40 thoughts on “Rants! and Raves! 12-3-16

  1. Do you ever get something in your head that won’t go away?

    I wake up several times a night. No problem, I usually go right back to sleep.
    Last night I had “Jingle Bell Rock” in my head every time I woke up.
    Still do. Not that I don’t like it, but I’ve had enough.

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  2. Trust me, no one wants me to sing Silent Night to them. No one wants me to sing anything to them. And I fully understand.

    Sometimes even I am surprised by the sounds that come out of my mouth!

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  3. That was my dad’s favorite Christmas carol. It really is beautiful. Dad had a keen appreciation for beauty, in its many forms.

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  4. 🙂 Christmas season music concerts: Baltimore Brass this past Tuesday, Family Concert with the girls this morning at the Baltimore Symphony, Chorale Arts Children’s Concert on the 17th, and the grand finale, The Traditional Festival of Lessons and Carols by the Maryland State Boy Choir on the 18th. Also taking the girls to the Pollo Center tonight to watch “Polar Express” (which I don’t “get” but they love it).

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  5. I’m playing in a piano concert tonight, and Silent Night is on the program right after the intermission.

    No Jingle Bell Rock, however. 🙂

    During my years attending Christian day school (grades 4-9), we had a tradition of singing Silent Night in German for the first verse, then English for verses 1-3, with a descant on verse 3.

    Until we can get Jo’s voice on here, here is a lovely rendition of the song. 🙂 First verse in German, and later you’ll hear a descent which isn’t the same descant I’ve sung, but just as nice.

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  6. Linda, of course you don’t get it. You are an adult and have lost the magic. Only those who believe can hear. I have a jingle bell on my tree and just in case I also have a regular bell. Every now and then I jostle the tree in hopes of “helping an angel get his wings” 😉

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  7. Minnesota Public Radio has a weekly feature on Saturday mornings called Flicks in Five. Today’s feature is on The Polar Express, including some of Alan Silvestri’s music from the movie. I believe it starts at 10:00 Central, if anyone is interested. You can listen online here:

    http://www.classicalmpr.org/

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  8. I have never seen Polar Express, but know some who love it. Nightingale bought it for Little Guy, so I will see it sometime this Christmas season.

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  9. One of the things we saw yesterday at the craft fair were “door harps.” He was a Jewish vendor and they were handmade, some with the star of David but some also with a cross and others with cats, whatever one fancied.

    🙂 Craft fair. Didn’t buy hardly anything (well, I bought a pair of $10 earrings), but always fun to wander and look. I also went ahead and signed up for a free estimate from Sears (they had a home improvement booth) for A/C as they were providing discount coupons (yeah, yeah) if you agreed to estimates. Estimates are free even though I’m no where near knowing if I can get A/C after all the necessary work on my house is done. But what the heck.

    🙂 Friend I go with every year lived next door to us when we were both in elementary school, so we go way back.

    😦 She was the youngest in her family and had 2 brothers so she learned sarcasm as a weapon early. Unfortunately, she never shook it and she tends to get “that tone” — condescending — if she perceives you’ve made a (stupid) mistake or are about to miss the offramp or (fill in the blank). I let it roll for the most part, but it can be irritating (my mom hated it when she’d do that in high school; she’s moderated it since then, but the zingers still fly out). She has a very judgmental streak, I sense there’s very little grace in her life experience somehow. She was raised in a mainline Protestant church (Methodist, and her brother became a Methodist minister), but she walked away from it all as a teen — though still believes in “God” and I fear has what may be a false assurance. 😦

    🙂 Bathroom is coming along, slow but sure, piece by piece. I (optimistically) hope it’ll get done in a giant flurry of activity over the next couple weeks. 🙂 My part (having everything here and ready to go) is mostly done, just need to line up workers w/the help of real estate buddy who has the connections.

    🙂 Christmas, such a deep, meaningful time of year for those who know Christ and his mercy and grace in their lives. And so beautiful — the lights, the trees, the music, the smells …

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  10. Kizzie, I was late to the Polar Express, too, saw it for the first time maybe about 5 (?) years ago, it’s a fun film. Enjoy.

    Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Jingle Bell Rock …

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  11. I have earrings. But I never wear earrings. Probably not in fifteen years or more. I suspect the holes have closed. They pretty much had when I tried them fifteen years ago. The other kind would not work either as I am not a jewelry person, though I like it on other people.

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  12. I can’t get earrings in anymore, either, Mumsee. I went too long without them during the infant/toddler-carrying years, and after that they were hard to put in. Now they’re virtually impossible, and I don’t like poking around trying to find my way through the scar tissue. Not worth the pain.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. I played Jingle Bell Rock on the piano recently. Maybe it’s my fault Chas has that in his head? I tried not to play too loudly, that it could be heard in North Carolina, but, well, it is sort of fun to let loose on that one… 😉

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  14. I went without earrings for about a year when I developed a nickel allergy (didn’t know what it was then, though, just knew that my ears got infected whenever I wore earrings, didn’t matter if they were “good” ones in 14k gold or sterling silver).

