Review And Reflection

Family Circus 

This cartoon in today's newspaper made me smile. I asked Hubby Tony if he wanted to have an Old Year's Eve celebration tonight. He did.

Neither one of us was sure what an Old Year's Eve celebration would entail but we gave it our best shot. I started by emptying out the refrigerator and preparing a surprisingly good egg custard casserole dish that included cottage cheese, pumpkin puree, cornmeal, chopped greens, onion, garlic, and a splash of pepper brine. We also had toast (to 'toast' the old year). For dessert there was fresh blackberries and a package of truffles from a Christmas gift box.

After dinner we talked about 2025-what we liked and didn't like, what we were grateful for, and what we wouldn't bring into the new year. We also looked at photos from the past year and realized we had done more than we realized. Our conclusion was that in the end 2025 had been a good year.

 Five years ago today: A Decade Of Days

From 71 to 17

Our stretch of nice weather has come to an end. This post's title is how one of the local meteorologists summed up our temperatures for a 24-hour period. The prediction turned out to be almost right on track.

Yesterday the high reached 78°Fahrenheit in the 2 pm hour. Then a cold front came through, the wind picked up, and the temperatures started dropping:

• At 3 pm it was 73°.

• At 4 pm it was 58°. I changed from capri shorts to jeans, and put socks on.

• By 5 pm it had dropped to 49°. I closed the windows and (even though the thermostat was still showing 69° I turned on the furnace so it could go on when it was needed).

• At 6 pm the thermometer read 42°. A strong wind rattled the windows.

• Then the drop slowed a bit. At 7 pm it was 34°, 8 pm 33°, and at 9 pm 29°. At that point I stopped paying attention, but this morning my phone app told me the lowest point was a frigid 14° at 4 am.

I haven't heard anything official, but it sounds like the area may have come close to or surpassed the largest 24-hour temperature drop in St. Louis history, which occurred on November 11, 1911. According to the National Weather Service, on that day temperatures plummeted 65 degrees, with readings falling from summer-like highs (around 78°F) to the low teens or single digits by the next morning.

Five years ago today: It's All About The Fizz

Planning In Advance

A funny from a friend....

Jacob, age 92, and Lena, age 89, decided to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding and along the way they pass a drugstore. Jacob suggests they go in, where he addresses the pharmacist.

Easy-Peasy.ai

Jacob: "We're about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?"

Pharmacist: "Of course we do."

Freepik

Jacob: "How about medicine for circulation?"

Pharmacist: "All kinds."

American Heart Association

Jacob: "Medicine for rheumatism, scoliosis?"

Pharmacist: "Definitely."

Freepik.com

Jacob: "How about Viagra?"

Pharmacist: "Of course."

GoodFon.com

Jacob: "Medicine for memory problems, arthritis, jaundice?"

Pharmacist: "Yes, a large variety. The works."

Picryl.com

Jacob: "What about vitamins and sleeping pills?"

Pharmacist: "Absolutely."

Rawpixel

Jacob: "You sell wheelchairs and walkers?"

Pharmacist: "All speeds and sizes."

Jacob says to the pharmacist: "We'd like to register here for our wedding gifts, please." 

 

Five years ago: You'll Never Believe What Happened

Cosmopolitan Christmas

How was your Christmas? Mine was great.

The first thing we did before Hubby Tony and I sat down to breakfast was load up the CD player with Christmas tunes. We had our Jewish kosher bagels and fresh pineapple, lingered over coffee, then opened our presents. I was thrilled with my crossword puzzle book and tickets to two productions at a local theater later in the year. Tony quickly set to work charging up the battery for his new portable radio and figuring out which date night activities I had suggested he wanted to do. Foster Cat Smokey Joe ate his treats, and then had fun playing with the wrapping and tissue paper.

Our next scheduled activity wasn't until dinner time, so Tony and I left the house mid-morning to go for a walk. The sky was gloomy, but it was warm enough to wear just a fleece jacket. Our walk turned multi-cultural when we passed by a Catholic church, a Muslim mosque, and a Hindu temple before we turned around and headed back. 

Next was a stop at the Asian market for a couple of produce items, then a recently opened branch of Tous les Jours bakery, where we got pastries to share for lunch. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sausage Onion Pastry, Garlic and Cheese Croissant, Kimchi Croquette, and a sweet Portuguese Egg Tart with caramelized sugar on top.

