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It’s National Cookie Day!

Like any of us need an excuse to eat more cookies this month. I celebrated by helping myself to a few Christmas cookies a neighbor brought over (they were rejects from the batches she made, but taste just as good).

Growing up, my mom always made hundreds of Christmas cookies and mailed them to all our relatives, far and wide. Then she’d freeze a bunch–no room in the freezer for anything else at that point–so we’d have plenty to get us through the winter months. Okay, December. We’re a sweet tooth family so sugary goods never lasted long in our house.

I remember my mom had a cookie press for those fancy Christmas cookies. She usually died the dough green as well (not red, because the red dye in use up to that point had been discovered to be cancer causing). She made the round balls dipped in powdered sugar and we gobbled those down. We all helped ice the sugar cookies, and somewhere along the line we discovered you could make stained glass sugar cookies with the use of crumbled up Life Savers. I don’t think they turned out very well because we only made them for a year or two. 

I plan to celebrate National Cookie Day as often as I can this Christmas season, although I doubt I bake too many of my own. It’s hard to bake for one and already there are so many cookies at work I’m afraid mine might go stale before anyone ate them.

Bring on the cookies!!

Image Credit: © Svetlana Kolpakova–stock.adobe.com

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Gimme a Break!

Well, winter weather is upon us, even if it isn’t officially winter yet. So I’m once again forced to deal with one of the more foolish laws in my state, and that is, if you shovel the sidewalk or put some sort of ice melt on it–or anything like that–you can and probably will be held liable if someone slips and falls. So my apartment complex understandably does nothing to clear the way for those of us who have to go to work or simply want to take the trash out. Let me say this again–you clear the ice or snow off the sidewalk or stair steps or what-have-you and someone slips and falls, you will be held liable.

I’ve listened to our esteemed lawmakers try to explain this, and their excuses sound as lame as the law itself.  Frankly, I don’t understand clearly what they’re saying so I won’t try to repeat it here. I just know that in a majority of the states, the law either requires you to clear the sidewalks in front of your home or at the very least won’t punish you if you do and someone falls.

Which led me to wonder, what laws do other states have that surpass understanding? I looked this up and decided against sharing too many. Instead, I’m asking you, my fellow bloggers, to tell me about absurd laws in your state, or any other state, for that matter. Did you know that in Massachusetts you’re breaking the law if you’re over 16 and you swear at players or officials at a sporting event? Two things struck me there, first, I guess if you’re 16 or under you can say what you like, and second, seriously? Is anybody enforcing this law?

So let me know about the laws in your state. I could use a good laugh!

Image Credit: © photoschmidt–stock.adobe.com

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Caturday–Walter is Feeling Secure

We all need a little security. For children, it may be a blanket or a favorite stuffed toy. For Walter, it’s this scratching pole. It’s supposed to hang on a string over a doorknob, but the string broke off long ago. Now nobody scratches on it, but Walter hugs it close.

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Image Credits: Cesar Cat © Belinda O; Paws In Heart © Bigstock

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Homemade Bread Day

It’s National Homemade Bread Day, and I would love to celebrate this one the right way–with a freshly baked load of bread and a glass of white grape juice (my drink of choice this days). However, I need to be able to fit into the jeans I’m wearing right now for a little while longer. I could probably eat a whole loaf, well, maybe half a loaf, in the course of one day. That’s not healthy.

But what could be better than a moderate portion of homemade bread? Whether it’s white bread, banana nut bread, zucchini bread or any other kind you crave, it’s one of life’s simple pleasures. Okay, eating it is a simple pleasure. Making it, especially yeast breads, takes a little practice and know-how. Unless you cheat and use a bread maker.

All this in anticipation of Thanksgiving, where my homemade Parkerhouse rolls were famous in my family. I made them every year. One year I was late because I forgot to turn the oven on, and my grandma was furious. I’d messed up the timing for everything for her. But my uncles, cousins, mom and stepdad just laughed it off and ate heartily.

So celebrate today’s holiday if you can. Yum.

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Something Bad, Something Good

You just never know when something bad can happen. Two weeks ago I got to work (which is to say I walked from my bedroom to what I loosely call my office) and there was a cheery message from my colleague. This is the woman who trained me, and she takes the lead in assigning me work. Anyway, I sent a message to her saying I was ready for my assignments.  I didn’t hear and didn’t hear. My manager was late, and it turns out with good reason–she’d gotten a message from Rita, my co-worker, saying she (Rita) had fallen and broken her femur.  Hip replacement surgery was necessary.

AdobeStock_315071966 [Converted]I was shaking the rest of the morning. Not because of what happened to Rita (although I felt terrible for her), but what it means for me. The brunt of the workload is going to fall on me now, and I still don’t know how to do everything. I expect Rita will be out at least a month and I’m scared. Yes, it’s a chance to prove myself, and I’m trying to focus on that, but it’s scary asking questions my manager might expect me to know the answers to by now.

But things have started to come together. It’s still scary, and I’d be concerned if it wasn’t. But all I can do is all I can do, and leave it at that.  I’m learning a lot and that’s worth it all.

AdobeStock_308598167 [Converted]Of course in the middle of this newly-added pressure at work, my TV completely poops out. Doesn’t even power on. I had to resort to watching my streaming channels on my laptop, which has its limitations. I looked online at what was available in the way of new TVs and realized I’m still in the 20th century when it comes to television sets. Okay, maybe not completely. But close to the turn of the century. I mean, what is a smart TV?

I got lucky, though. I mentioned what had happened to my co-worker Bre, and she offered to give me one of her extra television sets. Of course I planned to pay, but she brushed that aside and gave it to me outright. Yes, it’s a smart TV–with Roku–and it fits perfectly on the little dresser I use as a TV stand. 

The really cool thing about this is that I’d just gotten a brand-new Roku, and now I can give that to a friend who’s limping by with one of the originals. She’s on a fixed income and is barely getting by, so I know she’ll appreciate this gift. I feel good.

bathroom scale and isolated on white backgroundAnd the last good/bad thing to happen? I had a health scare, which forced me to confront some of my bad eating habits. I’ve changed and lost five pounds–I’m close to my goal weight, which is a good thing since losing that weight was a New Year’s resolution and I’ve struggled every day with it. I just couldn’t get it together until I had a concrete reason to do so.

Yes, you never know when something bad is going to happen, but you never know when that something bad might turn into something good. 

Image Credits: All, © stock.adobe.com