"My New Year's resolution is to not start any bad habits." ~ Lew
The above is a direct quote. Ha ha.
I am having trouble coming up with a resolution. Lew asked me if I really need one. I already journey through life making adjustments and changes as needed.
So maybe a goal for 2014 instead. Here it is: Get a job! :)
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(Several days ago I wrote the post, Things I Would Like to Blog About. With today's post, I finally complete the list.)
I first heard of the island of knights and knaves when I read Raymond Smullyan's book, "What Is the Name of This Book?"
On this fictional island, knights always tell the truth and knaves always lie. So once you distinguish knights from knaves, you will always know the truthfulness of any statement.
Lew and I got into a discussion one night about how the consistency of a knave actually makes him/her somewhat "trustworthy." We can trust that a knave always lies.
Consider regular human beings, who are neither knights nor knaves. Things get a lot more complicated! Of course, some people are mostly truthful and some are habitual liars. Still, we don't have the same confidence that we would have on the island of knights and knaves.
I could go on with more thoughts about this. But I will spare you. :)
The recent Phil Robertson hoopla all started with the GQ article, "What the Duck?", by Drew Magary. (Click HERE to read it.)
I also read this article which shares Phil's response: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2528043/Duck-Dynasty-family-seen-today.html
Lew and I have watched all past episodes of "Duck Dynasty" and I just finished reading Phil's book, "Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander."
From all of the above -- which I will call my "research" -- I can say with confidence that A&E's initial suspension of Phil Robertson was misguided. They really blew it. They should have carefully analyzed all the available data in order to understand Phil's heart and his comments.
As we all now know, A&E has reinstated Phil Robertson, so filming of "Duck Dynasty" can now continue with all of the Robertsons onscreen.
I am looking forward to the new season... even though it will air on A&E.
The church fantasy football league came to an end last Monday night. (The end of this season, anyway.)
Lew came in last in the league, but he almost won the consolation bracket.
The players that made it to the championship game were Matt and Glen. A true family affair!
Matt had two losses during the regular season -- both to Glen. Would the third time be a charm?
No, it would not.
Congratulations to Glen on his victory.
Glen was presented with the "Coastal Fantasy Football Champ" trophy, which I made before I knew my brother-in-law would eventually take it home. If I had known, I would have made it look even tackier than it already does....
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| An empty kitty treats container (weighed down by some rocks from under our porch) provides the perfect foundation for the trophy. |
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| The vase brings it to a whole new level, don't you think? |
Eli got a table for his train set! He and Daddy had a great time playing with it.
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| Grampa & Adam "smile" for the camera. |
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| Tia loving on Adam. |
(I helped finish off the chocolate cake. Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)
Derf Here! From the great Northeast on the day after Christmas while I watch the snow falling. Will it be enough to plow? Only time will tell. Well, actually, the experts say up to 3 inches. Plowable? Maybe or not.
Well, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Spouse and I spent some time with Glen and Deb at their place. We were joined by Lew and Tracy, Glen's sister, and Glen's parents. Last, but not least, Josh and Zack were there. This makes sense because they live there. A great day was enjoyed by all.
Today, Josh is supposed to drive for an hour with his mother in the backseat. This is a necessary event for his driver education class. Hope they don't slide too much in the snow. Josh may have his permit next week.
I had a busy morning. Why I scheduled my eye appointment the day after Christmas didn't seem to make sense this morning. I showed up on time and did my field test. Seems to be staying the same and not deteriorating. A good sign indeed. Then up the stairs for a vision test and eye pressure test. All went well. One last trip to another level for an eye scan. I'm not sure what the scan does. I was told it was needed as I had not had one in a while. After about two hours, I found out my glaucoma seems to stay about the same. Not bad after 20 some years.
Then to a couple other errands. Arrived home with lunch from KFC in hand. A very productive morning came to an end. The chicken pot pie was good as was the dark grilled chicken. The chocolate cake wasn't bad either. Must get back to exercising next week. Honest!!! Sure!!
Wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR! I can't believe I lasted another year blogging weekly. But I have, so....
Until next time!
Toodle Pip!
Derf!
(Note: There will be no blog post tomorrow as we celebrate Christmas, but check back on Thursday for Derf's weekly post -- a day late and a dollar short!)
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Luke 2:8-14 (KJV):
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
"That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown." ~ Linus
A few posts ago, in Things I Would Like to Blog About, I mentioned a gift I received from my friend Anne-Marie.
At first glance, the box it came in made no sense to me:
Look at what was inside the box!
I asked Anne-Marie if we could communicate with each other through these watches... you know, for when we have secret missions. She said that particular feature didn't come with this model. ;)
A pretty cool watch, just the same!
We went to church. Christmas Sunday! :)
We ate Chinese food for lunch at the nursing home with Verlie. Wayne, Matt & Emily & the boys were there, too. We gave Verlie some Christmas "remembrances." (She told us not to get her any "gifts," so we didn't... wink, wink!)
We have been home for awhile. To say we are "winding down" would be an understatement. Lew has been asleep on the couch, and I have been reading (sort of).
I was going to share my thoughts on the meaning of life, but then I realized I had not yet posted a photo of our Christmas tree. A tree picture... much, much easier!
About 24 years ago I received a Rudolph made of wood, finely crafted by my grandfather (my dad's dad).
Rudolph's left antler was accidentally broken (the same 24 years ago... sigh), but a friend helped me repair him with some glue.
His antler had held up great over the years until last Friday night. That happened to be the night Eli and Adam were here. Eli's presence and Rudolph's antler breaking off again... well, these two events are entirely related to one another.
Lew and I just tried to repair the antler once again, but it was beyond hope. So I got out some masking tape and a bandage.
I kind of like Rudolph's new look!
But for Santa's sake, I hope we don't have a foggy Christmas Eve.
My friend Laura recently became an Origami Owl "designer", so I had to buy a necklace of course!
The charms represent that I am blessed with my family, my friends, the joy of music, the country I live in, my kitty-cats, my husband, and Jesus!
(In case you can't figure it out, the charms match the blessings like this: house, teacup, musical note, flag, paw, red heart, and Cross, respectively.)
When showing my necklace to Laura's 7-year-old daughter, I asked her to explain why I had certain charms. My favorite was her answer for the Cross: "Because you love Jesus." (I cherish this!)
I purchased three more charms that would not fit, so I guess I will have to get another locket at some point. :)
By the way, here is what the "back" of the above necklace looks like:
(I could have the "blessed" plate facing toward the front, but the charms would cover it up. I like being able to see the word.)
Life is a gift!
I got together with two out of my three fellow Batgirls tonight, so I'm posting later than usual. If I were more awake and energetic, I would attempt to write about one of the following:
Batgirl gift from Anne-Marie. I can't say what it is yet because Krista couldn't make it tonight.
Phil Robertson. The only thing I will say about this for the moment is that I support Phil.
My Origami Owl necklace. I will write about this later. Need to include a picture!
Thoughts on Knights and Knaves. This refers to an interesting discussion Lew and I had recently. I need to be very alert to give this justice, as it's kind of "deep."
So there you have it. Four "teasers" about some upcoming posts on my blog. I do hope that you'll come back to read them!
(I could get used to these short Derf posts. Enjoy! ~ Tracy)
Derf Here! From the snowbound Northeast. Just finished plowing the second major snowstorm (about 2 feet total) in the last three days. I'm sick of winter and it hasn't even officially started yet. I believe we are going to break the freezing barrier in the next couple days. The break will get our temperatures above freezing for the first time in about 10 days. PLEASE SPRING, COME SOON!
Forgot to mention in last week's post the gas prices I encountered on my Illinois trip. I saw one price for $2.98 per gallon. I paid as high as $3.69 on the New York thruway. In Indiana I filled my tank for $3.09. In Eureka I paid $3.15. My advice to you: Don't buy fuel in New York!
