry about fruit flies but...I did end up having to mop the kitchen floor even though Gypsy was busy trying to clean up any drips that she could find.

Murphyism of the Day

Thoms's Law of Marital Bliss

The length of a marriage is inversely proportional to the amount spent on the wedding.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Do give books - religious or otherwise - for Christmas. They're never fattening, seldom sinful, and permanently personal.

- Lenore Hershey

#1 Son Playing at the Christmas Eve Service - Christmas Eve 2007

Word of the Day

Mose - The area between one's mouth and nose.

It's cold outside....relatively speaking. Temps in the lower 40's always seem to feel colder here in Arizona then up at The Lake. Maybe it's the lack of humidity? I'm sure there has to be a scientific reason behind it all. I do know that I'm going to have to dig out my jacket today when I take Gypsy for our morning training walk. We haven't turned on the furnace as yet but last night was the first night that I closed the windows in the bedroom. I like sleeping with the windows open, cuddled up and toasty warm under the covers....breathing nice cold air. However, enough is enough. One doesn't want to have to put on mittens and a coat when one gets up to use the bathroom during the night. Besides, HTP was complaining that he could see his breath and was reminded of a scene from the Exorcist....not the split-pea scene and my head doesn't do 360's.

I finished up boiling the turkey bones yesterday. Nibbling on bones was a filling lunch. I've got two containers of turkey soup base in the freezer. HTP isn't really fond of soup but with the temperatures outside dropping, soup makes an excellent feel good lunch. All I need to do is add barley, rice, or noodles...maybe some Thai seasoning...a bit of lemongrass. Yummm!!!! We're still eating leftovers. HTP and I won't be able to eat all this right away. I'll have to freeze some for later. Besides...I'm getting tired of turkey.

I bought my Christmas baking supplies at the grocery store yesterday. I bought the advertised eggs (limit 2 dozen) and some stick margarine and other stuff at the first store, after I finally found a parking spot. However, when I stopped at the second store (on my way home to pick up the chicken breasts and the hamburger), they had their eggs on sale...unadvertised special. I couldn't resist paying only $1 for two dozen eggs....no limit, but with limited space in the fridge, I limited myself to two dozen. So...I've got five dozen eggs+ in the fridge right now. Yes, HTP and I will use all the eggs that I bought. We only use the egg whites and it's lots cheaper this way than buying egg-beaters. Besides...Christmas baking. I'm thinking of making some cranberry muffins...to give as gifts along with cookies....or maybe some cranberry bread. Besides, you need lots of eggs to make Pizzelle.

Today is the day that I'll be straining out the pulp from the pyracantha wine I started a week ago. I'll need to add the second half of the sugar and rack it into fermentation containers. I only have two remaining 5 gallon containers. Hopefully, that's all I'll need.

Murphyism of the Day

Arthur's Laws of Love

1. People to whom you are attracted ivariably think you remind them of someone else.

2. The love letter you finally got the courage to send will be delayed in the mail long enough for you to make a fool of yourself in person.

3. Other people's romantic gestures seem novel and exciting. Your own romantic gestures seem foolish and clumsy.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Man forgives woman anything save the wit to outwit him.

- Minna Thomas Antrim

Gypsy Enjoying her First Christmas - Christmas 2007

Word of the Day

Moronasaurus - Someone whose stupidity has, or should have, caused them to become extinct.

Every year there's a story on the news that someone got trampled on Black Friday...usually at Walmart. Guess what? This year was no exception to the rule. AND....I hear that there was a fatal shooting after a ToysRUs brawl. Merry Christmas? DD Daughter tells me that GI Joe went out shopping on Black Friday. Well...I suppose if you were going to go out shopping on Black Friday, it might be advantageous to be GI Joe. DD Daughter stayed home to guard the home front. Me? I stayed home to protect the wallet. It's the economy...don'tcha know.

However, I will be going out shopping today, but just to the grocery store(s). One of our grocery stores is having a two-day sale. Black Friday AND Saturday? I decided that it would be smarter to shop on the second of those two days. As it is, I have my doubts as to the parking situation over at the store in question. On normal days that store has parking problems. Oh well...I need eggs (.97/doz) and lettuce (2/$1)is a staple of any dieter's diet. I may even pick up a loaf of bread (.77/24 oz) if I'm happy with the calorie count per slice. Other than that, another grocery store, which I'll hit on my way home, has chicken breasts for $1.77/lb, which is sweet when you figure that I won't be paying for any bones or skin. And...they have extra lean ground beef for the same price.

One of my online friends has already finished up all her Christmas shopping for the year. I suppose I have too. I bought something online yesterday for Ms. En. and had it sent to DD Daughter and GI Joe so they can wrap it up for Christmas. Other than that, I still need to figure out what HTP wants for Christmas. He hasn't been too helpful when it comes to ideas...but then again, neither have I. I'll end up baking some of his favorite cookies for Christmas (sugar free version) but other than that?.....

Murphyism of the Day

Harris's Lament

All the good ones are taken.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The words 'I am...' are potent words; be careful what you hitch them to. The thing you're claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you.

- A. L. Kitselman

Word of the Day

Morical - Possessing a strong moral value.

My brined turkey didn't work too well. Although the meat was tender, it was a lot drier than I was expecting...even the dark meat. I'm not sure if it was just my turkey or what. It tasted OK and that's the best I can say. Thank goodness for gravy. Next year I'll stick to my traditional recipe which has always worked out just fine. Other than freeing up the fridge space and the desire to try something new and different...it just wasn't worth the effort. I can still free up the fridge space by sticking the turkey (unbrined) into the same cooler I used for brining along with ice. My side dishes were wonderful. The unstuffed stuffing tasted wonderful but it doesn't seem right not to have stuffing if you aren't going to actually stuff it so...I'll return to my traditional methods next time I make turkey. I've got plenty of leftovers even though I sent leftovers home with my friends. The turkey will taste good on sandwiches this week and with a bit of gravy, HTP and I will enjoy another Thanksgiving meal tonight...with all the trimmings. Heck...that even sounds good for lunch. I'll have to cook up some cranberry sauce...sugar free. I do love turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce. The cranberry salad that my friend made was wonderful but she didn't leave any for HTP and me. *pout* She didn't leave me any of the pumpkin pie either. *sigh* Oh well...HTP and I are on a diet.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. Even though we got some rain in the morning, thunder and lightning, the sun came back out at about the time that our friends arrived and the rain didn't return until everyone had gone home. We were able to sit out on the patio as we waited for the turkey to finish roasting as we chatted and sipped on our wine. And then after all the food was put away (eaten or stored in the fridge), and the first batch of dishes were being washed in the dishwasher, we took a leisurely walk around the neighborhood with Gypsy. Gypsy had a wonderful time and totally forgot about all her training when she was greeted by a few of the neighbor's grandchildren. She was loved!...and she didn't even piddle...well...only a teeny bit. No-one really noticed. They were busy giving her lots of hugs and kisses. After returning home, we watched the movie Ironman. Our friends had brought it with them since there really weren't any football games that looked interesting. The movie was great. None of us had seen it before. Afterwards, we enjoyed some pumpkin pie that my friend had made. It was a wonderful way to end our Thanksgiving together. They headed on home and I put away the clean dishes and loaded the dishwasher with the few remaining dirty dishes and finished cleaning up the kitchen.

It's Black Friday. However, I have no intention of hitting the stores. Any Christmas shopping that I need to do this year can be done over the Internet. Gypsy and I did take our morning walk around the neighborhood. I saw the dachshunds' owner and her friend and greeted them...at a safe distance. There weren't too many people out walking. I think the grandchildren had all gone home. The sidewalk was still a bit wet from the rain that we got last night after I'd gone to bed. My rain gauge reads that we've had 1/2" of rain.

I dressed my dining room table for Christmas. I thought it might get me into a Christmas mood but then when I started to spread the tablecloth out, I discovered that it had grease stains on it. I guess I didn't notice them last year after I pulled the tablecloth out of the dryer to fold it. So....I sprayed the stains with Zout and threw it into the washing machine along with my Thanksgiving tablecloth and some other things that needed washing. It's not Laundry Day but.... Anyway, the stains came right out with the Zout so after pulling out my Christmas candles and such, my dining room looks like Christmas. Since it's just me and HTP this year, I'm not going to do all that much besides maybe setting up my Charlie Brown tree and hanging our Christmas wreath out on the front door. It won't take me long to change out the bulbs in the carriage lights on either side of the garage and I may tuck a few sprigs of holly into the grapevine wreath my Dad made for me that I've got hung outside on the wall of the house adjacent to our front door.

I'm trying to get myself in the mood to write my annual Christmas letter and maybe start my Christmas baking. Maybe next week? Again, it's just HTP and me, and HTP and me are both on a diet. Even sugar free cookies aren't calorie free. I don't plan on doing as much baking as I've done in previous years. I think I'll just bake enough for gifting for the neighbors and my friends. But...I think I'll just take it easy today and see what might be interesting to watch on TV while I work on yesterday's Sudoku puzzle from the newspaper.

