Good Morning!
23 days until Christmas!
On this day in 1804 Napoleon was crowned emperor of France at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris.
In 1901 Gillette patented the KC Gillette Razor. It was first razor to feature a permanent handle and disposable double-edge razor blades.
In 1927 the Ford Motor Company unveiled the Model A automobile. It was the successor to the Model T.
In 1954 the U.S. Senate voted to condemn Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy for what it called “conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.” The censure was related to McCarthy’s controversial investigation of suspected communists in the U.S. government, military and civilian society.
And in 1982 doctors at the University of Utah implanted a permanent artificial heart in the chest of retired dentist Barney Clark.
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Quote of the Day
“Writing poetry makes you intensely conscious of how words sound, both aloud and inside the head of the reader. You learn the weight of words and how they sound to the ear.”
Helen Dunmore
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On this day in 1949 Gene Autry hit the charts with this song. 🙂
This one is because we like it around my house.
And it’s Nate Mendel’s birthday. From FooFightersVevo
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Wandering Views 
I used to shave with a double edge razor. Then Schick came out with the quick change blade.
That changed the entire shaving experience..
“insert, Click, Click.
Change blades that quick”
I heard that Gene Autry hated Rudolph too, and wasn’t going to do anything with it.
But his wife made him publish it.
Christmas was better without Rudolph.
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I agree that we didn’t need Rudolph. My class began making their felt nativity scenes today. We are also going over the Christmas story. I have realized that the word Christmas is not in the Bible and children don’t necessarily equate the Biblical story with the word Christmas, nor do they know what a nativity scene is. Have to clearly explain some common terms.
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The snow is falling really fast this morning. I think it may have changed over to freezing rain. 🙂
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I have lots of email about cyber Monday.I did “buy” the free Christmas story ebook offered by Suzanne Woods Fisher. I hope I got her name right in case anyone wants an Amish Christmas story.
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I am anon today alias JaniceG.
Husband and I ventured downtown after church and had lunch at the Varsity. We were going south on Interstate 75 and it was a true sight to see all the traffic going north after the Thanksgiving break taken in Florida. We did that one year and it was without a doubt the longest traffic jam I have ever been in.
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Anyone else remember these commercials from the 60s?
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Here’s a later version.
Somehow I remember these commercials as being pervasive on TV during Christmas time when I was a kid and teenager.
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So I’m up at 5 a.m. because the dogs needed supervised backyard outings twice overnight (since Cowboy is somehow getting out) — and for Tess it was too late, she’s had a major bout with diarrhea that took out two cheap kitchen throw rugs (and the sheets are now in the wash, she jumped up on my bed with a messy rear. Now I need to take the scissors to all that soiled fur at her rear. 😦
It’s been up and down for me all night with the clean-up.
And I just had to let her out again, she really is a good dog but she sure doesn’t feel so well right now. 😦
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I am listening to the Choir of Kings College, Cambridge album “Classic Christmas Carols.” Their rendition of “Once in Royal David’s City” gives me goose bumps. It is the same version with which the Maryland State Boy Choir starts their Festival of Lessons and Carols – can’t wait! December 22!
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On this date 75 years ago my own larger than life hero was born. On this date 5 years ago we spread his ashes into the waters at the mouth of Mobile Bay where he loved to fish. As I have said before I could list you hundreds of his faults but he was the world’s best daddy to me.
Yesterday, at church, we started the service with Oh Come Oh Come Emanuel.. Each yeard during Advent a child comes forward and with the help of the priest lights the candles on the Advent Wreath.
Do you remember some years ago when the Christmas Box book was sweeping the nation? I liked that the end message of that story was that the first Christmas present was a Baby.
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Oh, I love the King’s College Choir, I have a couple of their CDs somewhere … Beautiful music.
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Anonymous 4 also has a couple CDs of older/more obscure church Christmas music that we seldom hear anymore.
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A sample:
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It is kind of ironic Kim that you mention scattering ashes of you loved on on mobile bay. I want my ashes spread in the Texas Hill Country when the Blue Bonnets are in bloom.
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All your lovely Christmas thoughts and all I can think of is this new house has forced air heating coming from the ceiling and so I wake up every morning with a brimming headache . . . any suggestions?
I know, first world problem . . .
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My sympathy, michelle. Other than moving the bed, making sure the furnace filter is clean and/or taking allergy meds before bed, I am not sure what you can do. I had that kind of heat when I was a child. Not efficient with heat rising naturally, IMO. Now we have electric, which is nice for those with allergies. Nothing blowing.
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Drivesguy, What a beautiful thought.
On my worst days I think just dump my ashes in the toilet and flush–it’s that kinda life. But I never stay depressed too long and I bounce back. 😉
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Michelle, completely block the vent in your room and leave the door open. I sympathize with you. I cannot stand a breeze (especially cold) on my head. Very headache inducing.
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Hubby just informed me that we have 1.9 days of Christmas music on our computer, with no repeats (unless same artist & song are on a compilation CD) 🙂
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Michelle, a humidifier. A whole-house one can be installed on your furnace pretty easily, which would be my first suggestion. Otherwise, just a portable room-size one.
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My central heat comes up from the floor, the unit is under the house. It’s very efficient in terms of warming the house quickly (admittedly it’s also a small house).
But usually I turn it off when I go to bed, I don’t like the heat when I’m sleeping. I prefer a very cold room to sleep in, keeping the window open if possible for a fresh, cool night breeze. And fortunately our temperatures don’t run to extremes so keeping the heat turned off and a window open at night in the wintertime isn’t unthinkable.
So I barricaded almost the entire length of the back fence (it’s shrouded by trees and a lot of tangled shrubs with very thorny branches, so I got poked a lot in the process). We’ll see if Cowboy’s still around in another 1/2 hour or so. He’s eaten so I’m guessing he’ll start poking around wherever it was that he got out Sunday morning.
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Humidifier is definitely a good idea, Michelle.
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Donna, do you have a chain link fence? Some dogs learn to climb them.
We had one that did.
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I like that thought about the humidifier. We turn off the heat (which I only set to 60 anyway; others in the family push it higher) at night and it’s what wakes me up in the morning. I’ve got it completely blocked out here in my office and the window open. Sigh. I love wood stove heat but that’s not practical in this house, though we are looking into a gas fireplace insert.
In other news, if you’d like tips for writing those Christmas letters, here’s a post from me: http://wp.me/p3HcoH-KV
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Don’t know if any of this will help, Michelle, but you might consider a ceiling fan with switch flipped to move air as it comes out of the vent; or a plastic deflector that is attached to the vent by magnets to guide the air to another location;or, put a canopy over your bed 🙂 .
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I just finished Miss Priss’ Christmas shopping. She is done except for stocking stuffers.
Mr P is off to mail Oldest Son a picture of him(son) and his grandmother from when he was a child and Elf on a Shelf for Cutest Baby Boy.
Then he is off to get Youngest Son a rod and reel for Christmas.
Middle Son got a plane ride home.
Except for stocking stuffers, Mr P’s Christmas and a few other small items I am done!
I have NEVER been one to like Black Friday but I might can handle this Cyber Monday gig. 😉
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Kim, I just wrote a note to you on the prayer thread . . . and then realized it was an old one (11/29).
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Chas, no, it’s a very tall wood fence with heavy vegetation (bouganvillea, etc.) covering much of it. Escape route has to be under, not over.
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Thanks. Will check it out.
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Have you seen the nutcake on TV who says that if you have deactivated Sirrius (or somesuch) that you can tall this number and have it activeted for free.
Until December 3
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Did I miss seeing who got the most picks right regarding the pigskins?
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Hi everyone. This might be rather late at night to ask this, but I am curious about what comments any of you may have regarding the following article, “Three Essentials to Thriving Marriages”, especially with regards to the 16 questions, the scoring, and the labeling of healthy, unhealthy, and destructive marriages found at the end of the article.
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http://www.leslievernick.com/2013/11/25/1949/
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I glanced at it and the test and would suggest it is dangerous ground for some. If your spouse does not meet their criteria, it easily becomes a weapon. Stay away from such things. My opinion.
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6 Arrows You can expect an email from me. I have been in both positions and have some insight I don’t wish to paste all over the internet.
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Anon,
Apparently it’s Florida 2000 all over again. 😯 A recount has been demanded. The lawyers and Supreme Court are all over it now.
Either way it turns out, half the country won’t be happy. 🙂
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Thank you, Kim, I got your email, have read it, and will try to respond tonight. If not then, though, I’ll get back to you tomorrow afternoon. I really appreciate your response.
Thank you, too, Mumsee. There were some things about those 16 questions that were cause for concern in the way they were worded, IMO. My “score” and its supposed meaning didn’t come out the way I thought it would, either. It made it sound worse than I think it is. The power of suggestion can be very strong, and if a test labels your marriage unhealthy or destructive, the temptation to bail, or at least to walk around with a chip on your shoulder, is increased. Which could be a safety measure (bailing out in the case of truly abusive marriages), but misleading, I think, for those in the “unhealthy” or the lower part of the “destructive” ranges.
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