Kids

How long are your children still kids?

My "kids" are out on their own and have kids of their own.  Recently I reconnected with a couple of my cousins on Facebook.  One said the last time she saw us was at our wedding reception which was many years ago.  I remember her as a pretty little girl, but now she is a pretty woman.

It seems like my "kids" are still the same size as they always were.  But I remember the fear and awe when they were born.  We somehow raised (mainly my LW) them and they are great parents.

It is awesome thinking that maybe we did something right!

Workers

On the early dog walk this morning, I saw the fire engine leave the Fire Station that is near us.  It started me thinking about all the people who don't get Christmas Day off.

Obviously, the firemen don't get the day off and of course, policemen also are out there protecting us (since thieves also don't take off, but I don't feel sorry for them).

People that work at Electric Generation Plants are required to be there every day.  Paperboy/men work every day.

The most important group that work on holidays is the military.  They often are away from home and work most days (of course, not everyone who work in the above work on all holidays, but a subset are required to work).

THANK YOU for your sacrifices to keep us safe or supply needed services!

Lack of Truth

Yesterday we watched a movie called, "Christmas Kiss".  It was a very predictable in that the Good girl ends up with the guy after various tragedies which gave an impression that the Bad woman was winning.  The movie was OK since we like happy endings.

But part of the premise of the movie was that the good girl kept thoughts and actions from the guy that would have helped him to realize that she was the right one for him.  And I was thinking how often keeping secrets or outright lies are part of the reason that movies last beyond 10 or 15 minutes.

If only the people wouldn't lie or keep thoughts to themselves there would not be a plot.

If in real life we would always tell the truth and not try to hide things, our lives would be much easier and happy!

Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
- Mark Twain's Own Autobiography: The Chapters from the North American Review. (Just a fun quote!)

Winter 2012

( This was written 12/21 but had blogger problems getting it in) It is the first day of winter.  Yesterday we got the first measurable snow in 9 months.  It was not very measurable, maybe 1/4 inch or so.  This morning on the dog walk, the wind was blowing at about 30 mph.  So neither of us were willing to walk far.

With Frisbit's unsteadiness on his legs, it appeared he was going to be knocked over when we were directly in the path of the wind.  But he managed to remain on his feet.

It is nice to see snow on the ground, the last few days we have been getting rain and it was dreary.  Snow gives a nice contrast to mud.

One thing I have noticed with our new ( still seems new after close to a year) car is that it attracts frost to its windshield.  Our old car did some but not as much.  Of course, the new car has a smaller windshield so it is not as hard to clean.

I have always thought that cold was better than hot since you can always layer on clothes and there is a quick limit to amount of clothes you can remove in company.  It is hard to get use to the cold, after a while 20F seems OK but the first few days it seems toooo cold.  I guess we will survive!

Crowder Video

I enjoy his videos.  It amazes me that people support a party they don't agree with!

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/12/17/105743

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/12/17/105733

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/12/14/105775

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/12/14/105759

Just some fun cartoons from HotAir.

12 Days of Christmas

I was thinking of the carol 12 Days of Christmas and how yucky most of the gifts are.  Who really wants a Turtle Dove or French Hens or Calling Birds or Geese or Swans, especially with all the mess of multiple birds?

In general, maids a milking is not that useful in most households!

Ladies dancing or pipers piping or drummers drumming would not lead to peace and quiet!

And who wants a bunch of lords a leaping?

Now 5 Golden rings might be OK, but I don't like wearing rings!

Not to mention the cost:

Want to give your true love some traditional Christmas gifts? Why not buy him or her the items from the famed "The 12 Days of Christmas" carol?

Maybe because it will set you back $107,000. That's about 6 percent more than the items from the song cost last year, according to PNC Wealth Management's "Christmas Price Index." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/12-days-of-christmas-cost_n_2193494.html

I being an ignorant sort did not know this:

Religious symbolism of The Twelve Days of Christmas

(The 12 Days of Christmas)

1 True Love refers to God

2 Turtle Doves refers to the Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens refers to Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues

4 Calling Birds refers to the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings refers to the first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying refers to the six days of creation

7 Swans A-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments

8 Maids A-milking refers to the eight beatitudes

9 Ladies Dancing refers to the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit

10 Lords A-leaping refers to the ten commandments

11 Pipers Piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles

12 Drummers Drumming refers to the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

http://www.carols.org.uk/the_twelve_days_of_christmas.htm

Foggy Walk

This morning, it was very foggy during the dog walk this morning.  Fog reminds me of a song that my LW sings in her Swedish women's chorus called HANDS OF WINTER.  It is depressing and somewhat discordant.

