Happy Holidays

[HRM Resident]

I hope whoever is left reading this NG has a great time
over the next 8-10 days. Sure, Christmas is for kids, but
down deep, maybe there still is a bit of kid in all of us.

--
HRM Resident

[lucr...@florence.it]

I think mine has also aged out like me! I wish everyone a good time
and personally shall be happy when it's finally 2024 :)

[lucr...@florence.it]

On Fri, 22 Dec 2023 21:21:18 -0000 (UTC), HRM Resident
<hrm...@gmail.com> wrote:

I had been wondering if you 'out of towners' had lost power. We did
for a couple of hours yesterday about 9-11 but someone had taken a
power pole out on the corner of Main and Dunbrack so it was fixed
fairly quickly.

[Mike Spencer]

We're socked into our badger hole for the season. Gruyere spinach &
mushroom fritata, roast leg of lamb and Peggy's lasagne are on
upcoming menus along with Bereich Bingen, Niesteiner Kabinett and some
inexpensive reds. I've already made a batch of fudge. Tomorrow I'll
go find a small tree out around the back edge of the field and get the
nearer son over to help decorate it. Have to make a batch of Piggies,
probably an apple pie to go with the lamb.

Happy Solstice!

A dram of Glenlivet tipped to toast you all.
--
Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada

[lucr...@florence.it]

On 22 Dec 2023 18:26:27 -0400, Mike Spencer

Happy Solstice right back at yah yesterday! I have an interesting
recipe for fudge made in the nuker, works, you have to stay with it
for about ten minutes, but it's good. Can print off for you if you
lilke?

[James Warren]

I've always said that Christmas is for women and children. I tag
along because it is mostly harmless with some bright spots. :)

[axemen99]

Totally agree. I still remember the happiness celebrating Christmas at
church. Now I just cherish the good old time as child.

Nowadays, Christmas is about shopping.

[lucr...@florence.it]

On Sat, 23 Dec 2023 07:37:04 -0500, axemen99 <axem...@gmail.com>
wrote:

It's certainly for women as regards cooking :( Just finished making
an English trifle and after standing all that time, my back is killing
me lolol

Axe I use Amazon at lot for things like toys, nothing easier than
asking 'Boy aged 5' and then picking from a huge list of suggestions.

[HRM Resident]

axemen99 <axem...@gmail.com> writes:
>
> Totally agree. I still remember the happiness celebrating Christmas
> at church. Now I just cherish the good old time as child.
>
> Nowadays, Christmas is about shopping.
>

We used to go to church evey Christmas when I was a kid (Catholic
'Midnight Mass.') Then we'd come home around 1 AM, and eat a big feed
of rabbit 'pot pie.' That's sort of a French Acadian tradition. It ruined
Christmas Day for me because we had to get up at 6-7 AM to unwrap the
presents on 3-4 hours sleep. I stopped doing that around age 15-16, and
never put any of my kids through any of it.

It was a great time when mine were aged 3-4 to 13-14. Then they
sort of got caught up in the commercialism of "Buy, buy, buy!" Man, am
I sick of "Christmas Specials" on every TV channel, every store and
every web-site. Fake happy people being forced to try to guilt others
into over-spending.

I don't quite agree it is for women and kids. Just kids. Men and
women are pretty much equal when it comes to getting sucked into buying
things they don't want or need.

--
HRM Resident

[James Warren]

> things they don't want or need.Our family was never deeply into Christmas. I was ready to give it up as a teenager but family obligations made that impractical. So I, like many people I suppose, pay lip service to it.

Consumerism is the main culprit. OTOH if you are in need of something
then this might be a good time to buy it at a good price.

>

[HRM Resident]

James Warren <jwwar...@gmail.com> writes:
>
> Our family was never deeply into Christmas. I was ready
> to give it up as a teenager but family obligations made
> that impractical. So I, like many people I suppose, pay
> lip service to it.
>

It was fun (except the late night stuff) as a kid, and
a lot more fun with 4 kids here. We played the Santa game
until, one by one, they figured it out. There never was
mention of the religious side of thighs. They're all adults
now, and they still have trees, etc. One of them (in their
mid-30s,) out of the blue a number of years ago, thanked me
for never making them go to church or mentioning religion.

It IS a good thing for kids. It's nice to have traditions, and
regardless of why, it tends to bring families together. I've got
video conferences with my kids and grandkids lined up. It's a
good excuse to do it . . . and the vacation time from work is
a break for everyone.

> Consumerism is the main culprit. OTOH if you are in need
> of something then this might be a good time to buy it at a
> good price.

You have to shop, not buy. I buy, so I don't really know if these
"sales" are really good deals. They start around US Thanksgiving Day
and go right through to after New Years. Are things really on sale
during this period? I don't trust a price that says things like
"Regular $99.95, now 25% off at $74.95." Was the real price ever
$99.95?

--
HRM Resident

[James Warren]

Prices do drop at black Friday and Boxing week. If you track an item you
are interested in you will see this.

When my brother worked at Eaton's he said that before an item could be
given a "sale" price it had to first be offered at a "regular" price for
a certain length of time. They often didn't expect to sell much at the
regular price so maybe the sale price is the de facto regular price.

