May the blessings of this holy season be abundant upon you and yours. Wishing all the Couch Critters, their loved ones, and their not-so-loved ones the most merry, loving, and wonderfully blessed Christmas season!
Christmas Weekend Open Comments
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124 responses to “Christmas Weekend Open Comments”
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Merry Christmas from the Farm! Daughter and SIL are visiting from Midland TX so it is a good Christmas. Yup Life is Good….Oh and as usual we’re only having a few gifts under the tree. The Ranch House lit up. 😉
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Since I used up my “#3” allotment of pictures I’ll post the Side Gate to the West Forty here and at the Big Pond.
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Merry Christmas to all, and Festivus to others from the cool, (temperature cool, not sunglasses cool), Great White North. It is currently -15F warming to -11 later in the day. Doing a bit of travelling today so must prepare. But first, coffee.
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52 here shooting for mid 70’s. Yesterday I was in the kitchen doing some early cooking for today, daughter was wrapping packages on the big counter and she had to crank up the A/C. 😉
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Ho, ho, ho and good morning gang. Working on my coffee while BFF continues to sleep away – so I have some quiet time. Hoping that you all have a great time out there, and that none of you win the drunk prize.
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The merriest of Merry Christmases to all!
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Here’s the Christmas Day edition of the WIP. https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/12/the-week-in-pictures-merry-xmas-edition.php
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I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas with friends and family.
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Merry Christmas!
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Minimalist gifting.
Fay and I went in together on a 24oz. package of bacon to give to each other. -
Merry Christmas to the couch gang!
I can’t believe there will be an almost 95F degree temperature differential between Houston and Texnadian’s Great White North today. This dome of hot air extends all the way to the Ohio Valley.
After Thanksgiving my wife didn’t want to cook a fancy dinner so that will be simple. However she did want to make a big ol’ country breakfast that would make ol’ Dave proud. There’s gonna be eggs, bacon, hotcakes, biscuits and gravy. The ladies already drank mimosas the other night so there may be some delays in getting the drunk prize event started this morning. 😉
In the spirit of Christmas, I’ll wait a day before I forward Phil’s great literary masterpiece from last night to my dad. My dad’s filter is waning as he gets older. My liberal sister and her soon to be ex are here. I do not want any drama on Christmas day.
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Dave, you have what appears to be a 4-pack of toilet paper under your tree. 🙂
When I zoomed in, I think it is actually a tin can of some sort.
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Shannon, you and Fay eat up and enjoy that bacon.
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Bacon is *always* a good choice for gifting. Handsome Son and Lovely DIL will be here in an hour or so, for a brief visit before they take off to see her family for the day.
I’m going to try to make some keto cinnamon rolls here in a bit. Mom and Dad always woke us up with the smells of coffee and cinnamon rolls when I was a kid. I try to have cinnamon rolls every Christmas, and I was glad to find a recipe that actually gives a good mouth feel for the dough.
I pulled out a coupla jars of my Dad’s recipe lasagna sauce. I’ll make some keto lasagna for dinner.
My way of keeping the family traditions going, even if we’re not having the family gathering.
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I think I jinxed myself yesterday, when I bragged about how my headaches were getting better. Dangit.
Putting some caffeine into me before I tackle the kitchen duties.
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In lieu of a homily, Father Joseph read a message from Patriarch John X from the pulpit last night after Liturgy.
That child gazes at each one of us. From His eyes, peace to the pure Virgin, the pride of us, created humans. From His eyes, a sparkle breaks our sorrows and a consolation heals our wounds. From His eyes, a light sweeps away the tyranny of darkness, and a vision eradicates the power of tyranny. From His eyes might crushes the empty might of humankind, and peace breaks the drums of war. From His heart, a balm comforts the wounded and calms the anxious. From His heart we nurture hope, and from His smile, we draw hope, and from His icon, we derive the chrism of salvation, and from His cross the dawn of resurrection.
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I need to go clean up the kitchen so I can destroy it later frying catfish.
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#13 TexMo, can you describe it? The only thing that looks like tin to me is the metal galvanized tree skirt around the bottom.
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I think that is what I see. It says Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
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Merry Christmas to all of you people.
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KTRH has been running that Howard Finch Christmas program since I was a kid, it seems.
It’s like an old friend. 🙂 -
Merry Christmas to all the couch family!
Rib roast was a smashing success last night, a little worried whether they’d be enough but 14lbs for 16 people was more than enough with many getting seconds. Cutting it was plastic knifes and forks was no issue, tender, tender. Thanks WB. Served with ice chest baked potatoes and all matter of desserts, everybody was happy.
