Hubris

It's been a buy few days, as I've been decorating the tree and getting ready for my party (this Saturday, all welcome). I finished the tree last night--snowflakes and tinsel, and getting it into just the right position (bad side to the wall, room to squeeze by to get ot the stairs.

Today I had a minor emergency--half of my speakers weren't working. I did simple diagnostics, and determined it was the integrated amp that had malfunctioned. I called my sold stereo shop, and was told to bring it in for repair, with the promise of a loaner of the party. As it turned out, the tech was there, and quickly replaced the blown fuse while I did some grocery shopping at the Royal Oak Kroger Senior Center. When I got home I checked for speaker short circuits, and found the culprit.

Things seemed to be going swimmingly, as they always do before a catastrophe. I was a bit ahead of schedule, and had rolled out the rug in the living room and begun to bring the knick-knacks in from the porch. I went to sweep under the tree, so I could put down the small Indian throw rug, when I noticed that the tree stand with its wooden leg extensions seemed to be tipped a bit--two of the legs were slightly off the ground. This worried me, so I ran out to the hardware store and bought wire.....heavy gauge wire. By the time I got home, the tree was definitely seriously listing away from the wall.

I quickly tied the tree to the wall (old screws were in place from a previous unsteady tree) and then called Sonny, my neighbor. He came right over, and, while I held the tree in place, screwed the trunk down even more tightly. Then, while he held it, I did a better wiring job, with two separate wires to the trunk. I then pulled the bottom branches of the tree, and the stand, away from the wall, straightening it.

Disaster averted.

There were some casualties. Three ornaments were broken, many more littered the ground, and many snowflakes and icicles fell. I've replaced some of the ornaments, particularly those at the center of the tree, but have almost a wastebasket full that aren't going back on.

My theory for the near-fall is that this tree was uneven--one side was much fuller than the other. I figured that it wouldn't be a problem, as I would just put the less full side to the wall, and had. But once the tree got loaded up with ornaments, the center shifted and so did the tree.

I think I'm OK for now, and will probably have a standing tree for the party, but it was really a close call. My fear was that the tree would fall, and I would catch it.........home alone, and far from the phone. Then what?

Next year, the wires go on after the lights...............

Done Decorating

..........the tree. The last of the tinsel has been placed and ribbon birds placed. I will add details later. (Photo above is last year's tree; none this year yet.)

The house is another matter. There now remains only to clean house and decorate. And cook. And clean. And.......oh, hell, lots to do still. Best get some sleep.

Bailey's Irish Cream

As I've gotten older and lazier, I've whittled down my Christmas shopping list radically. I buy gifts only for close/nuclear family members. Mom, Dad, nieces and nephew (including dog niece), brother and sister-in-law. But I still give lots of gifts. How? Home made gifts.

Starting in October, I begin making snowflake pysanka ornaments. It's a relaxing activity, as I don't follow any pattern, just sort of doodle the designs as I go along. By early December I've made more than enough for friends and family.

I also make huge quantities of Bailey's Irish Cream. You can find the recipe here on my blog. Jars of it make a lovely gift; a little bit of it over ice, or in coffee, can be quite pleasant. I know my mailman appreciates it, as do the nurses I work with. And several gallons of it get drunk at my Tree Party.

It's a bit of work though, especially when making it in quantity. I purchased a large capacity blender a few years ago that lets me make two batches at once, but the bulk supplies and empty jars take up all of the counter space in my tiny kitchen, as you can see below. Mixing occurs near the sink; and that bit of paper hanging from the cabinet is the recipe.

Jars get filled near the stove. In the end I have three dozen jars and four 1.75 liter vodka bottles of the stuff, the result of 32 batches, or about 1.35 quarts of Bailey's per batch*.

* Based on adding 1 cup vodka per quart.

Lights. Lots and lots of lights.

Today was the day I had designated for hanging lights on the tree. I got up incredibly early--well, early for me on a weekend--and got going. My parents came over at ten, and the assembly line began.

My father checked the strings of lights to make sure they lit up, and did the shake test to look for short circuits and broken wires. There is nothing more frustrating than getting a string of lights onto the tree, and then having it go out....or worse, go off intermittently. He also replaced bad bulbs on the strings from my box of 500 or so spares. (I save bulbs when I throw out bad strings.)

My mom and I wrapped branches. The strings of lights, almost all of the 50s, were plugged in along the trunk, and then wound outwards along branches. There were up to six strings plugged in at each of the 12 outlets on the trunk:

The strings are green and, when wrapped properly, are not very visible. This is what the branches look like:

I got to climb the ladder--a nice ladder, mind you, with wide steps to stand comfortably on--but a ladder none-the-less, and get all those small branched at the top, and then stand and do the branches slightly lower down. My mother got to sit in a chair and wrap, a much better gig. Wrapping the small branches from a ladder takes forever, and little seems to get done. Here's my mom at work, deep inside the tree:

In the end, we didn't use as many strings of lights as in previous years, as this tree is a bit smaller than the one I had last year. Based on our primitive tabulation system, and counting the number of strings plugged in along the trunk, I estimate about 3500 small white lights.

