MERRY CHRISTMAS 2017

 

                         "Hey...where are you taking MY Christmas Tree????"

T'was...

A beautiful magical snowfall today, and outside is a Winter Wonderland just in the nick of time!

Shelby watching the early morning snow fall!

 And everything is blanketed in white, now!

A friend's wife gave me her recipe for Reindeer Chow Candy yesterday, and I have been busily making it today to share with friends and the Grands soon.

You can make it,too!


REINDEER CHOW

In a large bowl add

3 cups Froot Loops

3 cups Peanut Butter Captain Crunch

2 Cups Cheerios

2 cups thin stick pretzels

1 1/2 cups salted cocktail peanuts

Mix well.

 In a small saucepan melt one block of Almond Bark Candy Coating over very low heat. Stir until smooth.

Add melted bark to cereal/pretzel/nut mixture and stir until pieces are evenly coated.

(optional: add in a handful of marshmallows and/or coconut)

Sprinkle with Red and Green Sprinkles or Chocolate Sprinkles. (red and green are more festive...but chocolate taste better!)

Pour into shallow baking tray lined with waxed paper to cool and dry.

Break into smaller clusters when completely dried and bag or box.

Tah Dah...Reindeer Chow Candy!

Enjoy!

Wishing everyone a Peaceful Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas to All...and to All a Goodnight!

Virtual Day Trip: Part 2- Christmas in Central Park

And I may have to PAINT this...just saying!

But before we start our trek I want to mention Bagels.

It sounds cliché but the finest bagel I ever encountered was sold just outside this park one summer morning. A bagel as big as your hand when it is open...and it still spread over the sides. No plastic single serve container of cream cheese either. The bagel guy dug what appeared to be an ice-cream scoop into a bucket of cream cheese and clicked the lever over. Suddenly my huge bagel was wearing a dome of cream cheese...it was to be The Bagel that all bagels would henceforth be judged by...and found sadly lacking.

The exception would be Shapiros in Indianapolis on Meridian Street. I am not sure if they are even in business any more...but if you find yourself in Downtown Indy (and they still exist) stop in and have a bagel.

You'll thank me.

Anyway, that NY Bagel is one of my most vivid memories of Central Park.

A gastronomic delight!

The snow is falling here today...and I am enjoying a much lesser bagel (Lender's), but with approximately the same generous scoop of cream cheese...perfect to set the mood for

Christmas in Central Park- Virtually

A wonderful way to take in the sights through the snow-filled park in the heart of The City is to hire a "Hack"

Whether enclosed or open with heavy lap robes, you can see the entire park from the comfort of your carriage. Multiple services offer 30-45-and 90 minute rides...and for an additional fee (reservations) you can add roses, chocolates, champagne, or even STOP TIME for that unforgettable wedding proposal.

Central Park in the Snow!

https://youtu.be/JZ19QRVLcck

Also available are
Photography walking tours:

Central Park is home to the Wollman Ice-Skating Rink and the Lasker Rink

Skating Rink

https://youtu.be/TEBUU5JZPBc

Cross-Country...Snowshoes and

Sledding

https://youtu.be/QFbOaPXvr9k

And The Central Park Zoo at Christmas

Who enjoys NYC snow more than the Snow Leopards!

The Zoo Entrance Clock
plays Christmas Music throughout December

https://youtu.be/8gPML7lif8Y

Snow Leopards playing at the Zoo

https://youtu.be/xMJ5VtTnTuM

And another of the CP Zoo in Winter

https://youtu.be/0zYBC0U1_wM

And last but not least...

 Alice

The Alice in Wonderland Sculpture in Central Park.

Sculpted from Bronze and donated to the park May 7th, 1959. Alice is 11 feet high...and children are encouraged to climb and explore this work of love.


Video

https://youtu.be/d6QERQk5uBs

And the 2017 Alice in Wonderland Ice Sculpting Contest

https://youtu.be/i-0rg3buYj4

Hope you have enjoyed this virtual adventure...

