Author: Rene

Nearly thirty years ago on a night dive, my underwater flashlight hit upon this animal in a crevice. The beautiful color change I witnessed as I followed him captivated me and still resides in my memory.

The “theme-for-the-year” team was totally influenced by this long ago episode, but the younger member cemented the deal with a very fun gift to her older half-witted sibling.

Enjoy the waves of change.

Sometimes it’s really difficult to find the quirky and mundane observations in life, especially when so many are suffering. In a few hours, the depth of our aridity surfaced and continue to leave so many homeless in the worst wildfire in Colorado history.

Thus, I offer the wisdom of theologian and author C.S. Lewis. A gentle reminder. Let’s welcome the new year with open arms, shall we?

Last night my daughter asked to raid my closet. “Why?” I queried. “For the murder mystery dinner party we’re attending. I need something “trendy, but cheap.” Out of the mouth of babes.

That is a fairly accurate summary of what you could find in there. It’s just an odd adventure when I walk into that too-small-to-house-my accoutrements-space. I’ve outfitted a gypsy, flapper girls, a couple of Kentucky Derby attendees, and whoever else needed something “unique.”

Today I’m wearing my funky hot pink platform shoes which cost me $.25 at a garage sale. They do actually reside in my closet. I’m going to an 80’s style gaming arcade. They are the perfect accessory.

Marie Kondo would have fun in my mess. Maybe she could find some joy in there?

Today, there is no dithyramb for you. No inflated speech or poem, though I’m sure I could easily write one! (Word of the day) Today, only a little helpful hint for you pyromaniacs.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is my “burn the last of the candles” week. I celebrate Christmas with red tapers, which I love, and by upping the stock of Yankee Candle. (Cranberry scented) However, tapers leave wax on my glass and crystal candlesticks. Because I have lots of “half-burned” candles, I use this week to light them with special prayers and intentions. However, cleaning the sticks is another issue.

Heloise, a hint. (Old column in the Omaha World Herald) Put your candlesticks two at a time in the microwave for one minute on a piece of wax paper topped with a paper towel. At the ding, the sticks are warm enough to handle and you may wipe out the wax with the paper towel. Easy peasy.

The next lighted candle is for you!

In between loads of laundry, I happened upon this trivia which directly relates to the pursuit of happiness.

The crossword puzzle was invented to give people a spark of joy in the newspaper, following the bleak and dire stories of WWI which dominated headlines. The NYTimes finally caved in and added the puzzle during the blackouts of WWII, to give people something to occupy their minds other than war. They were first called, “Word-Cross,” but that changed when a typographical error termed them, “Crossword puzzles.”

It was nice to have an explanation of the origin of one of my favorite mind-centering activities. Try this first puzzle ever published. I’d give you the answers, but you aren’t going to work this anyway. Happy Christmas Monday.

Even my comic friend, Stephan Pastis, is grasping at straws!

My trusty IPad, missive assistant, was dead yesterday. By the time she was up and running, I was running! Today I shall be cramming in that ever-popular December activity, watering the trees, another form of running around. My phone continues to give me red flag warnings for the county, so I won’t be burning any fireworks this Christmas. There’s enough dust floating around my house to spontaneously ignite a spark, so I’ll be remedying that in between the pine soakings. (I know it’s the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also the dustiest!)

Let’s have a confab after Christmas, shall we? Merry Christmas to all.

• What’s the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the regular alphabet? “No-L”
• What do Santa’s elves eat for lunch? “Elfa-bit soup”
• Where do reindeer go on their coffee break? “Star – bucks”
• What is Santa going to say when he arrives in the parched desert of Colorado? “I wish it were rein-deer.”

Now go out there with a smile and make a difference. (Or at least think about it?). Happy Monday!

Remember the old metal ice trays with the divider that ratcheted to loosen the ice? Here is a helpful hint if you happen to have one of those lying around:

“Use the divider from an ice tray to cut biscuits in a hurry. Shape dough to confirm with the size of divider and cut. After baking, biscuits will separate at dividing lines.”

Sounds like a little more work than visiting the bakery at King Soopers, but kind of fun? We still make ice cubes from trays, but not those slick metal ones, thanks to our noisiest ice maker on the planet. And I still ensure I’m not the last ice-cube-seeker so that I don’t have to fill the plastic trays. Maybe those metal ones would change my perspective?

I’m loving this old cookbook.

My old church cookbook has a section entitled, “Worth Remembering.” It’s a kick, and it brings to mind other questions unanswered.

• Instead of trying to iron rickrack on the right side of the garment, turn the article. The rickrack can be pressed perfectly. (Haven’t heard that term in years – and do they still make “rickrack, that zig-zaggy decorative trim?”)
• To whiten laces, wash them in sour milk. (Is this shoelaces or undergarments? And do you intentionally let milk sour for this process?)
• You can clean darkened aluminum pans easily by boiling them in two teaspoons of cream of tartar mixed in a quart of water. Ten minutes will do it. (Where do you get a pan large enough to boil a pan?)

There are plenty more where these came from! Stay tuned, and read an old cookbook for fun.

My nephew called his mom and showed her a photo of the object hanging on his door. She recognized it as a bat!

After calls to the maintenance guy and with the assistance of friends, they captured the frightened little guy and removed him. My sister then used that episode to encourage a thorough cleaning of the apartment! My nephew and his roommate followed through.

Today I am pretending a bat entered my abode. Let’s see if that works for me?