Got my fancy carving knife, DeWalt 1/2” impact, the GrillEye Bluetooth meat thermometer, beer can chicken stands and a set of meat claws. Oh, and in the elephant game I stole the NOCO Jump Starter, those things are amazing.
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Christmas blessings to All!
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May TexPat, TexMo, TedTam, and my friend Scotty all experience a DIVINE HEALING today!
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#13
Here’s that item under Dave’s Christmas tree…
I saw it as soon as I went back and took another look.
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Unplug the fire stick’s power cord and then check it at both ends. So9unds like it’s not getting power to me.
Some dummie unplugged it when he unplugged the tree.
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#27 SHannon; Be very careful plugging it back in, you wouldn’t want to light up Aunt Bethany’s cat. 😀
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#20 #26 Yup that would be my wife’s new metal tree skirt collar. She got it to keep the critters out.
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Mt #28 we watched the Griswold Family Christmas last night, it’s one of daughter’s favorites…..It’s getting nippley in here,…. you want me to take something out? Can’t see the lines huh Rusty?…..Nope! We’re gonna’ have the hap hap happiest Christmas ever,……I have to leave that one there, Hanny’s granny doncha’ know. 😉
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23 GJT
Did you use your new Victorinox slicing knife to carve the roast ?
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I’m stuck in this place for 72 more hours. I don’t do confinement well. I had my tonsils out at the old St. Joseph’s hospital in downtown Houston 65 years ago and haven’t been in the hospital since.
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Merry Christmas to all you couch hosers.
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Must’ve been a lot of people out running around last night killing varmints for the buzzards.
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Elon Musk said…
“At its heart, wokeness is divisive, exclusionary, and hateful,” “Basically, it gives mean people a shield… to be evil and cruel. Armored in false virtue.“
This video proves it to be very true.
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#32 – Heal up quick TP!!
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23 timtom
Sounds about right. I have a 2-bone one in the fridge right now for New Years.Got a turkey the size of a growed-up pterodactyl in the oven now.
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My uncle got a huge 12 pt buck today… with his Honda Accord. He hopes the insurance carrier totals it. He wants a truck with a cattle guard now. 🙂
That thing got up, hopped the fence, and was out of site before he got out of his car.
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Got my jobs done today, well at least partially done. One was to go get gas, but even the Walmart freeway gas stop was closed and the pumps shut off. The other was to get my shower and shave, and that’s done. It’s a little early for my nap yet. Tonight it’s burger patty with left over chili and cheese and maybe BFF will lend me a pinch of diced onion for a delicious chili cheeseburger without the bun, green beans, and sliced maters. BFF’s cats have eaten the same thing, Meow Mix, for years without any problem, so it won’t hurt me to eat the same thing for a few days. We’ll have steak night one night this week, but haven’t decided which night. BFF is big on cheeseburgers also.
Nap is currently scheduled for 2PM, so that should play out about right. I’m all in on the bacon gift idea. Next year I’ll put that on my wish list when people ask me what I want – might even try it out on my birthday.
More later to all.
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23 GJT
Did you use your new Victorinox slicing knife to carve the roast ?
I sure did, cut like the meat was butter! But I think a butter knife would have cut that tender piece of beef. I did cook up some sausage which was a better test for it, no pressure at all just sliced right through it cleanly, never had a really good carving knife, l love it!
Hope you are doin better.
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Merry Christmas Day to all Hamsters wherever you may be.
Today eggnog has no calories; all chocolate is good for you, not only the dark stuff; may the reason to celebrate today bring you peace and joy; and recall that a simple warm smile and greeting to others is a never-ending gift no matter how many times it is given.
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Dear Texpat,
May you soon be home and quickly on the mend.
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My wife has gotten into diamond painting. She custom ordered one made from a picture of the grandkids and their parents in front of their new house. First lesson learned was you need to select or edit the picture more tailored toward diamond painting – this one has 18,000 pieces for the sky alone lol, it is yuge, I think 40” wide or close. Anyway, her setup is way to small for it so for Christmas she wanted a full size drafting table, so found one at Hobby Lobby and she loves it. Guess what is on my to do list today? I better quit screwing around and get to it.
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I was still confused about the tree skirting, but another glance at SD’s #2 I see it now. That’s neat.
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I did remember to use some baking soda when browning the ground meat for chili last week.
