By Pogo, a Trail Mix Contributor
In my haste to run away from 2018 – which I rank right up there with the worst years this country has ever seen, governmentally speaking, and ended on a somewhat familiar note – a government shutdown delivering a trumpian lump of coal to 800,000 people, including our own Blue Bronc – I thought I might not be being quite fair to 2018, so I cast my net a bit wider to see whether there is anything worth remembering (except to remember not to do this again) from the old year passing out of our lives tonight.
Looking about I did find this from Wapo: Best of 2018
Editors and critics from across The Washington Post choose their favorite stories, highlights and achievements that defined the year — from unforgettable movies and music to our most-read recipes. This is their roundup of the best of 2018.
There were apparently all sorts of things to see and read last year – enough to make me think I may have been too hasty in my dissing of the year. (Of course I just can’t shake the nagging feeling that something about 2018 was simply awful, and we shouldn’t do that again. For some reason the color Orange comes to mind.)
Regardless, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
More Posts by Pogo
Does this make 2018 better?
Elizabeth Warren is launching an exploratory committee for president as she gears up for a 2020 presidential election bid, she announced in a new video
nice kitchen is that her home?
Pogo… I love the color orange… I make a mean orange (rust) colored scarf and it’s one of my best sellers. It pisses me off what trump has done to a perfectly good color.
Craig… I love Warren… but… will not vote for her in the primary. The right has managed to malign her as much as they did Hillary. If she does run, it will be fun to see her in the debates.
On the plus side of 2018, the news from the White House has been so hideous that it has driven me into “anything but” mode. As a result, all sort of recipes, animals, positive events, family etc. Anything that will make me not think of Trump for awhile.
Wishing all those on the trail a truly Happy New Year, a wonderful 2019 and the Chinese Year of the Pig beginning in February. Might as well turn it into a non-stop celebration of all that is good around us.
On the Warren announcement, I’m with RR in not voting for her in the primary, but hope she will stir some of our very deep bench to dive into the pool and really speak out on why the nation needs a Democratic Senate and White House.
Update on boat lighting. I just installed, temporarily, a set of under counter LED lights. It is a set of three strips, using less power than the single AC light bulb that lights the galley. One over the dining table, one over the walkway between the galley and dining area and one in the galley. More light than has ever been in that section of the boat.
As much as I think Warren would have been a fine president a while ago, she is now in the period of life I call the “downside of the bell curve”. Although not up there with Biden on odds are he will not wake up tomorrow than the majority of humanity, she is older than me and therefore not someone I want in the WH. I want someone who is not eligible to collect Social Security in the Oval Office.
Well, when I said temporary install, it looks like I need to do a less temporary and something more long term, at lest to get to tomorrow. Back to the lighting.
Unless a darkhorse breaks out fast in Iowa, New Hamp and South Carolina the candidates with name recognition and big bucks will dominate the more frontloaded Super Tue on March 3, which now includes California and Texas, plus Virginia, NC and a few others. It appears the DNC is designing a primary season designed to crown an early nominee, perhaps on Super Tue when more than a third of the delegates will be chosen that day. However, the superdelegate system has been redesigned to reduce their power.
BB, sounds like you settled on the same type lights we put in our kitchen in 2018 (which was one high spot for the year, btw). Huge bang for the proverbial buck.
Alexandra offers her take on 2018.
It goes on.
We just found out that we’re getting a kitty for the new year. Her name is Princess.
Regrettably, the reason we’re getting Ms Princess is because our dear friend is facing serious health issues. He’s currently in hospital and once he is stable, his daughter is moving him to Colorado to be closer.
We don’t know at this time whether Ms Princess will be with us permanently. We hope the best for our friend. Evidently his health is not life threatening right now, but he is 70 with ongoing kidney trouble resulting in routine dialysis. So we’re prepared to have Ms Princess for as long as needed while hoping she can be reunited with our friend at some point.
Happy new year gang!
So our New Year’s Eve celebration is not off to a good start. Our host died. One of Mr C’s oldest and closest friends and a neighbor and died on Friday. Great guy, now retired but had been an active volunteer firefighter and one of the early residents of the area. Just short of his 74th birthday. From plant starts , plumbing you name it he was the go to guy. He has a big family in the area – two daughters and grandkids. Their house was is party central.
We are very sad.
I hate SFB and anyone who has enabled him in anyway. I will never forgive people for this. Ever.
KGC – terrible way to end a year and begin a new one.
Pogo – I cannot imagine using these strips under a cabinet. They are extremely bright.
Sorry but I just can’t get excited about Warren.
Perhaps her announcement will prompt others to step up and formally announce. Brown,Klobuchar and Harris come immediately to mind.
BB, ours has a hands free switch with a dimmer. Works like a charm from barely there to blazing bright. They’re the nuts.
I like Warren and she has a good record but I can’t see her base.
travis, with a name like “princess” are you sure you’re up to it?
stemmed cut crystal for the fancy feast served by lauren bacall, red carpet leading to the golden litter tray, embroidered plush pillows plumped periodically and the patience it takes to endure the snarky purr “human slaves are just not what they used to be… ”
Great news – Kroger had fresh Mustard greens for the NYD meal. IMHO Mustard greens are the best of the greens. Add a little garlic, pork fat, salt, pepper, olive oil and (if you want it) sauteed onions and it’s fit for a king or queen.
That, along with roasted pork tenderloin and Hoppin’ John, and it should be a lucky and prosperous 2019 – unless of course all this is just superstition. (If only the bowl game offerings were like in days gone by…)
Patd – I guess we’re gonna find out, aren’t we? I’m told that she enjoys lap-sitting, that she hasn’t been terribly demanding since moving in with my friend, and that she has a tremendous purr with which she is quite generous to bestow.
We pick her up on Saturday. Stand by for our first report.
KGC… sorry for your loss.
TravisC… just treat Princess like the Queen she is and you’ll be fine.
We have a shrimp ring, good crackers, garlic herb goat cheese, french onion dip, cucumber and dill dip, celery sticks, carrot sticks, and pitted Kalamata olives. And a good bottle of cranberry wine. We are all set for a feast tonight while watching the Celtics game.
Ms Cracker, I am sorry. Please pass on my regards to Mr C.
RR
Yum
we are going over to some friends also in the neighborhood. Little crab cakes, artichokes, french fries (for me) and chicken something and coffee ice cream with chocolate whipped cream
thanks RR and X-R
I guess if Warren can get Bernie out she would inherit a lot of his folks
Sounds like all are planning to eat well tonight and tomorrow. Just set up the wireless receiver on the TV in front of the stationary bike so that I can begin to work on the extra calories that converted to fat over the holidays while I try to make a selection for entertainment on netflix – tomorrow or the next day. But now, home to try and mouse-proof the pantry in my ongoing war with the Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beasties that love to gnaw through foil and get to chocolate and through plastic to get to granola.
Get a cat
Pogo – I broke down and read the instructions. It does dim. Great stuff. This is one of those things that is so far off the charts good that it sort of makes up for the other stuff which ends up in the trash can after the first use. I am going to pick up several more of the kits to use to replace older single bulb AC lights, and a couple of these, at least six strips, will be installed in the engine room. I am also thinking a couple can be used off the batteries by installing a separate inverter to power them. The important part is how long they last in the marine saltwater environment.
Something very important is the twenty dollar unit, three strips, provides the light I was planning on spending upward of seven to eight hundred dollars on marine AC lighting units. That makes me very happy.
Almost time to “First Foot”
A friend of ours who grew up in Spain brings the grapes
http://www.sunsetbeachclub.com
Discovering who is más macho at midnight. Eating 12grapes at midnight on New Year’s Eve is both atradition and a superstition in Spain. Rare is the Spaniard who will risk poisoning their fate for the coming year by skipping the grapes, one for each stroke of midnight.
Tonight’s movie is Miss Congeniality. With any luck the fireworks will be washed out. Happy New Year.
Pogo, Be kind to the moose as you guide them outside:
A Traditional Scottish Toast”
May the best ye’ve ever seen
Be the worst ye’ll ever see
May a moose ne’er leave yer girnal
Wi’ a tear drap in his e’e
May ye aye keep hale an’ he’rty
Till ye’re auld eneuch tae dee
May ye aye be jist as happy
As we wish ye aye tae be
I keep having this fantasy of Kobuchar and Harris could just have a coin flip ceremony for the top spot.
Female – POC – Midwest – Coast – Somewhat moderate – Progressive. Two great potential “First Dudes”. Combined they sort of hit all the bases.
Wow Klobuchar and Harris ticket — I think you have to go with Amy at the top of the ticket.
KGC
I agree, but I try not to offend those worshipping at the Harris shrine… lol, but Amy has both the female and midwest cred on her side plus great social presence and enough of a moderate to take necessary states lost in 2016. Harris brings in the POC votes, the black women, and all those darn coastal elites (lol).
I like Amy but I think I like her with Sherrod Brown better she can be the top of the ticket too
Fun Twitter Meme for New Years:
KGC
Two White people. Nice ticket but doesn’t cover the electorate and those black women are very much generated by “we told you so”.
Jamie, I’m taking the barrier approach. Basically covering gaps with drywall corner beads. Just trying to keep them out of the pantry. We’ll see if this approach works. Took me 3 hours to install it.