Monday, Deccember 30, 2024
Still have one more week off. One of the nice things about not working is having a morning cigar with coffee.
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Christmas Season 2024/2025: The Fifth Day of Christmas - Setting Up. Santas
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Set out the Santa collection this morning. Also, rewatched Christmas in Connecticut this afternoon since I fell asleep during it last night.
It's one I didn't become familiar with until my adult years and it's become one of my most favorite Christmas movies.
Not only is it generally a great story but the script is tight, it's perfectly cast, and the editing and pacing are fantastic.
Originally Bette Davis was to play the lead role of Elizabeth Lane and although I'm sure she would have been fantastic it's hard for me to imagine anyone else in the part but Barbara Stanwyck. S. Z. Sakall as Uncle Felix almost steals the show.
Tonight Dale and I watched The Family Stone on the recommendation of Noel. The movie's almost 20 years old and I can't believe I hadn't heard of it before. It was hightly watchable and well done but I don't know that it's the kind of Christmas movie you'd haul out every year to watch like Christmas In Connecticut.
Saturday, December 28, 2024
Christmas Season 2024/2025: The Fourth Day of Christmas - Post Holiday Shopping
Saturday, December 28, 2024
The Joe and Noel Post Holiday Shopping Adventure was postponed slightly this this year due to my not being here on Boxing Day. We started the day beffore lunch today by heading to Anthony Scornavacco Antiques before lunch.
They weren't doing half off but I ended up getting this fantastic belsnickle Santa anyway. He's a nice shiny purple and has some kind of real animal fur for a beard.
He goes very well with the other purple Belsnickel Santa I got at Anthony Scornavacco Antiques (formerly Nakashian O'Neil) earlier this holiday season.
After Anthony Scornavacco we stopped for lunch at Red Rabbit on Grand Avenue and then stopped at the gift shop at the J. J. Hill House on Summit Avenue. Turns out they didn't have a lot of holiday merchandise and they weren't even doing half off.
I still have another week off so I stopped by Stogies on Grand to get stocked up on cigars.
Also stopped at Gypsy Moon. Now. they werer doing half off and you can see the bunches of stuff I don't need but hey it's Christmas and it's 50% off.
It was a balmy 42 degrees when I got home from shopping and the sun was shining. Perfect day for a cigar.
Checked the temp for Phoenix just for kicks. Only a 25 degree difference.
Dale got home from a bike ride shortly after I got home from shopping with Noel. Stepped outside and Lit up a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur. Loved it.
Chili for dinner. It was delicious. We watched Christmas in Connecticut while eating and I had some eggnog spiked with a little Tanqueray gin for dessert.
Friday, December 27, 2024
Christmas Season 2024/2025: The Third Day of Christmas - Krumkake, Barbra, and More
Friday, December 27, 2024
Nice relaxing morning. Have a mild cold that’s making me feel a bit washed out. Told Dale that today felt like a usual Christmas morning for us. Lounging around in our robes, reading, and getting breakfast for ourselves. I had some krumkake with my morning coffee.
Dale went to the gym this afternoon but I continued to read, blog, and lounge around. It felt quite good to do so. Not a lot of food in the house due to us being away for a while so I made some macaroni noodles with butter.
Listened to Barbra Streisand's A Christmas Album this afternoon. Mom didn’t have this one when we were growing up but I picked it up for myself in the mid-80s on cassette tape. Can’t believe I’ve been listening to it for about 40 years now. It was the first time I’d ever heard the lead in for the song White Christmas which is often left off. You know, “The sun is shining, the grass is green, the orange and palm trees sway, there’s never been such a day, in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it’s December the 24th and I’m longing to be up North…” I think it’s included more often now on recent recordings. However up until this version I had never heard it before. Anyway, I was thinking about this intro while in Arizona for Christmas especially since John and Dianne have an orange tree in their back yard. I was surprised how well I did without the cold and the snow this year. Anyway, now we’re back home and there’s a little bit of snow on the ground. It’s raining out now so it’s a little messy looking but I guess ya can’t have it all.
I’m on something of a Barbra roll today since I also listened to her other Christmas collection, Christmas Memories. It’s got quite a few selections that are far from being over-recorded including A Christmas Love Song, Snowbound, Christmas Lullaby, and Christmas Mem’ries all of which I really enjoy listening to. And I love her version of It Must have been the Mistletoe which I find surprising hasn’t been covered more often.