I’m sold on it.
One site suggests dissolving it in a little bit of water, blend into the meat, and let it sit for a bit. -
Interesting.
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Handsome and LDIL have come and gone. I explained all of my food processing stuff to her, and she said she’d be interested in a foraging class if I found one.
The headache is still here, but I’m forcing my way through my day, trying to ignore. I managed to load up the 2 cases of quart jars and the case of pint jars into the dishwasher. I prewash all of my new jars and lids, just to make sure I am clear of any manufacturing residue. Hubby is playing with the GPS I bought for him; he may actually use it. He made a Santa for me, fabricated out of some metal parts and pieces. That was sweet, since it’s not something he’d usually do. Santa has a “gig ’em” hand, just like he’s an Aggie.
I strained the chicken stock I started over a day ago. I didn’t have storage for it nor time to process it, so I just let it simmer in the crock pot. I have a few cups in the dehydrator now, eventually to be made into a powder. The rest is in the freezer. I’ve washed my load of dishes and should start on my keto lasagna noodles. I was able to pull two jars of my Dad’s lasagna sauce, so making the lasagna is half done already. I’m glad I have that task done.
Other than the cooking, we are just taking it easy. I guess the years of chaotic, busy family Christmases, with little kids running in and out of our legs, booties bumping in the kitchen as we cooked up the family feast, the piles of gifts under the tree…all are a distant memory now. /sigh
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Christmas dinner is over, the cleanup finished, and the dishwasher chugging along. Dessert will wait a while as we are quite full now. Fortunately we managed to stop before that last crucial bite was taken, the one you know you should not have taken because you felt full to bursting already. 🙂 Spouse and Purrscilla are napping on his recliner, both pretty much out cold with full stomachs.
I have time to read through the front section of the Chron before the game comes on around 3:30. We’ve had Chron delivery problems again lately: one day no paper at all, one day delivered around 10 am after we called, one day with the New York Times (!) delivered instead of the Chron, and several days when the Fort Bend Herald was the only paper delivered here, and it comes by mail as it only is published 3 days a week thanks to the pandemic. Lots of times The Herald fills our news needs very well without the Chron. Beginning to think the Chron is run by turkeys.
went out
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Well the wife decided to show granddaughter she could ride a Hoverboard. She did, and did well. Until the dismount. At the ER now.
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Feet straight in the air, landed right on her back. She’s comfortable with an ice pack right now while we wait.
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Seems a lotta old folks ending up in medical need this holiday. Hope the wife is okey-dokey, GJT.
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49 GJT
Hope she’s okay.
I don’t know what a hoverboard is.
But as I was driving out to check wells this morning, one of my neighbors were outside with their seven? year old girl. Girl was on one of these boards with two wheels. She was doing really well. Until she wasn’t.
Bound to have fractured a tail bone. At least. -
Thank you. Still waiting but doesn’t seem major. Lots of pain initially though.
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Hey GramPaw! What’s fer supper? Well, we got one of them Honey Baked Ham’s so the meat was the easy part. Then I fixed fried squash N onions, stir fried asparagus, green beans, rice, homemade Mac N Cheese and my world famous candied sweet taters. Dang fine eating right there and daughter and SIL are here all the way from Midland Texas to help us eat it. Yup, Life is Good! 😉
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54
Fried catfish and steak fries and jalapeño hush puppies, here. And Great Northern Beans with jalapeños.
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Great Northern Beans are really good.
They’re like pintos with white privilege.
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#49 & 50 – OUCH!
Prayers are UP!
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Got a full tank’s worth of cruisin in on GracieII
Whatta BEAUTIFUL Day!
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Still waiting but doesn’t seem major. Lots of pain initially though.
What I felt, when I fell off the stool and busted my butt. Must’ve busted it, it was at least 8 weeks before I started to feel normal.
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About 20-25 people in here waiting but there is that one guy evidently being treated like a slave and he ain’t ever been no slave, he told em he ain’t waiting much longer.
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Came in here after us.
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That’s cool Katfish, glad you’re on the backside of all that.
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GJT, your excitement beats our excitement. MIL was serving some cake on my grandma’s fine china and thought she was a waitress by carrying three plates at a time. Two fell off her arm and broke. The china came from my grandma, but the look on my wife’s face when her mom dropped them could have killed. I hope your wife gets better soon.
Shannon those two wheeled skate boards are called rip sticks. All three of my kids could do it flawlessly. I tried once about 7 years ago. Fortunately I did not dislocate my shoulder when I landed. I’ve never been on one since then.