Must mention that grandson Josh is now enrolled in a driver education course. He is now on the road for several days a week. I'm sure he will follow in the family tradition of becoming a superior driver. It seems to filter down throughout the family.... I just hurt my arm patting myself on the back.
As a result of my arm injury, I will be forced to cut this post short. Sooo....
Until next time!
Toodle Pip!
Derf!
I did some paperwork at the church building today. The area where I was working was around 55 degrees. I tried to turn the heat up, but I wasn't there long enough to notice any effect. However, I was there long enough to turn into a popsicle.
Then I had to go outside and get into my cold car.
I knew that I would have to turn the heat up a bit upon arriving home, but I was looking forward to the warmth I already knew was present.
Except it wasn't....
It was 58 degrees in my house!
It seems that the thermostat control got turned way down. And I will tell you this: A human being did not do it.
If this happens again, we will have to do something to keep the cats away from the thermostat.
In the meantime, they are both looking pretty innocent about the whole thing.
Today is a good experiment in hermitation. The timing of our snowstorm disrupted area church gatherings today. The snow is still coming down, although very lightly.
Lew is now installing the new faucet on my side of the vanity. Some photographic evidence follows.
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| Our new master plumber is on the case! |
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| Jerry and Lew: Consulting. |
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| Kurt: Couldn't care less. |
Roses are red. Violets are blue. Whenever it rains, I think of you.... Drip, drip, drip....
I can't recall where I first heard the above variation of the poem, but it came to mind today while Lew worked on a household project.
The project was to replace a faucet in the bathroom sink.
Success! No more leaky faucet.
But unfortunately for Lew, he is not done yet. We have a double vanity in our bathroom, and the faucets need to match, right?! Smile!
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| BEFORE |
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| AFTER |
Lew and I got to babysit Eli and Adam tonight unsupervised! Matt and Emily dropped them off at our house with specific care instructions, all of which we carried out perfectly.... Well, almost! :)
Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.
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| How Adam started the evening. |
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| Grampa and Eli contemplate the benefits of ravioli. |
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| Adam eventually woke up. |
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| Eli brought Jerry his cat toys, one by one. |
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| Busy Eli has an audience. |
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| Eli and Tia take a selfie. |
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| Tia singing to Adam. |
Every winter I consider hibernation. (Wouldn't that be great?) But the closest I can come is the hermit's life.
I call it "hermitation."
I really think I could pull hermitation off. I could order anything I need online (or at least send Lew out for it). I could skip getting my haircut until the weather gets warmer.
I would have to leave the house at least once a week for church, but that's manageable.
Who's in?
I am!
;-)
(Postscript: Auto-correct tried to change "hermitation" to "hermit action" when I first typed it in. "Hermit" and "action" don't really belong together, do they? Not in my hermitation ideas, they don't!)
(I wish I had been awake to see Dad's ascent to the house, but it was way too early in the morning. Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)
Derf Here! Back in the Northeast from my brief Midwest trip. It is very cold here but the day has been sunny. Will not reach the freezing point for the next few days. It's okay! I have heat!
Last week's post had some information about Kim's and my trip through the tornado-torn town of Washington, Illinois. I must mention two sites we saw. All homes on the street were just leveled. There was one exception.One structure was left with its front door and casing still standing. It was a strange sight. Another street had one structure with a staircase still standing. Next to the stairs were some upper kitchen cabinets still together. How these survived the storm is beyond my comprehension. A sight to see! It will be years before the town is back to normal. If ever.
As promised last week I will now critique the Renaissance Christmas Dinner by the Eureka College Chamber Singers. I was fortunate to attend all three performances. It was an excellent dinner theater production by some talented college students. It certainly impressed me. I'm sure the show put all who were in attendance in the Christmas spirit. Joseph Henry should be happy and proud of his production. Granddaughter Kelsey performed at a professional level -- proud Papa.
