Holiday Baking

I frequently like to try new things during the holidays. This year I went crazy and tried several new things.

Chocolate bark with pretzels. I also made some with dried cranberries and marshmallow. Fairly easy. I will make the kind with pretzels again, I think.

I decided I wanted to make candy. First I had to purchase molds.

It's a little harder than it looks. After melting the chocolate, filling the molds takes a bit of technique. It took me a few tries to keep from being messy.

Dark chocolate chip cookies. This was the first batch of chocolate chip I ever fixed that didn't turn all that well: I left out a 1/2 cup of butter by mistake.

Fudge. Not a new thing, this is my signature holiday treat. But I am not making as much of this as I once did. I used to make nearly 20 pounds of fudge every year; now I'm down to less than 10.

The candy from the molds. The white or white-colored tasted the best.

Sugar cookies. I burned the first dozen and had a difficult time with the rolling and cutting out. It is a lot easier to just get the Pillsbury dough and make round cookies.

I also made snickerdoodles and butterscotch cookies. During the course of the cooking, I burned up my mixer (a hand mixer) and my husband on Saturday went to Lowe's and bought me a nice KitchenAid mixer. I was surprised. He said it was part of my Christmas. I had no idea that a good mixer could make such a difference in the cooking process, but it certainly does.

I hope that everyone had a good holiday. We woke this morning to snow/sleet/ice. It is still dark as I write this so no photos yet. We'll see what it looks like when the sun comes up.

Merry Christmas

My Father Plays Santa

 He was dressed all in fur . . .

from his head to his foot . . .

But I heard him exclaim 'ere he drove out of sight . . .

Happy Christmas to all and to all, a Good Night!

Visit the Norad Tracks Santa page to see where the jolly ol' elf is at on Christmas Eve!

Norad is the Norther American Aerospace Defense Command. So this is official stuff! Check it out.

The Squirrel

Naturally, following a post about a hawk, I should follow up with a post about a squirrel.

This is a very big red squirrel that hangs around the back yard. He has a seriously long tail.

I took this picture the same day I saw the hawk!

However, Mr. Squirrel does not seem overly concerned. In fact, he looks like he hasn't a care in the world!

Just hangin' around, waitin' on Santa!

The Red-Tailed Hawk

I spied this hawk in front of the house earlier this week. I believe it is a red-tailed hawk.

The hawk is a bird of prey.

The bird eats small animals, such as songbirds, mice, squirrels, etc.

This hawk is quite large; nearly two feet tall, I suspect. I thought at first it was a huge owl.

Looks very scary up in the top of the pine.

Hawks are supposed to have great eye sight. Hence the saying: eyes like a hawk.

Hawks migrate, so perhaps this one was on its way elsewhere. Or maybe here was where it came to spend the winter, I don't know.

Female hawks are usually larger than the males. Given the size of this monster, I might surmise the bird is a "she."

The red-tailed hawk is the most populous in North America.

When the bird flew, it looked like its wing span was about four-feet wide! But it is hard to tell from the ground.

The Hobbit

My husband and I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on the big screen Monday afternoon.

We saw the "regular" version of the film. There is also a 3D version and a fast film version (in 3D) but I have problems with migraines and early report indicated those films upset folks with those tendencies.

I am not a big fan of 3D anyway.

The film does not follow the book, as best I remember. I am currently re-reading The Hobbit, but am not very far into the book. However, I am fairly certain that a story thread that involves the Dwarf King and an orc is completely made up.

The basic premise is a hobbit goes on an adventure: he sets off with 12 dwarfs and a wizard to reclaim the home of the dwarfs from a dragon.

I don't want to spoil the film for anyone who has not seen it, so I will not say more about plot. I thought the characters were well done, though I would have liked a little more in-depth characterization of the many dwarfs.

Even in 2D, I could tell the film was shot with 3D in mind. There were many dizzying tumbles down into holes and things, and wild shots that I am sure look quite interesting in 3D. Even in 2D, though, the swoops of camera left me feeling a little ill.