Murphyism of the Day

Shirley's Law

Most people deserve each other.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Don't laugh at a youth for his affectations; he is only trying on one face after another to find his own.

- Logan Pearsall Smith (1865 - 1946)

Word of the Day

Moonswank - To change into fashionable clothing for the purpose of going out to a social event, specifically at night.



Happy


Thanksgiving


Everyone!


After much wrestling and spilling of brine down my clean jeans, the turkey is in the oven. In a couple of hours, I'll slip a foil tent over the turkey so it doesn't get too brown. Other than that? I made the mashed potatoes yesterday. All my sides are in the fridge, just waiting to be reheated in the microwave and then slipped into the oven to brown. My guests aren't going to be here until noon. We'll sit down to eat at 1 PM.

I set the table (just getting ahead before I find myself behind) and.... *shudder* I found another scorpion. It was in one of my pickle dishes. A pickle dish that was clean. EWWWWW!!!!! The thing that's weirding me out is that I don't think it was there when I took that pickle dish out of the china hutch yesterday. Did it crawl in there to die sometime last night? EWWWWW!!!!! Yes, thankfully, it was dead but......it made me squeak. You know that involuntary squeak that comes out before you can stifle it? Scorpions may not be actual bugs but when it comes to my bug phobia, they fit right in. The pickle dish is in the dishwasher being sterilized. Orkin was here yesterday. It was their last visit. HTP and I've hired someone else to take care of killing bugs and such. That someone else is going to dust the attic for scorpions so I don't have to worry about finding scorpions all over the house anymore....even if they are dead. I'm told that scorpions like to hang out in your attic. *shudder* I'm thankful that I haven't run into any live ones...yet. Needless to say, I continue checking my shoes each morning before putting them on.

Murphyism of the Day

Gluck's Law

Whichever way you turn upon entering an elevator, the buttons will be on the opposite side.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Word of the Day

Monopulate - To manipulate others into accepting a certain viewpoint or idea by controlling a conversation.

It rained this morning. Gypsy did not want to go outside. And...even though I forced the issue, she decided to test my patience and...I had to clean up a piddle accident when she pee'd on my carpet. Grrrr!!!!! She earned an hour in the kennel for that and several swats on the butt. It's not like I wasn't outside getting wet right next to her. At least she had the protection of the tree. I just got wet. Normally, Gypsy is a very trustworthy dog but... D Buddy figures that she's the dog equivalent of Paris Hilton. She doesn't like getting her paws and hair wet....unless someone is giving her a bath.

Oh well...while Gypsy was in her kennel, I got the brine mixed up for the turkey. My Thanksgiving turkey is sitting in a bag-lined cooler right now. Brining. Along with the turkey, I have about 5# of ice and some blue ice. My cooler is one of those that promises to keep things frozen for up to five days. With all the ice and the blue ice, I figure my turkey can safely sit in the brine for one day. I'll have to rinse it off and pop it into the oven tomorrow morning at around 8 AM.

In the meantime, having freed up some refrigerator space, I decided to make some of the side dishes. I baked four sweet potatoes and one yam last night before sticking them into the fridge. This morning they were really easy to peel up and make into HTP's favorite sweet potato casserole. I've always used canned sweet potatoes before. I had no idea that baking up the fresh ones would be this easy. Aside from the prep time (one hour of baking), slipping them out of their skins took about a minute. If fresh are available in the future (at Christmas), I'll use fresh from now on. My sweet potato casserole is sitting in the fridge right now and all I need to do is heat it up tomorrow, top it with marshmallow and stick it into the oven as soon as the turkey is done. Right next to the sweet potato casserole (in the fridge) is my green bean casserole. I still need to make the stuffing but...that will have to wait until...

I'm cleaning the oven. Normally, I cook my stuffing inside the turkey but I've been warned that it might get too salty this year if I do that, since I'm brining my turkey. So...I'm going to bake my stuffing outside the turkey this year, which means that I can bake it ahead of time. Today...after my oven is clean. I was thinking about making the mashed potatoes today too but I prefer fresh mashed potatoes so I'll wait until tomorrow to make them. Besides, I don't want to use up all my fridge space. It won't take me long to mash up some freshly boiled potatoes tomorrow. No point in trying to do EVERYTHING in one day. Besides, I'll have to leave space in the fridge for the sides that my friend is bringing. And...I still need to put the pickles in the fridge and the wine. Nope...I'll save making the mashed potatoes and gravy until tomorrow.

