Four Churn Dash Blocks

 

This has been a difficult year for everyone. I don’t think anyone on the planet has passed through the last twelve months untouched. We’ve gone through it in a state of relative ease and comfort, but it’s a year I wouldn’t want to repeat. I’ve lost more friends than in any year I can remember. Several of my friends have lost spouses or parents to this pandemic. It’s not over yet, not by any means. But at least the end is in sight. A week ago, I received an email inviting hospital volunteers to get the first of two COVID vaccinations. I went in Tuesday and walked out sporting a Wonder Woman Band-Aid. I was told to expect headaches and lethargy, but all I’ve noticed (so far) is a sore shoulder. I’ll get the second shot in three weeks. I won’t stop wearing a mask in public or washing my hands. But I will stop living in fear.

Winter Magic

 

How to Promote Civility:

Model the behavior you’d like to see in others.

Don’t let your silence condone disrespectful behavior, but consider carefully before speaking.

Don't take your stress out on those around you.

Be a respectful listener.

Remember you’re not always right and others aren’t always wrong.

Whatever you feel strongly about, others may feel just as strongly against. And that's okay.

Consider how using social media can be helpful or harmful.

Rely on facts, not assumptions, especially when your words or actions might hurt others.

Adopt a positive, solution-driven approach to conflict resolution.

Never forget to say please and thank you.

Remember that kindness has a ripple effect.

Treat everyone with respect, whether or not you feel they’ve earned it.

Know your triggers. Understand what makes you angry and frustrated so you can act instead of react.

The world always looks better from behind a smile!

Lori's House

 

John had to visit the pharmacy (inside our grocer’s) December 31. He asked if I wanted anything, and I said eggnog. They were sold out, of course. So, we made our own:

 

Eggnog

 

3 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 cup cream

Pinch grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Dash rum flavoring

 

Whisk together yolks and sugar until light and creamy. In a saucepan, combine milk, cream, and nutmeg; heat over medium heat until bubbles form around edges. Do not bring to a boil. Slowly whisk 1/2 cup of the hot liquid into eggs and sugar.  Repeat a few more times until about 1/3 of the hot liquid has been mixed into the eggs. Add tempered egg yolk liquid back into pan and heat until it just starts to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and rum flavoring.  Transfer to an airtight container. Chill completely before serving.

Russel's Sampler

 

My literary resolutions for 2021:

 

A book published in 2020 – The Tower of Nero by Rick Riordan

A book you can finish in a day – Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake

A book you’ve been meaning to read – Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

A book recommended by a librarian – A Wish Your Heart Makes, Charles Solomon

A book you should have read in school – The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

A book chosen by a friend – Champion of the Titan Games by Brandon Mull

A book published before your birth – The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

A book that was once banned – In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak

A previously abandoned book – Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving

A book you own but haven’t read – The Talisman by Sir Walter Scott

A book that intimidates you – Bleak House by Charles Dickens

A book you’ve already read – Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Three-Inch Churn Dash

 

"Be one who nurtures and who builds. Be one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, who looks for the best in people. Leave people better than you found them. Be fair with your competitors, whether in business, athletics, or elsewhere. Don’t get drawn into some of the parlance of our day and try to ‘win’ by intimidation or by undermining someone’s character. Lend a hand to those who are frightened, lonely, or burdened. If we could look into each other’s hearts and understand the unique challenges each of us faces, I think we would treat each other much more gently, with more love, patience, tolerance, and care. If the adversary can influence us to pick on each other, to find fault, bash, and undermine, to judge or humiliate or taunt, half his battle is won. The Spirit of the Lord cannot dwell where there is bickering, judging, contention, or any kind of bashing.” – Marvin J. Ashton

Music Boxes

 

The most famous movie piano might also be the smallest: Sam’s miniature upright from “Casablanca” in 1942. Humphrey Bogart was only 5’8”, but he towered over the tiny 58-key upright. FNP is stenciled on the back, for First National Pictures, which merged with Warner Brothers in September, 1927. It was manufactured earlier that same year by Kohler & Campbell. The piano and its stool were painted a rose-gold for the black-and-white movie, and elaborately decorated with Moroccan motifs. The lid was detached from the case and fitted with a hook-and-eye closure, so Rick could slip the letters of transit inside, undetected by the Nazis. Arthur “Dooley” Wilson, who played Sam, was actually a drummer. In the scenes where Sam seems to be playing, he’s really mimicking the motions of pianist Jean Vincent Plummer, just off camera, playing “It Had to Be You,” “Knock on Wood,” and “As Time Goes By.” Sam’s piano sold at auction in 2014 for $3,413,000.

New Year's Star

 

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson