December

[Micanopy]

I am listening to way too much Christmas music. I understand the yankees are gonna send us some of their Winter weather. Down into the 30’s maybe with high winds Christmas Eve and day. I am so excited, but doesn’t look like we will get snow. Nope just the nasty stuff. Bah Humbug !!!!

[MCG1]

Really like those eyes. Keep thinking Bubble Guppies on those shad belly baits. Us Yankees are forecast to get 1-2feet of snow and single debit temps, below zero wind chills.

[Micanopy]

Squirrel and fox for tail






Mare-A-Boo for tail







Kraft Fur for tail






Don’t think there is very much difference when you consider the blade will be twirling.

















Still exploring……obviously.


I am attending a bon fire and steak dinner thing tomorrow night. The Winter Solstice is tonight though. Supposed to be tonight. Druids and Pagans and other savages revered this day as it signaled a change. So we are supposed to drink gruel and eat pig meat. Instead beer and steak. Tonight would be OK weather wise, but tomorrow night will be frigid. The little woman has already said she doesn’t want to go because it will be cold. I told her she could stay inside their house if it was that bad.

So today is the shortest period of sunlight all year long. From now on the days will get longer and longer. A minute here, two minutes there, but over time it adds up. June 20 something we get the Summer Solstice and that will be the longest day. Equinoxes are days where there is an even amount of light and dark during the day, and happen Spring and Fall. Which is why we have four seasons. Ancient peoples knew of these things and built observatories and such into their stone megaliths so they could know precisely when these days came. They could predict the best time to plant seeds and such, but also mark festivals and such which is much more fun than planting seeds you know.

The Eqyptians, the Mayans, Hopie, Aborigine, all the world’s peoples kept track of the solar cycles. Now days we don’t even notice the changes. The fish however notice. You bet they do.

[up2specks]

Paul- I especially like the tail-diversity in your Triple-play pic (aka- Brooks Robinson)

[DockShootinJack]

Nice work. You have it down

[Micanopy]

I asked Santa for toys and candy. Same as every year. Disappointed once again. She gives me artworks.












There are like five saltwater species carved into a single piece of wood. Very impressive in person because it is quite large. Almost too heavy for me to carry. Sits on our dining room table.

Then I got a wall panel from China. Looks to be over a hundred years old. They told her it hung in an opium den, which it probably did. I know where she went to get it and they have nice stuff.

Couple of dumb books. A matching pair of platters with pigs molded into them, which she said I could use when I make ribs and such for her parties. Yet another specialized platter for when I make deviled eggs for her parties. I think there is some sort of a theme developing here. No toys and no candy.

Today she and her sister travel South to visit their grand parents, and spend the night with them. I was told that I am supposed to use this time to setup her new hot tub. Attach her new makeup mirror in the bathroom. Put away my gifts. Anything I want to do after I done all that is OK. I am suspicious that maybe I might be an abused husband. All the symptoms are there.

Took Mom’s dog over to Mom’s house on Christmas Eve, hoping she would want to keep it. Nope, back to my house she says. I told her the dog pees and poops all over the house and she doesn’t seem to even care. At least two more weeks I have to babysit her stupid creature what doesn’t even know how to be a dog. We are not thrilled. She stands on the pee pads and lets it fly right off the edge of the thing. Daub daub, spritz the spot and daub and wipe some more. It gets old and then gets frustrating. Too cold to just lock the dumb thing outside, too.

My family doesn’t want to do presents. Like there is something wrong with that. Her family loves doing presents. Yesterday their living room floor was covered with presents and everyone sits and watches the recipient carefully open the gift, one at a time to extend the joy I suspect, and then they all get a good look at it, and then they offer their comments and sometimes applause and chant Good Gift. It took two hours at least to get through them all. That is where wifey wants us to open our personal stuff. She has a sister that just has to be the center of attention and after a while I began questioning whether her gifts were really all that more special than anyone else’s. LOL

They cooked a prime rib and I sliced it very thin in a valiant attempt to get seven pieces. After dinner, wifey suggests letting me get the prime rib next year. I think she realized that there was not enough meat to go round and wanted to be nice about it. They made salad. Who eats salad on Christmas ? I wanted baked potatoes, but look, we have salad. They get a two bone roast for seven people, and garnish with a salad and I am like why bother.

I had run down to the grocery store on Christmas Eve morning and took advantage of the sale on Ribeye Roasts. Got three of them, anyone of which was larger than what we had for a seven person dinner. I carefully sliced them into fat ribeye steaks and vacuum sealed them and into the freezer they went. Now I have a nice selection of fat rib eye steaks. Mmmmmmmmm……meaty devils they are. Extra thick. I like to take the frozen steak in the bag and into the seus vide water bath in the morning. Then in the evening remove it from the bag and dance it atop the charbroiler for some searing and serve. Beautifully cooked meat from edge to edge. Like a champ. Looks like some professional chef did it at a fancy steak house. Of course I left the steaks bone in so we have something to naw on after ….the dumb salad is all gone. Did I mention the spinach was wilted ? I mean no toys no candy and instead I get wilted spinach.

They did have some beer available, but just one was enough for me. I didn’t want them telling her to drive. She is horrible. I mean someone will want to merge onto the interstate and she starts braking to allow them. They go from accelerating to braking because they see she hasn’t yet passed them by. Then they both brake some more and I begin bracing for the impact from the rear. She will damn near stop to let them go. She gets behind someone going ten under and follows them. So I am constantly telling her- Honey why don’t you just pass that guy ? She is never in a hurry to get anywhere it seems. Both hands locked tight to the wheel. Oh and the music……eegad the music. I just hit the kill switch and make it go away.

I love Christmas. Great time to complain about family members, gifts, dinner, dogs, whatever. A virtual wonderland of things to choose from. No toys…. no candy……bahh humbug.

[JUNGLEJIMJIGS]

I love that carving. Women Drivers right !! Mine will do the same thing, she hates the highway and would rather take the "scenic route" which always takes a lot longer to get where we're going. Drives me crazy.