Small Talk: The Prayer Closet

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, BetyBee said:

Yes! We're in the NW suburbs. It's sticking here. It is mushy though. I hope we get plowed before it freezes!

Not sticking in the city- it’s like a cold slush. Photo of Cosmo back from afternoon walk in the stairwell. 

[lookeyloo]

2 hours ago, Turquoise said:

Meanwhile in the southern part of the state it is 63 and sunny after two rainy, gloomy days. But since I am in Illinois, I must be near Chicago, right*?? 🤣 
(*The attitude of anyone not actually from Illinois)

so true.  We lived in Baton Rouge a long time.  How many people thought New Orleans as if they are sister cities.  Son lives in a suburb south of  Tacoma.  But we fly into SeaTac.  People always ask me how things are in Seattle.  Fine I guess.  Don't go there.

[BetyBee]

I just wrote a long rant against technology and deleted it. You can thank me later! Suffice to say that we have new phones and I'm frustrated! And in a bad mood.

[Turquoise]

This is pretty accurate...

[jcbrown]

Here is Pixie's contribution to my efforts today. Fun fact: the glass-break sensor for this floor is on the wall below the Chat Noir poster, next to all the glass trees the cat is tippy-toeing through.

[CalicoKitty]

I hope everyone from Washington to Fresno in CA is doing ok in this storm.  I am just on the other side of the mountains, and there is no way I could possibly get to California right now.  I was awakened about 5:00 this morning by the noise of the wind.  We get strong wind here, but I have never heard it blow like it is now.   It is very cloudy--in fact it looks like it is about 6:00 PM  right now, and it is not even 1:00 in the afternoon.  We are getting rain, and we had rain earlier this week, and we have had wet snow, so I'm thrilled to see the water levels rise.  We really need the water.  But I could sure live without this hard wind.  People are tough around here, though.  One town north of me is still planning on having their Christmas parade tonight.  I hope no one gets blown over.  I  am not going anywhere except my chair by the fire today.  I will probably not move for several days.  It is not supposed to get above 35 all next week.   

[zoomama]

22 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

I hope everyone from Washington to Fresno in CA is doing ok in this storm.  I am just on the other side of the mountains, and there is no way I could possibly get to California right now.  I was awakened about 5:00 this morning by the noise of the wind.  We get strong wind here, but I have never heard it blow like it is now.   It is very cloudy--in fact it looks like it is about 6:00 PM  right now, and it is not even 1:00 in the afternoon.  We are getting rain, and we had rain earlier this week, and we have had wet snow, so I'm thrilled to see the water levels rise.  We really need the water.  But I could sure live without this hard wind.  People are tough around here, though.  One town north of me is still planning on having their Christmas parade tonight.  I hope no one gets blown over.  I  am not going anywhere except my chair by the fire today.  I will probably not move for several days.  It is not supposed to get above 35 all next week.   

hmmm, never even knew there was a washington, california! learned something new today. we are in so-cal so we have wind and rain but nothing too terrible. you are so right -- we NEED rain so bad. 

[Salacious Kitty]

I think @CalicoKitty meant the state of WA, that is also big time affected by this storm. 

Here in the Bay Area, we had rain all day yesterday except for an hour or so between 3-4 when I got out to run some errands. Rain overnight. Woke up to sunny skies, but the clouds are rolling in, and we're supposed to get more rain around 2ish. I don't think we had this much rain all last year! 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Salacious Kitty

[Absolom]

I went out very early this morning to water under the eaves and then waited for the rain.  We had a couple of hours of a LOT of wind before the rain actually got here.

[CalicoKitty]

18 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

I think @CalicoKitty meant the state of WA, that is also big time affected by this storm. 

Here in the Bay Area, we had rain all day yesterday except for an hour or so between 3-4 when I got out to run some errands. Rain overnight. Woke up to sunny skies, but the clouds are rolling in, and we're supposed to get more rain around 2ish. I don't think we had this much rain all last year! 

I did mean the state of Washington.  I need to remember that not everyone follows the weather on the west coast!  This was a very wide spread storm.  We had rain all day yesterday and about 4 inches of snow over night.  I just finished clearing the driveway, and now there are snow flakes falling.  My new Sun Joe snow blower worked well.  I'm glad because there was too much wet snow to push with a broom.  This is the most rain I have seen in years.  The last time we had a lot of rain I was still in California, and the gutter right over the front door had a big leak.  My HOA took months to replace my gutter, and I had a big storage bin right in front of my front door to collect the rusty water.  That was no fun.  I have good gutters here.  They are predicting clear but very cold weather for the coming week.