I also found the film a little slow in places; I looked at my watch at least twice during the movie, something I never do during Lord of the Rings (even now on my 100th time or so watching of those films).

Still, if you are a fan of fantasy, or of Tolkien, or of Peter Jackson (film director), then this is definitely must-see. I will watch it again as soon as I can, but on the small screen, where the camera swoops perhaps won't make my tummy turn over.

Thursday Thirteen

I can't decide whether to write about Christmas or the supposed ending of the world tomorrow. What a conundrum.

Maybe I will write about 13 things I will do if the world doesn't end? Or would miss if the world does end? Oh, let's just write and see what happens.

1. In the meadow we could build a snowman! If the world doesn't end and it snows, that is.

2. If the world ended, I would be saved the sadness of discovering, as I seem to do more and more, that people always disappoint me.

My nephews.

3. If the world doesn't end, I will get to watch my husband open his presents. Yay. I wouldn't have spent that money for nothing.

4. We won't have to worry about the state of the nation, if the world ends. Which might be a good thing, given the state that it is in.

5. I will bake cookies, if the world doesn't end.

6. Pollution will become a thing of the past, if the world ends. I wonder what truly clear skies look like. Will the blues be bluer? The moon more white?

7. Fudge-making is also in the works, if the world doesn't end. I think I might miss fudge (or any chocolate) if the world does end, and I still have any consciousness about me.

8. Houses will crumble, cities will fall, and the green of the earth will slowly creep back over the granite and concrete. Eventually Mother Nature takes it all back, no matter how hard we fight (unless the earth blows apart completely). So if the world ends (which is really a way of saying "if humanity dies out" because we are after all the sentient beings on the planet), the next sentient beings on the planet will find things overgrown, lush, and jungle-like, I suppose. I wonder how long that will take, to have sentient beings on the planet again.

9. I have plans with friends and family for the days following the Mayan prophecy. So if the world doesn't end, I plan to be in the presence of loved ones.

10. If the world ended, I would never have to watch another TV show. I wouldn't miss that much at all, but I would miss books and reading. Of course, I will be part of the ending so really wouldn't miss much of anything, now would I?

I don't know what this is, but I would miss reading it.

11. Since the world isn't going to end, I plan to continue on with my life as usual. Though I suppose I should point out that the world ends for someone, somewhere, every day. People pass away every day.

12. This has gotten depressing, and its the holidays, so this is the end of this post!

13. Merry Christmas, dear readers, if you celebrate, and Happy Holidays or Have a Good Day if you don't. I wish for you a long and happy life, full of joy and only tinged with a little sorrow (for how else would you know the joy?). May all your days be Merry and Bright, from now until the next Doomsday.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 273rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

The World in Copper

You never know what people in your area do.

These copper buckets and other items are handcrafted by friends of mine who live in the county. Faye and Porter Caldwell own and operate Caldwell Mountain Copper. You can see an interesting video about their operation here (it's also on the front page of their website).

I have known the Caldwells most of my life. I grew up not far from where they now live and work out of their home. They are also old friends of my husband's family.

Their work is for sale through Colonial Williamsburg as well as on their website and when they choose to show at various local craft shows.

Their items are unique and original, created the old fashioned way. I just thought you'd like to know about these intriguing folk.

*I received no compensation for this piece.*

Make Them Have a License

The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances

I have to buy a business license to sell my writing - my life's work that kills no one. My CONSTITUTIONALLY guaranteed right to freedom of speech.

So why don't I have to buy a license to own a gun?

Just sayin'.

A Day of Silence in Solidarity with Connecticut

 

Read this:

I am Adam Lantz's Mother

A Culture That Condones the Killing of Children and Teaches Children to Kill

Religion and Gun Culture

Last night I attended a Christmas program at a local Baptist church. I had family members singing in the choir and had reason to be there. I went to support them.

The program was about 90 minutes long, and it included children singing, lots of hymns, a few carols, some scripture, a guest singer, an offering and prayer.

It was very upbeat and the hellfire and damnation was at a minimum. Overall it was a nice production, and I could tell a lot of work and effort had gone into it.

