No, Beans not After Trig or Calculus...THE Aftermath.
The Family rejoin was completed Christmas Eve with the arrival of SIL, who had to work that morning. Since Little J and DIL had arrived earlier in the week, they had claimed the guest bedroom. This meant the MBD and SIL were using the, as yet incomplete, Murphy Bed in my office. This would be the reason for the lack of commentary on various posts this week.
Mea Culpa. BTW, Sarge, nice touch on the tumbling napalm in yesterday's post, adds a very nice touch of authenticity to it.
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| Dinner the first night they were home was Pork Carnitas. For some reason, DIL saw fit to wear this Tee to dinner. I approved. |
Dinner Christmas Eve was Seafood Linguini, as my Italian side always serves seafood on Christmas Eve. This site has a reasonable facsimile to my recipe. I've been making it so long, doing it in my sleep is easy. It's the getting to sleep that's the hard part. In any case, MBD insisted on my opening one of my presents that evening.
I did and this was the result.
The following morning the clan arose around 0600, ran the house out of hot water and departed at 0700 for the 0800 Mass. The Church had increased the allowed attendees to number 220 for the Christmas Masses. We figured there wouldn't be too many families with small kids at this particular mass so went ahead and made our reservations.
Now...doesn't that just stick in your craw? "Allowed attendees", "Reservations"? To go to Church?
Whiskey
Tango
Fox?
Once again...
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The Mass itself reminded me of just why this whole Chinese Communist/Democrat Flu BS irritates me so much. The Pastor's sermon was quite enjoyable and spot on target for Christmas. It was based on O Henry's "The Gift of the Magi". It had been quite a while since I'd read it (OK, Beans, Sophomore in HS. Yes, we had books back then, hand written by Monks but books nonetheless.), but I knew right away where he was going.
It's not the gift itself that matters, it's the sacrifice involved in giving the gift.
So....yeah, I miss being able to go to Mass without having to make a reservation or wear a flipping mask.
Upon RTB, the Fritatta went in the oven and the gift exchange began. Everybody was assigned a hat to wear. I don't know why, but Mrs J started the tradition years ago. As events played out, I think she's been plotting for a long time.
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| For some reason, she assigned this as my "hat" |
A little history to set the stage, in my family whenever someone was handed a package and gave it a gentle shake, my Dad would say "It's bikini underwear." I don't know where that came from, but it was a sure thing when he was in the room.
Since he passed title of "Patriarch of the juvat clan", it fell to me to continue the teachings of my father. Hence, if anyone shakes a package, I can be counted on to say "It's bikini underwear".
Now, my Son-in-Law is a pretty smart guy and has well worked his way into the juvat clan traditions.
So....
Yep.
All that having been said, he didn't win the "Most Perfect Gift Ever" award. That will probably have to be retired after Mrs J's gift to both Little J and I.
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| Source |
He and I are looking forward to a half hour ride each in a Stearman. Well done, Honey!
At that point, it became time for a "Long Winter's Nap". Schmedley beat me to it.
Happy New Year's to all y'all. Keep your chin up, head down and powder dry. Gonna be an interesting one.
Are those biplane rides out of http://www.floridaairtours.com/ at Merritt Island/Cape Canaveral? Bought them for some of my friends' kids a couple years ago when they had a "satellite" operation at Space Coast Regional Airport.
ReplyDeleteMark,
DeleteNah, They're here in Texas. The Source tag under the pic has their info.
Do they offer aerobatics like they do over here?
DeleteI don't know (but will find out), I certainly hope so. Straight and level certainly isn't as fun. Trust me, one way or another, there WILL be a debrief! ;-)
DeleteDebrief? Hopefully not THOSE briefs...
DeleteOne would certainly hope! But...No promises.
DeleteI'm gonna shake 2021. Maybe it'll just be a weird underwear year and not another "same song second verse, a whole lot louder and a whole lot worse."
ReplyDeleteGood news is like a medicine. I'm glad you had the kids home.
STxAR,
DeleteI concur, and pray.
It is, isn't it. Been a lot of laughing going on this past week. We needed that.
Happy New Year!