FYI, there is a Washington, California.  It is a very small town in Nevada county with a population of about 200.  Town of Washington, county of Nevada, state of California.  No confusion there!!!

[Salacious Kitty]

I also googled Washington,CA and came up with the same result. I was then even more certain that you meant the state. 😀

[CalicoKitty]

Has anyone else been getting notifications that someone reacted to your post, only it is not your post?  I have been getting a lot of them in the past few days.

[Mindthinkr]

13 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

Has anyone else been getting notifications that someone reacted to your post, only it is not your post?  I have been getting a lot of them in the past few days.

No, but I’m getting a lot of “Sorry, there was a problem reacting to this post”. 
That’s annoying because I don’t always have to time to go back and reread a thread to give the likes etc to many. 

[Scarlett45]

Quote

This is very interesting. I had a friend in high school who had bowed legs, and her weight and diet were fine. 

I never thought of the cause being the knee joints, but that makes sense. I guess both knees would have to be replaced or the two legs might end up different lengths. 

Quoting @BradandJanet from the Sweet Fellowship thread:

Growing up my Mom hated having bow legs, she was teased for it as a child and always stood a certain way to hide it, she also wore pants a lot when she wasnt at school (my Mom was born in 1948 and grew up going to Catholic schools and Loyola Chicago for undergrad, skirts were more common except for the depths of winter). My Mom wore pants SO MUCH my grandfather (I loved the man but he was very homophobic) asked her  "Why do you wear pants all the time?" (my Mom knew he was insinuating something about her perceived femininity)- my mom told him "Because I am bowlegged and my legs are ugly." he told her that no man would think her bow legs were ugly. My mom has had both knees replaced TWICE (ugh- not at the same time although I told her to, but she doesnt listen to me), and the replacements took her bow away! All the pain and suffering and rehab, and she didnt realize this would happen, and was so excited.

My sister is VERY bowlegged, my Mom always says my sister is "her child" and I am my father's child because my sister is left handed like her, is losing her hair like she did, likes lemon, has the bow legs- which I think are exasperated by my sister's obesity and the fact that she stands and walks completely intuitively, there's no "social conditioning" in how she holds her body, or walks or stands. Seeing her move, you know she isn't a typical adult even though she doesn't have any mobility issues/physical disabilities if that makes any sense, she doesn't "carry herself" the way a typical 30 something adult woman would (or any other adult sized person).

I am not bowlegged, and I when I was a Disney World last month, I realized how much fat I had lost in my inner thighs because when I put my legs together (there was a cold snap in Florida and I was shivering), the calves touched more! LOL

When I took my Mom to see Wakanda Forever she commented that Angela Basset was pigeon toed (my Mom thinks she is Angela Basset in her head🤣), I remember when I was growing up the elders would talk about people being "bow legged" or "pigeon toed" and its not something I think I ever wouldve noticed if my Mom wasnt so insecure about her legs all these years.

For the record my Mom had AMAZING legs in her youth- I have seen photos, her legs were GREAT, so long, and toned, I don't know what she was talking about?? She is quite happy to not be bowlegged any more but she has a lot of edema in her ankles from various injuries and has to wear support socks every day, which she hates "but I am not bowlegged any more!" it is interesting the things that bother us about our appearance that other people may not notice. Just makes me think.

[oliviabenson]

My mom said bow legs were caused by a baby walking too early.

[BetyBee]

My sister-in-law of over 40 years passed away in her sleep and was found this morning. Her partner of 28 years passed away 2 months ago. They were both in their 70s. She cared for him for several years because he had Alzheimers. My husband's sister. I've been on the phone with his other sister and our niece all afternoon. She had the house all packed up and it just went on the market. She was going to move in with her daughter when it sold. You never know. 😢

[Scarlett45]

18 minutes ago, oliviabenson said:

My mom said bow legs were caused by a baby walking too early.

Interesting the lore about these things. I always thought it was genetics, and excess weight or injury could make it worse. Like how heavier people tend to walk on the exterior edges of our feet.