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Sorry to hear about the oopsies today. The Lovely Mrs. Bonecrusher, Headcrusher, and I feasted on ribeyes, purple oven roasted taters, and slow cooked pinto beans. Definitely qualified as a feast. Headcrusher and I spent several hours hanging out and talking. Life is good.
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Got Hubby to watch “The Magic of Belle Isle”. He agreed with me that it was a fine movie, made good by the acting of Mr. Morgan Freeman.
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but there is that one guy evidently being treated like a slave
Maybe he needs some great northern beans.
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Some people have absolutely no idea about triage and what that entails.
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So, the current social climate vis a vis Christmas when both sets of Grandparents are divorced and toddlers are involved entails a good deal of delicate coordination on the part of the parents and patience on the part of the Grandparents as the process involves a bit of waiting around. Today i gotvso bored at the hotel that I organized all of the bars and bottles of hotel soap and shampoo in my overnight bag….
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68
I’ve always faked being the guy that hold it together in a crisis.
Works most of the time.
🙂
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The Green Bay Packers won by 2 points this afternoon over the Cleveland Browns. Snow flurries danced about for a good part of the game, and it was cold. The field was covered before the game started, and several inches of snow blanketed the ground outside the stadium. Winter has arrived there at last.
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Suddenly there is some loud thumping going on outside, and spouse says it is the neighbors behind us setting off fireworks. He also said that Purrscilla left the garden room at warp speed and dived under our bed when that started.
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Yeah Packers.
Boo fireworks.
It’s the only time Max’s hearing loss is a blessing.
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Shannon;
Fried catfish and steak fries and jalapeño hush puppies, here. And Great Northern Beans with jalapeños.
Dang, that works for me. I do need to fire up the fish fryer and cook some fish, hush puppies and taters.
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Oh and GJT I hope granddaughter is OK. Hopefully she is like you and me can and shake off the crazy stuff that we did. Kidding aside I do hope that it’s not serious.
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We had some fireworks in the neighborhood around 8 pm. Not firecrackers, sounded like bombs. Makes the cats nervous and start looking for hiding places.
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So daughter just headed back down to the Farm House on her mom’s Mule and while I was seeing her off, I thought dang, it’s not that cool tonight and I checked my handy dandy weather station and it is 62 degrees right now, Christmas day. FWIW; THAT is why I no longer live in Kansas. 😉
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Watched the latest Yellowstone.
Now watching Die Hard. That’s right, Vern.
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I just watched Die Hard with my dad and two of my nephews. It was the boys’ first time.
YKYMF
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We are home from the ER. Wife has no broke bones that they can tell by standard X-ray, a CT scan would be required to look for any fractures but actually the treatment would be no different if there were. We know there are no rib bones poking into her lungs for certain. Finally about 10:30 they gave her Tylenol 3 which helped tremendously. No 24 hr pharmacy in these parts so hopefully the night goes well until I can get prescription filled in the morning.
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Mornin’ Gang
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GJT, I hope that your wife is feeling better this monring. Last night I checked in, scanned up a bit and thought it was your granddaughter that fell but rereading it this morning that was obviously not the case. SO1 Even if some schmo reads your posts, he’ll misread it. 😉
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On the corner of Michaux and Main there’s an old building that’s been empty for years. For a few years now, the large plate glass window has been covered with a Google banner that has a blank section below the google, ostensibly to write a message of some social import. Friday, the message was “Why isn’t the Ghislane Maxwell trial being televised?”
Not sure why that’s important, but is this concept some social justice program that Google supports? I haven’t seen one anywhere else.
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Priceless line from Ben Shapiro re Biden v. Harris:
When an unstoppable idiot meets an immovable moron:
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Hubby welded up a Santa Clause for me. He said he used two 4″ weld caps for the body, leaving the seam raised and rough, painted white for the belt. Two 2″ caps for the head. #10 bolts w/o heads, welded into a “Gig ’em” formation for the hands. Snowshoes on the feet. Little curly ribbons of metal for hair. The hat is interesting – a long bolt, bent. The head of the bolt is painted white for the pom-pon and the cap is painted maroon (liked the body). He suggested I crochet a beard.
We were talking and laughing about it this morning. I put it up on a small table as we discussed its composition and the beard thing. I commented on how heavy it was – I have to use two hands just to pick it up, and I need to brace myself so I don’t hurt my back. “But, baby, if a bad guy breaks in, you can bash him over the head with it,” he said. “I’ll need a back brace to do that,” I replied. “I can just see it now: ‘Hold on, bad guy, while I run for a back brace so I can whack you with Santa Claus!’ THAT would make him stop!”
