“Of all the items on the menu, soup is that which exacts the most delicate perfection and the strictest attention.”
It is cold but today is a wonderful day to take a ride. The sun is framed in a deep blue sky. The air is still. I do have a couple of errands to finish if I am so inclined. I do need bread.
The Ryan household is in the middle of a computer crisis. A while back my MacBook Pro stopped charging so I started using my iPad; however it has developed the same issue. I will try to get my PC fixed and hope the iPad keeps on chugging. If I am unlucky, Coffee will be on a forced hiatus.
I think I may be maligning Nala. I know she is guilty of theft but maybe not as much as I suspected. Yesterday I was doing a bit of cleaning. My stuffed toy sloth fell out of a basket to the floor. When I went to pick it up, it had disappeared. Henry had stolen it and carried it into the hall.
I think I am in danger of being drummed out of the sloth family. Yesterday I vacuumed a couple of rooms and watered the plants. Today I needed to find a folder so I attacked the three baskets under the table in the den. I filled two bags with recyclables and another bag with trash. I neatened every basket. I then vacuumed the den and hall. I am exhausted.
My father picked the turkey carcass clean. He was a master at it. He left little on the bone, only a few bits for the broth when the carcass boiled. I think turkey soup was my favorite left over. Warm bread for dunking made the meal almost heavenly.
I don’t remember when we started decorating for Christmas, but it was never early enough for me. We had ceramic Santas, Noel cups and cardboard decorations which were the first to come out of the boxes. The nativity went up without baby Jesus. He didn’t appear until Christmas. The tree was last. My father always picked out our tree even though he wasn’t the best tree picking expert. Cost was part of his decision. The tree always had bare spots. He unraveled the lights, clumped together in a box. He was never patient. I remember the bulbs were big and got hot. Once the lights were on the tree, he was done. That was his contribution. The rest of us carried on. My mother was always the last to finish decorating. She was the icicle lady, one strand at a time.
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
November 30, 2024 at 4:25 pm
Hi Kat,
Today the sky is nearly clear with a few stratus wisps of clouds at high altitude. The high temperature shout top out at a comfortable 62°.
At lunch we finished up the leftovers from Thanksgiving. No bones for us, we just reheated the boneless thighs that my better half found in the grocery store. No more stuffing, cranberry sauce, dark meat, nor mashed potatoes. It’s all gone.
My neighbors have began putting up their Christmas lights. One house in our area has decorations that would knock your socks off. The entire house is covered in lights that are animated with Christmas Carols and slides in the windows. They have a huge metal Christmas tree on the driveway that is completely lit and its lights are coordinated with the slides and the music.
Nearby, is the campus of Day Star, a Christian Broadcasting entity. There entire campus is lit up for the holidays. Unfortunately, the founder’s family was on the news yesterday as the Mother and her surviving son are squabbling over the millions that these so called, “Christian”, hucksters grift from their viewers. “Send a check for our patriotic red., white, and blue Bible. Only six easy payments of $25 per month”. Sound familiar?
When I was in my late 20s, my best friend was the program director at a daytime, AM radio station located in Grand Prairie. He came up with the idea that he and I should get ordained as ministers in the Universal Life Church in Modesto California. They will ordain anyone for free. They believe that everyone has their own religious beliefs and for an additional $25 they would issue you a doctorate of divinity degree. They have a website today.
My friend’s idea was to buy thirty minutes of radio time on Sunday mornings on XERF. This was a 100,000 watt clear Channel, AM radio station. It was located on the border in Mexico. He suggested that we preach a form of right wing Christianity, proposing that Jesus will return to the U.S. and conclude with, “Send your check to keep this ministry on the air”. We only had to get a post office box to collect the checks. He as going to use the production studio at the station to produce the content.
When I told him that I wouldn’t do it because, brother Bob was Jewish, he exclaimed that we could make even more money from that twisted idea. Obviously, we didn’t do it because he was lazy and I have scruples. 🙂
November 30, 2024 at 6:41 pm
Hi Bob,
It stayed cold all day. I went out in the late afternoon and crisp is the perfect description.
I still have a whole turkey and all the fixings. I’m going to start tonight with another dinner. I’ll freeze some turkey so I can use the carcass to start my soup. I know you’re not a turkey fan, but I only have it this time each year so I enjoy it.
I was surprised to see so many lights on houses before Thanksgiving. Tonight I noticed my neighbor’s house is decorated. I’d love to see that house. I still ooh and ahh at Christmas lights. One house in the next town over is also decorated all over, even to a boat wintered in the yard. They put a TV on the driveway and show Christmas movies.
Such wonderful role models for Christians everywhere. What a surprise, more grifters.
I love your friend’s idea. Watch Elmer Gantry, and you’ll learn all the right moves. I also couldn’t do it for money, but I’d love to do it as an experiment.
November 30, 2024 at 8:06 pm
My wife and daughter enjoy driving around and looking at Christmas lights. Of course we live in Grapevine, which advertises itself as the Christmas Capital of Texas. Besides the array of stores on historic Main Street, the Gaylord Texan hotel, located on Lake Grapevine, has an annual Ice festival. It’s always fun.
https://christmasatgaylordtexan.marriott.com/
November 30, 2024 at 8:11 pm
I would love to visit that Christmas town. A light ride was our tradition when I was a kid and I still take one. I love the lights.
November 30, 2024 at 10:20 pm
Here’s a small taste
https://www.grapevinetexasusa.com/christmas-capital-of-texas/
December 1, 2024 at 11:17 pm
I would go there in a heartbeat!!!!