Merry Christmas ALL!!!!!

Merry Christmas from Cora and me! I hope you all have had a chance to enjoy family and friends! Oh, and presents...lots of presents!!!!

The Dogs were ecstatic about the chance to go for a ride...they sat in the car for 30 minutes because they came out and the door was open. They crawled right in! So we left them there until we'd packed the car.

The family was waiting. We had a great Christmas Eve!

Even the little things made us happy!

Just taking a picture made Cora happy!

But having family nearby was the best. Look at the SISTERS!

but, they weren't the only ones having fun! Here I am with my SIL and BIL. (one of us is carrying a parasite...)

I'll let you decide...the picture below might give a hint...see the distended features of this guy? He is obviously in pain and maybe he's a little constipated!

The dogs had loads of fun...Toby was completely dragging this morning...see his eyes?

When we got home Gypsy and Toby both were dog tired...literally! They both just laid down and slept for about three hours each!

Cora and I took the time and opened our own gifts and relaxed. It was a wonderful Christmas. I want to thank our family for that...and Cora. The day was a good one. We appreciated family near and far, wishing for our loved opnes who could not be there to at least feel our love. This evening, Cora and I are playing Wii and enjoying each other's company.

Life is good.

Christmas Eve Morning

This wonderful cold I have is not even coming close to giving me congestion that I can deal with. I can feel it everywhere, but in my nose, which makes it difficult to get rid of it with a kleenex. I have a sore throat and sore muscles. I slept pretty good until about 3am, at which time the cold meds went out on me and I awoke. I took some more, but my throat is sore and sleeping isn't easy.

The stockings are hung by the furnace with care.

The lights on the cupboards add a nice flair,

but the ones on the tree are nicer by far.

There's an angel on our tree, but no star.

the gifts beneath the tree are all in their place,

one is amazed they take up such space!

The cookies await Christmas Eve pleasure,

before willing hands unwrap their treasure.

So much to be seen, so much to be heard,

all I can spare is a few Christmas words:

Merry Christmas to all, and this is the reason,

I hope you all have a nice holiday season!

Admittedly, not all of you celebrate Christmas, so let me also wish you a happy Kwanzaa, a happy Hanuka and a Happy New Year. I know I am missing a few other holidays, but, I wish you happy ones of those, too. Also, my sisters-in-law are celebrating their birthdays and so is you Kylee from AZ. Happy birthday girls!

now, I think I will court sleep again...wish me luck.

The Program

OK, I have subbed at the El all week. I enjoy working at the El. It's our local elementary, and the people that work there are the best. They are supportive and friendly and, amongst the best people in this area. Never mind that several of them are now at a different school. These are the best people around.

I subbed for the music teacher all week. Part of that included readying the children to sing at the sing along. I worked at it all week, trying to familiarize them with the lyrics. It was a fun week.

One of my coworkers introduced me to this group: Straight No Chaser.

See them play the Twelve Days of Christmas here:

The program went well. Mostly, I just changed the power point that showed the lyrics...still, it worked well! Loved it! I enjoyed the kids and the teachers. It was a good week.

So This is Thursday/ And What Have You Done?

Another day over/ a new one just begun... This Thursday song was brought to you by John Lennon!

So, it is Thursday, another day closer to the weekend. I can't wait. I tried to decorate yesterday after work, but gave it up for a bad job and made dinner instead. I made fajitas...using a homemade mix. I may have used just a smidgen more cayenne than the 1/4 teaspoon called for...oops. Cora seemed to think it was similar to having a mouth full of hot lava. I told her I thought she would like it since she has been complaining about being so cold. She replied that her mouth had not been cold. Maybe I should figure out a cayenne body rub.

I don't really think it was that bad, but I was drinking sub-zero beer... well, that's not entirely true. I had the ice chest outside on the back step. This 0 degree weather has been keeping it nice and cold. I have been checking it, but none of the cans have exploded, so everything was fine...or so I thought. I'd forgotten about the two or three bottles of soda that were in there. Last night I grabbed a beer from the top and it smelled of root beer...I moved a few cans aside and found that the bottles did not hold up to the temperatures as well as the cans...I brought the ice chest inside to thaw.

We decorated the tree Tuesday night. As you can see Cora was appreciating the fact that I have about 14 or 15 airplane ornaments on the tree. Whoever thought of making airplane ornaments for a Christmas tree was a genius. The only thing is, I think there ought to be a few war types...and F-4 Phantom would look cool on there! You may also be able to see the USS Voyager in the photo...airplanes and Star Trek. Awesome. Except she won't let me buy the Klingon battlecruiser that Hallmark has this year...it would make a perfect addition!

