Yesterday I was watching a football game when I apparently dozed off. I fumbled toward wakefulness when I heard what sounded like an argument in my apartment. That seemed odd. I was the only person in the apartment, and I wasn’t talking.
As the fog of sleep lifted I understood the TV was one of the voices. It was promoting Amazon’s home artificial intelligence products, the ones with “Alexa” the personal assistance. Alexa springs to life when she hears the wakeup word: “Alexa.”
The other voice, the one behind me and to my left, came from my new Amazon Kindle tablet. That tablet includes AI personal assistance Alexa. She had been slumbering sweetly when she heard her wakeup word. Now she was complaining that she couldn’t understand the question being asked of her. The argument, then, was between my TV and my tablet computer, Alexa arguing with Alexa.
Pancakes this morning. Then we make spritz cookies and spitzbuben, then we assemble the crib. We did church and presents and a big meal last night. It has been a low stress, relaxing visit. Son insists on doing all the cooking, but wants my assistance with the cookies.
I went to my sister’s yesterday and we made rosettes. They were very tasty just after they were made, but I had one after dinner and found it a little on the soggy side. Hope they crisp up a little in the dry winter air.
Went to a Celtic Christmas Eve service at a local church. They had very nice music – the pastor sings much of it.
They seemed to crisp up by themselves for today. They were quite tasty and all the food was delicious and there were several nice bottles of wine and a lovely time was had by all.
We had quiet Christmas Eve two friends here last night, and now are gearing up for a visit from family that includes an almost two-year-old. Will visit Mom later this afternoon.
Down here we supposedly have a high of 15 F. today – get our bitter cold tomorrow and Wednesday. Stay warm, baboons.
Six degrees here. I have turned on the heater in the wellhouse and it appears I can leave it on for the next two weeks. Ish-da.
A quiet day for us today. Tomorrow driving to Bloomington with my mom for Christmas with our Son and DIL.
Daughter was up about 8:30, but she’s all about routine even on Christmas. Did her stuff in her room, made breakfast, and THEN she was ready for stockings and gifts.
9:00 at night and -8 now. Well-house is a respectable 46. (Thanks to remote ‘Indoor/outdoor’ thermometer I can monitor that from the house.)
I said it was a “quiet day”. Kelly and Amelia made fudge, then Kelly made Oreo cookie salad for tomorrow. (It’s our sons favorite). Then she made pasta for supper. Guess I should ask her if she thought it was “quiet”.
I read a new book I received on Old Bridges of MN and I took a nap, and I did chicken chores. I thought it was a nice quiet day.
I’m waiting for youngest daughter to come. Her flight was delayed, but only for about half an hour. Meanwhile I’m trying hard to not eat ALL the coffee walnut toffee. And blowing my nose a lot. There is no end to the snot.
Those are really nice photos ljb. My wife would will appreciate the blog today as that’s the kind of photos she takes. You’ve got a good eye! Thanks for sharing.
Lovely photos, ljb. I especially love the one of the birches. Brought this, and Clyde, to mind:
Birches
By Robert Frost
When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.
But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay
As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them
Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning
After a rain. They click upon themselves
As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored
As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.
Soon the sun’s warmth makes them shed crystal shells
Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust—
Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away
You’d think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.
They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,
And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed
So low for long, they never right themselves:
You may see their trunks arching in the woods
Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground
Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair
Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.
But I was going to say when Truth broke in
With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm
I should prefer to have some boy bend them
As he went out and in to fetch the cows—
Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,
Whose only play was what he found himself,
Summer or winter, and could play alone.
One by one he subdued his father’s trees
By riding them down over and over again
Until he took the stiffness out of them,
And not one but hung limp, not one was left
For him to conquer. He learned all there was
To learn about not launching out too soon
And so not carrying the tree away
Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise
To the top branches, climbing carefully
With the same pains you use to fill a cup
Up to the brim, and even above the brim.
Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,
Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.
So was I once myself a swinger of birches.
And so I dream of going back to be.
It’s when I’m weary of considerations,
And life is too much like a pathless wood
Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping
From a twig’s having lashed across it open.
I’d like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back to it and begin over.
May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth’s the right place for love:
I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.
I’d like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
ljb
great stuff
your eye is strong and composition is excellent my day was wonderful
food and family
last night and again today
christmas movies and music
parlor games that provide the most wonderful laughter
i screwed up the lasagne so i have lots left that only i will eat but that was incidental
we had to take a break from enjoying each other to eat and let daughter get to her moms house with sil
dogs are loving the people and laughter as much as i am
cats could care less
\
Trail Baboon 
Really lovely, subtle photos. Thanks ljb.
Merry Christmas!
LikeLiked by 2 people
How beautiful!
Yesterday I was watching a football game when I apparently dozed off. I fumbled toward wakefulness when I heard what sounded like an argument in my apartment. That seemed odd. I was the only person in the apartment, and I wasn’t talking.
As the fog of sleep lifted I understood the TV was one of the voices. It was promoting Amazon’s home artificial intelligence products, the ones with “Alexa” the personal assistance. Alexa springs to life when she hears the wakeup word: “Alexa.”
The other voice, the one behind me and to my left, came from my new Amazon Kindle tablet. That tablet includes AI personal assistance Alexa. She had been slumbering sweetly when she heard her wakeup word. Now she was complaining that she couldn’t understand the question being asked of her. The argument, then, was between my TV and my tablet computer, Alexa arguing with Alexa.
Merry Christmas everyone!
LikeLiked by 7 people
Snort!
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who won?
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Just beautiful!
Hope everybody has a great day. We do stockings this morning and then are heading off to the movies!
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what movies?
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Thanks ljb, beautiful work!
We are having a very quiet Christmas this year, but we are enjoying it.
Christmas scones are baked, stocking stuffer.
Just waiting for the s&h to wake up 🎄.
Wishing you all peace and joy on this frosty morn.
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Thank you LJB. These are wonderful. 🎄🎄🎄
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Pancakes this morning. Then we make spritz cookies and spitzbuben, then we assemble the crib. We did church and presents and a big meal last night. It has been a low stress, relaxing visit. Son insists on doing all the cooking, but wants my assistance with the cookies.
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We did the crib first. Now it is cookie time.
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Peace on Earth indeed! What a lovely Christmas present, ljb.
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How do you get the little Christmas tree to print?
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🎄emoticons.. Can’t speak for others but there is a button on my keypad with a smiley face. Found it there.
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You can copy and paste if your device supports it. Let me see if mine does…
🎄🎄🎄
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Yes, it works for me. 🎁🎁🎁
Try going to https://emojipedia.org/christmas/
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🎄 🙂
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Merry Christmas 🎄 baboons! I hope the day and the season bring you all joy, contentment, and the sort of peace we can find in ljb’s wonderful images.
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I went to my sister’s yesterday and we made rosettes. They were very tasty just after they were made, but I had one after dinner and found it a little on the soggy side. Hope they crisp up a little in the dry winter air.
Went to a Celtic Christmas Eve service at a local church. They had very nice music – the pastor sings much of it.
I’m gearing up to make some spritz this morning.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Good on you making rosettes! I have not done that in years and years, but I like them.
I believe you can crisp them up a bit in the oven.
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I always liked rosettes.
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They seemed to crisp up by themselves for today. They were quite tasty and all the food was delicious and there were several nice bottles of wine and a lovely time was had by all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We had quiet Christmas Eve two friends here last night, and now are gearing up for a visit from family that includes an almost two-year-old. Will visit Mom later this afternoon.
Down here we supposedly have a high of 15 F. today – get our bitter cold tomorrow and Wednesday. Stay warm, baboons.
LikeLike
It may have been 15 F. this morning, but now it’s 1 above zero. Glad to be home and warm.
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Six degrees here. I have turned on the heater in the wellhouse and it appears I can leave it on for the next two weeks. Ish-da.
A quiet day for us today. Tomorrow driving to Bloomington with my mom for Christmas with our Son and DIL.
Daughter was up about 8:30, but she’s all about routine even on Christmas. Did her stuff in her room, made breakfast, and THEN she was ready for stockings and gifts.
LikeLiked by 3 people
9:00 at night and -8 now. Well-house is a respectable 46. (Thanks to remote ‘Indoor/outdoor’ thermometer I can monitor that from the house.)
I said it was a “quiet day”. Kelly and Amelia made fudge, then Kelly made Oreo cookie salad for tomorrow. (It’s our sons favorite). Then she made pasta for supper. Guess I should ask her if she thought it was “quiet”.
I read a new book I received on Old Bridges of MN and I took a nap, and I did chicken chores. I thought it was a nice quiet day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m waiting for youngest daughter to come. Her flight was delayed, but only for about half an hour. Meanwhile I’m trying hard to not eat ALL the coffee walnut toffee. And blowing my nose a lot. There is no end to the snot.
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Make that an hour-plus. It could be worse.
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Those are really nice photos ljb. My wife would will appreciate the blog today as that’s the kind of photos she takes. You’ve got a good eye! Thanks for sharing.
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My pleasure, Ben, and thank you.
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Lovely photos, ljb. I especially love the one of the birches. Brought this, and Clyde, to mind:
Birches
By Robert Frost
When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.
But swinging doesn’t bend them down to stay
As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them
Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning
After a rain. They click upon themselves
As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored
As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.
Soon the sun’s warmth makes them shed crystal shells
Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust—
Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away
You’d think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.
They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,
And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed
So low for long, they never right themselves:
You may see their trunks arching in the woods
Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground
Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair
Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.
But I was going to say when Truth broke in
With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm
I should prefer to have some boy bend them
As he went out and in to fetch the cows—
Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,
Whose only play was what he found himself,
Summer or winter, and could play alone.
One by one he subdued his father’s trees
By riding them down over and over again
Until he took the stiffness out of them,
And not one but hung limp, not one was left
For him to conquer. He learned all there was
To learn about not launching out too soon
And so not carrying the tree away
Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise
To the top branches, climbing carefully
With the same pains you use to fill a cup
Up to the brim, and even above the brim.
Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,
Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.
So was I once myself a swinger of birches.
And so I dream of going back to be.
It’s when I’m weary of considerations,
And life is too much like a pathless wood
Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping
From a twig’s having lashed across it open.
I’d like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back to it and begin over.
May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth’s the right place for love:
I don’t know where it’s likely to go better.
I’d like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
:
LikeLiked by 6 people
ljb
great stuff
your eye is strong and composition is excellent my day was wonderful
food and family
last night and again today
christmas movies and music
parlor games that provide the most wonderful laughter
i screwed up the lasagne so i have lots left that only i will eat but that was incidental
we had to take a break from enjoying each other to eat and let daughter get to her moms house with sil
dogs are loving the people and laughter as much as i am
cats could care less
LikeLike