70 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 12-16-16”

  2. Pretty landscape.
    It’s FRIDAY!
    You know what that means?]

    This young couple we know have been married fifty years.
    We’re going to help them celebrate this evening.

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  8. Stunning header!

    I’ll have to show it to my younger daughter. The year she was off at college, two of her three roommates were Canadians, cousins, and she has kept in touch with them. Neither of them went back after their freshman year, either–all of them determined they really couldn’t afford it. Anyway, perhaps a year ago she awoke early one morning to get up early enough to pick them up at an airport in southern Canada (several hours of driving)–actually, it may have been just one of the cousins, and then another joined them in a few days–and for a few days they drove through New England and then they spent a week driving around Canada. They wanted to see as many sights as they could, but they still had to narrow down their options because of the time limitations. But she was really excited about the trip, both in the weeks leading up to it and the weeks afterward.

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  10. Glorious photo for the header!

    I did not go to the hospital last night. Karen was doing well and not so worried since the pacemaker seems to be helping so much. She told me that when it is put in that they really forcefully press on it over and over to get it to stay in pace. That of course causes soreness. They also burned out the area of the heart that causes A fib so that can never happen again. The pacemaker will only take over to help if her heart needs the help. It is not a 100% solution, but it should allow her to do more things.

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  11. Good Morning…upon reading the header was taken by Kare…I thought “Oh Canada”!!! Magnificent mountains ya’ll have up there…we have a few of those as well!! 🙂
    I’m off to work…it is suppose to be warm and very windy today…now tomorrow’s high is predicted to be 3…..brrrrr

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  12. Glad for that report on Karen, Janice.

    Good morning, everyone. I hope you all have a pleasant day. I’m not going to Bible study this morning as I’d planned, since bad weather is coming soon, and it’s already slippery in places from the snow that fell last night, though it’s not snowing or doing anything else at the moment. Hubby ran into town just now to get some groceries I was going to get after Bible study.

    Still plenty to do around home today. A good day to be tucked inside, making chili and breadsticks and dessert and we’ll see what else… 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

  13. Advent – Day 16: Who wrote the Latin carol ‘Adeste Fideles’, which is translated as ‘O Come all ye faithful’? No one really knows. We do know that it was first published in ‘Cantus Diversi’ in 1751 by John Francis Wade, an English Catholic hymn writer who fled to France after the failed attempt by Scottish and English Jacobites to restore ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ to the throne of England in 1745.
    O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
    O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
    Come and behold him
    Born the King of Angels:
    O come, let us adore Him,
    Christ the Lord.

    God of God, light of light,

    Lo, he abhors not the Virgin’s womb;
    Very God, begotten, not created:
    O come, let us adore Him,
    Christ the Lord.

    Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation,
    Sing, all ye citizens of Heaven above!
    Glory to God, glory in the highest:
    O come, let us adore Him,
    Christ the Lord.

    Yea, Lord, we greet thee, born this happy morning;
    Jesus, to thee be glory given!
    Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
    O come, let us adore Him,
    Christ the Lord.

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  14. In West Africa, I made friends with a family from Brazil. The father of the family had a dream to someday travel across Canada on the train, because, he said, it is such a beautiful country.

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  15. How much will be covered of that mountain by nightfall if AJ’s snow doesn’t let up? 🙂

    Today’s blog post at my website is about the annual cookie party–which is next Friday if you’re in town. As I read it, I recalled one of the guys saying last year, “you should have this party every year and we’ll always come and bring our wives and our children and see everyone.”

    We talk in our church about how so many in our community have no “place.” Without a church home or big families who will always take them in (see my Sicilians), they’re adrift from anchoring.

    That’s what the young man’s comment said to me this morning when I remembered it. (http://www.michelleule.com/2016/12/16/cookie-party/)

    Daughter got home safe and sound, we had a riotous afternoon at the beauty parlor (hair dresser is the mother of one of her high school friends and has known CR since fourth grade), grabbed a burrito to watch the Seahawks put up some points and then went to choir rehearsal. Daughter, husband and I are singing in a Cantata in church on Sunday. (11 o’clock service if you’re in town). 🙂

    Maybe some Christmas cards today? Ha!

    We got more than 2 inches of rain yesterday. Where the redwoods grow, they got 7. Flood watch warnings went off all day and there was an earthquake on Tuesday. It’s such an adventure to live in Sonoma County. 🙂

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  16. I just spoke with Karen, and she sounds great. What a wonderful Christmas present. She is in pain in her shoulder but is much less short of breath. She looked at the area where the pacemaker was put in and said it was horribly purple, but then she found out the glue is purple, LOL!