Just now, BetyBee said:

My sister-in-law of over 40 years passed away in her sleep and was found this morning. Her partner of 28 years passed away 2 months ago. They were both in their 70s. She cared for him for several years because he had Alzheimers. My husband's sister. I've been on the phone with his other sister and our niece all afternoon. She had the house all packed up and it just went on the market. She was going to move in with her daughter when it sold. You never know. 😢

Oh my goodness @BetyBee- what shocking news! I am so sorry for your loss. It is awful to lose someone so suddenly, and her poor daughter. How's your husband holding up? Losing a sibling or a friend hits a different spot in our hearts. 

[jcbrown]

I'm so sorry, for your loss, @BetyBee. That must be a shock.

[Mindthinkr]

5 hours ago, BetyBee said:

My sister-in-law of over 40 years passed away in her sleep and was found this morning. Her partner of 28 years passed away 2 months ago. They were both in their 70s. She cared for him for several years because he had Alzheimers. My husband's sister. I've been on the phone with his other sister and our niece all afternoon. She had the house all packed up and it just went on the market. She was going to move in with her daughter when it sold. You never know. 😢

I’m sorry to hear about your unexpected loss. My condolences and hugs. 

[Jeeves]

I'm so sorry for your loss, @BetyBee.  

[andromeda331]

I'm so sorry for your loss @BetyBee.

[Love2dance]

Please accept my sympathy for the unexpected loss of your sister in law, @BetyBee. So sad.

[BetyBee]

Thank you everyone, for all the kind words. My husband is doing okay. I know it's a shock for him. There's plenty of good memories and some pretty bad ones too. It's a complicated and far flung family. I'm not sure when or if there will be a memorial service. I just try to be a good listener for her daughters, who are both hurting. I do know about losing a sibling, how the family is never quite the same, with a missing seat at the table. I'm still feeling that from the loss of my sister last year. I expect we'll always feel that empty spot. His sister was a talented musician who played the accordian, all the old songs from memory, at family events for many years. She also served in the military and became an attorney. Her life was very difficult however, due to unhealthy habits and poor choices in men. May she rest in peace.  

[oliviabenson]

16 hours ago, BetyBee said:

My sister-in-law of over 40 years passed away in her sleep and was found this morning. Her partner of 28 years passed away 2 months ago. They were both in their 70s. She cared for him for several years because he had Alzheimers. My husband's sister. I've been on the phone with his other sister and our niece all afternoon. She had the house all packed up and it just went on the market. She was going to move in with her daughter when it sold. You never know. 😢

I’m sorry for your loss.

[Scarlett45]

@AgathaC reminded me of a holiday story I thought I’d share in small talk. 
 

One Christmas when my Mom was very small (she doesn’t remember this, it is all second hand), she was living in an apartment building with her parents, and Grandfather was storing her gifts in the storage locker in the building- someone broke into the locker and took everything. 
 

My grandmother told my Mom this story as an adult, that grandfather saw the empty locker and cried at the dinner table. Generally BALLED, that he was a horrid father and had nothing to give his child on Christmas. His wife had never seen him cry before NEVER. She assured him that it was okay, my mom was super little, they could give her one doll and a box and she would be FINE and she was going to have a wonderful Christmas. 
 

My grandfather grew up very poor- he didn’t even graduate from the 8th grade because he had to go to work in rural MS when his mom got sick. At Christmas he would remember getting nuts and oranges because that’s all his Mom could afford (his father died when he was 4, and his only memories of him were awful ones). I can’t imagine my Grandfather crying- of course it’s awful and violating if someone steals your child’s Xmas gifts, but it wasn’t about the presents. It was about him wanting to give his child the things he never had and feeing that he  “failed”.

The holidays can do that to people. 

[BetyBee]

@Scarlett45, that's a sad/heartwarming story. The sad part is when I think of the other side of that story - a thief who probably stole the presents to give to his/her child. The heartwarming part is that Grandma was right that a small child would be happy with a couple of simple gifts. The holidays can also bring out the best and the worst in people!

Mr. BB wrapped everything we have so far. We only have a few more things to buy, hopefully in one shopping trip. Well, and a second trip to World Market to buy some goofy stuff for our guests. We're hosting Christmas Eve and next week we'll concentrate on food for that night. We also have to decide which day to visit Mom. We'll want to bring her lunch and gifts for her and my brother. She doesn't really go anywhere but the doctor anymore. But she loves company. 