I kept my eye on the weather over the weekend as I was planning on returning home Monday. From my observation I thought I could make it to the Buffalo area even if I hit some snow. Well, I left at 8:00 AM EST and made it to Buffalo with no lake-effect snow. The roads were fine and I continued on.
I was listening to the radio and heard weather reports putting snow in the Massachusetts area early the next morning. This prompted me to make it home prior to the storm. I continued to drive. And about 18 1/2 hours after I left Illinois, I was home (1200 miles).
I encountered no snow but did see some signs to be careful due to black ice. No problem for me until I reached my own driveway! I turned around in my driveway and was unable to get up to the house. I was on ice. Walking on the driveway was treacherous, so I shuffled over to the lawn and walked up the lawn to level ground. I carefully crossed the icy driveway and walked the lawn to the icy steps. I MADE IT!!
I apologize to my proofreader and editor for this lengthy post. Sometimes it is just necessary to stretch it out.
I had a brief, enjoyable trip to Illinois. It was well worth the effort. I thank my Illinois family for putting up with me!
Until next time!
Toodle Pip!
Derf!
Another cold day here. It snowed for much of the afternoon.
Our driveway and porch steps were s~l~i~p~p~e~r~y. You had to pick your route carefully and walk very slowly, otherwise you would end up on your fanny!
I went to see Verlie at the nursing home right after lunch. The resident cat had the right idea on this cold wintery day. Meow!
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| Sassy, the nursing home's cat. |
A week ago I wrote about Lew's perfect season in his fantasy football league. (His record was 0-13.)
He got to play a consolation game this week.
The result?
He...
wait for it...
WON!
When he told me, I almost passed out. (Not really.) But I did say,
"Congratulations, Sweetie!"
(Postscript: Actually I believe I said, "You did?" But that translates to the above.... Really, it does. Smile!)
Lew decided to put the outdoor Christmas lights on our porch yesterday.
The lights ended up in the trash. (Apparently there is no reason to keep lights that no longer work.)
I was so proud of Lew. He found some lights that were on sale (50% off) at the hardware store, plus he had a $10 coupon!
The old lights were white icicles; the new lights are colored LEDs.
I took some pictures tonight. It was not easy to get photos because I kept setting off the regular porch light's motion sensor! But I finally got a couple to share with you.
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| Hard to see the colors distinctly, but notice the symmetry! |
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| The view standing on the porch. Note the colors. |
Baby, it's cold outside....
I have cold feet, and I mean that literally.
Sometimes I wear socks to bed, but I usually end up kicking them off during the night. (I don't know why this is so; it's not because my feet get too warm, that's for sure!)
During the day, I like to wear socks with my slippers. But at some point I end up yanking the socks off because my feet need some freedom. (Maybe that's what happens subconsciously during the night, too.)
So my feet are cold, but they have an aversion to socks.
This is a dilemma.
My father is in Illinois visiting my sister Kim and her family. He usually writes his weekly Derf post on Wednesday, but he called to tell me he is postponing until tomorrow.
I was not expecting to have to pen my own post today. (And, alas, the ideas haven't been flowing freely lately.)
While on the phone with Dad, I mentioned I would try to come up with something. He suggested I inform our readers that he will be writing tomorrow and leave it at that.
Works for me!
I know that a lot of people have been watching Duck Dynasty. Lew and I held out for a long time, not wanting to add another TV show to the short list that we already watch.
A few days ago, Lew watched this half-hour video online:
When the video ended, Lew instructed me to set the DVR to record Duck Dynasty whenever it is on. (There are a lot of reruns airing right now, so we already have quite a few episodes recorded.)
I watched the above "I Am Second" video today....
And another new Duck Dynasty fan is born!
When considering healthy eating habits, this long weekend can't end soon enough.
Pie, cupcakes, cake, pumpkin bread, cheese & crackers, soda, chocolate, pizza, mac & cheese....
It's been great! :)
