Old Year? Or New Year Old?

Happy Saturday. Especially when most of this week already feels like it’s been one long, extended, Saturday. Wait a minute, I’m retired and unless I jump on a project, every day feels just like this one.

Today we’ll be touching 60-degrees and with the whole gang coming over to celebrate our belated family Christmas, that warm snap is totally appreciated. Now for some coffee, I just heard Mr. Coffee’s finishing up with its raspy bubbling.

Egg Nog Jog – Yup, last weekend’s Mount Adams annual 5K Egg Nog Jog has become a tradition with me. It’s only several hundred participants – and yes, they do have a costume judging as part of it. With the hills enroute my tracking applications told me that we climbed the equivalent of 14 flights of stairs.

So here is how I ended up. Out of 110 walkers I placed number 53. The chip calculated that I placed number 19 in my gender category. There were two of us over age 80 and I placed 1st in that category with a pace of 16:46. Ok, have I bored everyone enough? I’ll shut up now – but first, let me explain that the ‘real-feel’ temperature when I left home was 18 degrees.

Weather – OK, so I mentioned a chilly temperature that greeted me last weekend. This led me to pay attention to the latest news, “New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) ratified climate alarmist legislation last Thursday that will have the state confiscate billions of dollars from American oil, gas, and coal companies as reparations for bad weather ($75B)”.

And so it goes, the money grab that is. It’s amazing, climate change has been a reality since time immemorial. As a Mr. Laakonen wrote recently; “does the sun control the climate or is it cows this week?”

Also, this past week I came across this from the National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado Boulder. The picture diagram shows that the Antarctic Sea ice extent is 17% higher today than it was in 1979. So where is the lie, is it the ice or the constant blathering from self-serving ‘climate’ scientists?

Chaos & Mayhem – has purposely been left off the radar. There is always so much here that a weekly update tends to lose its punch. However, let’s finish up the year with a couple of this week’s events. As Marcia always says, “why watch television when I can sit here and be entertained.”

The picture with the cruisers I have no knowledge of other than a youngish lady was given a pair of sparkly bracelets and escorted into the back seat of one of the cruisers. The dump-truck, registered to the City’s Water Works, sat for a while with flashing lights on. Eventually a tow-truck as large as you’ll ever see arrived and picked up the front of the Water Truck as if it were a Little Tikes Cozy Truck.

Eagerly awaiting the arrival – Not of Santa or even St. Nicolas, but of the kids and grandkids. Marcia is busily arranging for the onslaught. I made my staple; Hummus.

Marcia has already done her grocery shopping on line. And what through the front door did my little eyes spy but the delivery guy. Now we’re all set for kids arrival.

Then, this year I went all out. In Michigan, sister-in-law Dia baked her specialty, “Kruitkoek” (Dutch Spice Bread). I was transported back to my childhood and for the rest of the weekend was seen hovering by the kitchen island where her Kruitkoek happened to be. I made an earnest plea for her recipe. So, guess what the rest of the family will be offered this afternoon? Yup, made sure all the required ingredients were assembled, all mixed in correct order and quantity, and two loaves were baked. Feast your eyes on the result!

Also to be introduced is a new ‘table-game’ for so inclined (which usually is everyone except “Oma don’t play games” Marcia). Of course there is a list of older staples such as Scattergories. But this one could be a winner, Wheels vs Doors.

Life is AMAZING!

HAPPY NEW YEAR and the best for 2025 – health, happiness, peace, and love to all.

Robert Burns, Scottish Poet (1759 – 1796) and regarded as the national poet of Scotland. Wrote Auld Lang Syne (“old long since”) i.e., times gone by, in 1788. The singing of old long since at Hogmanay (Scottish; New Year’s Eve Day) is an old Scottish and now world tradition.

In original Scottish: “For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne. We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne. And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp! And surely I’ll be mine! And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet, For auld lang syne. Chorus. We twa hae run about the braes, And pou’d the gowans fine; But we’ve wander’d ………….”

Dirk

BONUS POINTS:

During the holiday period it’s an annual tradition to be barraged with sporting events. No small part of the game offerings is the role of the cheerleader. This weeks Bonus Points will be offered if you can name the four (4) Presidents who were Cheerleaders in their earlier life:

1) “William Howard Taft”
2) “Ronald Wilson Reagan”
3) “Thomas Woodrow Wilson”
4) “George W. Bush”
5) “Franklin D. Roosevelt”
6) “Theodore Roosevelt”
7) “Dwight D. Eisenhower”