One section included a mini-play. A father and his two teenager sons sat around a table, and they were joined by a teenage sister.

The father said this year he wanted to talk about Christmas memories, and each told a memory they wanted to share.

One of the memories went like this:

The children were in the house and the father was napping. A noise occurred and the father, bleary and sleep-filled, jumped from the bed and grabbed his shotgun. He ran around the house in his underwear with his gun, finally opening the front door to point the loaded weapon at his wife, who was coming back from shopping. The father spent the next month sleeping on the couch.

I was appalled at this story. To have it been deemed an acceptable message in a church setting at any time is not acceptable to me, but to have it deemed acceptable less than 60 hours after a national tragedy where an unstable young man shot and killed 27 people in Connecticut was just horrid.

Did no one think about the implications of this story? You had several impressionable young people there, all of whom now think it is perfectly fine to hear a noise and grab a gun.

Why is this the first thought? If you are that fearful that grabbing a weapon is the immediate response to something that startles you, I feel sorry for you. You need help. You don't need to be lauded for that action. You need to go to jail or a mental health institution, if you want that story to have an acceptable moral. You don't go around pointing guns at people.

There are a million things someone could have remembered about Christmas. And this story that makes pointing a gun at someone an acceptable past time was what they came up with. Nearly shooting Mom, who, by the way, apparently died six months later from something unmentioned?

Later, someone pressed me as to why I did not attend this particular church. Exasperated, I told her it was too militant for me. She did not understand.

Obviously not.

What Good Are Words

I feel like I should say something about the shooting in Connecticut yesterday, where little children were gunned down in yet another senseless act of violence in this country.

Yet I can't find the words. What do you say?

Do you say - why does this continue to happen?

Do you say - there must be something very wrong with our society, for this doesn't happen (at least not this frequently) in other countries?

What do you say?

Do you say - we need gun control, because we don't need assault weapons in the hands of the masses?

Do you say - we need better mental health support, nationwide, an entire network set up to catch the people who are most likely to take the lives of others?

Do you say - our entire society needs to be reviewed, from religion to education to media and beyond, so that we can understand why we've become a nation of murderers?

Do you say - we're one sick society, maybe the sickest in the world?

What do you say?

Sunset - December 9

Thursday Thirteen

Tonight my book club is having a little Christmas party and we're reading poetry to one another.

I was instructed to bring my own poems to read. I have pulled out six poems (which I must dwindle down to two). So here are two lines from each of the poems, with a last one thrown in there for the good measure.

In the comments, if you'll tell me which lines are your favorite, I will use that info to help me make my selection.


1 & 2

Fingers rapped restrained rhythm.
She reached with teeth keeping beat


3 & 4

I am from a reverend who owned whorehouses
and from grandparents who set the West Virginia woods afire while making love

5 & 6

right next door that baby done cried
three solid days and its momma with both her eyes


7 & 8

I run from whistles in blue
and tanned hands in haystacks

9 & 10

I am searching for momma and
papa and baby but

11 & 12

Sad little kiwi fruit.
Your hairy scrotum-body

13

teeth restrain rhyme and rhythm

12-12-12 - Redux

From The Holy Bible, King James Version

Old Testament, Page 12, line 12

Genesis 12:2 And I will make of these a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing.

The 12th Book of the Old Testament

II Kings 12:12 And to masons, and hewers of stone, and to buy timber and hewed stone to repair the breaches of the house for the Lord, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

New Testament, Page 12, line 12

St. Matthew 13:38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

The 12th Book of the New Testament

Colossians 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:


And just because:

Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

12-12-12

I don't have anything to say at the moment, I just wanted to see those numbers on my blog.

12 - 12 - 12

Crazy to Sane

Q. What is your favorite possession?

A. My desktop computer. It is where I spend most of my time, and it is a metaphorical highway to knowledge, social interaction, and entertainment. Following that would be my Toyota Camry, which takes me to the real-life highway so that I might find knowledge, social interaction, and entertainment.