I know I'm making too much food. I always do. There's only going to be four of us. I could have made one of those turkey breasts and we'd still have had leftovers. Oh well...this way I can send some leftovers home with my friend and her husband.

Murphyism of the Day

Dedera's Law

In a three-story building served by one elevator, nine times out of ten the elevator car will be on a floor where you are not.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

One person can have a profound effect on another. And two people...well, two people can work miracles. They can change a whole town. They can change the world.

- Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

HTP, Me, and DD Daughter - Thanksgiving 1981

Word of the Day

Monoemotionistic - Capable of feeling or having only a single emotion at a time.

My rain gauge is supposed to get a workout in the coming days. I suppose there's a Murphyism in this. I'd hoped to sit outside on the patio, sipping on a goblet of wine, while chatting quietly with my friend. I was even thinking that it might be nice to walk around the neighborhood after eating more than I should eat in a week. We don't get much rain here at our Arizona home. Oh well.... Maybe we'll rent a movie to watch. Originally, the guys were going to watch football games but HTP tells me that the interesting games aren't until the evening hours. Maybe we'll play one of the games that Santa brought us a couple of Christmases ago. We haven't played them yet. We don't spend a lot of time playing games.

Murphyism of the Day

Drummond's Law of Personnel Recruiting

The ideal resume will turn up one day after the position is filled.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Use what you have to run toward your best - that's how I now live my life.

- Oprah Winfrey

Racking Wine

Word of the Day

Mongo - 1. To be overly big for one's size; namely a human who is big boned but not otherwise fat. 2. Someone who is overly big for one's size; namely someone who is big-boned, but not otherwise fat.

The music director at church stopped by last week to drop off my orchestra music. If she hadn't dropped off the music, I have to admit, I probably wouldn't have gone to the scheduled orchestra practice yesterday. I would have taken Gypsy for a walk. Oh well...I must say that playing Christmas music, even at an early hour of the morning, does tend to get your blood moving. Maybe, just maybe, I'll eventually get into the mood for Christmas....eventually.

I didn't feel like racking the pomegranate wines or the prickly pear wine but it was either rack the wine yesterday or rack it in a week when I have to work on the pyracantha wine again. Since just racking the pomegranate wines and the prickly pear wine wore me out, I'm glad I took care of this job yesterday. At least this way I don't have to mess with it until this time next month.

Someone asked me the other day if I'd ever made any grape wines. Actually, Sis and I plan to experiment with that next summer. My brother brought her some grapes from his vines in Minnesota. I've even considered planting some different varieties of grapes that will withstand the frigid temperatures at The Lake. However, why make a grape wine when you can buy it so cheaply in the store? I just bought a box of wine that holds enough wine to fill 6 bottles of wine for $18.99. It takes two years from the time you start brewing a grape wine to when you can actually enjoy it. I can't buy the kind of wines Sis and I make. Prickly Pear Wine? I did see a bottle of Pomegranate Wine on the shelf the other day but it wasn't cheap. I don't think I've ever seen Dandelion Wine for sale. Sis bought a bottle of Rhubarb Wine but she thought it wasn't as good as our rhubarb wine. I've never seen Pyracantha Wine. Prickly Gooseberry Wine? Nope...I've never seen it at the liquor store. Sis and I will make some grape wines but I think we'll concentrate on making wine that you just can't find.


Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Twelve

I wasn't hired to do that.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If you can't do what you want, do what you can.

- Lois McMaster Bujold

Wine-making 2007 looks pretty much like wine-making 2008. Only...this is Arizona wine-making rather than wine-making at The Lake. Just a 2000 mile difference.

Word of the Day

Mogulate - To make a fool of ones self.

Gypsy and I haven't taken our morning training walk yet. I had an orchestra practice at the church this morning so I had to hit the road about the same time that Gypsy and I take our walk. Maybe I'll take her out later this afternoon.

Yesterday, I went out shopping at Saver's with a friend of mine. I needed some "new" jeans. I've lost enough weight that I only had two pair of jeans to choose from...everything else was too big. So...off to Saver's (Boys and Girls Club of America thrift store) to buy some "new" (new to me) jeans or capris. I'm still dieting so I've got hopes to lose more weight. Besides, I have jeans at The Lake that would probably fit. Unfortunately, they're at The Lake and I'm not...at The Lake. I bought four pair of jeans, three pair of capris, and three sweaters for less than what it would have cost me to buy one pair of jeans. I'm not sure what Eddie Bauer jeans go for right now or what the fleece-lined LLBean jeans would have cost me new but I didn't pay that much. Thank goodness for Saver's. Actually, I love getting "new" jeans because they've already been washed and broken in so there's no doubt that they'll still fit after I throw them into the washing machine and dryer. I know that my sister loves garage saling for clothes but I prefer buying my "new" clothes at the thrift store where I can try things on in a dressing room.

