Welcome to New Blogger, Anne Owen

With me in the photo below is my dear friend, Anne, who has just become a blogger. (See above).

Anne's blog is about films and music, two subjects she knows well. Anne is also a proficient sing/song writer: 

Please drop by Anne's blog, Anne's Cinematype and Music Hangout, and welcome her to the Blogosphere. OK?

In Honor of Susie's 50th Birthday

Today our dear blogging friend, Susie (What Was I Thinking), is 50 years young!

Insignificant Observations

Just a bit of codswallop, mates.

Today is Matt-Man’s birthday. Please click over to Bagwine Ruminations and wish the young man a happy one. OK?

I read in a biography of Charles Schultz that it wasn’t until after he introduced a cat to the cast of his Peanuts comic strip that he realized that he could not draw a cat. From that point on, the cat was always outside the pane.

Sometimes I have attempted to make a point by telling a story only to find my listeners looking at me with blank faces. Then, I usually say, I suppose you really had to be there.

An old college chum sent me this story:

I went to Wal-Mart to buy something and I gave the cashier my bank debit card to pay for it and the card was rejected.  I said, ok, let's do the USA Visa card, and that was rejected too.
 
That worried me a little, so I called my bank and they said that my card had been compromised along with a bunch of others and the bank had cancelled all of them.  They sent me a letter to that effect, however I didn't get that being, as I am, in Texas.  They will issue me a new bank debit card when I get back.
 
Then I called USAA and they told me they had put a stop on my card, due to the charge I rang up for my new computer down in Florida.  They tried to call me at home, but again, I'm in Texas.  So I'm flat out of credit.  They said next time to call them and let them know I'm travelling and they'll keep it in action.  They did re activate my card while I was on the phone.

My response: Computers make our lives so much easier.

All Kentuckians do not root for the University of Kentucky Wildcats. At least 25% root for the University of Louisville Cardinals. Since I have degrees from both universities, when they play each other I can become a bit schizoid. Of course, I also smile because I know my alma mater will win.

Many years ago I received as a birthday present a book that contained only the words of Winston Churchill, A few of my favorites are:

 

• A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen.
• A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.
• An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
• Eating words has never given me indigestion.
• He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire.
• History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.
• I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.
• I may be drunk, Lady Astor, but in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.
• Lady Nancy Astor: Winston, if you were my husband, I'd poison your tea.

Churchill: Nancy, if I were your husband, I'd drink it.

 

I once did some research on U.S. wars and learned that the United States has fought 12 major wars in our brief history. If one considers all of the other wars, such as the war against Tripoli, the numerous wars against Native Americans, the Pilipino “Insurrection”, the invasions of Granada and Panama, etc., there has not been a decade in our history when the U.S military has not been involved in conflict.

Perhaps Oscar Wilde was correct when he said, America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without a period of civilization in between.

Hmmmm… I suppose you really had to be there.

February After Groundhog Day

The Day the Music Died, 3 February 1959 

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

 Check out Trav’s post: Gone much too soon, 50 years ago

Mr. Groundhog has done his thing and the result, no matter how you read it, is that Spring is on its way. May the Natural Cycles of the Earth be praised! because I am weary of the cold, snow, ice, dark sky and housebound cat!

But there is much more to February than nasty winter weather and the legend of the hog that lives beneath ground. There are:

BIRTHDAYS

Two of our grandest Presidents of these here United States were born in February: 

Abraham Lincoln: February 12, 1809

George Washington: February 22, 1732 

I know of two notable bloggers born in February (if you know of others, please let me know):

The delightfully inquisitive Debra Pasquella of Let Me Go On and On: February 4^th

The singular MATT-MAN of Bagwine Ruminations: February 7^th

And, of course, there is (drum roll):

