- Working a week of 10 PM to 6 AM night shifts and finishing up on Christmas Eve morning makes for a wonderful Yuletide attitude.
- Nothing says “Merry Christmas!” like having lunch with your ex-wife on Christmas Eve. Yeah, I had lunch with my ex after 3 hours of sleep. What could go wrong?
- We watched “A Boy Named Charlie Brown”, and all I can say is that Lucy is an insufferable wench.
- If there was anything healthy to eat in the house this weekend, it wasn’t our fault. Lots of comfort food, baked goods, and sweets. Healthy diet starts again on Monday.
- Gunny Claus was good to me. He worked with Irish Woman to get me a membership to my indoor range. Sounds like permission to go shooting more often to me!
- My daughter is officially out of children’s clothes in any way, shape, or form. That sound you hear is me aging 20 years in one morning.
- As a stocking stuffer, Boo got a packet of soft rubber snakes and lizards. I look forward to many fun mornings of finding them stuffed in the toes of my shoes or under my pillow.
- Remember rule # 1 – All NERF guns are always loaded.
- Labrador retrievers crave peppermint candy canes. I did not know that.
- Husky mix puppies are indeed cuter than should be allowed by law. No, we do not have a new puppy. No, we are not getting a new puppy, no matter how much Boo loves puppies.
- Dinner tonight: Spaghetti with meatballs and sausage, lasagne, and a spicy sausage/chicken pasta in a creamy cheese sauce. All delicious and all made by Irish Woman and other friends. Good people and good food.
- Mileage total this weekend: 302 miles. Never left Louisville.
- Time for a long winter’s nap.
Thoughts on the Weekend
Posted by daddybear71 on December 26, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/26/thoughts-on-the-weekend-7/
Final Christmas Thought
It’s over. Thank God.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 26, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/26/final-christmas-thought/
Today’s Earworm
If I cannot bring you comfort, then at least I bring you hope.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 25, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/25/todays-earworm-76/
30 Days of Heinlein – Day 22
I am explain. I did not have the word. You grok. Anne groks. I grok. The grass under my feet groks in happy beauty. But I needed the word. The word is God. – Stranger in a Strange Land
Posted by daddybear71 on December 25, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/25/30-days-of-heinlein-day-22/
Christmas Thought
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2The same was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
The Gospel of John, Chapter 1, Verses 1 through 5
Today we commemorate the birth of a small child in a conquered land. He was born in a strange place, far from home and family. His parents were neither rich, nor privileged. He grew up in a small village during tumultuous times, and rose to found a great movement in human history. If you believe in his divinity, he was sent in order to be the sacrificial lamb for the entire human race by a God so forgiving that he gave of his own flesh and blood for that sacrifice, and his teachings are our guiding lights to find our way to his kingdom. If you are only looking for wisdom or guidance, the writings of what he taught show a path of forgiveness, love, and understanding of the lowest of the low among us.
This is the Christmas I celebrate. I thoroughly dislike the tinsel, the shopping, the schmaltzy music, and the saccharine kindness from people who normally would gladly step over my corpse in the street. But a few moments of quiet reading and reflection remind me that underneath all of the dreck that has been heaped on the occasion there is a bedrock of faith and learning that we should remember.
My Christmas is one that reminds me that I am responsible for my brother, and that even a small child born in squalor can rise up to be an example of light to the world.
I wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 25, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/25/christmas-thought/
The Night Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, and me and my spouse
Were assembling gifts and cleaning the house
The house smelled of pine and cinnamon spice
A fire was in the fireplace, and it felt really quite nice
The kids had crashed about an hour before
And I had just returned from a run to the store
With her in her robe and me in my sweats
She was dusting something and I was feeding the pets
When out on the lawn there came a big bang
And a moment later the telephone rang
“Hello?” I answered, actually I hissed
“DB? This is Tony. You’re gonna be pissed”
“Come on outside, I need your help”
“I’m on my way. Keep it quiet, you inconsiderate whelp”
When out on the lawn I saw Tony’s truck
And I knew that my night was out of good luck.
Under the Ford was a sled all covered in snow
Eight reindeer milled ’round, watching the show
Santa just stood there, he looked quite glum
Tony just stood there, stuck quite dumb
“What happened?” I said, hoping for the best
“This moron,” said Santa, puffing out his chest
“Was doing doughnuts on the ice, and smashed up my sleigh!
And now I’m waiting for a tow truck to take it away!”
“Are you done with your rounds?” I asked, expecting the worst
“Not even close. This continent was my first.”
“Santa” I said, “What can we do?”
“Well, with some help, I think we’ll pull through!”
We moved all the bags from the sleigh to the truck.
I explained it all to Irish Woman, and she wished us all luck.
Santa bolted something under the hood
And wouldn’t you know it, that Ford flew really good!
We drove ’round the world, with Santa in charge
Delivering presents to houses both little and large
And just as the sun started to rise
I got home with sleep in my eyes
As I opened the door, guess what I found!
An M-1 Garand and a spam can of rounds!
Santa left a note that just said “Thanks!”
All Tony got was half a box of blanks.