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  17. I am sharing about Karen on this thread because it is good for people in our general age range to know what to expect regarding heart procedures. And this year I have learned so much!!!❤

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  18. So good to hear about Karen, Janice.

    Wow, great photo today — gorgeous.

    We had much-needed rain all night long, it only finally stopped about an hour ago. It was a good drenching. And my new roof allowed me to enjoy it so much more than usual. 🙂

    Technically it’s the last day of my ‘stay’ cation today, so I’m trying to make good use of it both in and outside the house.

    I can’t believe Christmas is next weekend?? I’ve been so distracted with the house in the past few months that sometimes I feel like I have no idea what time of year it even is.

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  19. The older you get, the more likely you are to learn all kinds of things you wish you never learn to learn about.

    I have never been to Banff, but should visit someday. Sadly, it reminds me of the last trip of my daughter’s boyfriend, who died in a car accident on his way back from there. One of the photos at his funeral was of him standing in front of the mountains with his arms raised in joy.

    I would miss the beauty of winter, if I moved to a much warmer place. It can be dangerous, however. It is often best to see it in front of a fire place, sipping a hot drink and reading a good book. 😉

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  20. Husband is putting chains on his truck. He has not done that before and the company that trained him told them how once but told them they want you to pull over if chains are required and wait for the roads to be cleared. This company, the Russians, want them to chain up and move forward. And so he will. He could wait but another big storm is expected this evening.

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  22. I had to go get BG at 2:30 instead of 4. She was sick. She also tried her best to make me miserable when she found out I brought her here instead of taking her to her Nana. I came in the house and told her she could sleep in the car if she wanted, but it was 3:30 and we weren’t waking Nana. She so enjoys her misery and sharing it.
    That caused me to sleep until 8 this morning. I have beef daube on the stove simmering. 10 pounds of chuck roast cut into 2 inch squares, 4 pounds of carrots peeled and cut into large sections, 2 cans of tomatoes, 10 onions cut into sections, and 2 bottles of Cotes du Rhone . Oh. Did I mention I got to go to Costco last night for the first time EVAH???? So much to be distracted by and they were letting you taste all sorts of stuff. The funniest part was getting two of me 70 something aunts in and out of my low to the ground, two door car. One has had knee replacement and the other needs it! My hateful Aunt E was pleasant and funny last night. Please Dear Lord let her be nice tomorrow too!!!

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  23. Ah, Costco. I went there for a couple years, but not often — I eventually concluded it just wasn’t for me and gave up paying for the annual membership (although they have excellent “deals” and their eyewear/optometry department can save you a lot on prescriptions).

    I hate those mob-scene places where you can’t find a parking space and it’s just packed. Plus there’s not that many things I need a TON of for just me — I already by TP and paper towels and trash bags in modest bulk amounts from Smart n Final which is much more convenient to me and where I live.

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  24. My children love going with husband to Costco. I tell them they should not take all of the food offered but the people keep telling them they will have to throw it out if it does not get eaten.

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  25. I do not go to Costco. Though I have been known to sit in the car with children and read a book while husband made “a quick trip”. I bring long books.

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  26. My husband and I joined Costco this year. Dangerous place. So far this year we have saved on (read “bought”) new eyeglasses for him, a new computer for me, new tires for the car, a Kitchen Aid mixer at about half price,* and lots of smaller items. Including a great big box of Walker shortbread for him, with a price he can’t stop raving about. 🙂

    * I don’t really like the “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality, but seriously, all my female relatives have one. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law, my sister, my newly married daughter, and at least one of my sisters-in-law on my side. I’m the only woman I know who has had a stand mixer my entire life until I got married. I gave up my toaster oven since there is no room for it in this kitchen, but some things just need a stand mixer. I grew up with one, and it was one of the first things I bought when I had my own kitchen. I didn’t keep it when I married since it was old by then and had undergone some wear and tear from housemates, and I thought he had one. But it turns out that the one he had wasn’t a very good one, so I’ve been using the good quality hand mixer, but my wrists have never been happy with that choice.

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  27. We do Costco for the good produce. We got a great price, 1/2 off, on a vitamix. I like it much better than Sams. I also appreciate their business philosophy.

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  31. Husband was regretting putting chains on his truck as he passed a lot of broken off truck chains on the dry road surface until he started down the other side of Deadman’s Pass and saw hundreds of trucks pulled over to put on chains and tens of vehicles off the road.

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  32. Linda, why did you hate it? I haven’t used it yet, but I know my sister loves it. And my mother-in-law and sister-in-law must like theirs or they wouldn’t have joined forces to buy one as a wedding gift for my daughter.