We headed home and relaxed until Son Donald texted that he was on his way to the condo. After he arrived we socialized (and Smokey Joe was thrilled to have another lap to sit on). When it was time Donald helped me with the last minute dinner prep-lasagna, salad, roasted Mexican squash, and a cranberry crumble for dessert. 

After dinner presents were exchanged and cards played. All too soon it was time for Donald to get home and take care of his dogs.

Five years ago today: "Christmask" 2020

The Eve Of The Eve Of Christmas 2025

This week my area is having a stretch of unseasonably warm weather. Instead of a white Christmas, people in the St. Louis area will be ditching their heavy coats in favor of lightweight jackets. Today was forecast to be in the mid-60s°F, so Hubby Tony and I decided to take advantage of today's lovely temperature by combining errands with outside time.

Over the weekend we had a FaceTime call with Son Brian and family. During the call Grandson Jay told us he was doing a school report on ex-Cardinal baseball player Ozzie Smith (who played in the 1980s) and asked if Grandpa had any books about him. Tony did not, but yesterday he found out a nearby used bookstore did and put the book on hold to pick up today. 

By the time we left the condo a little after 9 am the temperature was already in the 50s. I was wearing jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a fleece jacket. Tony was dressed in a similar fashion. We got to the bookstore a half hour before it opened, and used the time to walk on a nearby greenway. Halfway through the walk we both took off our jackets. 

Back at the bookstore, the associates were so helpful I wished it was closer to my house so I could shop there regularly. On the way out we ran into a woman who was setting up a gift wrapping station at the front of the store. She had her golden retriever with her, who she described as her assistant. The dog was so friendly I bet he got a lot of attention from customers.

Our second destination was a kosher bagel shop a half mile away, where we would pick up breakfast for Christmas morning. This time both Tony and I left our jackets in the car and we started walking. Halfway through this one I rolled my sleeves up and wished I had on capris instead of jeans.

Public Domain Pictures

Tony and I each ordered a bagel-Everything for him and Tzitzel (a St. Louis specialty which is tossed in cornmeal for a nice crunch) for me. By this time we were both hungry, so we added a Churro bagel to share today. The churro bagels were still in the oven, so while we were waiting we had a nice conversation with a woman who was doing the same thing. I learned that if I ever get back to that shop I should definitely have schmear of whitefish salad, which she said was the best she had ever tasted.

By the time we got back to the car my feet told me they were finished walking for the day. In theory, we could have run a third errand on the way home, but I was excited to get back to the condo and open up a couple of windows to let fresh air in.

Five years ago: The Countdown Begins 

The Holidays Are Everywhere

I enjoyed being on the road behind this vehicle decked out in lights

Whoever came up with the idea this 'tree' at the hardware store was quite creative.

The sign says "Merry Christmas neighbors. Enjoy a sweet from the candy cane giving tree".

 

 

Before I went to bed last night I took a photo of our tree in the dark living room. I like the way the lights showed up on the wall.

Five years ago: Nice, And Easy Too

Incidently Learning

Earlier this month I thrifted a comfortable red sweater for the holidays.

Before the first wearing I gave it a rinse and spin in the washer, but after several uses it was ready for a good wash. There were no written laundry instructions anywhere, just a handful of symbols that I needed to decode. It was time to go on an Internet hunt.

The Tide website told me that I could machine wash the sweater in warm water with no bleach and iron on a high temperature, but it did not tell me what the last symbol meant. On the Wunderlabel site, it added that the 30-degee Celsius water temperature could be interpreted as cold water (between 65-85 degrees), agreed about no bleach and the ironing temperatures, and said that the circled P meant it could be dry cleaned with any solvent except trichloroethylene. The Clorox site agreed. However, none of the sites talked about how to dry the item.

I kept looking, but never found the information. However, I did learn something cool.

I knew about the little 'Info' button (an 'i' in a circle) at the bottom of  my phone's Photo app. It gives the photo metadata, but somewhere along the line it also turned into a Visual Look Up feature. In this case, looking up the symbol information pulled up Siri AI. Sadly, not even Sire supplied the information I was looking for, so I will end up laying the sweater flat to dry.

I only paid four dollars for the sweater, so I will be sad if the washing information is incorrect but not crushed.