So, here we are...decorating the tree...well, standing in front of it.

I cannot wait for Friday. This getting up in the morning thing is really getting to me. I need a few days where I stay in bed (while Cora brings me coffee and things, obviously) until noon, at least.

I don't know what we are doing this weekend yet. I know that a certain redheaded nephew has a birthday coming soon, so I expect my beloved sister to throw some sort of party together at a moment's notice and all the adults invited can expect to experience some kind of mildly degrading challenge where they lose some sort of dignity to complete some task while having a bunch of fun with a wonderful family. I think she does it to remind us that family is a pain, but well worth it. Of course, I may be reading more into it than there is. She may simply like to see her older brother doing childish things and enjoy having photographic proof of such instances...you never know about sisters...

On a final note, I just realized I may have an RCA dog:

Remember the RCA logo? Two dogs listening to a gramophone? Now we need a pup and a gramophone and we'll have it made! -err, is RCA still in business???

The Tree Is Gone, It's On The Streets!

Yesterday, I was a bit under the weather. I had a headache and nausea...it never fully went away until after I went to bed. Today, I felt fully alive...err, well, better. A good deal better, actualy, since I felt up to going to town for groceries. We got some goodies and some necessities. When we came home we put put the groceries away and then took down the tree. We had planned on rearranging the living room but, after lovingly putting the ornaments away, and dragging the hostile tree outside, neither of us felt up to it. Sometime this week, our living room will be more Wii Friendly. It isn't bad now, but it is considerably shorter in length than it used to be.

I am more than normally happy to see the tree gone. That thing was as prickly as an epileptic porcupine...and nearly as dangerous. Everytime you passed by the damned thing it tried to reach through your jeans and stab you. Most times it was successful. You did not even have to rub against it. All you had to do was stand nearby and somehow it would nab you! It looked nice from a distance, but you could not trust it!

One of the things we got was more cheese. We bought some more Tillamook sharp cheddar and some swiss cheese for smoking! I am in love with smoking cheese! I was surfing the net last night; curious about smoking. I found out some more about it and now I want to smoke a chicken or a turkey. Sounds yummy and I like a challenge!

We had a minor disaster the other day. It was the day after Christmas. We were sitting here thinking about getting ready to go when I noticed the fish tank was bubbling. I asked Cora to pour some water in it, but she quickly informed me there was more to it. When I got over there I noticed an electrical smell...the pump had clogged and was sending water over the side... Sometime in the near past one of us had removed the power strip from the wall and had forgotten to put it back...it was right in the drip path. We averted disaster! I cleaned it out yesterday and everything is back to normal. The corals are happy and so are we!

Grandma has had more widespread publicity than originaly imagined! She has hd her article run in the Seattle news paper, and on the KOMO news site. This morning, she said she got interviewed by CNN Radio! How awesome is that!?? Way to go Grandma!

Well, back to work tomorrow...yay.

Christms Act Three And The Recovery

Well, Christmas:Act Three was GREAT! I got the Wii gun, so now I can take Pacific Islands and European cities with ease! I got one of those picture hanging levels, too. I got a flask and numerous other things! I made out like a bandit!

Cora went to town with her sister and her mom for some shoes (I was supposed to get her shoes...but, jeez, that's not fun, so she had to get them herself).

I gave out my smoked cheddar as a gift. My dad called tonight to ask about smoking times...apparently, my smoked cheddar did not last very long! It seemed to be popular with everyone.

Cora's Grandmother is becoming famous! KOMO news on the West Side covered her story! I figure it's only a matter of time before she is on Good Morning America! You can view her coverage by KOMO here. Congrats Grandma!

Now we have to recover from the holiday mess!

UPDATE:

I've got some pics!

Yesterday dawned bright and sunny, however, the night before was foggy and cold...the trees were covered with rime.

I took my beer/cider...Everyone who tried it seemed to think it was alright. Ryan is modeling it, here:

Here you see what appears to be part of the family suddenly asleep while unwrapping packages...I think they all blinked at the same time...good timing?

Not everyone was thrilled by the gifts...

Here are the three sisters...not shown is the gooey chic-flick they were watching.

And we sit around the remains of dinner...note what had once been a plate piled high with ham...we devoured it.