I had to remove two strings, one a 50 that went out on me after I'd wrapped half of it, and then a string of 100. That string started acting up, with half of it going on and off when it was touched. This is why I no longer buy strings of 100--there are two separate circuits, and often one will go and the other still work. it's a waste, and It's twice as much work to remove.

So how does the tree look? Not too bad. Judge yourself:


I've shaken the spruce needles out of my hair, and picked them out of my sweat shirt, and am looking forward to a long, hot soak--after I make 32 batches of Bailey's.....................

Preparations

Getting ready for Christmas is a job of epic proportions in my household. I've gotten the outside stuff done before the before the snows came, thankfully, but lots of work remains. By next Saturday evening I have to make the Baileys, decorate the tree, hang the cedar roping indoors, set out the snow globes and candles, clear out the basement, decorate the basement, and get the food ready. Oh, and get started on Christmas letters and cards.........

My neighbors, Sonny and Jeff, helped bring the tree in Thursday--we shook the snow off, sawed half a foot off the bottom, drilled a hole in the trunk, and then put it in the stand. The trunk is a bit crooked, but that won't be visible once it has been properly decorated. (Photo above from before I cut the mesh tube off.)

The tree seems a bit smaller this year; once the branches relax (it's been bundled into a mesh tube for two weeks) it will be much wider. I've already trimmed out half a 33-gallon garbage can full of branches, as the tree was too dense and bushy. I need room for the ornaments. And I've run four special extension cords up the trunk, each with nine outlets.

It stands ready, sucking up water (I have to fill the reservoir three times a day) and perfuming the house. Saturday--the lights!!!!!

Merry Christmas from the Family

A genuine all-American red state Christmas song.........

Knowledge vs. Ignorance

Maha of the Mahablog has a very good discussion of climate change deniers and why they are in denial. Have a look.

War Bonds

A constant in movies about WWII was war bonds--buying them was patriotic, and rallies were often headlined by Hollywood stars.

Senator Ben Nelson has watched too many old movies, I suspect. He has decided that we should reprise war bonds instead of raising taxes to pay for our many wars. He says:

"We need shared sacrifice and fiscal discipline in financing the war effort. I don't believe our first instinct should always be a rush to tax. The government has gone to great lengths to address the economic downturn, and adding new taxes right now could undermine those efforts. We need to work to reduce federal spending wherever possible and reduce the growth in spending to finance the important missions in Afghanistan and Iraq."

So one has to wonder, does Ben Nelson have any idea what-so-ever of how war bonds work? Does he think people buy them and just hang them on the wall? They are bonds, after all, meant to be redeemed at some point, with interest paid.

He seems to be under the impression that past wars were paid for with bonds alone; not so. Income taxes were raised to pay for wars time and again. Before WWII only about 10% of Americans paid income taxes; by 1944 nearly everyone did.

War bonds are just a way to involve civilians and to postpone payment on a war; they are not a way to avoid paying for it.

I will agree with Nelson's plan, on one condition--all funding for our wars come from bonds alone, and they be interest-free. Redeemable, say, in 20 years. No money from general funds to fund the wars.

Then we'll see how patriotic our war hawks really are, if they are willing to put their money where their quite commodious mouths are.

Winter Time

We've had a lovely fall this year, with fairly warm temperatures and minimal precipitation. I was able to get all of my outdoor decorating done without having to plow through piles of snow.

And now that is over. Two inches of snow on the ground, and very cold out. It looks lovely from my indoor vantage point, but I hate going out unless I'm thoroughly bundled up.

Today my neighbors helped me bring the tree in; we sawed a few inches off the bottom, and put it in its stand. That's when I realized I had to take quite a bit more off the top. I've done so, trimming out the small branches, and putting the angel on top.

This year my tree was about the right size--usually I pick one a few feet too long and cut a row or two of branches off the bottom once I get it home. Since it was smaller, it fit through the baggers, and is, even now, enclosed in its mesh sleeve, looking like a tall, thin bush. I'm letting it thaw a bit, and soak up some water.

Then I plan to open it--and hope it won't be quite as large as the Griswold family Christmas tree (see 1:40):

Spam

Either Blogger has gotten lax, or the spammers have gotten trickier. I've gotten several spam comments the last few days for old posts on a blog that hasn't been active, until today, for more than a year. That's why I have moderation, and why blogger features, IIRC, an "are you a human or a bot" test for posting.

Did you know that somewhere around 95% of ALL E-MAIL is spam? That's why I have several layers of filtration on my e-mail accounts. And that's why blogger challenges you to prove your humanity.........

Anyway, please comment if you wish, and I will make sure the comments get posted in a day or so. Unless you are a spammer--then may you burn in eternal hellfire.........