So Christmas was saved
I hope you got all that you craved.
To all of my readers, both pro-Christmas and con
Merry Christmas to you, now get off my lawn!
Posted by daddybear71 on December 25, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/25/the-night-before-christmas/
Dinner Tonight
Ancient Family Tradition for Christmas Eve – Swedish Meatballs
Ingredients:
5 pounds of ground meat (beef, pork, turkey. Tastes good if you use a little from column A and a little from column B). The meat should have a bit of fat to it, as you will need to make a sauce with drippings. I use 80/20 hamburger mixed with ground turkey.
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dried onions
1/4 to 1/2 cup rolled oats
Salt
Black Pepper
1 tsp allspice
Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sized white or yellow onion, minced
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup flour
3 cans beef broth
Finely ground white or black pepper
In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine meat, eggs, milk, dried onions, and oats. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with the allspice.
In your largest saute pan, heat enough olive oil to barely cover the bottom, then add the garlic and onions. Saute until the onions are clear and soft. Shape the meat into 1 to 1 1/2 inch meatballs and brown in batches. When meatballs are browned, put them into a shallow dish and place in a warm oven. When you are cooking the last batch of meatballs, add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are done. Scoop out all of the mushrooms, meatballs, and onions you can into the shallow dish and keep in the oven.
In the saute pan, which should have a good amount of fat and liquid in it by now, add the flour and whisk until the flour is completely absorbed. Continue cooking over low heat until the flour mixture has become a light brown. Add the broth and season with the pepper to taste. Continue cooking over low heat and stir until the sauce is smooth and thick.
Add in meatballs, mushrooms, and other tasty bits and stir together gently.
Serve over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes. Goes well with lefse or fresh whole wheat bread and your favorite winter vegetable.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 24, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/24/dinner-tonight-5/
30 Days of Heinlein – Day 21
We make war as personal as a punch in the nose. We can be selective, applying precisely the required amount of pressure at the specified point at a designated time. We’ve never been told to go down and kill or capture all left-handed redheads in a particular area, but if they tell us to, we can. – Starship Troopers
My take – Heinlein wrote these words back when war was an overwhelmingly indiscriminate killer. We can still wage war so that entire grid squares get burned to the ground, but we’ve invested decades of time and billions of dollars to create weapons and tactics that allow us to pick and choose our targets well enough that the deaths of bystanders is now considered an anomaly.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 24, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/24/30-days-of-heinlein-day-21/
News Roundup
- From the “History Rhymes” Department – The government of Cuba has announced that it will be releasing several thousand inmates from its prisons. I believe the next play in the Castro brothers’ playbook is to hold a massive boat lift of people they don’t want in their worker’s paradise, necessitating an equally massive humanitarian effort on our part. Some might consider this a creative way to save money on your prison budget. I see it as another way in which the Obama administration parallels that of President Carter.
- From the “Bad Year” Department – The Russian space agency has had a pretty bad run of luck lately. Several high profile missions, including a supply run to the ISS and a probe to Mars that didn’t quite go well. The latest is a satellite launch that didn’t make it to orbit. This will tell you how far Russia has come. 30 years ago, we would be reading of a glorious opportunity for new rocket scientists to continue the glorious path to the stars set by their late predecessors. Now, the head of the agency holds a press conference, admits fault, and predicts that a new generation of scientists will step forward. Russia isn’t exactly going gangbusters toward liberal democracy, but it’s a sight better than it was a couple of decades ago.
- From the “Bless His Heart” Department – President Obama has flown to Hawaii to join his family for the Christmas holidays. I expect he will be taking a much needed break from his hectic schedule for the next few weeks. I certainly hope he finds time to get in a couple rounds of golf, seeing as he’s almost had to take up that hobby recently. I also certainly hope that the First Lady has a chance to indulge a bit in that epitome of healthy eating that is Hawaiian cuisine. Lord knows she’s earned a break from her campaign and lifestyle of healthy eating. I’m sure that all of the assistants, security, military personnel, and other people who always accompany the President and his entourage will be thankful for having the opportunity to spend Christmas in a tropical paradise without being encumbered by their family and friends.
- From the “This Ain’t Christmas” Department – Nike has cranked up the Michael Jordan money printing machine it’s kept stashed in the basement of its corporate headquarters again. Apparently, this year’s model has the magical ability to cause otherwise peaceful and law-abiding people to start rioting in order to get their own pair. Either that, or the people who lined up two days before Christmas to buy shoes include a fair percentage of jerks. You be the judge.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 24, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/24/news-roundup-48/
Dear Local News Outlet
Putting some woman who has delusions of grandeur because her elementary school music teacher told her she had a good voice on the TV because she won a Facebook contest is not journalism. Letting her belt out a few bars of the latest ballad from pubescent romance fantasies is the opposite of journalism.
Here’s a rule of thumb: If it gives you a warm and fuzzy, it’s probably not news. If it can be classified as a “human interest story”, save your breath, I’m not interested.
Posted by daddybear71 on December 23, 2011
https://daddybearsden.com/2011/12/23/dear-local-news-outlet/
DaddyBear