ME, Sometimes Saintly Nick of Nick’s Bytes: February 14^th

I have two ex-relatives and an ex-friend also born in February. In light of the wise adage,  If you can’t say anything good about someone then say nothing at all, I’ll say no more about them.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Or, perhaps it need no longer be Black History Month. Rochelle Riley, Free Press Columnist, has a very interesting proposal for this February. She writes, in part:

I propose that, from this day forward, we stop telling the tale of two Americas and instead document and celebrate the full and storied, multicultural and multidimensional story that is America in all of its colors, geographies and passions, in all of its ups, downs and exhortations…

I propose that this February, we become not an America of black or white or Hispanic or Asian but an America of black and white and Hispanic and Asian, an America where each of those heritages is a mandatory part of school curriculums…

Today, in honor of black history, which is American history, I propose that Black History Month be no more.

I strongly recommend that we all read Ms. Riley’s proposals in her column entitled Now's the time to end Black History Month and consider, as she suggests, that this Black History Month, 139 years after Congress granted black men the right to vote, 89 years after Congress granted women the right to vote, we can vote to no longer be a fragmented nation.

AND, OF COURSE, THERE IS ...

As one who was born on Valentine’s Day—I shall speak in a later post about the joys and pains of being born on the day that, supposedly, Bishop Valentine was decapitated—the day of flowers, candy, cards, etc. centered on love is central to my thoughts during the month of February. As you may suspect from my aside in the previous sentence, my thoughts on Saint Valentine’s Day ain’t always joyful thoughts. 

So, that’s my introduction to the month of February, 2009. I shall touch on those themes as the shortest month of the year continues.

For now, your mission—if you agree to accept it—is to wish Deb a happy birthday tomorrow and Matt-Man a happy birthday next Saturday.

Peace, ya’ll!

Susie’s 4th Annual Blog Cookie Exchange!

I am with others participating in Susie’s 4th Annual Blog Cookie Exchange:

FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Every December from the time I was such a wee lad that I had to stand on a chair to reach the table, I made sugar cookies with my aunt Abba. (Her name was “Alma,” but in my toddler speech it came out as Abba and to everyone thereafter that was her name).

We made lots of cookies and after rolling out the dough used Abba’s huge collection of Christmas cookie cutters to shape them into stars and Santa Clauses and reindeer and angels and, oh, so much more.

It’s been about 45 years since Abba and I made these cookies. Of course, I had no idea of the receipe, so I checked the Internet and this one from Alton Brown seems to be it:

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week. 

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

I now have all of my Christmas gifts purchased! This is the earliest I have had that accomplished in my life. All of then except for Alex’s gifts were purchased on the Internet, may from the Alex the Kat Shop:

I may find the reaction of some of the recipients of these gifts very interesting: there are a couple of relatives who claim to abhor cats! But… who couldn’t adore Alex!

Alex’s gifts (cat nippie, favorite treats, and 2 new toys) are already in his Christmas stocking:

CHRISTMASES PAST

Below are a few photos from past Christmases:

Me at Christmas a very long time ago

Back row: son Nick, Sibyl (Nick’s significant other), sister Deb

Me, son Rob, and son Nick’s children

Me & my grandchildren 2006

My Mother in 2006, the last Christmas she spent in the house in which she had lived for 50 years

Here is Alex opening the catnip that was in his 2007 stocking

Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy ~ David Bowie & Bing Crosby

It Feels Grand to Be Posting to Nick's Bytes Again

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. ~ Kurt Vonnegut (1922 - 2007)

Having three years of blogging and over one thousand posts disappear in an instant was a real downer! It was so much of a downer that, as downers have a way of doing, I benefited from the experience.

Yeah, I meant to say that: I benefited from the experience. For example:

• When my anxiety and frustration got to the point that I was beginning to be consumed by thoughts of loss and feelings of powerlessness, I returned to the practice of mindfulness mediation to help me remain in the present moment. (I’ll write more about that in a future blog).

• I relearned the lesson that I do have a life beyond blogging; both Alex and I took pleasure in some fun that, when I was consumed with blogging. I would not have taken the time to enjoy.