Now there's a Christmas T-shirt, all the right colors too! Best of all the Family was rejoined, excellent! And a ride in a Stearman....ooooo...lucky ducks. Now you'll excuse me, have to go bleach my eyes out after viewing that fourth photo.....(shudder).
ReplyDeleteNylon,
DeleteI agree, I went and put the T-shirt on immediately that evening.
As to the fourth photo...there was a lot of laughing going on also. Until I got up, grabbed it and went into my bedroom. Closed the door and then listened to the whispering. "He's not really going to put it on, is he?" "OMG, I hope not!" Mrs J chimes in with "He's your father, you've effectively waved a red flag in front of a bull". About that time, I kinda did a stripper entrance around the corner, Bare leg up to the knee, then jumped out to shrieks and closed eyes, laughing loudly.
Or would have if, when I stood up, Mrs J hadn't said "Don't you dare!"
Party Pooper!
Hahaha!!... (draw in breath)....Hahaha!! Thanks for the laugh juvat, quite the description.....(heh heh).
DeleteThanks, Nylon, Stick around for the next show, don't forget to tip your waitress.....
DeleteLooks like a top-line family do. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Sarge!
ReplyDeleteIt was (still is for another week or so, depending on what happens in Kuwait vis a vis its lockdown)
DeleteLooks very enjoyable indeed Juvat! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThanks THBB, It was. Merry Christmas to you and yours and Happy New Year.
DeleteLove the t-shirt, as to the other piece of apparel you received...
ReplyDeleteWell played son-in-law, well played.
As to the 800 lb gorilla in the room...
It ain't so much the idiot politicians trying to shove this un-Constitutional BS down our throats, it's the idiots in the populace who acquiesce to these things. "But the governor ordered that!" - Uh, negative, they can suggest, they can't order. If I hear one more drone mutter something about "when we're allowed to go back to work/school/church," I think I shall lose my mind.
We're not losing our country, we're giving it away.
Thanks Sarge.
DeleteAgree completely. I carry a mask every time I go out. I don't wear it unless asked, politely, by someone because their personal circumstances put them at greater risk. I have redirected my normal church contributions to other more worthy charities. One small niggle though. Various agencies have issued "orders", suggestions if you will, dictating what can and can't be done. In my mind, that violates the NO LAW provision, and the perpetrator (perpatraitor?)resisted at all levels, but especially the Church Leadership.
The absence thereof strikes me much like my reaction to most of John Roberts' opinions, "What do they have on him (them) that would cause him to decide that way?"
Unfortunately, I agree with your last statement. Fortunately, the verbs in it are not past tense...yet.
went on the Crosswind site, just for curiosity. saw they're charging $100/ for a 150 wet. Ouch! the dollar's certainly diminished in value. I remember $5/ wet back in '66 getting my SEL at Grand Forks International🤣 Airport. $5 for the plane + $5 for the IP
ReplyDelete$10? Ouch. 1966, I was mowing lawns for soda money. $1/Lawn in the Summer, in Big Spring Tx worked out to be about 75 cents an hour. All that having been said, I'd have spent it on flying lessons if Mom would have allowed it.
DeleteOur overlords tested the waters a long time ago, like back in 1935, with the National Firearms Act. What part of "SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED" can't people frickin understand?
ReplyDeleteAs to the MBD tee-shirt, nice. Very nice. Something she can't wear very often, but it's a good 'message' t-shirt.
As to yours, love the blown off front of the target on the left bottom row. Are they Su-25 'Frogfoots'? Excellent shirt. Targets galore, never park your planes neatly lined up in a row...
Glad your clan had a chance to gather. I swear, if I hear 'the new normal' or some other bull-scat one more time, for a bug that the CDC just said only killed 6% of the people listed as 'Death By Covid' which the larger category is 'Death with Covid' which the medical community knew about back in MARCH and they lied about all this time, the rat bastiges... Grrrr...