Five years ago: Almost Like The Real Thing

"Buy" Charity

Earlier in the month Hubby Tony and I were walking at the mall close to my house and found three large vending machines had been set up on the second level. Because they've been there before I knew exactly what was going on.

The Light the World Giving Machines are a ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The machines are stocked with cardboard signs that list requested items for seven different charities (five local, two international). Some of the items are tangible, like a car seat for a newborn. Some are intangible, like meals for veterans.

The cost of the items ranged from less than $25 to almost $100. When you 'buy' something the cardboard sign falls down to the floor of the machine, and at the end of the day a volunteer tallies up everything so it can be donated to the organization. The Church covers the machine costs (and even the credit card processing fee, if necessary), so 100% of funds go to the nonprofits.

I usually don't bring my purse into the mall when I'm walking. Last year Tony and I talked about making a donation, but never took action. This year I was determined not to let that happen. Today I carried my charge card in my jacket pocket and headed straight toward the vending machines.

There were volunteers to help people through the process, but the whole thing was pretty intuitive. After looking over the items I made my choice, keyed in the number on the machine keypad, then scanned my credit card. The key pad asked me if I would also like to cover the credit card processing fee, and then asked if I would like my receipt via a QR code, text, or email.

When I was all done I had the option to have a photo taken in front of a backdrop. I did, but the result was not share-worthy. Probably just as well.

Five years ago: The Numbers Don't Lie

Carols By Another Name

Today has been about trying to wrap up Christmas shopping and getting outside to enjoy great above-average temperatures. 

While I'm out and about, here's a Christmas quiz. I've given you a list of alternate titles for well-known carols. How many of the correct names can you figure out? (Answers at the bottom, but no peeking allowed!)

1. Yonder in a Hay Rack
2. I Spied My Maternal Parent Osculating
3. Cherubim Audited from Aloft
4. Assemble, All Ye Who Believe
5. Dozen 24 Hour Yuletide Periods
6. Befell During the Transparent Bewitching Hour
7. Hallowed Post Twilight
8. Adorn the Vestibule
9. Desire Only a Pair of Incisors on December 25th
10. Minuscule Hamlet in the near East
11. Eight P.M. until Six A.M. without Noise
12. Shiny Tintinnabulations
13. Exuberance Directed to the Planet
14. Homosapien of Crystallized Vapor
15. Ancient Benevolent Despot
16. Quadruped with Crimson Proboscis
17. Listen, Aerial Spirits Are Announcing
18. Fantasia of a Colorless December 25th
19. Perambulating Through a December Solstice Fantasy
20. Trio of Monarchs

Answers..........

1. Away in a Manger
2. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
3. Angels We Have Heard on High
4. Oh Come All Ye Faithful
5. The 12 Days of Christmas
6. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
7. O Holy Night
8. Deck the Halls
9. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
10. O Little Town of Bethlehem
11. Silent Night
12. Silver Bells
13. Joy to the World
14. Frosty the Snowman
15. Good King Wenceslaus
16. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
17. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
18. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas
19. Walking in a Winter Wonderland
20. We Three Kings

Five years ago: Free License

Tis The Season.....

This is the season of celebrations. This week and next week, every organization Hubby Tony and I are involved with has some type of get together involving food. This week's fun:

• Tuesday evening we attended a pot luck. (I brought a savory pumpkin casserole with pureed pumpkin, onion, garlic, cumin, yogurt, and feta cheese, all topped with chopped walnuts. There was a lot of food, and I brought home what didn't get eaten.)

• Thursday was a catered dinner, but members of the organization were encouraged to bring an appetizer or dessert. (Tony picked up a bowl of cut fruit from the grocery store. Much of it came home.) 

• Friday morning was a another pot luck for me. (I brought a container of fancy mixed nuts. Again, lots to bring home.)

Friday night we had the opportunity to attend a special Our Lady of Guadalupe procession/mass/dinner but neither one of us was up for another event. Instead, I used some of the leftovers in my refrigerator, added a couple of new ingredients, and came up with a meal. It didn't look like much, but was tasty and filling.

First came a layer of polenta

Followed by a scoop of pumpkin casserole

And several spoonfuls of semi-pureed black beans

The dish was topped with a generous serving of off-brand Tabasco sauce. Just because.

Five years ago: An Enjoyable Way To Get In The Day's Steps