[Mike Spencer]

lucr...@florence.it writes:


> I have an interesting recipe for fudge made in the nuker, works, you
> have to stay with it for about ten minutes, but it's good. Can print
> off for you if you lilke?

"The nuker" being a microwave oven? We don't have one of those,
never will unlss we're both reduced to wheel chair-level mobility and
forced to move to appartment-type quarters.

Thanks anyway. Fudge in a copper pt on the stove takes about 2 hrs
intermittent attention but I get to read a good novel during the
lucunae.

[lucr...@florence.it]

On 23 Dec 2023 16:31:57 -0400, Mike Spencer

<m...@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> wrote:

>
>lucr...@florence.it writes:
>
>
>> I have an interesting recipe for fudge made in the nuker, works, you
>> have to stay with it for about ten minutes, but it's good. Can print
>> off for you if you lilke?
>
>"The nuker" being a microwave oven? We don't have one of those,
>never will unlss we're both reduced to wheel chair-level mobility and
>forced to move to appartment-type quarters.

I used to think like that but now I think it is the best thing I ever
bought in the kitchen. Tonight I had some brussel sprouts, put them
in a pyrex dish with lid, 4 mins at max power while the lamb chops
were cooking and they were perfect. I assume that diet wise it is
the best way of cooking veggies becauses nothing is lost from the
sprouts. I cook all my veggies that way now except for turnips and
carrots. Eggs, poached or scrambled can't be beat.

>
>Thanks anyway. Fudge in a copper pt on the stove takes about 2 hrs
>intermittent attention but I get to read a good novel during the
>lucunae.

I was taken aback one afternoon at bridge when I said to the woman who
produced it that I thought it was some of the nicest I had in quite
some time. She laughed and said she would email me the recipe, I
doubted it would work but it did and ten minutes and one pyrex dish
later, it was done! I should add too, the dish really looked clean
after the fudge was out but I put it in the dishwasher anyway.

[HRM Resident]

<lucr...@florence.it> wrote:
>
> I should add too, the dish really looked clean
> after the fudge was out but I put it in the dishwasher
> anyway.
>

I would have licked it clean and put it back in the
cupboard! :-)

--
HRM Resident

[James Warren]

This reminds me of an old joke.

A couple was tired of some neighbours who kept inviting themselves over
for supper. So, after entertaining one evening they put the empty dishes
on the floor. Their dogs licked them clean and they then put them back
in the cupboard. They weren't bothered by them again.

[HRM Resident]

James Warren <jwwar...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> This reminds me of an old joke.
>
> A couple was tired of some neighbours who kept inviting themselves over
> for supper. So, after entertaining one evening they put the empty dishes
> on the floor. Their dogs licked them clean and they then put them back
> in the cupboard. They weren't bothered by them again.
>
>

That’s not a joke! It’s practice advice. :-)

--
HRM Resident

[axemen99]

This year, we use Amazon, Walmart and Bestbuy. Both Amazon and Walmart
allows third party vendors to list their products on their web pages.

[axemen99]

On Saturday, December 23, 2023 at 1:56:40 PM UTC-5, HRM Resident wrote:
> You have to shop, not buy. I buy, so I don't really know if these
> "sales" are really good deals. They start around US Thanksgiving Day
> and go right through to after New Years. Are things really on sale
> during this period? I don't trust a price that says things like
> "Regular $99.95, now 25% off at $74.95." Was the real price ever
> $99.95?
>
> --
> HRM Resident

Probably it costs the store $25 to put that on the shelf. It is on sale because the store has less profit. After Christmas, when the store does not want to keep it, the price will be at cost $25. a bargain.

[jvangurp]

On Friday 22 December 2023 at 17:21:20 UTC-4, HRM Resident wrote:

I’m always so happy when it’s over. I’m starting to dislike this season more and more every year.

[HRM Resident]

jvangurp <jvan...@gmail.com> writes:
>

> I’m always so happy when it’s over. I’m starting to dislike this
> season more and more every year.

I think it's our age combined with the non-stop advertising that
starts around the US Thanksgiving and only winds down around now. Also
the people with fake grins from the first of December until around now
. . . it makes a person feel they are the odd-ball if they don't act like
they are so excited they will have an orgasm at any moment.

--
HRM Resident

[jvangurp]

Another factor here at Stately Gurp Manor is that Christmas, and in fact all other household decoration and related activities were always 100% in the wheelhouse of the missus, but since her cognitive decline she’s completely lost interest in all of it so it’s suddenly all mine to manage, in addition to the daily personal care and other household activities. So I just pick and choose where to direct my energy and Christmas decorating sure isn’t on the list. I have my hands full these days.

Cheers,
John

[lucr...@florence.it]

It sure isn't easy, watched two of my uncles cope. I had a test for
Alzheimers recently but they said it was 'just' short term memory
loss, but even that is ghastly and by times embarassing :(

[jvangurp]

It stinks… it really does. Accepting the letting-go of the life we had is the only way to get through this relatively intact. It’s daily grief and I sure feel it. I’m not sure about this but my guess is that she has 2 or 3 years left.