My friend and I also stopped at the grocery store so I could pick up lemons and oranges and golden raisins for my pyracantha wine. My wine-making supplies arrived last week so I was able to get the pyracantha wine started....but first I needed to purchase the rest of the ingredients. Citrus and raisins. I started the pyracantha wine after I got back home. Since my Mom picked nine quarts of the pyracantha berries, there was enough to make NINE recipes of wine. I was able to start three triple batches which meant that I had to juice 18 lemons and 9 oranges into three large buckets. I'm not sure exactly how much wine I'm going to end up with but I added the yeast to the buckets this morning. I'll have to stir the "must" a couple of times a day for the next week before I can strain out the pulp and transfer this new wine into fermentation jugs. In the meantime, I need to rack the pomegranate wines and prickly pear wine today. It's a good thing that I'm not expecting any guests who need to occupy my guest room in the near future. My guest room is full of buckets and jugs full of what will some day become wine.

Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Eleven

I thought I told you.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

If our early lessons of acceptance were as successful as our early lessons of anger, how much happier we would all be.

- Peter McWilliams

Word of the Day

Mittsquinter - A ballplayer who looks into his glove after missing the ball, as if, somehow the cause of the error lies there.

I was making a batch of stew for Gypsy yesterday and was reminded of a time when my Grandparents came to stay with us kids while my folks were in New York City. It always amazes me how little things remind me of something that happened in the past. I mean, here I'm cooking up a huge pot of stew to freeze in portions for Gypsy and then I'm remembering when my Mom decided to cook up some wormy noodles and scraps for our dogs, Mitzi and Patsy. Of course, I don't use wormy noodles, but, if I had any wormy noodles, I probably would use them for Gypsy. Waste not, want not. Just a bit more protein in the mix. Heck, the meat that I used in the stew this time was freezer burnt beyond what HTP and I would eat, and the carrots had seen better days. However, Gypsy doesn't mind. She loves her stew. Mitzi and Patsy loved their stew too. Only, Mom kept the pot of dog food stew in the fridge. She didn't think to tell her Mom that this pot of stew was for the dogs before she and Dad headed off to New York. Grandma, being Grandma, tasted said stew and decided that it wasn't fit to feed her Grandchildren. *Blink* She tasted it? EUWWWW!!!! Wormy stew?! None of us kids knew that she'd tasted it or we would have stopped her. We KNEW what was in the pot in the fridge. Dog food. We weren't consulted. When my Mom and Dad called from New York to check on things, my Grandmother (tactfully, I'm sure) mentioned that the stew in the fridge wasn't very tasty so she decided to cook up something different for us kids. My Mom, horrified, explained that the stew in the fridge was for the dogs. Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Grandma found out that she'd eaten some wormy dog food. Some things like that just stick in your mind and make you laugh.


Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Ten

I'm so busy, I just can't get around to it.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.

- Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862)

Word of the Day

Misunderestimate - To misunderstand someone's behavior, writing, or speech in such a way as to be led to underestimate that person.

I'm finished with my Spring cleaning. I don't do Spring cleaning in the Spring here in Arizona. When Spring rolls around, I'm busy getting things packed up and hitting the road for The Lake. I do Spring cleaning at The Lake. I do a basic cleaning here in Arizona before I hit the road for The Lake because I have a neighbor who comes over to water plants and flush toilets, run water through the faucets and generally keep an eye on our vacant home here in Arizona while we're away and I don't want her to think that HTP and I live in a pig sty or know that I HATE cleaning even though I DO HATE CLEANING! But....dust happens. Lime rings still form in the toilets. And bugs die in the bathtub. I have no idea why bugs seem to head straight for my bathtubs to die but this particular bug idiosyncrasy happens in Arizona AND The Lake. After six months, my bathtubs become a bug graveyard....kind of like the elephant graveyard in those Tarzan movies but smaller.

My congetella didn't turn out like I'd planned. I ended up with an herbed cottage-like cheese. However, it still tastes good. I crumbled some on our dinner salads last night. Congetella will have to wait. I think I'll try my hand at a formed cheese next. In the meantime, I made another batch of kefir-leban.

