Favorite Things

Traditionally, the day after Thanksgiving I blast the Christmas carols.  Traditionally, a week before Christmas my family is ready to crucify me.

In any case, each December we choose and test-run a new album.  Last year we invested in and were disappointed by Annie Lennox's.  This time we bought and fell in love with KiHo'alu Christmas, Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar.  My favorite quirky album has got to be the one pictured here. Listening, you may find Martha Wainwright's "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year," incorporates all the wistful angst of scattered adult Christmases, while Rufus Wainwright's dark and dismal "Counting Stars," from its first dissonant notes makes my daughter and me giggle uncontrollably.  What are your seasonal music traditions?

Sweet Somethings for shipping

 In case you need gift ideas for shipping off, a few ideas spring to mind.  The first time I tasted pears courtesy Harry and David, it was as if I had never tasted a pear before--recently I found a great promotion slipped into the pages of Sunset magazine. Need chocolate with a twist?  Senor Murphy's, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is wonderful, and I'm always sorry more people haven't heard of them.  Try the bolitas (fudge, surrounded by chocolate, then chopped almonds) or Twin Peaks, two almonds in a blob of caramel, dipped in dark chocolate.

Perhaps you're dashing off somewhere and need a hostess gift quick--swing by The Little Flower Candy Co. Pricey, but delicious and lovely to behold during Christmas time.
But I'll be you already knew that.

Feeling frugal, and like baking? Two of my favorites here and here.

Something different.

Now's the season for Fuyu persimmons.  They don't have to be mushy soft, or cooked,  like the Hamachi variety, to be palatable. Raw  these are firm, crisp, mildly sweet, with a flavor all their own.  Let me know if you're a fan.

Thank you for asking

Yes, still in the dark.  On the upside I have a very clean refrigerator.
I tackled it like a triage unit: what is the most vital and perishable?
That one was easy, we all know room-temperature vodka is vile.  I made sure to polish it off
before tackling anything else.  And after that, what could possibly matter?

Recommended

Thanksgiving
 
Thank You
  for all my hands can hold--
   apples red,
    and melons gold,
     yellow corn
       both ripe and sweet,
         peas and beans
          so good to eat!

Thank You
 for all my eyes can see--
  lovely sunlight,
   field and tree,
    white cloud-boats
     in sea-deep sky,
      soaring bird
       and butterfly.

Thank You
 for all my ears can hear--
  birds' song echoing
   far and near,
    songs of little
     stream, big sea,
      cricket, bullfrog,
        duck and bee!

--by Ivy O Eastwick

Reality Check

Driving down a busy street  I noticed a long line of people.    What was the draw?  What was the event?
A closer look and I realized it was a food bank.

Well, my lads and lasses, I consider myself a generous person.  I'm sure you are one, as well.  I respect the charities to which I send my funds; none of them, however, address hunger in the city where I live.  This week I'm dropping off funds at the food bank, so they can buy the foods they need to stock, and I gently recommend that you, kind reader, consider it as well.

(Although knowing my readers they're waaay ahead of me).

Cameo

Faithful readers, please check out my story here, published today, on fiction365.com

Dr. Drew Shameless Shill

Yes, people die, people die in required surgery, people die from elective surgery. But the lap band deaths display an incredible disregard to medical procedures, monitoring and follow up.  The industry preys on those who face our cultural opprobrium of obesity--and I feel for people who think this operation is their salvation.

Dr Drew currently promotes it on radio ads.  What I want to know, doc, is would you really recommend it to someone you loved?