It’s his first artistic endeavor, and he did okay. It’s not the Santa I’d choose, but it comes from the heart, so it’s wonderful.
But he gets stored in his own box. Because I don’t dare add any weight when I try to move him next year.
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#84 Hamous, here’s the Google Map Screen Shot from Main street. Of course I don’t know if this was last week or 2 years ago. BTW; If you put your little man on Michaux street the picture is older and the building has cardboard plastered rudely that says Peace and Truth.
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What got my attention was the Tall Texan building in the narrow triangle and it looked an awful lot like a place where you used to eat, breakfast, I think? Don’t laugh, I seldom went downtown and don’t know most of the streets.
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One more thing I doubt that Google sponsored the billboard unless they just give these out to Race Baiters and the like.
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Morning gang. Glad everyone made it back from the ER visits and such over Christmas Day. I slept in a little this morning. Still not sure what the plan for the day is, but I’m certain BFF will be up soon to let me know. I guess the new year predictions will start up today now that Christmas is over. I’ll take another stab at trying to get some gas for my car as the lines have been just too long for me to tolerate so far. You all have a great day, and I’ll report back later.
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The lovely Mrs. Bonecrusher and I are going to get massages this morning. Hope is a very talented therapist; coming from me that is saying a lot.
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What got my attention was the Tall Texan building in the narrow triangle and it looked an awful lot like a place where you used to eat, breakfast, I think?
That was probably Rico’s Triangle Restaurant. It was a little further back towards 45. It later became “Frida”. I mentioned eating there and how creepy it was with the walls covered in Kahlo portraits. Death by the stare of a thousand unibrows. I think it’s a German restaurant now.
The Tall Texan was a local ice house that closed in the last year. You could get any draft beer you wanted as long as it was Lone Star or Shiner. Cash on the barrelhead only. Cheap too. Last time I was there, maybe two years ago, it was still a buck fitty for a 16 oz mug.
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Ricos is now Main Street Tap & Grill:
We wanted to create something a bit different in the Houston Market. We decided to be the first and only Mead bar in the area. Before there was beer, there was mead.
Talk about a niche market. I give it six months.
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Thanks Hamous, I guess it was the odd, triangular intersection that got my attention. but since Main runs diagonally there could be more places like that.
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Ninety Five!? Where is everyone?
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Well, I got up late, fed the cats, made my big covfefe, worked the sudoku in average time with no errors. Wondering if Tejas Roofing will be able to do the Chez Harp roof this coming week. Otherwise having no particular plans. I never did do any leaf raking this fall, so I guess if it is dry I might do some of that. Nope, if it is dry, I think the roofers will be here. In which case, my job will be to stay out of their way.
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A firm, deep tissue, massage is a magnificent thing when applied by a skilled practitioner. Hope has a very promising career in front of her. She also teaches yoga.
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Man, I’m loving this weather, it was 64 when we went to bed and 64 when we got up. It’s 80 right now.
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Wife had a good night, hurting this morning though. Just now got back from picking up pain meds from Tomball, but she has them now. She’ll be out for a few hours.
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Well, it’s behind their paywall, so I can’t read it. But I find it hard to believe any actual man would be caught dead wearing any sort of earrings.
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#99 Tim
Glad to hear your wife can be treated with pain meds. Also glad she didn’t do any permanent damage. The only moving device I jump on is my stationary bike, and it can’t throw me off on the floor.
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Our two boys are having a ball with this as mom has always been a bit over reactive with the boy things they did and do, ya know, skateboarding, bicycle MXing, motorcycles, fast cars…
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Father did a low mass instead of a high mass today, at the usual high mass time.
It was like watching whack-a-mole. Everyone attending at that time know when to sit/stand/kneel – and it’s different for a low mass.
I wonder what Father was thinking during all of the confusion?
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Posted on NextDoor…
Hey everyone…Please be careful leaving all the Christmas parties….Last night I went to a Christmas party. I had a couple beers, a few cocktails, followed by a few shots…I still had the sense to know that I was over the limit. That’s when I decided to do what I have never done before: I took a taxi home. Sure enough, there was a police check point on the way home, and since it was a taxi they waved it past. I arrived home safely without incident. This was both a great relief and a surprise because I had never driven a taxi before. I don’t even know where I got it from and now that it is in my garage, I don’t know what to do with it! Merry Christmas
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We just got home from a lovely Mexican dinner place nearby, had our fill of favorites, then gathered my leftovers and some wonderful frozen tamales they always have available at Christmas. The tamales are made there and have been very good every year on New Year’s Day and lasting several days thereafter. They’re the sort of thing that’s a must have now that we’ve found just the right place to get them.
