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History, remembrance and celebration of days

And so this is Christmas

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With no decorations on The Farm I’m not overdecorating for Christmas. In fact, I’m not decorating at all. My Christmas OverDecorating Partner in Crime is fixin’ to move out. And so, …  I weighed on the one side of the scale the energy it takes to turn The Farm into an awesome Christmas Lights &

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“It’ll never sell”: 58 Years of Tradition

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"It'll never sell": 58 Years of Tradition

TV Guide ran a special “Closeup” feature to announce the debut of A Charlie Brown Christmas in December 1965. From A Charlie Brown Christmas: The Making of a Tradition, Lee Mendelson, Harper Resource, New York, 2000 (p.25).  This is a wonderful book. Every home– with or without children– should have it on the shelf. The first half

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Recipe: John’s Pork Tamales

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This is a repost from December 3, 2015. Enjoy! Did you know tamales are a traditional Tex-Mex Christmas dish? Kid you not. They are a bit labor-intensive– but it’s Christmas season! Spend some time in the kitchen with someone you love making a batch of tamales! To the recipe… There are five six seven parts to this recipe.

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“I’m Dreaming

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of a White Christmas, … .” As far as I’m concerned, white Christmases can stay in Vermont but I want you to have that tune in your head as I tell the story of little Israel Baline, and the man he came to be. Israel was born in Temun, Russia in 1888. His family was

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In the Inbox

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A while back, Mr. Big Food forwarded to me an email he’d received from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.  “For ‘Phen?” Mr. Big Food queried, “He needs to add some cell biology to his current educational regime.” I couldn’t agree more. I am not kidding– and this has been independently confirmed in the flesh by

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Configuring Cinderella

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It’s official. The Farm has entered the 21st century! A few months ago we kicked Verizon’s JetPack Mifi “unlimited” internet to the ditch (we don’t have curbs out here) and signed on for AT&T’s Fixed Wireless Internet. It’s faster, cheaper, and for all practical purposes really unlimited. And for that, we thank you! We could

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Just another day

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Email subject line: ?? Content: Where is the ham bone? Love you! Mr. Big Food was to have taken the ham bone (5/1/18) and ham stock (6/19/18) out of his deep freezer this morning before he went to campus, but he forgot.  Ring ring. Ring ring. “Hello?” “Hey. I forgot. Sorry. The ham stock is

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“Our life’s succeeding stages”

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Heaven gives our years of fading strength Indemnifying fleetness; And those of youth, a seeming length, Proportion’d to their sweetness.  final stanza of Thomas Campbell’s, “The River of Life,” as found in Book Fourth of Palgrave’s Golden Treasury (Longmans, Green, green, and Co. (1905) Lines chosen while perusing because I can’t believe November’s almost over, and because I

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The Saturday after Thanksgiving

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What a beautiful morning! Warmish & sunny. Whiffs of leftover fireplace smoke in a slight breeze. Later on, one of the neighbors had a burn pile going. Fall. Breakfast. Fried leftover mashed potatoes with onions, and a fried egg. Chatted with the Thanksgiving Orphan about one of his favorite authors, Will Durant.  Pie Brunch was

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Black Friday: Thoughts from ages ago

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Black Friday: Thoughts from ages ago

Technically, this is not a repost because the original was in Blogger format converted to WordPress and it looks just awful. So this is a recreation of a post from ages ago. “Black Friday” Thoughts: Pt. 2 (November 25, 2011). Today I remember that the years have rewarded me for every talent I possess, and

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Marica

Status

In the previous post, “Everybody else: Sides & fixin’s,” everybody refers to everybody else besides Mr. Big Food. This is how he describes Thanksgiving dinner on the menu posted on the fridge. He’s doing the turkey and two pies. Everybody else… .  This has become Tradition. 

“Everybody else: Sides & Fixin’s” with a side of “How to *Really* talk to a liberal at Thanksgiving”

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Yesterday afternoon “Mom? Mom?” “Yes?” “I’ve decided to bake something, too. Can I use a butter from the freezer?” “Of course!” ~~ “Mom? Mom? Do we have any pear brandy?” “No, I don’t think so.” “Are you going to town?” “Yes.” “Are you going to the liquor store?” “Yes.” “Could you get some pear brandy?

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One thing leads to another

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I was examining one of the — I’ll actually count, hold on– eight (not counting the 18 which are assigned) crappy old books on my desk. Seventy Years of Textbook Publishing: A History of Ginn and Company 1867-1937 (1938) may not be for you, but it’s perfect lunch reading for me. That, of course, got

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The Children’s Corner

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As you can see, Daughter C outdid herself. Lovely, don’t you think? The weather is forecast to be very Thanksgivingy– Southern Country Mouse-wise. One or two Thanksgiving orphans will join us. Traditional menu, though not sure what Daughter C and The J-Man are bringing. Table is set. Well. Okay. Underneath all of the dishes &

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*Today* is Columbus Day

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Originally posted October 12, 2015. “No other than Christopher Columbus himself.” [image downloaded from cartographic-images] A small map of the world showing Africa as far south as the Cape of Buena Esperansa, and a large map of Europe and Africa as far south as the Congo. The map is neither signed nor dated. But because

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