    Once I figured out the problem, I had a hard time getting one of the ears to “work” again, but managed. 🙂 Nice thing about this allergy is I can wear super cheap earrings — as long as they’re “nickel free” and hypoallergenic. I’ve even bought some for $3 or $4 at the drug store that work just fine.

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  15. 🙂 Another thing I saw at the craft fair — those boot cuffs that you all (Janice?) were talking about a while back. 🙂 Who knew?

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  16. From World online.

    “Africa | Former president’s concession marks the first peaceful transfer of power in the country’s history”

    I didn’t notice until I pasted that it didn’t mention the country. It is Gambia in West Africa.

    This may be good news for Ajisuun.

    Liked by 3 people

  17. 🙂 Guy coming to look at wood windows at 4:30 p.m. today … still trying to figure out if anyone can do anything to fix those in place without having to replace them. So far I’ve struck out, but I’m still somewhat hopeful. An actual window restoration place is sending someone over Thursday morning to take a look, so I’m thinking they may provide the best assessment.

    Have to do something with that before I can paint.

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  18. That’s a mind-boggling amount of details you’re dealing with on all the restorations and everything you’ve got going, DJ. Whew! Good for you, keeping hopeful. I would have difficulty with that for sure.

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  19. 🙂 Vanity delivered — now sitting in the place where the new tub used to be on the patio, still in the box. I ordered the smallest I could find (18-19 inches) but in the box it’s huge and obviously heavy. Thankful for the delivery guy who’s only supposed to leave it on the curb but agreed to get it up my driveway and into my back gate onto the patio. 🙂

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  20. That’s for the closet bathroom that has the gigantic vanity with leaky pipes. I texted the plumber who said he’d be willing to swam them out to see when he might be available in the next couple weeks, at his convenience.

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  21. What DJ has failed to mention is that all these jobs she is mentioning refer to her side business, her new TV show, and not the home she’s living in. We’re her test market.

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  22. My husband’s jam group played “Silent Night” at a nursing home on Thursday. One woman in a wheel chair started crying quite hard. A worker was able to soothe her before it ended. Apparently, it touched her emotionally. Who knows what memories it brought back?

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  23. 🙂 One granddaughter’s last preschool Christmas program. She was an angel and her mother was a narrator. Cute program using common nursery songs with lyrics to fit the Christmas story.

    🙂 Watched the sibling’s basketball tourney final game of the day. His team won 1st place, so that was extra fun.

    🙂 So nice to be able to spend time with them.

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  24. The year after my dad died, Mom came to our church’s Christmas party. Towards the end, we were singing some carols, & when we started to sing Silent Night, Mom started crying & had to leave the room. It reminded her so much of Dad. (I went with her to comfort her.)

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  25. 🙂 Thanking God for another steady, gentle rain this a.m. !

    🙂 The Christmas tree is up! Although I did get sidetracked for a time. I was about half finished when husband comes into the living room and says ‘Samster is cold’. I said, ‘Well, tell him to get under his blanket.’ Response: ‘No he’s cold. He needs a sweater’. So decorating the tree had to go on hold while we went out to find a sweater for the dog. It was actually pleasant to be out in the crowd for just a little while. And now the tree is finished. And Samster is warm.

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  26. Karen, I’ll bet there’s a little lever on your ice maker that got raised.

    🙂 I’m a great grandfather again. Youngest GD had a boy. Named him Tolliver. (As Oliver with a “T” in front. ) No. I don’t know why. Except all my granddaughters choose odd names.
    JK is the one who had six miscarriages. I understand they spent a lot of time with doctors and have huge medical bills. Jenn had no problem getting pregnant. She just couldn’t carry to birth. This may be their one and only.

    😦 Pastor Pat died suddenly last night. More on the prayer thread when I get it together.

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  27. Odd you were talking about music stirring memories. I just finished reading a book about an FBI profiler and a former Navy SEAL who solve a kidnapping. The Sheriff’s Deputy/SEAL’s grandmother has Alzheimer’s and mistakes him for his grandfather. When she does that he waltzes with her to “Can I have this dance for the rest of my life”. Sad because she keeps telling him she doesn’t know who that old man is and he is always around her.

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  28. The public high school from which my daughters graduated always has a beautiful choir program before Christmas. They have a tradition of ending with “Silent Night” and invite all alumni of the choir to join them on stage. I am always very moved. I not only remember my daughter up there, but the young man my other daughter dated, who died in a car accident.

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