Week's End...The Flu...Light Peeping...The Last Jedi and Strange Weather

Chris and I are headed out soon to go Christmas Light Peeping!

So happy...I love light-looking.

Nice quiet downtime this week.  As opposed to next which will be filled with family, friends, Grands...and (hopefully) the Grand-puppies.

Chris just arrived, after his scheduled monthly maintenance of my friend Barbara's computer...bringing me a gift bag containing some of her home-made Peanut-Butter Fudge  (and it is amazing!!!)

Nicole and James (and all the little germ-bags...er...I mean my wonderful grandchildren) are finally getting over The Flu...and Nicole soon to fumigate the house with Lysol and alcohol gel. So glad everyone is feeling better...and yes moving our family celebration from tomorrow to Tuesday sounds like a splendid idea!  I may have actually dodged it this year!

              "I'll get you,my pretty. And your little DOG,too....bwahahahaha"

Christmas came early for Corporate America and Congress's Billionaire Donors as they rammed that abomination of a tax bill through the House and the Senate.

Donald signed it today.

What he probably didn't realize was by shoving this through he gave US a very special gift for Christmas, too.

The Gift of The House and The Senate Majority after the 2018 Midterm Elections!

Yes. We WILL vote their asses out.

And if Mueller hasn't managed to beat us to it...then we are coming for YOU.

So enjoy glad-handing one another while you can.

And in a moment of INSTANT Karma and complete irony...

Kim Davis (Kentucky Clerk...who repeatedly refused a gay couple a marriage license even after the SCOTUS made it law of the land) 

will be facing off in Election 2018 with

THIS GUY

 The delicious irony is that David and his (now) spouse are the two guys she refused to issue the marriage license.

Yeah,I know...right??? 

Hell, I'm even sending a few bucks to support his campaign. 

Hope he wins!


I have now seen The Last Jedi both en Espanol...and English.

Wow!!!

Several Spoilers...so if you have not seen it yet...turn away....you have been warned.



OMG!

There were amazing scenes like Luke explaining to Rey the nature of the force and why the Jedi were wrong and egotistical to believe it belonged solely to them.

And there were horribly gone wrong scenes...like when General Leia  gets SUCKED  out of the ship...

and missing a grand opportunity to end her character there...because Carrie Fischer is...well...actually dead, now.

No...they do some use the FORCE moonwalk shit where she drags herself back through space (without freezing or imploding) to an airlock where she is saved.

WTH?

Incredible location cinematography and special effects.

Lots of amazing critters this time...

and,of course, my personal favorite

Seriously..if some geneticist out there wants to create these in real life...I sooooooooooooooo want one!

From guilt tripping Chewbacca by the fireside roasting one of their flock...to taking over the ship Tribble style...nesting in corners and standing on the bridge trying to imitate Chewy's barbaric yalp...or being sucked into the glass pane as the ship makes a tight turn...you'll laugh out loud.

They are EVERYWHERE!

A great ghost-appearance by Yoda...who is a bit of a wise-ass this time around.

The end of Snoke by Kylo Ren's hand.

The delicate love/hate dance with Ren and Rey.

The end of Luke...who disappears like smoke (after saving the day, of course).

Return of Finn and Poe and

Even Moz.

And a wonderful throwaway I did not notice during the first viewing...the slave child at the end who reaches for the broom..only to have it fly into his hand...clearly using The Force.

Going to see it again...just to see what I may have missed. 

I enjoyed it a lot!

This Week's Book

A Collection of four short stories.  I have waited in queue since this was released to read it. Hill is one of my favorite authors. I read and enjoyed his work long before it came to light he was Stephen King's other son.   This book was good but not spectacular. Not what I have come to expect from Hill. The first and last stories very good...the two in between...not so much so.

Well worth a look see, though.

The first story could have been expanded and written into an entire novel by itself...and it would have been outstanding!

Off soon to look at lights!

Have a Wonderful Holiday Weekend! 

Tomorrow...the Second Half of Our Virtual NYC Christmas Adventure in Central Park!