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  33. The beef daube is done and will go in the outside refrigerator in a minute. There is so much more to be done. Of cour the kitchen needs to be cleaned. AGAIN!!! I think I have cleaned it three times today. The dining room is ready. I am using a kitschy Christmas table cloth that belonged to Mr. P’s mother. Mr. P asked me if I would like my main Christmas present since everyone would be here tomorrow. It turns out he bought me another oyster plate. We hung it in the dining room with the other one. It is very pretty and the date stamp on it is 1884.
    I have two “tapped” canisters to put water and tea in tomorrow. I just don’t know where I am going to put them.
    Did I mention that I am tired?

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  34. I feel emotionally spent more than physically tired. I had a text that said Karen would get to go home today. That is great news, but I guess I did not realize how hard it had been to be the steady rock for her again. Our son is due home tomorrow and I am not as prepared as I would like to be. I was relieved that his grade in one class that he was concerned about was a B-. He said that is the lowest grade he has made in his program. He probably put more effort into that one class than any other.

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  35. Janice, I hope you can get some rest. You’ve gone the distance, I can understand how you’re be emotionally and also physically tired. Praying Karen’s condition stabilizes now and there will be some down time for both of you.

    I couldn’t get any focus on what to do around the house today so I’ve “flitted.” Cleared out some more old paperwork; sorted through sweaters and other tops in the bedroom (bag of give-away, bag of throw-away, a few things I’m hanging on to).

    Cleaned up in the kitchen, including the stove top which took a hit today when a covered saucepan of tomato soup I was cooking for lunch boiled all over everything.

    A load of laundry is just finishing up with another to go.

    I wrapped some gifts.

    Anyway, no particular room looks any different, unfortunately, but at least I kept moving and a few things got done.

    It’s very windy and (for us) cold, looks like a gorgeous day outside, though, with the sun shining. Almost time to head out for the dog park. 🙂

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  36. I have loved my Kitchen aid mixer since I got it for Christmas 29 years ago. I use it all the time and had it rebuilt a couple years ago for $100. I have the slicer/shredder attachment and recently purchased a peeler. My sons both put it on their gift registries when they got married and instantly converted their new wives. Other than the food processor, no other appliance gets used as much as the Kitchen aid in my kitchen. Enjoy, Cheryl!

    My daughter used to call Costco, “the store that serves snacks.” It’s a date to have a hot dog there with my husband. Cheapest gas in town, Costco is important with as big a family as I have. I spent a lot of money there last week.

    Gorgeous day here, though chilly. Hopefully we’re in for a quiet night and I can write.

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  37. Had a nice chat on the phone just now — 1st Arrow called. We talked 54 minutes and some seconds, I don’t remember. Ah, the joys of conversation with the adult offspring! Good to hear his voice. 🙂

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  38. I am with Michelle. My first Kitchen Aid mixer was a gift many, many years ago. It lasted a long, long time and then finally gave out. I replaced it ASAP. I did buy a bigger one and I do appreciate it, except that the head does not flip back. I love to bake and this makes it so much easier.

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  39. Got to listen to the music on here for the first time. Beautiful.
    Time to go shopping for some groceries. The grocery store is in the Mall! So will probably do some other shopping as well.
    85 degrees here! My air and fan are both on.

    Liked by 1 person

  40. I plan on splurging when I come home next June and joining Costco. Other times I always wait until someone can take me, but this time I will join and enjoy the store at my leisure. Especially the book section.

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  41. Kitchen Aid mixer: I don’t think I know anybody who has one or uses one though I don’t talk with a lot of women about their kitchen appliances so it is possible they all have them. I got my first one a year or so ago and use it a lot in the winter when baking breads etc. It has just the basic stuff of a wire whip, a blender, and a kneader and I did not know the head was supposed to tip back. That sounds like a nice thing. But mine is large and perfect for me. I did not think they could be very useful. I was wrong. I use it all year for pancakes, and you know we have those a lot. Cookies, meringues, candies, etc. Very useful to me.

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  43. Oh, it was cold at the dog park tonight. Very cold.

    We were all bundled up in heavy jackets, gloves and knit caps. Real estate pal (a Buffalo NY native, mind you) kept mumbling “this is ridiculous, this is ridiculous,” finally saying “I’m leaving.”

    Other woman is from Canada. She also was uncomfortably cold.

    They’ve both been her long enough to have “acclimated.”

    The dogs were enjoying the weather, it was cold and windy and they always seem to come alive when it’s like that. The big game was chasing whatever dog got hold of the 5-foot-long dead palm frond that had been blown out of a tree top. Back and forth, round and round they went.

