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If not God, then who?

Michael Leave a comment

This week saw the outside Christmas display erected at He of We’s.  Display and erected may be a little ambitious for what is out there.  A few small trees and some white lights bunched behind a primitive painting of the Nativity.  Fortunately those expounding separating our state from our church haven’t wandered down He’s street where the birth of the Son of God is being celebrated en masse.

It’s the time of year for pretty trees and bright decorations, for Nativities from living to foam, for carolers and revelers.   It’s also the time of year many Americans get crazy over political correctness.  Yes there are still corporate memos distributed that say if you want to extend holiday greetings during the holiday season then those are the words you should use, “Holiday greetings.”  But exactly what holiday is it that we are celebrating…Black Friday?

This year things are looking up for those who recognize the four freedoms include freedom OF religion (versus freedom FROM religion).  A move is actually being made even by some politicians to recognize that the country was built on Judeo-Christian values and that we should start celebrating them.  This includes a push to have the country’s motto displayed at public buildings including schools right there next to the country’s flag.  It’s getting a little response from the anti-God groups but nothing like making sure we say Happy Holidays instead of Merry Christmas.

The motto itself is encouraging.  It’s not from the 1700’s when everybody included God.  It actually wasn’t adopted until 1956 when the country was coming out of back to back wars, revving up for another one, and needed God.  It was about that same time, in 1954, that the words “under God” were added to the Pledge of Allegiance.  It was a time that America wasn’t afraid to recognize a Supreme Being.

What is that motto, anyway?  It’s funny, we make sure it’s on our money, we just don’t talk about it much.  In God we trust.  It seems simple enough, especially at this time of year.  After all, if not God, then who?

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

(Two years ago we wrote our first controversial post, not from our perspective but some thought so.  We thought it was a very thoughtful and meaningful.  We held off publishing it for a few weeks so we wouldn’t add to the holiday fuel of Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas.  It’s still a good read.  It’s a long read but we invite you to travel back in time with us and see why some truths are still self-evident.  “We Hold These Truths,” is from January 13, 2012 in Uncategorized.)

 

How Live Is It?

Michael 1 Comment

Two years we began the debate between live and artificial trees.  We liked it so well we repeated it last year.  (See “Is It Live or…” Nov. 28, 2011 in Life.) Little did we know there was a third choice.

On last week’s television show “The Shark Tank” a budding entrepreneur presented a business opportunity of renting live, potted Christmas trees.  They are delivered to the tree-wanter a few weeks before Christmas and picked up shortly after the holiday.  It seemed like an interesting idea even if it was available only to California Christmas celebrators and deserved some investigation.  But first, let’s see what we’ve traditionally had available for our holiday arbor traditions … traditionally spoken.

He of We has a couple of artificial trees to spread about his house.  One very large tree runs to the top of the high vaulted ceiling of its chosen room, another shorter one does its thing in the low ceilinged part of the house.  Neither would be mistaken for a live tree, with or without a pot, but they do their thing with gusto and when painstakingly decorated provide the necessary merriment for the season.  The big one looks fairly realistic and for the $300 original price tag it should.  He being frugal bought it after Christmas many years ago and dropped quite a bit less than $100 on it.  His diluted annual investment distributed over 15 years is about five tree dollars per tree year.  She of We has an artificial tree that looks more live than pretend, fills her bay window from top to bottom and side to side, and when decorated with her all glass ornaments looks like a million bucks although her diluted annual tree cost is about the same.

Last week the “live” tree lots around here opened and fresh cut trees (fresh is their word) run from $29 to $59 depending on variety and size.  You could also opt for one sold by one of the local volunteer fire companies and with delivery sometimes included, sometimes extra, but almost always available.  If you think more is better there are even mail order tree farms that will ship you a fresh cut (fresh is their word) for about twice what you would pay if you went to a local lot and strapped your selection to your own car/van/SUV/crossover roof.  Stick with the locals and your annual tree cost after agreeing to a live wreath and some live garland gets to about 85 tree dollars.

There are clearly no shortages of trees for the holidays whether boxed and pre-lit or chopped from somewhere around our neck of the woods for our neck of the woods.  You can even do your own chopping if you like.  Chopping comes at a premium starting at about $50 and then priced extra per foot for trees over 5 feet.  We hear it’s good exercise.  Wreaths, garland, door swags, cider, eggnog, and bandages are extra.

Now let’s get back to these potted living trees that give new meaning to the word live when associated with Christmas trees and December.  He did a quick search on the Internet and found said entrepreneur who is festooning California with potted plants for the holidays.  He also found several others.  Of course since they rely on local delivery and pick up if you aren’t fortunate enough to live in California or Oregon where the tree potters thrive, you’ll miss out on trying to keep a live tree living throughout the season.  Checking out the prices of these living trees he found them somewhere between those on the local lots and the new in the box.  An average price for an average tree seemed to be about $100 with about another $50 to get it to and from.  That clearly is the most expensive yearly outlay for your tree dollars but it’s your holiday bonus and you can spend it however you like.

So the question is no longer “Is It Live,” but “How Live Is It.”  It’s not a bad idea and there are probably more places around the country than just the few that made Internet history.  Now with three choices our warnings from years past still go.  Don‘t be a newscast waiting to happen.  Decorate safely, don’t overload your circuits, and may the only smoke anyone should see on Christmas Eve is that from the stump of the pipe held in Santa’s teeth while encircling his head just like a wreath.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

Thanks Again

Michael Leave a comment

It’s Thanksgiving again.  Happy Thanksgiving.  Did something happen earlier this year that makes you particularly thankful at this time of the year?  Probably.  Some might be very dramatic.  Somewhere someone was spared from certain death in a horrible fiery one car crash and is thankful to have made it through another year.  Some might be almost unnoticeable.  That person who tossed an extra dollar in a child’s collection can to pay for holiday meals for those who wouldn’t otherwise have one and give thanks every day that they made it through another day.

In past years we’ve tried to find all those who can’t take a day off because they are essential to keeping things running smoothly while others take the day off and often never notice those still serving.  They are amazing stories and deserve special thanks.  (See “Thank You,” Nov. 24, 2011 and “Thank You, Again,” Nov. 22, 2012.)

Now those are the easy “thank you”s.  The hard ones are for the rest of us.  The holiday may be called ThanksGIVING but if not for what was GIVEN we can’t appreciate the joy of being special to someone and a target of his or her special gratitude.  What have you done that someone can thank you for?

Each of us has an amazing story since last year’s celebration and a special thank you to give at this year’s.  The really amazing stories are in the special thank you that you have been given.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

Black All Day Every Day, 24/7, 365

Michael Leave a comment

In general, we’re not Black Friday bashers particularly when it restricts itself to Fridays.  But those who plan these things are really taking the American public for a bunch of morons.  Perhaps we deserve it.

Last year we got to deal with Cyber Week versus the boring standard of just one old lonely Cyber Monday.  (See “Welcome to Black Cyber Month,” Nov. 30, 2012 in Holidays.)  We have to wait a week to see what they will call it now especially that most retailers have extended Black Friday specials to their on-line shops.  I guess we’re supposed to sit at our desk chairs after Thanksgiving dinner waiting for the prices to magically drop.

If you don’t want to wait until Thursday night to take advantage of the Black Friday deals you can go out Thursday morning.  Yep, most of the retailers are now having Thanksgiving specials from 7am to 4pm before closing for a couple hours (we guess so the worker bees can rush home to say a blessing, give their thanks, and swallow a few pounds of the holiday feast).  At 6pm those same stores will re-open with the Black Friday specials which if you compare ad fliers look suspiciously like the earlier sales.  The question is, why bother with the charade of closing for those couple hours.  Do you really think the American public is so dumb they will go out once in the morning for one sale and then again in the evening for a “different” sale.  Hmm.

One flyer in this week’s Sunday paper that stood out was the one touting Black Friday pricing all week long.  That even beat the one with BFS (Black Friday Specials) beginning Tuesday, not to mention the one that had special selections available Wednesday.  None of these were car dealerships which have been advertising Black Friday deals all month.

We have an idea we’d like to pass along to the CEOs of the various solicitors of own hard earned money.  How about one price all year, every year?  When you get tired of selling a particular brand you can have a clearance sale but other than that, just one price.  Last week there were the pre-Thanksgiving sales.  The week before that were the post-Halloween sales.  A couple weeks before those were the fall festival sales.  And three weeks from now will be the pre-Christmas sales.  Are those prices really all that much different?  One price per item all day, every day, 24/7, 365.

And you won’t even have to compare “thousands of prices every week” to see that your customers get the best deal or you’ll refund the difference.  Just start out with the best deal.  It worked for Saturn.  Umm, we’ll get back to you on that.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

Sleeping in Heavenly Peace

Michael Leave a comment

Some people think the best way to fall asleep is in total darkness and complete silence.  Not here.  We find it much easier to fall asleep to somebody droning on about something.  The 11:00 news is usually good for that.  Flip the television on, tune to one of the favorite local news shows, set the timer for a half hour, and slumber will come long before the weatherman traces his first isobar.

That’s the way it used to be for He.  Now he’s up every couple of hours and every couple of hours it becomes a new chore to fall asleep.  With the modern multi-hundred-channel cable system it should be easy enough to find a droner somewhere, but as the hours get later the choices for an electronic sedative get fewer.  This was a conversation He had with himself a few nights ago.

“Ok, let’s see what we have here.  Oh good, four Duck Dynasty episodes until the paid programming comes on. If I don’t fall asleep at least I’ll have something to watch for a while.  No, I can’t watch that.  I’ll get wrapped up in whatever they’re doing and actually want to watch it.  Oh look, ‘Kindergarten Cop’ is on.  ‘It’s not a tumor.’  Best line from that movie.  Actually the only good line from that movie.  What else do we have?

“Movies, movies, movies.  All of them already started.  I hate coming in the middle of a movie even if I have seen it a thousand times.  Geez, ‘Tin Cup’ is on again.  There must be some golf tournament on this weekend or why would they play that in November?  Why not, they play it every month anyway.  Every day sometimes.  No movie.  I’ll be asleep before I get into it.  What about one of those classic television channels?

“Car 54 Where Are You?  Really?  Really.  Let’s see what that’s all about.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.  Oh no, Dragnet with even less personality.  Back to the real channels.

“Hmm, Pawn Stars?  No, they’ll have something really interesting and I’ll want to stay up and watch it but I’ll fall asleep and won’t remember it from the last time I saw it.  I meant to go see that place the last time I was in Vegas.  I wonder why I didn’t?  That’s right, dinner with the boss and his boss and a dozen other bosses.  Next time.

“Well if I don’t find something soon I’ll be asleep.  Ha.  Did you hear that?  Of course I did, I’m right here.  Now where were those duck guys?”

And so it goes every couple of hours.  Droning on about finding something to drone on.  Hmm.  That could be the new sedative.  Just don’t tell the people at work about that.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

Past Peak? Not Yet!

Michael Leave a comment

Over the weekend, as it seems with most weekends, errands needed run.  Our corner of the world is where the weathermen show a map of fall colors and point out the “Past Peak” area.  It should have peaked here a month ago.  And a month ago it was pointed out on the map that we were at “Peak” here.  For most of the area, those maps were right.  But for the roads He needed to travel on Saturday they were quite wrong.

Saturday was a glorious day here.  Glorious for a day whose date begins with November.  The sun was out, the temperature was up, and the daily drizzle took a day off.  It was a good day to take care of some essentials and the lack of a chill in the air was a bonus, particularly for someone still doing that post-hospital recovery thing.

But the most striking thing was that there were still beautiful fall colors in the trees.  The errand route involved going downhill from a good, high vantage point, driving through a canopy-like tree covered road or two, and getting a parking space that did not face the store front but rather faced the hillside across the street from the lot.  All of those areas were festooned with fall foliage anything but past their peak.  Orange, yellow, and red leaves, and even a green one here and there, stubbornly hung on to their branches to extend the fall show for at least one more weekend’s performance.  It was enough to make one stop and look and enjoy knowing soon those characters will finally let go and the raking and clearing and mulching will continue.

