55 thoughts on “2017 Serendipity”

  5. Thanks for the wishes Craig and everyone.  Just about 40 more minutes here in Southern Texas.  Then – I will wish you a very Happy New Year 1956!

  6. Well, a few fire works and the obligatory gun fire at 12 pm. Brewster is still curled up on my lap seeking shelter from the storm. He doesn’t like things that go bang.

    Happy New Year all. Time for this oldster to get to bed.

    Jack

  8. No fire works, no fights, no gushy drunks, and only 2 guitars……..a snazzy kookie new year down by the creek.

    The owner says, “You guys were Great……I want you to come back and do next New Years too.”

    i says to him, I says,   “That’s super…….can we leave our equipment?”

  10. The explosions did awaken me at midnight.  I do not care for it.  Gale barked a bit, but calmed down once I put my arm on her.  Happy New Year.

    West Wing is a fairy tale for adult Dems.  I like it because it is such.

    The count down clock continues to click off the seconds until America becomes a lesser nation ruled by a dictator wannabe and billionaires.  I want to see how they divest themselves of their businesses.  Or if the Congress grows some brass and tells them to or they do not get to play secretary.

     

  12. A few small fireworks all evening, but two, huge booms (M-80s?) at 1 am.

     

    These are the only fireworks I need. Yes, the cactus was holding out for 2017, I think.

     

    Health, happiness, and all good things!

  13. Jace,

    Thanks so much for the wonderful Dvorak rendition; I’ve never heard better–no, I’m not giving away my Karajan. My local NPR outlet had just finished Brahms 1st when I turned on my laptop and discovered yours. Felt as if I had hit the daily double! Thanks again for your diligence in making us happy and dipitous, whatever that might be 🙂

  16. Jace…  can’t listen to it all right now….  getting ready for friends coming over to watch a football game with us.  Just wanted to say Thank You for all the great music this past year!

    Happy New Year and everyone enjoy the day!

  17. Jamie – during the reign of cheney and the vi yahoo made a mistake and I was put into Yahoo UK edition.  There was a headline story about Ashcroft putting in censorship on all reporting and media from Iraq to the U.S.  That was never in the U.S. version.  Searching around I could not find that on any U.S. media site.  From that day on I told people to not bother with the U.S. “news”, but to go to media sites around the world to learn what was actually happening, not only in Iraq-Afghanistan but even in the U.S.

    Most major news sources have an English edition.  If possible, it is always better to read in the native language because sometimes things get messy in the translation.  If your language education ended when you graduated from high school this is a good time to get back into it.  My personal reading list includes (going westward), Australia, Japan, India, Germany, France, UK and Spain.  I have stopped reading from several countries as they have lost a lot of press freedom, Turkey being the latest.

    My U.S. list has NY Times, Washington Post, Detroit Free Press/News, Denver Post, Phoenix Republic, LA Times, along with television stations sites which tend to have shorter articles.  I also go to the local media for the local view of things.  There are a lot of legitimate news sites.

    We are already seeing self-censorship by U.S. media.  I expect the floater to do his best to abort the First Amendment.  It will take media owners, other than the big three which are floater supporters, to fight back and keep digging and publishing.

  18. Jamie, that 2nd link froze my computer (had to unplug) but not before I caught a glimpse of a phrase about wealthy folks using Israel as a tax haven.  could it be that this might be some of the reason for his twittiness cabinet picks’ love of nutty yahoo?

    hard to take any scandal seriously with all the fake news rampant.  not that that should excuse u.s. press from coverage …. didn’t seem to bother them when it was about the clintons during the election

    could be though that individual journalists who remember what happened to helen are fearful to say anything derogatory.

  19. but here is something from the English edition of diario catolico:

    Netanyahu to face criminal interrogation over ‘gifts’

    Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, is reportedly facing a full criminal investigation into charges of bribery and fraud.

    The television station, along with news site Ynet, said police are expected to open a criminal corruption probe against Netanyahu as early as next week.

    Last month it was claimed Mr Netanyahu had been involved in an Israeli Defense Ministry deal to buy submarines from a German company that is owned partly by the Iranian government, which Israel sees as an enemy.

    Mr Netanyahu said: “Increasing the security and strength of the state of Israel is the only consideration that guided me in acquiring the submarines”. So, I ask you, how can you make peace with someone who rejects your very existence?

    Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) said on Radio Kol Chai Thursday morning that the Prime Minister’s status is like that of any other citizen, and he must be investigated if circumstances warrant it.

  20. Flatus,

    Glad you enjoyed the selection. I thought it was amazing.

    Thanks for the Stabat Mater. Am giving it a very close listen as  we start dinner preparations. Excellent recording,with some wonderful singing!

  21. Flatus,

    watched the game as well. An Ohio state team playing that poorly in a big game?

    Can’t imagine what happened, but it wasn’t pretty.

  22. Trump kicks biographer off golf course

    ….

    Trump told Hurt “you’re out of here,” according to the transition official, while Hurt wrote on Facebook that Trump told him it was “inappropriate” for him to play at the club.

    David Koch could not be reached for comment, and the Trump transition team declined to comment.

    Hurt told POLITICO in an interview that he approached Trump “out of courtesy and respect for the office of the President of the United States … I support the office of the President of the United States, and I sincerely hope that Donald Trump will look after the interests of the United States with the same passion as he has looked after his business interests heretofore.”

    The various accounts given to POLITICO diverge after the initial interaction between Hurt and Trump.

    Hurt’s Facebook post says that Trump “had his security detail escort Hurt, Koch, and their playing partners to the parking lot,” and that Koch “was appalled,” and criticized Trump as “petty” and “vulgar.”

  23. Happy New Year, everyone.

    My Christmas cacti are relatively happy this year, but are not blooming in unison as they have in past years. I’ve had pots and pots of them in full display some years and there are few blooms that can match them.

    New Year’s Eve is my traditional latkefest and last night was no exception. Coukdn’t find my collection of latke recipe clippings  and found a recipe on Epicurious. That one advised no potato starch (makes the latkes “gummy”) but to use matzo meal. Sigh.

    I used flour and everything went fine. But this morning I found a latke recipe from the James Beard Foundation on my Twitterfeed. Old Kinderhook, I thought,  I’ll bite. This recipe also stresses matzo meal, plus peanut oil, and is heavy on the onions.

    Everyone seems to have an opinion on latkes. So much like politics.

    https://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/sonnys-special-potato-latkes

  24. Pat, that’s great, so now he’s _really_ pissed-off the Koch brothers. I can see that further evaporating his support within the Congress.

  28. So Amerikan-Russian President Trump ends the sanctions and the Exxon deal goes through

    does Exxon build a Trump Tower in Moscow

  29. Latkes. I would do the James Beard sticking with the Yukon Gold, using Kosher or Sea salt instead of iodized, and going with canola instead of peanut oil because it’s the right thing to do.

    Question. Yukon Gold have quite thin skins. Would it mess things up to try leaving the skins on pulling any gross remains that would be trapped by the food processor?

  31. Katherine,
    Also, he will transfer, on paper, all his assets to his eldest daughter. She and her husband will emigrate, with bibi’s blessing, to Israel where those assets will reside tax free for the next ten years. (See Jamie’s second press item up above.) At that point, daddy will convert and make his way to Israel with the assets being transferred to him while he’s in flight over Gibraltar. This process can go on ad infinitum.

  32. Okay. It’s time for me to leave for the USC-Alabama Women’s basketball game. It’s the sport that I think represents student athletes at their best. ESPN2 at 2-Eastern

  34. Blue, you can prune a Christmas cactus? Is that a matter of pinching a stem? My main concern with them over the many years I’ve enjoyed them, is the tendency to rot outdoors. Mine were kept on a bench under an oak for years, but a wet Florida summer will do them in. Likewise keeping them indoors is often a challenge for me.

    Flatus, I would test the Yukon Golds, with skins, in the processor. See how it goes. I hand-grated my potatoes yesterday because that’s how my mother did it. Tradition. Just a little more work. But I’m now curious about using them in place of Russets and how big a role the starch content plays.

    See? It’s pretty complicated. Maybe I should ask Vlad what he’s uncovered in his “travels.”

  35. Nothing will stop trump but whatever laws of America he can’t break.
    Send lawyers, guns, and money…..the shit has hit the fan.

  36. The Key: Starch Content Use starchy potatoes like Russets: the starchier the potato, the crispier the latke. This is where Red Bliss potatoes, with their high moisture content, will most certainly disappoint. In my extensive latke research (read: What’s the best thing about a good latke?), everyone selected crispiness as their number one desired latke quality.

    http://www.thekitchn.com/the-unexpected-trick-to-make-the-crispiest-tastiest-latkes-ever-181496

    I guess if you prefer limp latkes you could eliminate the starch – it’s not starch that makes a gummy lake – it’s failing to remove as much moisture as possible from the potato batter.

  38. Here is my abused Christmas Cactus.  It sits in a south window, in a dog bowl, occasionally watered.  It needs to be transplanted into something larger.

  39. Thank you for the latke zen, KGC (reads like a British title); that explanation makes perfect sense. It’s how Alton Brown might explain it.

    Given the nonsense that is #BenedictDonald and Co., I have a yen to watch “Seven Days in May” followed by “Dr. Strangelove.” Because Brig. Gen. Jack Ripper is looking pretty rational right now compared to what’s coming from Trump’s Towering Inferno transition. By the way, $425k is what Trump took in for his NYE bash at Mar-A-Iago. Good grief. Making a buck as Prez-Elect. What a slime bucket. Can’t he wait? My hunch and hope is that the arts will help save us during the Trump year(s), just as they did during Vietnam and Nixon. But Sen. Al Franken might be too busy governing to write a Trump satire for SNL, as he did for Nixon.  Someone will pop up.

     

  40. Nice looking cacti, Blue. I was told by a local extension agent that clay pots are the best bet for these guys. Also making sure they had some sand in their potting mix. They don’t appreciate rich soil. They prefer misting to actual watering, and they don’t appreciate being messed with during the dormant period. As with latkes, I would bet there is room for differences of opinion.

     

  41. Thank you.  A question for those who know things.  What is going on with the big round red bulb with the white flower?  I have tried searching online and come up with the same results as an x-ray of the lunatic’s head, nothing.

  43. note: this was done 2 months before election


    Published on Sep 5, 2016

    Donald Trump & Vladimir Putin sing a song from the heart about their favorite subject: Themselves.

  44. Mr D’dog – I’ve read that you can pinch them back to keep them from getting leggy like mine, but I’ve always chickened out.  This is only the 2nd year for the hot pink cactus; the blush is on year 4.   I keep them inside.  They seem to like the southwestern exposure.

     

  47. I’ m back from the basketball game. USC dramatically outplayed Bama 93-45 in the SEC season opener. Our women are good.

  48. BB, I’ve been growing those things for decades–never seen anything like that. Two possibilities come to mind: 1. A parasite dwelling in the roundish part. 2. A mutation of that branch of the plant.

    If you’re really curious, pull that sprig from its supporting branch and set those three, or so, inches of sprig into an inch or so of water in a glass and see what happens. It should start rooting after a short while. If it starts producing another bud like the one that made the unusual flower, take it where there are smart people. If it just dies, I would say it’s probably a parasite.

  50. I offer, in the interest of diversity, this year’s rendition of……….Sally……and her fabled Mustang.      I wonder what ever became of Dick and Jane……

  52. Mrdoodlesdog & BB: What beautiful plants! I wish I could have one like that. I had a Christmas cactus once but, like all things green & pretty, it passed away under my care 😮

    I read that after the Russian expulsions trump said (tweeted?) that he doesn’t trust computers-I guess because all the security agencies were looking into computers for hacking evidence. Someone should ask him if that means we can throw out the election results and vote again manually now 😉

    Yay Pats! #1 seed, home-field advantage. If everything else goes to hell in 2017, super bowl and world series trophies will ease the pain!

  54. Flatus,  apparently our women aren’t so great. Next Monday we’ll see how this year’s Bama-Clemson matchup plays out.

Comments are closed.