I bought my Thanksgiving turkey. After talking to MC Daughter, I'm considering the idea of brining my turkey this year. I found a recipe where you brine the turkey overnight in a cooler. Interesting. This would free up space in my fridge for me to make my side-dishes ahead of time. There's never enough room in my fridge for holiday meals.

Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Nine

I didn't think it was very important.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The world is my lobster.

- Henry J. Tillman

Word of the Day

Miserability - The measurement of how miserable one is at any given moment; the maximum level of one's ability to be miserable.

If at first you don't succeed..... Congetella. I tried to make a batch of a mozzarella-style cheese this morning using kefir, whole milk, some chives, and some basil. Fail. Back to the drawing board...or the Internet. Using the pot of milk that was cooling on the stove and had never congealed, I made a second attempt. Apparently, my idea of gently stirring something isn't the same as other people's idea of gently stirring stuff. In other words, you REALLY need to hardly even stir this stuff or you're going to lose your curds. Plus, the recipe isn't all that clear. I think you have to heat the milk and herbs up to 80°C before you add in the kefir milk...drizzling it into the pan. Anyway, this latest attempt netted me some curds. I'm not sure if I'll end up with what I should end up with but I squeezed out as much whey as I could, compacting the balls of curds before tossing them into some ice water to sit for the next 30 minutes. We'll see what I end up with later. It kind of tastes like fresh mozzarella....maybe....I hope.

Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Eight

We don't make many mistakes.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Nothing shocks me. I'm a scientist.

- Harrison Ford, as Indiana Jones.

Word of the Day

Misembalm - 1. To embalm the wrong person or any other life form. 2. To botch the embalming of a person or other life form.

I finally got around to cleaning the chandelier yesterday. HTP did not help me with the chandelier but that wasn't his fault. I just decided to start on the project when he was gone. It wasn't that difficult. I didn't even need a ladder since I was able to stand on my dining room table. I have a sturdy dining room table (read : it didn't collapse). Somehow cleaning a REALLY dirty chandelier (and my chandelier was REALLY dirty) is a lot more satisfying that cleaning a chandelier that isn't so dirty. I suppose that's why I've been putting off this particular chore. That, and the fact that you pretty much have to take the dang thing apart to wash it and every time you take it apart and put it back together you risk breaking one or more of the parts. I do have some replacement pieces but this chandelier came from Murano, Italy. It's one of a kind. I don't have replacement pieces for the whole thing. One of the pieces that I didn't have a replacement for broke during our last move. I ended up gluing it with glass glue and you can't really see where it broke unless you're the person who glued the thing back together. Actually, I didn't even remember the break until I was up on the dining room table cleaning that part of the chandelier that I have to clean in place because that part of the chandelier is just too hard to take down unless you're moving the whole chandelier from one house to another. Anyway, I got the whole chandelier cleaned without incident. I didn't fall off the table. I didn't break any of the main chandelier parts. I did break a light bulb when I dropped a brass fitting on it. Praise the Lord that the fitting didn't fall on one of the glass flowers. Bulbs can be replaced. I have a box of extra chandelier bulbs in the linen closet. When that fitting fell, my heart leaped into my throat and stopped beating for a second. If I'd lost one of those hand-blown glass flowers, I'd have felt horrible...even though I have some replacement flowers in the garage. I don't want to be the first in our family to have to use one of the replacement pieces. Hopefully, I won't even be around when one of my great-great grandchildren breaks one of those flowers and gets yelled at by their Mom and Dad. HTP and I bought this chandelier. I'm hoping to pass it down to the next generation some day....intact.

I never got around to taking a training walk with Gypsy yesterday. HTP picked up the mail and I just didn't feel like taking a walk after cleaning the chandelier. However, no matter how stiff and sore I was this morning, I didn't want to skip another training walk. We showed off in front of Jack's owner and his friends. Jack's owner and friends always seem to gather in the mornings for a cup of coffee and conversation and they wave at Gypsy and me as we take our training walks. Jack is a buff-colored Cocker Spaniel who would really love to cross the street to meet and greet Gypsy but he's a very well-behaved dog...off leash, and stays by his owner's side. Good dog. Someday, I hope that Gypsy will be that obedient. However, she did very well and showed off her sit/stay and finish.

Whenever I think the house is totally clean, I see something that needs cleaning. This morning it was the top of the fridge and the top of the china hutch in the kitchen. And the kitchen light really should be cleaned too. It may not glitter and shine like the chandelier in the dining room but...it still needs cleaning . Maybe this afternoon.

Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Lucky Number Seven

Wait till the boss comes back and ask him.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Most advances in science come when a person for one reason or another is forced to change fields.

-Peter Borden

Word of the Day

Misconfuse - 1. To fail in confusing someone. 2. To confuse the wrong person.

I worked myself to the point of exhaustion yesterday and I didn't even get the entire house dusted and vacuumed. I'm talking about thorough dusting...not the sort of dusting that I normally do on a weekly basis with a feather duster or one of those swifter dusters. I THOROUGHLY dusted. That's where you move EVERYTHING and dust EVERYTHING....even if you have to stand on your head and no-one ever sees the surface that you're dusting. The dust is there and you know it's been there too long if you could plant a couple of seeds in it and grow a crop. That which couldn't be dusted and could be thrown into the dishwasher was washed in the dishwasher before it was returned to its shelf. I vacuumed the lampshades. I vacuumed the upholstered surfaces...THOROUGHLY. I thoroughly dusted the living room AND the dining room AND scrubbed down every surface in the kitchen. I vacuumed the floors. I still need to dust the blades on the fan in the living room and I didn't have enough energy left to wash the chandelier in the dining room. I figured that I'd attack those things that require ladders today...or maybe tomorrow. HTP promised me that he'd help me with the chandelier...and the ladder.

I tackled the bedroom today and since I was already sore from all the cleaning that I did yesterday, I'm beginning to think that some of this cleaning will have to wait until tomorrow. Regardless, no matter how sore, today is Tuesday and today is Laundry Day. I'm doing laundry today (in addition to Spring cleaning) but in order to do laundry I had to go out and do some shopping. One can't do laundry without laundry detergent and I only had enough in the bottom of the laundry bottle for one of my normal four loads. Besides, with only 4 more eggs in the fridge and since eggs were .97/dozen at one of the local grocery stores and today was the last day for this sale on eggs, I couldn't put off shopping any longer. HTP and I go through a lot of eggs with this diet. Egg white omelets.

I was even too sore to take Gypsy for our morning training walk. Poor Gypsy. Maybe I'll combine my daily trek to the mailbox (about a block away) with a training walk. We'll see how much energy I have remaining by late this afternoon. Currently, I'm taking a break....blogging from my REALLY clean and dust-free desk and enjoying the smell of fresh and clean and trying to ignore that fact that I still have to clean the bathrooms....tomorrow?

Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Six

That's his job, not mine.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere, is almost certain to be false.

- Paul Valery (1871 - 1945)

My Zulu Rubber Tree - November 2008 (That tree froze down to the ground last winter. My single-trunk tree has become a multi-trunk. Hopefully, we don't get another major freeze like last winter. I'm not sure if my dining room/golf cart garage garden will accommodate and even bigger tree.

Word of the Day

Misanthropism - The belief that humanity in general is rubbish; that humanity has a grim future; that people in general are evil and that one should stay away from them.

As I look around me at the layer of dust that is decorating my desk, I'm feeling pressured to dig out my cleaning supplies and thoroughly dust and clean and vacuum. I hate cleaning but when you can write "Dust Me" in the dust on your furniture, it's time to dust. I dusted when HTP and I got back here....yes, I did dust, clean, and vacuum....but with the windows open, we get desert dust wafting through the windows. This it the type of dust that shows up as brown dirt on the dust rag. Yuck! I'm going to have to vacuum/dust the upholstered furniture and cushions. If there's that much dust on the wooden furniture, there's just as much dust on the rest of the stuff...even if you can't see it...and I didn't vacuum/dust the upholstery when we got back here. The lampshades need vacuum/dusting too. *sigh* I hate cleaning....which reminds me of a "funny" that a friend of mine sent me the other day.

Can Coldwater Clean Dishes??

This is for all the germ conscious folks that worry about
using cold water to clean.

John went to visit his 90 year old grandfather in a very
secluded, rural area of Georgia.

After spending a great evening chatting the night away,
John's grandfather prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast.
However, John noticed a film like substance on his plate, and
questioned his grandfather asking, 'Are these plates clean?'

His grandfather replied, 'They're as clean as cold water
can get them. Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!'

For lunch the old man made hamburgers. Again, John was
concerned about the plates as his appeared to have tiny specks around
the edge that looked like dried egg and asked, 'Are you sure these
plates are clean?'

Without looking up the old man said, 'I told you before,
Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now
don't you fret, I don't want to hear another word about it!'

Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town
and as he was leaving, his grandfather's dog started to growl, and
wouldn't let him pass. John yelled and said, 'Grandfather, your dog
won't let me get to my car'.

Without diverting his attention from the football game he
was watching on TV, the old man shouted .

'COLDWATER, GO LAY DOWN!!!!'

Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Five

How did I know this was different?

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

Prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity to be worshipped.

- Calvin Coolidge (1872 - 1933)

Gypsy on a Sit/Stay in front of the prickly pear cactus where I got the fruit for this year's Prickly Pear Wine. Good Dog Gypsy!



Gypsy sitting by the front door...waiting for her morning walk.


Word of the Day

Mintigrate - To destroy in an odd way. To obliterate.

We're Home! Actually, HTP and I got home from Vegas last night but what with unpacking and all, I decided to wait until today to blog.

I'm going to make some Pyracantha Wine...but not today. I reviewed my wine cabinet and it became apparent that I was missing some key ingredients. Ergo? I ordered some supplies this morning via the Internet. I'll start making the wine as soon as the supplies get here. Next week? The following week. Hey Sis! Guess what? I ordered some of those neat black grommet thingies that you need when you need for the fermentation buckets. This means that I can drill 1/2" holes into the lids of the water jugs (Water 'n Ice jugs)and fit them with the grommets so they can be used as fermentation jugs. I'll need to go out and buy another water jug at the Water 'n Ice store for my Pyracantha Wine. Me Mum picked 9 quarts of pyracantha berries. I'm going to need one of the BIG water jugs. As it is, I'm going to have to split the wine into three primary vessels before I can rack into the secondary vessel. We're going to end up with a lot of pyrachantha wine. I'm going to need to buy 9 cups of golden raisins, 18 lemons, and 9 large oranges. It's a good thing that I live in Arizona. Citrus isn't all that expensive here. If I'm going to make limoncello, I'll have to buy even more lemons. As soon as I get my wine-making supplies in the mail, I'll have to go out and check the citrus groves. The citrus isn't ripe yet so there's no big hurry. I've got the pyracantha berries in the freezer.

Gypsy and I took our morning training walk this morning. This time I remembered the camera. I must say that it's not exactly fun juggling a camera on our morning walks. Next time I'll have to wear a sweater with pockets. We met Daisy again this morning. Daisy DOES NOT LIKE Gypsy....to put it mildly. I've never seen anything quite like it. Daisy is sneaky about her mean. She wags her tail and turns around snarling and snapping. Gypsy didn't seem to notice. Neither Daisy's owner nor I can quite understand Daisy's antipathy but I think it's something that we'll have to work on. I can't walk around the neighborhood avoiding Daisy and Daisy's owners every morning. Gypsy and I also encountered a couple of snarling long-haired dachshunds that were taking their owner for a walk. We didn't stop to chat since it would have been two against one and it looked like the dachshunds' owner was having enough trouble controlling her snarling duo without adding a third dog to the mix. One of the other neighbors told me that one of those dachshunds took a nip out of her dog so.... Not all dogs are as friendly as Gypsy.

Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Four

I'm waiting for an OK.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

The solution is to gradually become free of societal rewards and learn how to substitute for them rewards that are under one's own powers. This is not to say that we should abandon every goal endorsed by society; rather, it means that, in addition to or instead of the goals others use to bribe us with, we develop a set of our own.

- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Willie, Me Mum, and Me Cleaning Fish at The Lake

Word of the Day

Minion - A person or thing that annoys or aggravates someone.

Today is Laundry Day. Tomorrow? HTP and I are heading off to Las Vegas for a few days. I'm packing. I probably should make a packing list but we're only going to be gone for four days/three nights. On previous trips to Vegas, I've forgotten to pack my toothbrush, my hair brush, and one time I forgot my nightshirt and had to borrow at t-shirt from HTP. And then there was the time that we were almost to Wickenburg and I remembered that I forgot my belly pack and my gambling money so we had to turn back. That was fun....not. Maybe I'd better make that list. I'm not sure if I'll take the time to blog or not. I make no promises. I'm curious to see if Gypsy will remember her training for my Dad while she's visiting my folks. My folks are going to take care of Gypsy while HTP and I are in Las Vegas. I'll have to pack some of her toys so she can tease them into playing with her.

Murphyism of the Day

Handy Office Excuse - Number Three

No one told me to go ahead.

Noteworthy Quote of the Day

I just realized that there's going to be a lot of painful times in life, so I better learn to deal with it the right way.

- Trey Parker and Matt Stone