    Small dogs came with sweaters and jackets. Owners were barely recognizable, all bundled up with hoods and hats.

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  44. It had to be horrible. It was one here this afternoon. We were out playing in the snow. I had to keep telling ten year old to cover his skin.

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  46. We’ve had frigid weather here today, too, & are expecting a few inches of snow early tomorrow morning. That reminds me to go over & leave a prayer request about that.

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  50. 57!!!

    But really colder. The wind was blowing ever so fierce

    The beard on my neighbors’ Santa was flapping in the wind

    It’s getting down to the mid 40s tonight

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  52. The lady from DCF (Dept. of Children & Families) had a visit with Mr X. He said his mom doesn’t like being the third party (as he’s not allowed to personally contact Nightingale, but needs to go through someone else), & having to pick up Little Guy for him. He said he thinks it would be better if he could just talk to her himself.

    DCF lady reminded him that the judge ruled the protective order (for Nightingale) is still in effect, whether he likes it or not.

    What Mr X said about his mom is probably true. She makes it clear that she doesn’t want to do things that she doesn’t want to do. She doesn’t like being in the middle of this stuff. Of course, I have been in the middle of it all these years, & don’t really have a choice. (Well, I do have a choice, but that would involve rejection of my daughter & grandson, & that ain’t gonna happen.)

    (You may recall she refused to babysit one evening when I would be alone with Little Guy, & I was sick with a stomach bug, because she wanted to get up early to go to the gym before work.)

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  54. DJ, my husband wants to know what was the wind chill, 56.8?

    We’re supposed to reach -14 one day in the coming week. And for a girl who used to be known for putting on a sweater if it was anything cooler than 70, that’s something.

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  55. Unbelievable, I don’t know how you stand it. Come on up. It is usually in the forties in my room and it is right next to the stove. I offered to let children sleep in the living room by the fire but all but one wanted to sleep in their own rooms. One of them has his window frozen closed. And not frozen like that guy’s feet in the fifties, frozen like ice. It is supposed to get cold but they all have warm blankets and -35 sleeping bags. None of them use those though as they are too warm. One sleeps with just one thin blanket, I don’t understand that. But he says he is fine.

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  57. DJ, You must live near me, because that sounds like our weather. And yes, it’s frigid! I went outside in my light fleece jacket to move my car, and I felt like I was back in New England! But of course, if I were back in New England, I’d feel that way while dressed in a down coat. But still, it really is cold! And windy! And it’s probably colder in my house than it is in you guys’ houses with the negative temps outside. No insulation in these mid 20th century California houses and forced air heat that only feels warm when it’s blowing right on you.

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  59. 57? Really? 57 degrees and you were bundled up? Oh how awful! 57 below is cold, for sure. What’s that? 57 above? That’s almost T-shirt weather. And with the wind it’s kite weather.

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  61. It’s actually a little colder here than that. It’s 46 right now at 8:55 PM and the low is supposed to be 34 early in the morning.

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  64. humph. We’re headed down to below -40 tonight. The windchill today was -39C.

    Yet husband and Keva went for a short run this morning. My friend actually went for a 12km run – dressed appropriately and vaseline on the exposed skin of her face (not much was exposed though).

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  66. I lit a fire in the shop when I got home just to keep the cat a bit warmer (there were still coals from this morning). Husband added more wood this evening.

    He’s downstairs now stoking the furnace for night.

    Good night, all.

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  69. DJ, my husband goes on and on about it if we get into the high 50s in December here (as we did earlier this month). But having spent nearly half my life in Phoenix and an additional eight years in Nashville (30 years between the two warmer climes), I just can’t find myself saying “wow” about temps under 60 degrees.

    Today, for instance, we were watching something recorded in Phoenix yesterday, and temperatures from the Valley of the Sun were scrolling across the bottom, 73 and 74 degrees, and I think it was all of 83 in Tucson. That’s what I grew up with, and while I might be happy if it is 52 degrees in December, I can’t find it in me to be shocked by it.

    But, yeah, in my childhood I had the reputation among my family of being the one who most loved the heat, and my family would laugh because anything below 70 and I was grabbing a sweater. I was pretty much their thermometer, because they knew is was 68 or 69 degrees if I went to get a sweater. My mom told me that as an infant, if the sun fell across my face I simply closed my eyes, unlike most babies, who apparently scrunch their eyes and may cry. But I was born in Phoenix in late June, and always did take it in stride. My brother who was born in Nigeria in mid-July is the only other one of us who really finds heat far preferable to cold, even if it’s fairly extreme heat to others. (Although I suspect I wouldn’t deal with 115 as casually as I did as a child who was used to running around barefoot in such temperatures.)

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