Watched Meet Me in St. Louis tonight with Dale during dinner. We usually watch this in November to tie together the time between Halloween and Christmas. This is one of my all time favorite films. Dale and I always have so much fun watching and we never seem to tire of it. Notable that the story took place only 40 years prior to the release of the film. Currently it would be 120 years ago! It would be like making a movie now that took place in the 80s. In fact I first watched this movie just about 40 years ago with my gay college buddies as a kind of anti-Superbowl party. We watched the movie at my friend Paul's house in the family room. His dad was sweet and kind and gave up the big tv and offered to watch the game in the bedroom.
I was curious about the house used in the film so I used AI to find out the following information: " The 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis was filmed on a soundstage at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Culver City, California. St. Louis Street: A street lined with Victorian homes built for the film on Lot 3 of the MGM backlot. The. street and the Smith family's house were demolished in 1972. The house was later used in the film Cheaper by the Dozen." I've heard the land was sold and that there are condos there now.
Dale picked up some eggnog for me at the store today. I drank some as we finished the movie after dinner.
Christmas Season 2024/2025: The Third Day of Christmas - Sylvester the Christmas Cat
Friday, December 27, 2024
Sylvester was so happy to see us when we got home yesterday eveing. I made the following today:
He missed us.
Christmas Season 2024/2025: The Second Day of Christmas - Leaving Phoenix and a Couple Ghost Stories
Thursday, December. 26, 2024
Dianne called us outside this morning to see the sunrise. It certainly was spectacular. Dale and I took Irv to his physical therapy appointment this morning. He did really well. Afterward we went to Brenda and Irv's place. Dianne came to pick us up and take us to the airport. Before we left she changed the bandaging on Brenda's head from her Mohs surgery. Irv wanted Dale to put their car in the garage but Dianne recommended against it as there just wouldn't be enough. room for walking around the car with a walker in such a tight space. Irv was none to happy although I think he actually was pretty accepting of it in the end. Eventually he's going to have to have the keys taken away from him and I just don't see that playing. out well at all.
Read my second ghost story of the season on the plane ride home. The synopsis is as follows: "When Margaret finds a cottage to rent in the moorlands for her visiting Aunt Dorothea, she pays no mind to its rumored dark history. But when Dorothea goes missing only days after her arrival, a haunting tale of greed and murder soon comes to light." The scariest parts are told through a letter from Aunt Dorothea to Margaret after they happen which lends a certain eeriness to the whole story. I really liked this one.
Read the 3rd ghost story of the Christmas season from Seth on the plane ride home. The synopsis: "When. a group of tourists visits the deserted island of Podolo, one wants to rescue a feral cat they find there, and the others reluctantly agree. Unfortunately, the rescue proves more difficult than they expect - and they soon discover they're not alone on Podolo." Tragic and sufficiently creepy.
Our plane landed at about 7:45 pm. By the time we got our luggage and stopped by the grocery store on the way home from the airport we finally wallked in the back door just before 9 pm Sylvester was really glad to see us.
Christmas Season 2024/2025: Christmas Day - More Photos (1st Day of Christmas)
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
The work of the documentarian is harder than it looks.
Christmas Season 2024/2025: Christmas Day - Cocktails, Appetizers, and Prime Rib (1st Day of Christmas)
Wednesday, December 25, 2024
After my cigar I hopped in the pool. Dale and I were supposed to have potato peeling duty at 2:00. Dale saw how much fun I was having outside and offered to take the job over. He's just that sweet. John came out and joined me in the pool where the water was heated to a perfect 90 degrees.
When finished in the pool I picked a tangelo from John and Dianne's backyard tree.
I made a cocktail using Bombay Sapphire, tangelo slices and juice, and lime juice ice cubes. The ice cubes were from John's neighbors who used fresh squeezed lime juice from their backyard lime tree.
After peeling the potatoes Dale boiled and them riced them.
Prime rib was on the menu for dinner.
John used an air fryer to cook it.
Later when ready....
Irv looks on as John fished it out.
Dayum it turned out nicely.
Really nicely.
Dale and John worked on a nice juice to put on the meat.
My God it was beautiful! Mashed potatoes and green beans accompanied it. Old Fashioned as my dinner cocktail.
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