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, BetyBee said:

@Scarlett45, that's a sad/heartwarming story. The sad part is when I think of the other side of that story - a thief who probably stole the presents to give to his/her child. The heartwarming part is that Grandma was right that a small child would be happy with a couple of simple gifts. The holidays can also bring out the best and the worst in people!

Mr. BB wrapped everything we have so far. We only have a few more things to buy, hopefully in one shopping trip. Well, and a second trip to World Market to buy some goofy stuff for our guests. We're hosting Christmas Eve and next week we'll concentrate on food for that night. We also have to decide which day to visit Mom. We'll want to bring her lunch and gifts for her and my brother. She doesn't really go anywhere but the doctor anymore. But she loves company. 

Yes. My mom must’ve been only 2 or 3, she says she doesn’t remember this Christmas, or one where she didn’t have many gifts. My Mom was an only child and although Grandfather didn’t make a lot of money, because it was “just her” she had a lot of comforts and new things. (compared to people who had several brothers and sisters on the same income)
 

I just think about how hard my Grandfather worked to collect those presents, and they were gone- and yes, the person who stole them and what they were going through. And the thing is, my Grandfather understood why his Mom didn’t have money for gifts. He loved his mother (she was dead by this time) he didn’t “blame her” or think she was awful because all she could afford were oranges and nuts, but he thought HE was a bad father (I’m sure a lot of toxic masculinity played into that). 
 

Of course I like gifts (and I do exchange with loved ones) but I’m a grown ass woman with a job, if I need something I can buy it.
 

I would much rather decorate and spend time together, having an outing or have a fancy meal than focus on “the things”. I have a few more gifts to buy but I don’t stress over presents. My sister is easy to please, and my Mom asked for AirPods!(I told my mom I want a winter onesie). 
 

Now that all my great aunts and uncles are dead- yes I remember some of the fun gifts I got at Christmas, but I remember more the things we DID and being together than the stuff. I distinctly remember Christmas 1996 or 97, I asked for Lucille Ball’s autobiography (Xmas list was due on the fridge on Black Friday), and my Great Aunt B bought me a copy (I ended up with three that year). What touched me is that I never thought Aunt B looked at my Christmas list- I assumed my sister was the only person she cared about gifts for. The fact that she READ IT, and got it for me (she loved Lucille Ball too), I felt kinda special. 
 

*Of course as I got older I understood better than her favoritism towards my sister was more about her feeling like she had a second chance at motherhood, wanting to be needed, etc than about ME. But as a kid who’s in a situation where someone else is always the favorite and indulged at every turn you can feel bad- I knew she loved me but it was clear I wasn’t her favorite, and the other adults in my life assured me I wasn’t imagining it but I just had to deal. We had a better relationship when she got too old to care for my sister and we weren’t together everyday. She was the one that taught me how to do the fancy wrapping- she was a wrapper at Marshall Field’s back in the day (Macy’s bought it in the early 00s, a famous Chicago department store). 

[lookeyloo]

Gosh, family stories can be so heartbreaking.  My daughter in law who is in a field to help children hears me and my brother talk and wonders how we can be functional adults with all we went through.  We wonder that ourselves sometimes.  Of course our baby brother committed suicide so there's that.  Oy. 

[CalicoKitty]

There was a discussion on private church schools in the Dillard thread.  All church sponsored schools are not created equal, unfortunately.  In my area there is a Lutheran high school that is quite small.  They graduated around 30 seniors last year.  Their academic olympic team placed first in the state this year, and have placed every year for the past several years.  One student is a finalist for a National Merit Scholarship.  I get the idea that a lot of these students attended private church-sponsored schools for grammar school.  It makes me so sad that every child does not have the opportunity for education to be prepared for whatever they want to do in life.  Private or public, children deserve a good education to function well in life.  Being plopped down with a workbook with little supervision is just sad, in my opinion.  Being "taught" by someone with little education is sad.  The Amish children in Iowa have their own small schools near their farms, and used to have their own teachers--an older child or young adult that "graduated" from their own schools, which was about an 8th grade education.  The State of Iowa decided that the children in the Amish communities had to go to school with a real, certificated teacher.  I remember this so well because it happened in the community near where I grew up, and it made the national news.  The state sent school buses to pick up the children on the first day they were to go to public school, and the kids hid in the corn field and threw ears of corn at the buses.  They refused to board.  After some discussion, it was decided that the Amish children could continue to attend their own little school houses, but a credentialed teacher would be teaching.  The teachers drive their cars to the schools, wear pants and dress like regular teachers.  The Amish children get a better education than in the past, but, being an agricultural community and life style, still mostly quit school after 8th grade.  But they are getting some exposure to the outside world and a real education--unlike the Rods or the education at the SOTDR--or poor Spurge.  I am sorry for adults that did not receive the education they deserve.