Christmas in Three Acts

Christmas has been excellent! So far, it's been 2 days with one left. The first was at my parents. The second was yesterday with the two of us, and I am looking forward to the final act today. Cora gave me some super gifts yesterday! She got me Hot Fuzz and Call of Duty for the Wii. I was busy fighting my way across an island in the Pacific last night and this morning. I am enjoying the battles.

She also got me a wonderful book about Bull Halsey. Thus far she is the only one who shopped from my wish list on Amazon! Still, that's not to say I have gotten bad gifts. I have enjoyed Christmas!!

I hope everyone else has, too. And to those of you in Canada, England, and I don't know if Australia does it, a Happy Boxing Day to you too!

Gifts, Please, and Keep 'Em Coming!

So Christmas with the FAMILY! Here are some photos which I will let do the talking for me.

Here is a niece and nephew with their grandpa...or Papa

This is Emma with Grandma.

My newest nephew! David! Isn't he the cutest? Tell me you wouldn't just hug this kid as hard as you could?

Emma models the outfit Cora picked out for her. I think she is destined for Vogue...

Eli, looking like having a picture taken is maybe not on his top ten list of things to do on Christmas Eve...

Emma discovering one of her presents.

Eli and his Thomas the Train!

Grandparents and Grandkids...

Dad helping his kids...

Mom and Daughter discussing the attributes of this gift.

Me, to prove I was there.

Cora was, too.

David again, he is the cutest!

It was great! I got some great gifts, but most of all I spent time with family! I enjoyed it! I hope you get some good time with your family, too! That's what the holiday is for asfar s I am concerned! Family!

C'mon Gimme The Presents!

We are going to spend Christmas Eve with my family. To get the Christmas Spirit going I suggested we let me open a gift this morning. Cora suggested I take a flying leap...I don't think she has gotten into the Christmas Spirit yet...I thought it was all about giving! And she won't give me ANY my presents!

I offered to give her a Christmas card if she would let me open one...still no dice. I got her coffee this morning...I am SO generous and she is SO stingy! She even knows she is getting "Socks" for Christmas...me? I have very little clue as to what I am getting.

I will post again tonight or tomorrow with the pictures I take today...no doubt my little neice will pander for the camera, and I will probably get several good candids of my nephews! Love those kids! Oh, and I might take a few pictures of my family in compromising positions...keep your fingers crossed!

Until then, I hope you all have a safe and warm day!

Oh, and I want to wish my very favorite Sisters-in-Law a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! They are getting old, but they're still my little sisters!

Blueprint to Happiness

So, I have been working maintenance the last two days. Not really hard work, I have just been organizing the blueprints...the district has A LOT of blueprints. Every building, and some that have gone. And you would not believe HOW DAMNED MANY BLUEPRINTS THERE ARE!! Apparently it is tradition to remodel the schools every 20 to 30 years, that is when they don't build new ones. This district has been around for about 80 years...each time there is a remodel they have 7-10 blueprint sets, if not more. Plus numerous drawings and drafts. Lets just say there are tons of prints and drawings for me to organize.

I've found some really neat ones. I found the orignial prints to the old HS from 1934. I found a few from 1935, 1948, and 1954. My favorite was found at the end of the day...they were from 1927! The grade school from around here. It was really neat seeing the detail work the architects expected of the craftsmen. I have been re-rubber-banding the newer ones and trying to label them all with school, type of print, and date. The old ones get wrapped in some paper to protect them as best as I can...I never thought much of blueprints, but there was A LOT of work tht went into them! I am amazed. It has been educational, too. Since now, just looking at the plans I am becoming familiar with the ways the schools changed through the years...what additions came first and what the schools looked like. I thought I was almost done this morning, until I walked around the corner and found BOXES more. Oh, well. It isn't bad work. I actually enjoy going through old papers and stuff...So, it is not really work, but a certain kind of happiness for me!

I took my lunch at 7:45am this morning. I called around to some stores to see if the "Socks" I wanted to get Cora were in. They said there were three socks! I told them I would be right there. Needless to say I got Cora's special socks today! As I was walking out two others had bought the other two...uh, socks. I am so hppy I ws able to find the socks she has wanted...She will be so happy!

Tomorrow, we spend Christmas Eve with my family. I hope for some cool gifts!!! Wish me luck!

Hockey Monkey Monday?

We are still enjoying Canadian tempertures out there. So it only seems fitting to introduce you to a song I heard a few years ago, which is slightly stupid, but completely fun! I can't think of a better time to share it.