Seems every year now that the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is kind of a letdown after the great activity of preparing for Christmas, even though it is not as frantic now as it was a few years ago. Guess that’s a product of finally realizing what is truly necessary and what is optional.
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https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/-coffee-and-covid-sunday-december-3ca I know, caught me by surprise, too.
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Coffee & Covid ☙ Sunday, December 26, 2021 ☙ DE-COUPLED
Happy Sunday, C&C! I hope you all had a blessed and rewarding Christmas holiday. Given the unique Omicron experience and the remarkable statistics, not to mention two days without C&C, a special Sunday edition for everyone. We’ll start with Florida’s Covid stats today since things are so extraordinary. Then we’ll get to the roundup.
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*COVID IN FLORIDA — STATS AND ANALYSIS*
Florida’s newest weekly report is out and … Wow! Omicron is DIFFERENT. Very different. And — this is critically important — because, and only because, of universal testing, intense focus, and widespread reporting we are in for a wild ride. The Omicron experience is NOT going to be like previous waves, not at all. And it looks like it’s going to be a whole lot better.
First, of all, Omicron BLEW OUT the testing stats this week:
— Cases jumped over 400% in one week,….
/snipOmicron is spreading. And it is spreading FAST.
/snip
So, even without genetic testing, this HAS to be Omicron. It’s a guess, but it’s pretty safe bet. Delta didn’t spread anywhere close to this fast.
But, there’s a very bright side. Now look at what DIDN’T blow out:—Despite the crazy-high cases, deaths fell.…. This is especially remarkable because any Covid-positive death is counted, even if the person died from some other cause (allegedly excepting true accidents). With so many people testing positive, you’d expect Covid-positive deaths to also increase; at least, to some extent.
— Although weekly cases increased by almost +100,000 over the previous week, Florida’s hospitalizations increased by only +750. Again, since ANY Covid-positive patient is counted, regardless of whether they were admitted for Covid or some other reason and were asymptomatic, we EXPECT hospitals to report higher bed use when cases are rising.
So, CASES quadrupled — up by 400% — but hospitalizations increased only by about 45%.
THIS is de-coupling. Deaths and hospitalizations are NOT mirroring the increase in cases anymore. Until about two weeks ago, total weekly hospitalizations ran between 10-15% of total weekly cases. Not now. Now, hospitalizations are only 1.8% of cases.
… There’s a clear historical correlation between cases, positivity rates, and bed usage. But not anymore.
/snipThe deaths report is even more remarkable.…. We’ve suddenly been buried in cases — but deaths FELL to a new record low, even lower than the earlier minimum.
In other words, the deaths figures aren’t correlating to the case numbers. They’ve also de-coupled, like the hospitalization numbers.If this season peaks after 10 weeks like the last one did, we could see nearly every Covid-naive Floridian infected with what seems clearly to be a non-lethal variant. And then the pandemic will be over.
It’s pretty exciting. And, it’s not AT ALL comparable to prior years…
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*COVID NEWS AND COMMENTARY*
I have never — not in almost two years — known so many people to have Covid at one time as I do right now.
One good friend and his wife had Covid last December — loss of taste and all — then got jabbed in July. Now they are Covid-positive again and having cold symptoms. They say the couple who sat next to them at church last Sunday is also sick and testing positive. Another friend, uninjected but Covid-naive, spent the weekend with flu symptoms and a positive test. Our church’s pastor and his family were out for Christmas Eve service with the flu.
And that’s just a start. I’ve lost track of how many others I’ve heard about.
My family, uninjected, unmasked, and living normally, is just fine. Not even a cold. And that’s even though I’ve been to the gym where almost everyone is unmasked and breathing hard. Well, they are breathing hard if they’re doing it right.
Think about this. Do you suppose ALL new cases are included in the 125,000 new reported Florida cases this week? Because I’m guessing that with the holiday rush, a lot of people who just had mild cold symptoms either didn’t get tested or tested at home. I’m guessing that the number of infected is actually MUCH higher than 125,000.
This thing is happening super fast.