[BetyBee]

13 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

Gosh, family stories can be so heartbreaking.  My daughter in law who is in a field to help children hears me and my brother talk and wonders how we can be functional adults with all we went through.  We wonder that ourselves sometimes.  Of course our baby brother committed suicide so there's that.  Oy. 

IKWYM, @lookeyloo - I don't like to talk about my upbringing except with my sibs or very close friends. It didn't include any physical abuse, but let's just say our home life was not that pleasant. Funny though, when I talk to childhood friends, I learn that functional families seem to be a rarity! My childhood friends though my life was better than theirs! I'm in my 60s and we didn't talk as openly about things like that when I was a kid. Talking to my 52 yo niece, who had a horrific childhood (daughter of recently deceased sil), absolutely terrible. Sometimes I feel like I can't hear any more about it! I wish I had known the extent of what she was going through. Families keep secrets!

[lookeyloo]

3 minutes ago, BetyBee said:

IKWYM, @lookeyloo - I don't like to talk about my upbringing except with my sibs or very close friends. It didn't include any physical abuse, but let's just say our home life was not that pleasant. Funny though, when I talk to childhood friends, I learn that functional families seem to be a rarity! My childhood friends though my life was better than theirs! I'm in my 60s and we didn't talk as openly about things like that when I was a kid. Talking to my 52 yo niece, who had a horrific childhood (daughter of recently deceased sil), absolutely terrible. Sometimes I feel like I can't hear any more about it! I wish I had known the extent of what she was going through. Families keep secrets!

Agree that not everyone had lives that much different from mine. I will turn 79 in a few weeks and born during the war. My Parents married too soon. He shipped out. CamE back on a short furlough. I was conceived. Didn't meet him til I was past 2 - meanwhile he had war issues and she sort of grew up alone. Given the times I guess we were not unusual. Nothing very physical and always had food and shelter but they didn't get along and we were affected by all of that. Lots of worry by small children me being the oldest trying to be peacemaker. Well an unequipped child not the best for this. We talked about eggshells a few posts back. That's how it was always for us.  We kids knew we were struggling but no one to talk to. Our grandma was our savior so to speak. We didn't talk about home with her but my mother did. Grandma always had her arms and heart open for us.  Funny enough as perfect a grandma that she was, she was a tough wife and mother. But her kids all loved her. Different times. 
my brother and I share stories as family history but made a kind of peace with it so we aren't reliving it or tortured by it. 

[Jeeves]

Oh gosh. Families. I could write a book - but then I think each of us could. Now that I've hit my mid-70's I often entertain thoughts of gratitude for the loving people in my early life. Love and even simple kindness and attention - they all help, and helped me. 

On a lighter note, the Daily Fail has broken the news that, out in the fields, there are - COWS. Yes, in all caps and breathless prose. Stop the presses! Well, I have to give them props for "The Thin Moo Line" - although I have to deduct points for the all-caps "MOO."

The story: a guy fleeing the cops in Devon, England, jumped the wrong fence and got herded back to the arms of the law by some livestock. He was arrested, followed by a bunch of puns on social media. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11511555/Moment-run-suspect-chased-herd-COWS-field-arms-Devon-police.html

[Scarlett45]

I wanted to share the some more photos from my pet photo shoot for the holiday card. These are mostly fails, but they are cute! My favorite one of Lady Reese ended up so blurry- I was frustrated.