Even knowing there is work ahead, the joy those trees dressed in their fall finest made the errand running a little easier and made coming back out of the stores something to look forward to.

It does make one wonder though, what do the people who live in areas without fall do for enjoyment.  Maybe that’s one reason that those of us who live in an area that someone would call “Past Peak” stick around.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

Him again?

Michael Leave a comment

Today, a mini-rant.  We, as most of the world, are trying to make ourselves better people.  Persons?   We do good for our friends, neighbors and co-workers.  We give to charities.  We contribute to our local food bank.  We let trucks pull in front of us.  We’re nice people wanting to be nicer.  Isn’t everybody?

Two things nice people do are practice patience and exhibit tolerance.  Yet there are some folks that try even the most patient person’s tolerance.  These are the behaviors we’ve noticed again over just the past few weeks and the ones we can do without while we’re being nice to the rest of the world.

The clerk trying to make life easy for him or her and damn the customer.  Recently He of We was checking out at one of his favorite stores when at the end of the transaction instead of the computer cash register printer spewing forth the printed record of his purchases it made an awkward sound, shimmied a bid, then did nothing.  The clerk said that printer had been giving him problems all day and did He really want a receipt.  “Not if you’ll be available to stand up for me if I should have to come back with an unwanted item within 30 days and with a receipt.’’  The clerk then proceeded to repair the printer which apparently meant re-loading the paper properly.

The boss who gleefully reminds the workers who’s the boss.  Whether after a meeting, lunch, or a special celebration, there is a boss who will remain anonymous whose call to return to the business of taking care of business is “back to your holes and do something.”  Not a particularly well taken suggestion particularly when some of those being spoken to have windowless offices down a blind hall.  (That’s his good point.)

The guy who abuses the express check-out lane.  We’ve brought up this one before and we’re not talking about someone with 13 or 14 items in a 12 item lane.  We mean the person who pulls up a loaded cart with 30 or 40 items.  These people know the rules but they also know that the cashier isn’t going to say anything lest he or she (the cashier) ends up with an unsatisfied customer.  Instead, the overly patient cashier waits until the next person in line is up and apologizes for the inconvenience.

The party at the restaurant who continues to use the table for 30, 40, even 60 minutes after paying the check.  We’ve mentioned how we don’t wait for food and encourage everyone to practice table waiting restraint.  If it’s more than a 15 or 20 minute wait, there’s probably another restaurant nearby with the same menu.  Spread your wings.  What we never conjectured was that the waits are caused by people who consider their tab and tip admission to their table for the evening.  If you aren’t finished socializing after the coffee and deserts move to the lounge, a local bar, or somebody’s house for goodness sake.  (Thanks to Daughter of She for bringing up this brand of irritant.  She was waiting at a restaurant where the hostess told her and company of the reason for the wait.  That should have signaled the end of that wait!)

As we said, we’re trying to be nicer than we already are.  Can’t everybody?

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

A Throne, a Throne, the Kingdom for a Throne

Michael Leave a comment

Since He of We returned from the hospital, chairs have become a funny thing.  Almost all of what he could do in the pre-hospital days he can do post-hospital except get out of most chairs.  If it is true that one’s home is one’s castle, his is definitely missing the throne room.  Let’s explore.

In general, the firmer the surface, the easier is the exit.  That all but eliminates all of the sofas and loveseats in the house.  The set in the living room is soft and squishy and perfect for napping on.  But once he gets down into one he sinks so low he has to roll out of the furniture’s grip and use gravity to help him out.  The only way to fool these man-eating pieces is to remain perched on the edge of the seat, and what fun is that?  A second set in a second room exhibits the same characteristics but with the added attraction of being low to the ground so that when he works his way to the edge he gets the pleasure of having to lift himself an additional 3 or 4 inches.

Moving to the sunroom there is a dandy pair of wicker swivel rockers.  They are a good height with a firm seating area and in an excellent position to sit and read, take a snack, or just watch the outside go by.  Except when it’s time to get up.  Recall they are swivel rockers and wicker.  With little weight behind them when trying to push himself up he usually ends up twisting the chair into such a position that he stands up into a wall or a table.

Recliners abound in He’s house.  He can choose between a compact one, one of a traditional size and style, and an oversized double width job that lays back to almost flat.  All are very easy to drop into, but no kingdom edicts will be made from any of those pieces.  They are too comfortable and lull him into the thinking that he can stay there for as long as necessary and then bound up refreshed and ready to take on the world.  He couldn’t bound out of a recliner before he went into the hospital; now he just reclines there, muttering “another 15 minutes and then I’ll get up.”

The dining room chairs are sturdy, firm, with good backs, and arms to push up and out with.  But who wants to spend an entire day at the dining room table.  The last person who tried that was Henry VIII.

That leaves, well, it leaves the porcelain chair in the “throne room.”  Not ideal for long term sessions and certainly no place to receive visitors. 

Maybe this castle thing isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  Perhaps one’s house is just a house and the perfect throne is wherever one can sit for a few minutes and take solace in that even if it’s a chore getting up it’s a joy being able to.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

 

The Just Because You Can Syndrome

Michael Leave a comment

He of We took clock inventory last weekend.  He found 7 digital clocks for which he was responsible to changing to Standard Time.  Of those, 5 require selecting AM or PM as part of the time.  One of them is the coffee pot and you can select when you would like it to turn on.  The others have no calendar function, no auto starts, no reason to tell the difference between morning and night.

It’s more of the Just Because You Can Syndrome.  You know what that is.  Just because something can be done doesn’t make it a great idea to do.  For example, there is a suitcase out there with a TSA approved lock.  But then it also has a pouch wherein you secure your key for said lock and this one locks with a key that you can carry on your keychain that you will have to surrender to the conveyor belt at the security.  So now you have two locks.  One that protects the contents of your suitcase unless it is one of the randomly selected, and one that protects. . . nobody is sure.

So, what do these locks have to do with clocks.  Nothing, it was just a cute story.  But back to the clocks.  If there is no reason to tell day from night, why do so many clocks want to be set so.  It would seem the extra electronics would make the clock more expensive.  Or perhaps it’s a way of having the expensive without it being very expensive. 

Before we leave this tale there is more to He’s inventory.  Last weekend he found 7 digital clocks under his roof.  It wasn’t until Tuesday that he noticed two others.  Those are on the wall mounted control pads for the two garage door openers.  Yes, if you want to see the current time and temperature (temperature even!) all you have to do is come over and check out his garage door openers.  A most necessary function for a switch the allows the garage doors to raise and lower.

By the way, yes, they also require AM or PM to be selected.  Just because it can isn’t a reason to do.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?

Fallen Back

Michael Leave a comment

If you live anywhere in or out of the United States that recognizes Daylight Savings Time then you probably know we lost that gem yesterday morning at 2am.  If you missed it, consider this your reminder.  He of We recalls an employee who wasn’t scheduled to work until the Tuesday after a time change (which change he doesn’t recall) and said employee showed up an hour off shift.  Makes you wonder what he did for those two days.  Or not.

This past Spring we spoke longingly for the entrance of DST (see Springing Forward, March 7, 2013 in House and Home).  We noted then that the vast majority of people respond positively to light.  That’s about to change with the big change.  We’ll soon be making our ways to and from work in the dark, rooting for the morning paper in the dark, and hoping that lump was just the morning paper that we hadn’t retrieved when returning to our driveways in the dark.

In fact, we think some of the negative change has already happened.  Have you noticed more people over the past several weeks asking if that week’s Saturday was the one when we turn our clocks back?  Were people starting to grumble about the shorter days before the big hour-long shortening?  In our neck of the woods (which is really our neck of the suburbs) the last day of Daylight Saving Time saw sunset at 6:15pm.  That’s quitting time, not sunset time!

We appreciate the extra end of day daylight that DST gives us.  There are probably just as many who appreciate the extra start of day daylight that Standard Time provides.  Or not.  And then again, they could be wrong.  Sorry about that.

Now, that’s what we think.  Really.  How ‘bout you?