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A new Nature pre-print studying Omicron concludes — you’ll never guess — that the new variant is MORE transmissible and LESS virulent than previous variants. They analyzed Delta first, finding that due to the shape of its spike protein, it was actually both more transmissible and more pathogenic (virulent).
By contrast, the researchers found that Omicron was 3 to 5 times more transmissible than the highly-infectious Delta. The finding is not particularly surprising; any variant that overtakes the field HAS to be more transmissible than the previous dominant strain, by definition.
They also found that the new variant’s spike protein has a shape that makes it less virulent than not only the Delta variant, but also the original strain. In other words, it’s the least dangerous type of Covid of all.
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Apparently, that single reported U.S. Omicron death turned out — you guessed it — to be not so much of an Omicron death after all. Public officials and media had reported that a man in Texas was the first American to die from the Omicron variant. But journalist Dan Cohen checked with the Harris County Public Health Department. He put the audio of his call up on Twitter — the department of health official clearly says they CANNOT conclude the man died from Omicron.
I know, you’re shocked about the spread of official misinformation. Somebody needs to shut down all those experts who are spreading false facts about Covid, am I right?
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Last week, Doctor Fauci’s medical advice was to disinvite uninjected people from holiday celebrations. In an interview with MSNBC, reporter Alicia Menendez asked him, “If someone in your family isn’t vaccinated, should you ask them not to show up?”
“Yes, I would do that,” Fauci answered, adding, “I think we’re dealing with a serious enough situation right now that if there’s an unvaccinated person I would say, ‘I’m very sorry, but not this time. Maybe another time when this is all over.’”
Remember, “unvaccinated” now includes “unboostered.” That vaxx card is going to be critically important in the Fauci household. Assuming anyone was coming anyway.
Fauci is a jackass.
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Here’s a link to Jeremy Redfern’s tweet guide to finding a monoclonal treatment site: https://tinyurl.com/yexea5te. This is a good resource for folks outside Florida who might need to find a place to get the treatment because their state isn’t particularly helpful when it comes to anything besides remdesivir and the vent.
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According a tweet by his wife, New York Times’ Asia Editor Carlos Tejada suddenly died of a heart attack on December 17 — one day after getting his Moderna booster. He’d had J&J in July as his “original” injection. He was 49.
Now don’t run out there telling everyone he died from the shot. It could have been anything. You never know. It’s just another Covid coincidence.
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Massachusetts announced it will activate 500 National Guard troops to help critically understaffed hospitals. Apparently, there aren’t enough doctors and nurses around. For some reason. I wonder what could possibly have caused this unexpected emergency shortage of critical healthcare personnel? Experts, baffled again.
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Omicron is forcing changes to the paradigm. ESPN published an article headlined “NFL chief medical officer: Symptomatic players driving COVID-19 spread; no indications of asymptomatic spread.”
Remarkable! And here, I thought it was all because of asymptomatic people.
The sports media giant reported unironically that the new “position represents a significant departure from the pandemic-long stance of public health authorities.”
So who should we believe? Public health officials? The NFL? Our own eyes?
But the league has now tested more than 300 players as positives. And that’s not good for business. So, the NFL’s health director disclosed that the closely-monitored, constantly-tested league was only seeing spread by vaccinated people: “Once [the virus] replicates enough to cause you to have symptoms,” he said, “now there’s enough there for us to say that you’re going to be shedding it out in a live form to infect someone else.”
Too bad they didn’t let us know this earlier. It might have been helpful.
The announcement was ostensibly issued to support the league’s decision to halt testing of asymptomatic players, at least injected ones. They still plan to test uninjected players every single day, though, symptomatic or not. Because science.
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The CDC issued some new emergency guidelines for hospitals, to help them prepare for a surge of Omicron hospitalizations. You might be thinking that they are going to stop firing doctors and nurses for not getting the shot. Nope. That would be ridiculous.
Instead — get this — the CDC announced it is SHORTENING QUARANTINES. That’s right. If a doctor or nurse gets Omicron, they no longer have to stay home for seven days and then get a negative test in order to come back to work. Under new “crisis” status, health care workers can return to work after only five days, and EVEN IF they are still mildly symptomatic, and now, even without testing.
Science! Seven days was always just a fluid concept anyway. Five days is fine. And who needs a negative test? Those things aren’t accurate.
You might be thinking that this is going to increase risk, but don’t worry! The CDC stressed that these workers will be required to WEAR MASKS whenever they are around patients. This is so hilarious. Like there’s any hospital anywhere in the country where healthcare workers are unmasked. Thanks CDC!