• I enhanced Alex’s blog and, in the process (and in the personae of Alex), met some neat folks and a bunch of blogging kitty cats.

Of course there is also a bit of sadness from the situation:

• The reason my blog disappeared was some miswritten code in the program of that neat blog list widget that not only had links to great blogs but also to their RSS feeds. I had 162 blogs in that list, which took me quite a while to compile. Although Blogger did not tell me to do so, I deleted the list from Nick’s Bytes. I plan to reconstruct it another blog I’ll create especially for the blog roll.

• There are several world happenings that I would have addressed in blogs had Nick’s Bytes not disappeared. I can still do that, although the timing will be well off.

• There was no Wednesday Coffeehouse this week! Well, it will return next Wednesday!

• Moving toward Nick’s Bytes 100,000^th visitor, I was planning on developing another celebration for visitor number 100,000. That I can still do, but as you can see from the graphic below., the visitors rather dropped off over the past few days—rather like church attendance when I, as a pastor, would go on vacation.

The base line is, it feels grand to have Nick’s Bytes up again! And, to celebrate, I am ending this post with some very special LOL Cats that Alex has already shared on his blog:

Bloggin' Stuff

Post #992

Alex the (Sometimes) Bloggin’ Cat

Alex says he’s tired of swimming in the muck of trying to get Word Press to do the things he wants it to do with his blog—you know, Alexicon: A Feline’s Life with his Human:

So the furball wants me to help him switch is blog to Blogger which I may eventually do but I tied up at the moment with other bloggin’ stuff, like the new blogroll on my sidebar (see below) and working on ideas for the 1000^th Nick’s Bites post and trying to visit and read the couple hundred blogs I attempt (poorly) to keep up with.

Sooner or later I’ll help Alex create a new blog on Blogger. At the moment, however, I don’t think that the cat who owns me really cares that much. He’s having too much fun playing in this gorgeous Spring weather: at the moment it’s 77 F outside and the sun is brightly shining and the furball is, well, see for your self:

The New Blog List

I’ve been transferring all of the links to blogs that I read to the new Blog List thing that you can find in the Layout section of Blogger and you can see on my sidebar. Mine isn’t finished yet: there are still bunches of blogs to add, most of them beginning with letters that follow the letter M in the alphabet.

I don’t know how many blog links I have added to the Blog List or how many there will be if I ever finish. I do know that a lot of the blogs I used to read no longer exist. That’s sad. And some blogs have changed their name or location.

Anyway, adding blogs to the list is how I’ve been spending my time—a lot of time!—recently other than taking naps because these spider bites seem to make me tired.

If you are interested in the Blog List, here are the release notes from Blogger Buzz

Today we’re releasing a new page element for Layouts blogs: Blog List. The Blog List improves on our Link List page element by using blogs’ RSS and Atom feeds to show update times, post titles, and snippets.

Use a Blog List to put a blogroll in your sidebar, or make a few to categorize the blogs you read. The Blog List works well for any page that has an RSS or Atom feed, so you can get creative: link to news sites, podcasts, Twitter streams, search results, or anything else with a feed.

Here’s a quick summary of the features that a Blog List gives you:

• Link to blogs, web pages, and feeds from your blog’s sidebar, with an optional favicon
• For pages with RSS and Atom feeds, Blog List can show last updated time, post title, and a snippet of the latest post
• Sort links alphabetically or by last update time
• Show all links, or hide some behind a “show all” link
• Import subscriptions from Google Reader
• Blog List links are visible to search engine crawlers, so your blog’s PageRank and reputation flow to those you link to

Too Many KATZ

I subscribed and have been receiving five or more KATZ (LOL Cats) in my email every day for months. I am overwhelmed by them! There are too many to share on my Too Bad It’s Monday posts and they are too cute not to share. So, here are a few more to give you a smile or two and it ain’t even Monday: