Miscellaneous Musings

Since I have nothing topical to write about this morning, this post is going to ramble a bit.
I heard a radio announcer say that yesterday and the day before were the shortest days of the year. I don't think that's exactly right. A quick glance at the sunrise/sunset table shows that tomorrow will actually have one minute less daylight than today! According to the table, daylight minutes don't actually increase until the 24th!
Our Viking is home for the holidays! Yippee! I have a couple of projects in mind for us to work on while he's here. I'll tell you about one of them: I like the smell of pine from a freshly cut Christmas tree, but the odor always fades too quickly. So I was trying to think of a way to perpetuate the smell of fresh pine without cluttering up the house with boughs, etc. I'm thinking we might take a 3-foot length of drain tile (4" diameter PVC pipe with holes in it) and cap one end. Then we'll gather up a supply of fresh pine boughs, crush them, and stuff them into the drain tile until it's crammed full. Hopefully, we can place the pine-filled tile discreetly behind a piece of furniture and the scent will waft from the holes in the tile while the needles and sticks stay neatly contained. We need to make sure we don't place it near an open flame. It would probably go off like a Roman candle if a match fell in it.
Speaking of Christmas... What are we, a nation of masochists?!! Who decided that the biggest travel days of the year should be in December?!! The recent snow storm in Denver makes my point: Flights all across the country are still disrupted. Thousands of people are stranded in airports. WINTER IS NOT A GOOD TIME OF YEAR TO TRAVEL, PEOPLE! Truth be told, once again the MBA's have programmed us to get out and spend money when common sense tells us to stay home. Think of how much safer, more convenient, and pleasant it would be if we celebrated Christmas in SEPTEMBER!! According to this article, September might actually be closer to Christ's actual birthday:

The Gospel accounts indicate that Jesus was born before the winter season: Luke 2:8 "Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night." {Sheep were never in the field by night in Palestine after the third week of October.}
Inexplicable though it seems, the date of Christ's birth is not known. The gospels indicate neither the day, the month, nor the year. (The Catholic Encyclopedia, p.656, vol. 3, 1967.)

If you're still not convinced, I offer this article:

The Bible does not mention the celebration of Christ's birthday, and the early Christians seem not to have celebrated His birthday. However, to avoid persecution, they would hang holly on their doors during December just as the Roman pagans did for Saturnalia, their feasts honouring their god of harvest. Likewise, in September, during the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (modern-day Rosh Hashanah), they would borrow some of the custom to protect themselves, carrying on with their own customs behind closed doors. This added to the speculation that early Christians celebrated the birth of Christ in September. It is noted that Jerusalem swelled from about 100,000 people to over 1 million during the Feast of the Trumpets, which meant that there would have been little room at the inns of Jerusalem and the surrounding towns.

Curse you, MBA's!

I like store-bought Egg Nog. It tastes like melted French vanilla ice cream. I wish it was available year-round.
I like Christmas music too - especially Johnny Mathis and Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
I like the movies, Polar Express and Holiday Inn.
I like mashed potatoes and gravy, but that's not the point.
See?!! All these things can be enjoyed even better in September than in December!
Good luck with your holiday travel plans, you may need it.
Jean Update:
Now, she is coming back on December 24th to finalize the closing of her cafe and prepare for her final move to Atlanta.
Barry, her ex, offered to finance the move and pay her first month's rent in Atlanta. Why is he being so generous? Guilt, imposed by his pastor.
Amazingly, incredibly, the wedding that Jean was supposed to cater in January - the one that she already took a $3,000 deposit on (and spent) - the one that she has no money to fund or refund - has been postponed until next summer! If she still plans to cater it, this delay should give her time to pay for it. On the other hand, if the bride-to-be wants her $3,000 back, well, that ought to be interesting. Maybe Barry will pay for that too.
It's a crazy world out there.
Happy Holidays!