Bigmike911

When I was a kid, Christmas didn't really start until about mid December, but the start date has moved up every year. Maybe our collective need for a season of joy and fellowship. I was a teen when my Mother decided to give the tree a more natural theme, so we gathered small pine cones from the forest behind our house and spray painted them green, red, silver and gold, so much for natural. Then as I got older the ornaments got fancier and my mother and her friends started having ornament parties where they gave each other elaborate blown glass orbs. I have continued that tradition, I give good long term friends Halcyon Day's Annual Christmas Baubles. I added to my own collection with a number of the Halcyon Day's Jubilee baubles this year. So this Christmas will have a strong historic feel.

It is 2nd December, Thanksgiving plus 8. Two weeks ago, the leaves were beginning to turn to their fall colors. but in the span of a few days here in South East Texas, we watched the leaves turn, and in the case of a Maple tree drop all leaves in one day. I don't recall it ever being quit so fast to go from green to gone. We continue to get cold fronts from Canada which brings the over night temps to the high 30s (f) and as the fronts go through they collide with the warm very moist Gulf air and we get rain. It's free water and I will take all I can get as we had a long, hot, dry spell this past summer. After the fronts go though, the daily high's go back to the 80s though the humidity we live with in the summer is very low, so it's pleasant. The Christmas season is upon us, but I have not started much decorating yet. My cleaning ladies missed their last visit, because of the wedding of one of their daughters, so I will wait until their next heavy cleaning next Wednesday to begin to decorate. I did put up the Advent Calendar, a box with the facade of Fortnum and Mason, with 24 little doors that can be opened to find a treat. The treats are chocolate coins of the world and Italian foil wrapped Santa Claus with an occasional gum drop. The lighted Christmas Wreath is on the front door, So here we go.

I had a 15+ lb Willibird from Petaluma in my oven this morning. He was done about 2 pm Central to join the chestnut cornbread dressing, wild rice with mushrooms, Asparagus with lemon butter sauce, the traditional green bean casserole, The starter was cream of curried carrot leek soup and the finish was a pecan pie (Pecan nut pie) to our English friends. Two bottles of Veuve Clicquot to go with. It's all over but the cleaning up, which I am currently taking a brief break from.

Tonopah, I am so sorry a streak of bad luck has come your way. I hope your husband heals and your cooker gets fixed. I am at the age where a family member or long term passing is no longer a rare occasion, but even so, it hurts. I pray you will have the strength to persevere and fill your mind with the good memories of your recent voyage and of your brother.

I am glad to hear that things are more like normal. Clearly, that was one of the reasons, I have not been on the high seas for the past two plus years. I am certain that as time passes, things will get back to normal real normal. So I am watching and waiting. For those not watching river cruising. I did book a cruise on the new Viking Mississippi for next June. It is looking like that is iffy too. For our friends not in North America. The Mississippi is America's great river. It is fed by tributaries to the east and west. The west being the Missouri, the Arkansas and the Red rivers. The whole mid-west has been under a drought for the past several years, and the water in the Mississippi is so low that barge traffic, which is very important to our commerce is at a trickle and passenger traffic is restricted to south of Memphis. The Memphis to New Orleans and vice versa cruises are unable to get to Memphis and are landing about two hours south of Memphis and passengers are being bussed to and from. If we don't have a bumper winter/spring precipitation season next year will be just as bad, or worse. So, I am now looking at canceling yet another cruise. This is getting to be a broken record. But Fingers Crossed.

I hope your kitty recovers and has a good long life. They are wonderful creatures. My last cat Mimi went to Kitty Heaven last November, and her replacement is a shelter lad named Charlie, who is settling in nicely after a rocky start. But he will do fine. He became a lap cat just this week a new treat for him and me.

I watched the service from Whitehall with the new King Charles. It never fails to impress me. The Brits understand the importance of remembering history and those who gave so much> That I think has gone from our lives on this side of the pond. I am old enough to fondly remember when we all wore poppies in November, and I miss it. I hope your trip was great LL, I am looking forward for my next Cunard Voyage, date and ship, yet unknown. but I will keep watch.

Frank, you team played well, but the Astros won the Series. I wonder who you might consider the better team, now.