There, that wasn't so bad, was it? All the scientists are running around...gonna be in your head all day, isn't it? You are welcome.

I am still battling the cold I picked up from those lovely children last week. For some strange reason I can sleep better in my chair (and heavily drugged). I hate colds! I feel fine during the day, but sleep is difficult to come by in decent amounts or quality. It's a good thing I am resilient.

So, Wednesday we plan on spending with My parents and my sister's family. (I hope I get some cool things!) I probably should have put up Christms list here...because, I want a Red Ryder BB gun, and a Jeep, and a pair of Lazer Shooting Battling Remote Control Helicopters, and loads of books...huh? Oh, sorry, I get carried away...and NO, I will not shoot my eye out.

Incidentally, as a kid, I had a lovely Daisy Red Ryder BB gun...which withstood the years and wear and tear of probably 1,000,000 BBs very well...it probably still resides in my parent's attic...though it doesn't shoot like it used to. Oh, back to what I was gonna say: I ALMOST shot my eye out once...well, not quite, but it was a very good thing that I wore glasses as a kid. The two liter pop bottles, when they first came out, were of fairly solid construction. Thickish walls. Well, if you were a ten year old kid, and were bored (which I often was), you might enjoy shooting bottles(which I often did). Sometimes you might fill bottles with water and shoot holes in them. (I can't explain why it was fun, it just was, ok, so all you girls out there just hold in your questions and smart alleck comments) Well, when you mixed the rigid sides of the plastic bottles with the semi-flacid nature of a bottle being partially filled, coupled with the correct angles, range, muzzle velocities, and ballistics, you got a Rogue BB that would come STRAIGHT back at the shooter. Like I said, it was a good thing I wore glasses. Fortunately much of the velocity had been traded in the act of changing direction and my glasses and my forehead were never seriously damaged, but still, it had the capability of scaring the crap out of a kid whose dad had told him that if he ever shot his BB gun at things too close and ended up getting hurt, his BB gun would be unceremoniously taken from him for what promised to be eternity.

I loved that BB gun...I will have to write an entire post about it...

Well, it's Monday, I have to go get dressed and work Maintenance today. I suspect that rather than putting me to work organizing the Transportation Building's attic, I may end up having to help with Snow Removal...I will keep you posted, since I know you are all just on pins and needles to know.

Nature's New Fashion Statement

This is the front yard this morning, about 730am

Apparently, white is the new earth tone. Everyone is using it to cover those unsightly...everything.

OK, not really, but I thought that sounded less cliche than "winter wonderland," or "white Christmas," which it definitely is and will be, but I feel I need to be more creative and a little less predictable.

We went shopping yesterday for a few necessities and just as we were calling it quits, mother nature decided to drop some snow on our heads. We obligingly stayed home after that. I smoked my cheese...does that sound middle school of me? Like cutting the cheese, except more "sophisticated" somehow? "Well, it was fine in here, until Jim Smoked the Cheese, then everyone started gagging and choking." Hmmm, yeah, I think that could be a new phrase for fart...somehow it gives a slight hint to the aroma one might expect from a fart thus described. "A burnt cheese smell hung in the air, as though someone had smoked the cheese moments earlier." yeah, very descriptive... OK, how did I get on the subject of gas exchange?

This is the front yard lst night bout 730pm

I began by talking about the snow, which appears to be about five or six inches deep out there now, but, since I just got up and am bare...foot, I don't plan on testing it anytime soon.

The other day I got home and saw the quail leave the front of the house. We have quail(California Quail, Callipepla californica) , by the way, that hang around the houses with bird seed. We don't usually have seed, since we don't have a decent tree to put a bird feeder in, but quail are ground birds and so I went in the house and found some seed from when we were in California and spread it on the ground...wow, you would have thought I had given them a new lease on life..which is possible given the temperatures lately. They scratch around just like chickens. I had no idea. They are neat little birds. I have some video, too.

We bought LED lights for the tree this year, since they are supposed to last some 10,000 hours and be more efficient. I opened a box the other day and only half of the damned string lit up. Then last night one of the strings on our tree suddenly and without any visible cause blinked a few times and went out. I am more than a little miffed. They cost a little more than the regular lights and, one would assume, with the billing they have received from the press, they would be better...not so.

