The other day, Perry and I were away from the house (and dogs) for a few hours. About 20 minutes into the drive, I realized I forgot to take off their collars — and I NEVER leave them alone with collars on — not since I heard the horror story of a colleague of Ben’s. (While dude was at work, one dog got his bottom jaw stuck in the collar of the other dog. He arrived home to find one dog with a broken jaw — and the other dead from strangulation.) 😢
And then I got a security notification on my phone!
One of my security cameras sent an alert that movement was spotted. A pet it said!!
As the video was pulling in, all I could see was a red blob in the middle of the screen and my heart almost exploded. BLOOD?? Did Merida open the door and let herself out??
Nope.
The rest of the trip was uneventful.
Although cold, it was sunny and the drive was gorgeous. Acres of snow covered fields without so much as a single disturbed flake. I sure love Indiana. So does Perry… but not during wintertime.
Now you know: In the movie, “Cast Away,” none of the sound on the island scenes is real. The loudness of ocean waves on the actual uninhabited island they were filming on was so overwhelming that every sound on the island and ocean scenes, including Tom Hanks’ monologues, were carefully recorded in a studio.
I saw a ‘play along’ list that determines if you can be considered old. I passed (or failed) it with flying colors. I’ve done them all. But you guys… my Mom STILL does one of the things on this list!
Things people no longer do —
If you’ve done them all, you’re officially old as dirt:
Used a rotary phone
Used a typewriter
Listened to a cassette tape
Watched a video from a VHS tape
Recorded music from radio to a cassette
Accessed the internet by dial-up
Used a phone book
Used a paper map to get somewhere
Owned a dictionary
Owned an encyclopedia
Taken photos with a film camera
Paid with a paper check
My Momma is pretty modern for her years.
So which of the above things does she refuse to let go of?
My momma wears her Apple Watch and her Oura ring. She has a Kindle and an iPhone. But she will NOT give up writing checks to pay bills. She gets defensive (and almost mad) when it’s suggested. If companies started refusing checks, she’d pay that way anyway and dare them not to take her money in that fashion. 🙂
How many of the things on the above list have you done — and are there any you still do?
Now you know: Humans share about 8% of their DNA with viruses due to ancient infections that permanently altered our genome.
We opened gifts here last night with Colette and afterward I started thinking about how gift ideas change as we age. When I was younger I only wanted personal gift items. Jewelry for the win — clothes, perfume, and even candles were great too. If I’d have gotten a vacuum sweeper, I’d have been incredibly disappointed.
Ole’ Dharma girl wanted a personal gift and was thrilled with her new monkey. 🐵
But I’m thinking about buying a skillet!
I did get a jewelry item but with my Amazon gift card I’m seriously looking at buying a skillet. 20 years ago I’d have gotten the cheapest one Walmart had for sale and bought something else with gift money. See what aging will do to ya??
I did have one gift that was sort of a fail. I bought Colette a Fahlo bracelet. I thought they were relatively new and pretty darned awesome. You pick an animal and can track it online while part of the proceeds from the sales support wildlife missions — the one I bought her was a shark. Come to find out, someone else got her one for Christmas and now she has 5. At least it’s the only shark one she has.
So I think I might just buy a skillet AND a Fhalo bracelet.
Our photos were again a fail.
I’ll still share a few anyway just so I can look back on them in a few years…
In the U.S., most people take down their Christmas tree between January 1 and January 6. According how I feel tomorrow, I may not be in the status quo.
When do you un-decorate after Christmas?
Now you know: Dr. Seuss’ widow had stringent terms when she sold the film rights to How the Grinch Stole Christmas. They included $5m upfront, 4% of the box-office, 50% of merchandising & 70% of book tie-in profits. Also, only directors & writers who’d earned at least $1m on a previous project were eligible.
Sitting at my desk this morning, I’m thinking about the things I need to do today since Christmas Eve is tomorrow. I’ll be at the Pesky neighbor’s house on Christmas Eve, then (maybe) Perry’s Mom’s house on Christmas Day. The meal at this table won’t be until after the big day (timings surrounding Colette this year), and that means the trees stay up until later than I like.
This holiday may not go as planned, but it’s still all good, right?
Perry’s lost several employees for various reasons within the last week or so meaning he may have to cover his store at times that conflict with our holiday plans. I hate it for him — but understand. I’ve never had a job at a place that wasn’t closed early on the Eve and all day on Christmas. There are others that simply aren’t that lucky.
Life requires us to roll with the flow and not stress over the little things, right? That why when I go to the post office today — to pick up the packages shipped via USPS that they couldn’t cram in my mailbox because they stuck my Amazon delivery in there instead — I’m not going to flip my shit. Probably.
Happy Eve of Christmas Eve! 🎄
Here’s wishing you a day where everything goes exactly right!
Now you know: The “achoo” sound is a learned cultural behavior, not a biological reflex. This explains why people who are born deaf typically do not vocalize a sneeze, and why sneeze sounds vary significantly by country.
Still before noon and I’m about to do the dreaded treadmill. And then… drum roll please… I’m going to shovel the deck before we get more snow and the temps drop to below zero.
I need more outerwear!
If you’re like me, you store winter clothes in the warmer months and switch out when it warms back up. As I was looking for this great pair of lined yoga pants this morning, I found 4 coats that belong to Perry stored away. Those are in addition to what he’s currently wearing and the ones left hanging on the hall tree by the back door. That little dude could move to Alaska and not need to buy winter stuff for a decade.
I guess since this is my view, I only need one good coat.
I’m not going on a Christmas cruise.
Katie leaves with her family tonight to go on a 7-day Christmas cruise. Jerilyn thought that was a great idea. Katie came home last night but isn’t thrilled. She’s more into traditional, I guess.
She may change her mind when she’s in a swimsuit in the sun and I’m here enjoying sub-zero temps and complaining about it. 🙂
Now you know: Scientists grew stem cells into mini brains, which then developed eye-like structures on their own. The structures, called optic cups, were light-sensitive and had lenses and corneal tissue.