You could only see about 40-50 feet in front of you.  It always seems that it is colder when you are in fog.

I have an over active imagination and it seems that my hearing is more acute when it is hard to see.  So drops of dew falling from trees sound like intruders lurking in the shadows ready to attack us.  The mere fact that the neighborhood is very safe and we never have intruders; has no effect on my imagination.

Fortunately there were no cars near us on the walk.  And the intruders did not attack either and we arrived home safely.

Bush's Fault

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/11/13/105003

Some more election humor!

 Rising prices and chronic unemployment were heavy on the minds of voters Tuesday even as a glimmer of optimism peeked through. Four in 10 said the nation’s battered economy is getting better.
Most everyone agreed there’s still far to go. They were less likely to blame President Barack Obama for the economic troubles, however, than to point the finger at his predecessor, George W. Bush, according to preliminary results of a national exit poll.
Only a fourth thought they were better off financially than four years ago when Obama was elected in the midst of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. Voters were most likely to say their families were doing about the same, and Obama led among that group.
A third felt worse off, and they were voting heavily for Romney.
http://clintonherald.com/electioncoverage/x691732677/Exit-poll-Many-still-blame-Bush-for-bad-economy

Bush had a democratic congress in his last years when the US starting going in the dumper!  But usually the President gets blamed, but not P.O.!

Sportscasters

Last night, I was listening to the Bears/Texans game on the radio.

In my opinion, the Bears' sportscasters are awful.

On one play, the play by play guy said that the Texans had intercepted the pass.  At no time did he say where it was intercepted.  Remember on the radio the only way we know the yard line is if they tell us.

Then he would say a good gain, no amount or down and yardage to go.

The color guy is an ex-Bear, who does not know how to shut up.  Much of what he says is very technical on the blocking (he is an ex-ProBowl Tackle) and is interesting.  He yells "BALL" when there is a fumble and certainly wakes up the dead or sleeping.

On every play, the Bears were interfered with or held or had a personal foul toward them.  A little homer is OK but they are too much.

The old Bears' play by play guy now calls the game for the GB Packers and he was and is excellent.

I much prefer the national radio guys over the Bears' announcers.

Fat Tax

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/11/11/104979

Just thought it was funny!

Denmark said Saturday it would scrap a fat tax it introduced a little over a year ago in a world first, saying the measure was costly and failed to change Danes' eating habits.

"The fat tax and the extension of the chocolate tax -- the so-called sugar tax -- has been criticised for increasing prices for consumers, increasing companies' administrative costs and putting Danish jobs at risk," the Danish tax ministry said in a statement.
"At the same time it is believed that the fat tax has, to a lesser extent, contributed to Danes travelling across the border to make purchases," it added.
"Against this background, the government and the (far-left) Red Green Party have agreed to abolish the fat tax and cancel the planned sugar tax," the ministry said.
Denmark's centre-left minority government is made up of the Social Democrats, Social Liberals and Socialist People's Party, and requires support from other parties to pass legislation in parliament.
The government and the Red Greens reached the agreement as part of their negotiations on the 2013 budget bill.
The previous right-wing government introduced the fat tax in October 2011 to limit the population's intake of fatty foods.
According to the Danish National Health and Medicines Authority, 47 percent of Danes are overweight and 13 percent are obese.
"Now we need to try to do something else to address public health," Food Minister Mette Gjerskov said, news agency Ritzau reported.
The fat tax has been levied on all products containing saturated fats -- from butter and milk to pizzas, oils, meats and pre-cooked foods -- in a costing system that Denmark's Confederation of Industries has described as a bureaucratic nightmare for producers and outlets.
The measure added 16 kroner per kilo of saturated fats in a product.
As an example, when the tax was introduced the price of a pack of 250 grammes (0.5 pounds) of butter rose by 2.20 kroner ($0.37, 0.29 euros) to more than 18 kroner.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i3exgRYcjub3JqFh8NqZULcowKfw?docId=CNG.21e9b6c39551266eec2b615c33bd28bf.71

Government can't teach self-restraint.  Adding a tax raises money does not cause "correct" behavior.


More Americans are becoming overweight or obese, exercising less, and eating unhealthy foods.
That’s the finding of the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which shows that 63.1% of adults in the U.S. were either overweight or obese in 2009.
That was a small but measurable increase from 62.2% the previous year. The survey finds that 36.6% of Americans are overweight and 26.5% obese.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100210/percentage-of-overweight-obese-americans-swells

I like desserts so I try to not get started eating them since once I get started I tend to eat a lot!