Q. Do you like to read? If so, which books do you love best?

A. I love to read! I don't really have a favorite book, as I am an eclectic reader. I enjoy high fantasy, literary works, mysteries, and chick lit. I have been known to read series books from TV shows, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Xena: Warrior Princess. I also like to read nonfiction, including biographies, autobiographies, and self-help.

Q. Do you have any pets?

A. I have a herd of cows. I have birds and deer outside the window. But no dogs, cats, fish, or hamsters. I had a dog but she died in 2001 and I never felt moved to have another.

Q. What was your favorite food as a child? Is it the same now?

A. Cucumbers. I loved cucumbers in vinegar when I was a little girl. I still like them but they do not agree with me so much any more.


Q. What is your favorite thing about blogging?

A. Self-expression without worry, followed by my interaction with my readers. I have made friends through blogging and I appreciate every pair of eyes that turns this way.

Q. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

A. I like where I am now, but would not mind living on the outskirts of a college town where I could access a major university.

Q. What is your favorite number?

A. Eight (8).

Q. Which of these things would you find hardest to give up for a year? Chocolate, reading, coffee or smoking?

A. Reading, definitely. I don't drink coffee or smoke, and I once gave up chocolate for 10 years (should have never started eating it again). But I have never given up reading, and can't see that I ever would.

Q. If you could make your life into a movie, what would you name it.. and who would you want to play you?

A. "Crazy to Sane," starring Sandra Bullock.

Q. If you had $20,000 for a shopping spree, what would you buy?

A. I'd replace the tub in the master bathroom with a walk-in shower, and spend whatever is left on updating the kitchen.

Q. If you could eat lunch with one famous person, who would it be?
A. Living or dead? If living, J. K. Rowling. If dead, Eleanor Roosevelt.


Meme from Sunday Stealing.

More Fog Photos

Fog

I took this shot earlier in the week during the warm spell. We had a strange fog take over the valleys and hollows one morning.

Printing the Blog

I have been working on my blog since August 2006. I have often wondered how much writing and work it actually entails.

Earlier this year I discovered Blog2Print, which allows you to create a book from your blog. It works with various platforms, including blogger, wordpress, and some others. There are of course other companies that do this, but this is the one I have been working with. It has suited my purposes just fine!

My blog had so much in it it couldn't handle the whole thing at once, but I was able to break it down into years and/or volumes to get the whole thing printed out.

With this printing company, you can choose between a hard cover and soft cover, black and white interior or color, and you can determine the pictures on the front and back. There are some limitations; you can't put your name on the front, for example, like a book (Blue Country Magic by Me).  They insist on a dedication page, which I turned into a byline page instead.

The process creates an index of your posts. You can also go back into the software and delete posts. So I was able to take out things like "blogger was down yesterday" or things that I didn't care if I kept for posterity.

I did a first one to see how it worked. I found the cost reasonable and I liked the results. Also, after I signed up, I occasionally received emails for 15 or 20 percent off or free shipping, which really helped reduce the price.

Even in black and white, and with my photos reduced as I always do on my blog, it came out well.

The software automatically chooses your first two photos for the cover, but you can change those. Sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't. It depended on what came up. As you can see, though, it is a pile of writing!

I am glad I did this. This was a project I did solely for myself, so I would have all of these words. I mean, let's face it. If Google decided to do away with blogspot, I would lose all of this writing.

And while it's not the best writing in the world, it's mine.

Thursday Thirteen

I ripped off another batch of questions from Sunday Stealing for today's Thursday Thirteen. Why not, you know?


1. Have you anything to confess today?

A. I overslept.

2. Have you ever broken a law? If so, what was it?

A. I have never been convicted of anything. I did go to court for a car wreck once that involved a rear-end collision and I was the car doing the colliding.

3. Have you ever committed an act of betrayal against a friend or family member? Explain.

A. I am sure I have but nothing comes to mind at the moment. I must not have done anything big.

4. Has someone else done something that, to this day, makes you cringe when you think about them committing the act?.

A. Yes. All you have to do is read the paper to see that kind of stuff going on every day.

5. Have you ever found yourself sexually aroused by someone that you absolutely should not have been?

A. Umm. I plead the Fifth.

6. Have you ever cheated at school? How so?

A. No. That was an easy answer. But the question reads as if everyone cheats at school, doesn't it? 

7. What if you came across a backpack stuffed with one hundred thousand dollars. Would you keep it?

A. In the past I have always returned money when I found it. In recent years I've handed over several hundred dollars and a diamond ring. Based on those actions I would say I would hand it over to the police. 