Spud Soup

At yesterday's wonderful birthday party, My Father-in-law-in-law (?) gave us some extra potatoes. (Tht IS what you call your sister's in-laws, right?) Fresh from harvest and OH SO PRETTY! I gladly accepted them and put the forty or fifty pounds in our trunk. This morning I scrubbed one up and, OH, what a beautiful spud! It was something like 18 degrees out and there was no promise of the temperature rising, we had some left over ham and some bacon in the fridge...I thought instantly of potato soup. I asked Cora what she thought of it, and she agreed.

the orange things are carrot chunks...

I don't claim that my soup is wonderful, but I will say ANY time you add ham AND bacon to anything (except maybe ice cream), it is bound to be good. Add to that the tempertures outside and you pretty much have a perfect way to spend the day inside.

WE DID venture out and managed to get a little Christmas shopping done, but it was VERY COLD, and we retired only a few hours after we had left the shelter of our home. It was a good thing, too, since it was about then that the snow recommenced falling.

Illuminated Wood

Those are some synonyms for Lighted Tree. Which is what we did tonght...and we also put the best ornaments on it...see?

These ornaments fairly zoom off the tree!

Here is the best I could do for family Christms Tree Decorating Pics...Cora would not let me get the camera further out...something about unflattering lighting...

I also had to do all the CLOSE IN work...since our tree is rather prickly. I was not exhibiting the Christmas spirit after being poked several thousand times by this tree...I might have done something rash, until I remembered that I had cut it down...I suppose I can deal with a few pokes.

Infamous Day

Today, was a date which will live in Infamy. A date in which Cora made me clean house. Ok, she wasn't too bad, but, it felt like alot more work than it was, plus I think I am experiencing some post Christmas Tree Hunting Day soreness. We went to town and got some lights and did a little Christmas shopping. Then we came home and began cleaning and decorating.


I think we have a case of shrinkage, though. Have a look. It started looking like this:

Then we poured some hot water on it, and this is what we ended up decorating:

OK, that is the small one, Cora always puts it up and we put small ornaments on it. We will do the big one tomorrow night.



So, today REALLY is a date which will live in infamy. 67 years ago, elements of the Combined Fleet were in place to launch an attack on the island of Oahu. The planes came from the north and struck numerous air fields and military installations. Of course, the main target was the naval installation at Pearl Harbor.


That day, men were going about their normal morning activities when unidentified planes flew over. Some thought it was just another exercise, but these aircraft dropped live ordnance. The firt bombs began dropping at 7:55 am, by 8:10 am, a modified 16" armour piercing battleship shell was dropped from a high-altitude bomber and it found its way into a magazine of the USS Arizona. The resulting explosion lifted the ship from the water and broke her back, killing over 1000 souls. The results of the attack were horrifying to the entire nation. Eight of the nine battleships in the Pacific Fleet were either sunk or damaged. The remaining battleship, the USS Colorado, was undergoing overhaul in Bremerton, Washington. Several cruisers and destroyers were damaged. Most of the island's aircraft were out of commission. Hawaii ceased to be the major thorn it might have been in side of the Japanese Navy in the opening days of the war.


The one major mistake they made was not sending a third wave to take out the Oil Tanks and the Dry Docks. Because of this oversight, Hawaii quickly recovered. It continued as an important base. The Dry Docks were used to repair the damaged ships and send many of them off to war in only a few months. Some of the more heavily damaged ships took several years to return to duty. In October of 1944, though, several re-habilitated Battleships sunk in Pearl Harbor were able to avenge themselves and their sisters by destroying the entire Japanese southern force attempt to break into Leyte Gulf, only a few escaped with severe damage, back the way they had come.



I had the opportunity, this last year, to come into contact with a part of the USS Arizona. An Anchor and a mast from the USS Arizona were on display in Phoenix, Arizona. Here they are:


Overall, it has been a great day(weekend), and even though I am suffering from a lack of exercise and sore muscles, bones, and things I can't idenify, I feel good about the weekend. I hope you all have had a good weekend also!


Oh, one last thing!!: A few months ago I discovered that the USS Kitty Hawk will be decommissioning in January of 2009. I sent an e-mail asking about it. I never got anything back until yesterday. I will be getting some invitations to the decommissioning of an aircraft carrier! I plan on attending it! You can see my other site for details, but it is a rare and exciting thing!

Awesomeness Is Free

As is Attractivenes.

I love Kung Fu Panda.

Cora and I are going to take the dogs and go up into the mountains and get a Christmas tree. We have done this in the past, but not for the past few years. We always enjoyed doing it in the past. It should be fun!