[Scarlett45]

On 12/14/2022 at 6:52 AM, lookeyloo said:

Agree that not everyone had lives that much different from mine. I will turn 79 in a few weeks and born during the war. My Parents married too soon. He shipped out. CamE back on a short furlough. I was conceived. Didn't meet him til I was past 2 - meanwhile he had war issues and she sort of grew up alone. Given the times I guess we were not unusual. Nothing very physical and always had food and shelter but they didn't get along and we were affected by all of that. Lots of worry by small children me being the oldest trying to be peacemaker. Well an unequipped child not the best for this. We talked about eggshells a few posts back. That's how it was always for us.  We kids knew we were struggling but no one to talk to. Our grandma was our savior so to speak. We didn't talk about home with her but my mother did. Grandma always had her arms and heart open for us.  Funny enough as perfect a grandma that she was, she was a tough wife and mother. But her kids all loved her. Different times. 
my brother and I share stories as family history but made a kind of peace with it so we aren't reliving it or tortured by it. 

Having that "port in the storm", even doing the hardest of times can make such a difference for someone when they are struggling. I am glad your Grandmother was that for you.

As you all know I lost a lot of loved ones last year (human and feline), last year I was just so wrapped up in grief, the loss of my relationship with my cousin L (who was hoarding and a caregiver to her mother with dementia) is still something that causes me pain to this day. Every day. I know I may never "get over it" I will just have to live with it. This year there is distance between me and my grief, but this year I just miss them. 

I was lucky- I was loved, well cared for, educated, treasured, and I know everyone did their best (even if they made mistakes). As I get older the more I know how lucky I was, that can bring me comfort in the hard times (like when my sister drives me bananas or my Mom acts like a big ass baby).

As Vision said "What is grief, if not love persevering?"(for those MCU fans among us)

[lookeyloo]

4 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Having that "port in the storm", even doing the hardest of times can make such a difference for someone when they are struggling. I am glad your Grandmother was that for you.

As you all know I lost a lot of loved ones last year (human and feline), last year I was just so wrapped up in grief, the loss of my relationship with my cousin L (who was hoarding and a caregiver to her mother with dementia) is still something that causes me pain to this day. Every day. I know I may never "get over it" I will just have to live with it. This year there is distance between me and my grief, but this year I just miss them. 

I was lucky- I was loved, well cared for, educated, treasured, and I know everyone did their best (even if they made mistakes). As I get older the more I know how lucky I was, that can bring me comfort in the hard times (like when my sister drives me bananas or my Mom acts like a big ass baby).

As Vision said "What is grief, if not love persevering?"(for those MCU fans among us)

Well said @Scarlett45.  You are right about having  that port in the storm.  Research has shown vulnerable children do better with at least one important adult, doesn't have to be a family member, that is their port in the storm.   And, the quote resonates, as y'all know, we are still grieving loss of Sweet Son.  And I remember all the losses you have suffered.  Somehow we have managed to carry on.

[Scarlett45]

If anyone else is missing loved ones this holiday season and wishes to add context to 

Quote

What is grief, if not love persevering. 

You don't need to understand or watch the MCU to understand the scene.

[ChiCricket]

On 12/11/2022 at 2:10 PM, CalicoKitty said:

I did mean the state of Washington. 

Should I be embarrassed to admit that I was married (and pregnant) before I figured out that Washington State, and Washington DC were two different places? 🙄 😂 

   Also, in case anyone needs:

You can get 4 more free covid tests starting today. (It also said to check your previous tests expiration dates.. but not to automatically toss expired ones, because the dates on some have been extended .)
https://www.covid.gov/tests

Love to you all.. posters and lurkers alike 😁 

[jcbrown]

4 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

If anyone else is missing loved ones this holiday season and wishes to add context to 

You don't need to understand or watch the MCU to understand the scene.

Thank you, @Scarlett45. I heard someone on Colbert last year describe grief as unexpressed love, which resonated with me similarly. I thought of my dad while I was putting lights on the tree, as that was always his job, and I thought of my mom while I was putting ornaments on, as she taught me how to do that to ensure the tree was beautiful (she liked the ornaments to coordinate with nearby lights, e.g.).

[andromeda331]

12 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I wanted to share the some more photos from my pet photo shoot for the holiday card. These are mostly fails, but they are cute! My favorite one of Lady Reese ended up so blurry- I was frustrated.

So cute!