8. What if you were the most powerful person in the world. How would you use that power?
A. I would force everyone to send me chocolate. Ha. Not really. I would implement regulations and fair taxes and make things more equal for all. Yes, I believe in a safety net and a certain level of human dignity for all. I also like to breath clean air.

9. What if you found a magic lamp?

A. I would rub it and a genie would come out. What do you think would happen? Duh.

10. What if you could change one thing about the world. What would that one thing be?

A. I would get rid of hate.

11. What if you could take one thing back. What would that one thing be?

A. If I could take one thing back (from where? This is a silly question) I would take back the last 30 years and we'd have a do-over in the United States so that capitalism did not become the dominant force, so that CEO pay did not become third-world nation despot-like and the unions were stronger (and not corrupt) so that workers could be paid honest living wages. And newspapers would still be relevant.

I think that is more than one thing, though.

12. What if you were stuck on an island forever but had all the water, food and shelter you needed. What would you do?

A. Live.

13. What if the internet didn't exist?

A. I wouldn't be answering these questions. I would probably get more stuff done because I wouldn't be playing on Facebook or reading news articles from Australia. I also wouldn't have met a lot of folks I enjoy communicating with, such as my friend Inga in England and you, dear reader, whoever you are.



Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 271st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

A Partridge In a Pear Tree

A short meme from Sunday Stealing today!



1. Where was your profile picture taken?

A. The one on my blog was taken outside of my house. The one of myself on Facebook was taken last year during the Open Studios event in Botetourt County. I was visiting an artist friend and a student from Hollins University took the photo for me.

2. Name someone who made you laugh today.

A. Um. It is 6:50 a.m. A little early for that! But actually my husband and I have already shared a laugh; he told me to stop trying to think because I wasn't awake yet!

3. Do you believe exes can be friends?

A. I would hope so.

4. How do you feel about Dr Pepper?

A. I used to drink it by the gallon, but I gave up soft drinks about 20 years ago. My husband still drinks Diet Dr. Pepper. I drank Dr. Pepper because I was proud I was part of an original crowd! (That's from an old Dr. Pepper commercial, for you young whippersnappers.)

5. Who was the last person you took a picture of?

A. A guy who makes crepes.

6. Are you upset about anything?

A. I have a headache, which I would prefer not to have, but I am not upset about it. I'm pretty happy at the moment.

7. Do you think relationships are ever really worth it?

A. Every single one is worth it.

8. Are you a bad influence?

A. Not any more. :-)

9. Night out or night in?

A. Night in. Snuggled up watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (at this time of year).

10. Has anyone ever called you perfect before?

A. Yes. Well, more like a perfectionist, to be perfectly accurate about it.

11. What song is stuck in your head?

A. The 12 days of Christmas. I began singing it when I woke up.

12. Someone knocks on your window at 2:00 a.m., who do you want it to be?

A. Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, asking me to set out on a great adventure with him. I want to see dragons.

13. Do you smile a lot?

A. I think so. My parents paid a lot for that smile, might as well show it off!

Local Holiday Shopping

Saturday, not only was there a parade, there were also at least two local activities that allowed me to purchase items for Christmas.

The first was the annual St. Mark's Church crafts show at Lord Botetourt High School. They had everything from sit-it-around stuff to food.

Yummy!

Deer Hunting Hunters items. They were funny!

More food!

An overview of all of the stuff there was to choose from.

A local artist at the show. Her name is Dorothy and she's my husband's cousin.

Later in the day, the Town of Troutville showcased a Christmas Fair:

Sybille selling wreaths.

Karen selling her pottery.

An overview of stuff available. Well, I don't think the Ruffles in the front of the photo were for sale!