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/snip
********************Media reports say that the travel restrictions on eight African countries will finally be lifted on December 31, according to anonymous administration officials. So that accomplished a lot.
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WHO Director Tedros Something Something’s tongue slipped in an unfortunate way during an Omicron presser this weekend. He said, “It’s better to focus on those groups who have risk of serious illness and death. Rather than, as we’ve seen, some countries are using boosters to KILL CHILDREN. Which is not right.”
Kill children? Whoops! He’s not supposed to SAY that! Even if he’s thinking it, like the rest of us.
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Finally, according to NPR, 23 House Democrats have announced they will retire and not seek re-election this cycle. There are 221 total Democrats in the House. That means more than 1 out of 10 of them have announced they aren’t running again.So.
**********************Have a blessed Sunday, and I’ll see you back here tomorrow for more!
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The squirrel convention in the back yard that we woke up to this morning is still going on in the trees near the back porch and on the back porch and patio. We think there are six of them, but it’s hard to tell since they all look alike and dash around fast here and there. They look in the porch and garden room windows (maybe seeing their reflections) and start chattering, then dash off up and down nearby trees sometimes three at a time.
They also hang out on the brick wall of the house, their feet able to easily hold onto the brick surface to get a better view. Amazing. We must be careful opening doors to the house and garage lest one or two decide to explore inside. Purrscilla is glued to the windows watching them and occasionally says something in kitty talk that makes them stop and stare around momentarily.
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#104 mharper 42,
Hysterically funny!
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They also hang out on the brick wall of the house, their feet able to easily hold onto the brick surface to get a better view.
I remember the day I stepped just outside my back door to get some fresh air and sunshine. I paused there a moment, and then I fell something fall on head. I screamed like a girl and the thing on my head danced around on my head a bit, then I felt little claws as it launched itself away from my head. Just as I saw the squirrel, a second furball also landed on my head and did a happy squirrel dance before it, too, launched itself away from me. They had been running around the vertical wall above the door before I stepped out.
I don’t know how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but there’s room for at least two squirrels on my head.
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Hamous says:
DECEMBER 26, 2021 AT 11:25
Ricos is now Main Street Tap & Grill:We wanted to create something a bit different in the Houston Market. We decided to be the first and only Mead bar in the area. Before there was beer, there was mead.
Talk about a niche market. I give it six months.
Something I saw on my trek to North Texas and back, I don’t menember zackly where, but summers in the Aggie Land area was a place selling bees, honey, and mead. Mebbe its Beanie Baby entrepreneurs all growed up.
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#109 Tedtam,
That has to be one of the strangest things to happen in a lifetime. 🙂
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Get out the champagne. The Texans won today.
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I don’t know how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but there’s room for at least two squirrels on my head.
/stifle yourself, Shannon. Don’t say a word. Don’t do it.
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Distilling meade into spirit makes a darned fine liquor. It ain’t scotch, it ain’t bourbon, but it is darned pleasant.
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New discovery:
Turkey schmaltz is pretty tasty -
#110 Sarge
That bee place is east of TX6 and south of Navasota. I’ve been there once. It seemed to me they really promoted beekeeping as a hobby. They had everything to help get you started.
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I guess I walked into that one.
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The liberal wing of the family has departed. Probably just in time too. 🙂
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Tedtam, the way you describe your hair I can see how the squirrels might have been confused for a second or two. 🙂
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Had another chili cheeseburger tonight, and will be adding that to my regular keto evening meal plans in the future. Out of chili now though. Good stuff.
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It’s classic movie night on Pluto TV. We just finished “The Great Escape” and now “The Magnificent Seven” is starting. Hubby would have flipped to Prime to get a movie, until I convinced him he needed to see a classic like this one. “I just don’t know what it’s about,” Hubby said.
He likes his ruts. I try to get him out of them. Last night I managed to get him to watch some movies that he would’ve never watched. He enjoyed every one of them. I think he’ll like TM7, if he just gives it a chance.
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You can’t get into heaven if you haven’t seen TM7.
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We went to the old downtown post office that has recently opened up as a hipster mall called The Post. Right now it’s a collection of restaurants in one building and no chain restaurants. Pretty much any type of food you want. There are a lot of vacant retail spaces but it’s only been open for about a month. It was packed, and on a Sunday evening. There’s also a concert hall and they turned the rooftop into a five acre park. Apparently the Arc Angels are back together and playing there in January.
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