[jcbrown]

So my Christmas challenge is my oven died on Wednesday and I am hosting Christmas next weekend (I have the Waygu roast in the freezer to prove it). Still waiting to hear back from the appliance people with an estimated $$ and timeframe for repair. Fortunately, one of our guests is my sister (so low stress) and the other is my friend who is similarly culinarily inclined to me. So we are taking my original menu (for which the food is already ordered, so that's not great) and pivoting to use my air fryer and hers, which she is bringing, and stovetop cooking as already planned. We can do everything but the bread and one appetizer and no Christmas cookies and I had to order dessert in lieu of my sticky toffee bundt cake but this is actually turning out kind of fun, doing it collaboratively. I'm not sure I would have been able to roll with this particular punch before a couple years of pandemic cooking where I learned to ease up and make do more than I was previously able to.

Edited December 17, 2022 by jcbrown

[CalicoKitty]

10 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

So my Christmas challenge is my oven died on Wednesday and I am hosting Christmas next weekend (I have the Waygu roast in the freezer to prove it). Still waiting to hear back from the appliance people with an estimated $$ and timeframe for repair. Fortunately, one of our guests is my sister (so low stress) and the other is my friend who is similarly culinarily inclined to me. So we are taking my original menu (for which the food is already ordered, so that's not great) and pivoting to use my air fryer and hers, which she is bringing, and stovetop cooking as already planned. We can do everything but the bread and one appetizer and no Christmas cookies and I had to order dessert in lieu of my sticky toffee bundt cake but this is actually turning out kind of fun, doing it collaboratively. I'm not sure I would have been able to roll with this particular punch before a couple years of pandemic cooking where I learned to ease up and make do more than I was previously able to.

If you are planning to use 2 air fryers at once, be sure to check your plugs in your kitchen.  I think air fryers pull electricity, so make sure you can use two at the same time, along with whatever equipment you are using.  You might have to use a plug in a different room that is on a different circuit.  I know my kitchen plugs are on a different circuit than my living room plugs, and my stove has it's own.  Just so you don't have any surprises....

[CalicoKitty]

Is anyone else getting notifications on posts that are not yours?  I get the notification message that I have responses to my posts (the bell symbol at the top, and a notification message).  I click on the bell to see what post has a response, and someone else's post appears.  It has nothing to do with anything I have posted.  Nothing I have posted is even on the same page that appears.  This has been happening frequently  for the past week.  Very strange.

[Salacious Kitty]

Hopefully the update will banish the little gremlins. 

I don't care about the notifications. I've never even looked at them. 

[AstridM]

25 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Hopefully the update will banish the little gremlins. 

I don't care about the notifications. I've never even looked at them. 

I have them all turned off. 

[jcbrown]

20 hours ago, CalicoKitty said:

If you are planning to use 2 air fryers at once, be sure to check your plugs in your kitchen.  I think air fryers pull electricity, so make sure you can use two at the same time, along with whatever equipment you are using.  You might have to use a plug in a different room that is on a different circuit.  I know my kitchen plugs are on a different circuit than my living room plugs, and my stove has it's own.  Just so you don't have any surprises....

Thanks for the reminder. When we had our kitchen re-done eight years ago, the city inspector was pretty tough on the electrician and made him do some rewiring to ensure the outlets did not share a circuit. Fingers crossed that worked well enough!

[Scarlett45]

On 12/16/2022 at 10:17 PM, jcbrown said:

So my Christmas challenge is my oven died on Wednesday and I am hosting Christmas next weekend (I have the Waygu roast in the freezer to prove it). Still waiting to hear back from the appliance people with an estimated $$ and timeframe for repair. Fortunately, one of our guests is my sister (so low stress) and the other is my friend who is similarly culinarily inclined to me. So we are taking my original menu (for which the food is already ordered, so that's not great) and pivoting to use my air fryer and hers, which she is bringing, and stovetop cooking as already planned. We can do everything but the bread and one appetizer and no Christmas cookies and I had to order dessert in lieu of my sticky toffee bundt cake but this is actually turning out kind of fun, doing it collaboratively. I'm not sure I would have been able to roll with this particular punch before a couple years of pandemic cooking where I learned to ease up and make do more than I was previously able to.

Oh no stressful! You sound like you’ve got it under control. I’m sure your dinner will be amazing. 