One of the most underrated, but wonderful places in London is the Courtauld Gallery, Somerset House, Strand. An absolutely amazing collection of Art from Dutch Masters to the Impressionists and others. Its a very approachable up close collection. If you have spare time and are looking for something wonderful, I can recommend it, highly.

It's hard to keep track of the sports teams who kept moving around looking for greener pastures. Like the Cleveland Rams who moved to Los Angeles and then to St. Louis, and then back to Los Angeles. Or the Oakland Raiders who moved To Los Angeles, back to Oakland and then to Las Vegas. Or the Los Angeles Chargers who moved to San Diego, and then back to Los Angeles.

You are right. At 78, my memory is not what it once was.

American Baseball, is played in North and South America, as well as Japan and Korea, and other countries. The Premiere leagues are in the US with Canadian Representation. The term 'World Series' was created in the early 20th Century where it could be fairly said it was a championship series among the best American Baseball Teams in the World. Until the 1950's most of the teams were in the northwest US where teams could travel from city to city by overnight trains. In the late 50's with rapid Trans Continental Air travel, teams moved from the east to the west coast. The Brooklyn N.Y. Dodgers to Los Angeles, and the New York Giants to San Francisco. The Boston Athletics moved to Kansas City, and then to Oakland, CA. The Boston Braves moved to Atlanta. At the same time new Teams were chartered in places like Houston and Dallas. The Astro's were originally called the Colt 45s after the famed pistol, but when the Harris County, Texas Domed Stadium was built in 1965 It was called the Astrodome, and the Baseball Team that played there was renamed the Astros.

As are the Astros. May the best team win.

It would appear that I got my wish. The Astros play the New York Yankees starting this evening. I wish them luck.

A great shot! It is rainy and cool in S.E. Texas and with the hot, dry, drought filled summer we had, the rain is a thing of beauty. Every drop counts.

I had confused "best of" numbers. I think I would rather we play the Yankees to the Cleveland "Whatevers".

The Houston Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 1-0 last night in a game that ran 18 innings. For our friends who may not know American Baseball, that is 9 innings longer than a normal game, but they must play until someone wins. That places the Astros at three to nothing in the best of Seven Divisional Playoffs. This year is getting exciting. Go Astros. Tech Teach did you watch the game?

The Britannia Club staterooms are on decks 12 and 13 forward. They command a premium price. If people are willing to pay more for these staterooms, it seems that your 8 deck stateroom will be fine.

Yes, since they were the Colt 45s. Which shows you how old I am. I would like to see the Astro's redeem themselves and go all the way. But I think that any team that gets this far in the season, including your's is a great team.

Sounds like an omen to me LL. By the way, I thought about you as I was eating my Fish and Chips with Sarson's vinegar last week as you recommended. Excellent.

I hope that our contributors in Florida will be o.k. with the onshoring of Hurricane Ian. The west coast of Florida looks like it is going to take a pounding. Good luck and God Speed all.

I understand the King has gone to Balmoral for a bit to rest and reflect. Watching the members of the Royal Family giving it their all for a full ten+ days, while dealing with grief as well, makes me respect them more for their incredibly hard work. They did very well (to quote the owner of an imaginary British Department Store, of yore.)

Yes, isn't that sort of the point. Continuity. Let the whipsawing go on amongst the political class, but the Monarch, representing all of the people remains about it. And the people can have a greater loyalty to country as a result, unlike the ping ponging that goes on in the US. Brits are very lucky, indeed.

To our British, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and others condolences on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. I was six when she came to the throne, going to school at Hillside Cottage School in Camrose, Alberta, Canada (My dad was in the oil business and the Great Alberta Oil Rush was on, so we moved from Texas to Canada for a couple of years.) I was in the first grade, and our teacher told us the words of the national anthem would be changed (in those days O' Canada was not yet the Canadian National Anthem). The King would be changed to Queen. So for nearly all my life, Queen Elizabeth has been a constant. I think she made a wonderful, caring and dedicated Monarch, and the whole world was made better by her existence. She seemed like she would go on forever. But, You now have a new King. I was very impressed with his first speech. I think he hit all the notes perfectly. I have followed his life's interests conservation and preservation, and was very impressed with the results he achieved with his Highgrove Gardens. I can only wish him the Best. God Save the King.

Or it could be from the Blair Athol Distillery in Pitlochrey. I still have a bottle of their fine whisky in my larder.