I love cooking traditions. This year my beautiful and loving wife shook up said traditions. Instead of 'Turkey, Turkey, Ham' for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, it was/is 'Turkey, Ham, Turkey.' Which kind of croggled my mind a tad, but I went with it. And after the devastation of Thanksgiving that two people did to two turkey breasts (neither of us really like dark meat) I had to go get an extra turkey breast just for next year's leftovers - Okay, no, we didn't eat a Tbreast in one sitting. Both of us both love Turkey with all the fixings, so we ate for a week, and not much of the bird breasts were left to make homemade turkey pot-pie (another favorite, a pan of filling makes 4 mini-pies, so 2 nights of pot pie and I'm wandering...
Other traditions... The birthday person gets to choose the dinner and dessert. Mine is usually Lasagna (overkill lasagna, it's really good) and chocolate cake. Our anniversary must have Chocolate Fondue with homemade pound cake, banana and strawberry.
It's foodly traditions! Which are all delicious! Which is why, if I die, they could skin me and use my helium-filled skin as a barrage balloon...
Glad you and yours survived the Christmas event. Here's to, hopefully, a better year.
The Birth Day food choice must either be a sign of the times back when we were kids or an AF tradition, because that's a carryover tradition from my childhood to the current family. As to Turkey however, I'm a dark meat kinda guy, again probably a carryover from childhood, Mom loved white meat, so the other kids picked up on that. Dad liked it also but sucked it up. I recognized that there was more dark meat available so developed a taste. This generation of the Juvat clan is more ambiturkish, they like both light and dark, so I have learned to make more gravy so the white meat is palatable.
DeleteA better year would be nice. Happy New Year, Beans!
Glad it went well for the clan! And glad there aren't any pictures of you in your 'present'...
ReplyDeleteNor are there likely to be any, OldNFO, The camera would likely melt/explode/refuse. Something.
DeleteI got a ride in a M24 Chaffee for Christmas... by which I mean, my brother got the ride and I’m hoping to go along and call dibs on the gunner’s seat :P
ReplyDeleteHave fun, but remember, in Sarge's story, tanks don't seem to have a very long half life. ;-)
DeleteYeah!! Everyone home for Christmas!! Talk about a very merry! And I like the T-shirts...both of them. And I am good with no after action pics of the blue article of clothing...but a report on how the flight went would be awesome!! You, sir, have a great wife!
ReplyDeleteHad a quiet Christmas, needed reservations to go to my church as well...just stayed home, played carols, and read the Bible on my own. It's just sad that we need reservations to go to Church for crying out loud...
And, yes, I am wearing my masks when I see patients, and am washing my hands, and not touching my face, yada, yada...I am just so very tired of this stupid virus, and of the even stupider governors edicts. However, I have folks who have this and are very, very sick with it, and their families range from sniffles to acute hypoxic respiratory failure.
So, I continue to follow basic respiratory precautions that I learned when I was a student nurse back when George Washington was president, Jesus was a young boy and dinosaurs were still wandering around as I certainly don't want this sucker. Do I think everyone should be shut down...no, just folks who are sick, but I have felt the same every flu season, or when ever I see someone who is obviously sick, but hacking their germs all over the rest of us. Stay home, get rest, eat grandma's chicken soup and quit breathing on your fellow workers/colleagues/neighbors. Most of this is plain common sense...except sense just isn't very common anymore.
On the other hand, everyone coming down with this...is just job security for me...so I guess I shouldn't whine too much.
Here's hoping 2021 is a much better year, although, looking at the news, I am not overly hopeful.
Suz, Good to hear from you, been a while, but I'm sure life intervened.
DeleteI think you and I are in total agreement on mask wearing. I wear it where it makes sense, Doctor's Offices, hospitals, places where there are much greater risk of picking up a disease or where the occupants are in much greater risk if THEY get infected. I get that. I just don't believe the gummint AKA a bunch of crooks who can't get an honest job generally for lack of intellect (e.g. Joe Biten) has the right to dictate when, where, or how long I must wear it.
Also agree that common sense isn't common anymore. Frequently see drivers with their mask on, windows up and no one else in the car. Hey! It's extremely unlikely that China modified the virus to infect cars as well as humans, Moron.
Happy New Year, and thanks for sending the New Year Snow storm down our way, 2-4" expected over the next couple of days. Could certainly use the moisture, and it's always entertaining to see folks driving in it (provided of course you're not in their immediate vicinity.
Stay Safe, Suz. God Bless you.