[louannems]

On 12/16/2022 at 8:17 PM, jcbrown said:

So my Christmas challenge is my oven died on Wednesday and I am hosting Christmas next weekend (I have the Waygu roast in the freezer to prove it). Still waiting to hear back from the appliance people with an estimated $$ and timeframe for repair. Fortunately, one of our guests is my sister (so low stress) and the other is my friend who is similarly culinarily inclined to me. So we are taking my original menu (for which the food is already ordered, so that's not great) and pivoting to use my air fryer and hers, which she is bringing, and stovetop cooking as already planned. We can do everything but the bread and one appetizer and no Christmas cookies and I had to order dessert in lieu of my sticky toffee bundt cake but this is actually turning out kind of fun, doing it collaboratively. I'm not sure I would have been able to roll with this particular punch before a couple years of pandemic cooking where I learned to ease up and make do more than I was previously able to.

If I’m remembering correctly, you posted a photo, years ago, of your beautiful Wolf range.  Is it this oven that died?

My one and only holiday to host has always been Thanksgiving.  Our refrigerator refused to die, even as inside parts broke.  I always told my husband that it would be just our luck for it to die on a Thanksgiving week, with all that food in it.

Sure enough, it did, but luckily two weeks before Thanksgiving and we got it replaced in the nick of time. This was two years ago.

Appliances are hard to get right now, with everything backlogged.  Hopefully you just need a repair!

[ChristmasCandy]

I swear one of my family members is turning into the Duggars because they just forwarded a recipe for Creamy Dill Pickle soup 🤢🤮to me and they want me to make it for Christmas dinner.

[jcbrown]

4 hours ago, louannems said:

If I’m remembering correctly, you posted a photo, years ago, of your beautiful Wolf range.  Is it this oven that died?

My one and only holiday to host has always been Thanksgiving.  Our refrigerator refused to die, even as inside parts broke.  I always told my husband that it would be just our luck for it to die on a Thanksgiving week, with all that food in it.

Sure enough, it did, but luckily two weeks before Thanksgiving and we got it replaced in the nick of time. This was two years ago.

Appliances are hard to get right now, with everything backlogged.  Hopefully you just need a repair!

Good memory and yes, it's a six-burner dual fuel Wolf range. Seems like the thermostat is likely the culprit but I have not heard back on the estimate they were supposed to provide me last Friday. The guy who came to diagnose the problem told me the parts person was already on vacation so I am operating as though I will be without an oven into the new year. Le sigh.

How do appliances always know when it's a holiday? I was looking at my Facebook memories and noticed that nine years ago, my previous oven also died this week. Sheesh.

At least my sister will be around nearly through the New Year (she's traveling from Indiana), I ordered a fancy cheese and charcuterie collection from Murray's Cheese in NYC that we can nosh on as needed, I'm planning a latke and homemade applesauce night for between Christmas and New Year's, and my good friend and I are actually kind of enjoying this unexpected collaboration to create Christmas dinner. Should be memorable, anyway! 🙂

Edited December 18, 2022 by jcbrown

[oliviabenson]

22 hours ago, jcbrown said:

Thanks for the reminder. When we had our kitchen re-done eight years ago, the city inspector was pretty tough on the electrician and made him do some rewiring to ensure the outlets did not share a circuit. Fingers crossed that worked well enough!

I baked cookies, cake in the air fryer. 2 of them you can make a pretty decent meal.

36 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

Good memory and yes, it's a six-burner dual fuel Wolf range. Seems like the thermostat is likely the culprit but I have not heard back on the estimate they were supposed to provide me last Friday. The guy who came to diagnose the problem told me the parts person was already on vacation so I am operating as though I will be without an oven into the new year. Le sigh.

How do appliances always know when it's a holiday? I was looking at my Facebook memories and noticed that nine years ago, my previous oven also died this week. Sheesh.

At least my sister will be around nearly through the New Year (she's traveling from Indiana), I ordered a fancy cheese and charcuterie collection from Murray's Cheese in NYC that we can nosh on as needed, I'm planning a latke and homemade applesauce night for between Christmas and New Year's, and my good friend and I are actually kind of enjoying this unexpected collaboration to create Christmas dinner. Should be memorable, anyway! 🙂

My friend works for that  cheese company. Lol she keeps telling to buy cheese. Enjoy the cheese!

If I had counter space I’d buy one of these. Looks great.