Once in a Blue Moon

Do you know what a blue moon is?
A blue moon is a second full moon in a single month.
We will have a blue moon tonight. The last time we had a blue moon for New Year's Eve was 19 years ago.
If you can, go out and take a look at it tonight. We will probably have a cloudy sky but I did see the moon this morning.

The day has begun. Actually, for us, it began almost four hours ago. We have been to the health club to exercise and are back home after stopping at the grocery store.

Yesterday I made some progress on the Roman shade. The top and bottom hems are pressed into place. I found the original lining which I will have to recut to fit. Today I should have the lining and interlining ready to stitch in place. It is not difficult, just very tedious - - - a lot of measuring, cutting, and stitching.

The current project is to finish a Roman shade.

We apparently must cut back power consumption. The power company has been asked to meet conservation requirements. The way that the company can do that is to go back to its customers and ask them to cut consumption. At this point, the power company is sending customers a letter comparing the customer's usage with that of homes "in the neighborhood."

We were told that we rank 88 out of 100 neighborhood homes. I really would like to know more specifically what homes are considered "in the neighborhood." I can walk up and down the street where we live and easily see evidence the owners are doing little differently from us. So many people are complaining about this letter campaign that I wonder if perhaps the power company just wrote in numbers.

We, make that I, have been keeping the thermostat at about 60° F. The family has complained bitterly about it ever since I lowered the thermostat several years ago. Roger says that our home is significantly larger than many of the homes near us since we built the addition. I wonder if we are being compared to the condominiums south of us.

The fact is that we do need window covers. I started making the Roman shade for one window during the summer and bogged down with it. On the weekend, I looked it over and decided it needs to be a little wider. I cut a new section matching the pattern in the fabric and stitched it together. I pressed the side hems back. Sunday we went up into the attic and brought down the Thinsulate and lining fabrics. Thinsulate is a thermal interlining for garments as well as household things like window covers. I had intended to cut the lining and interlining yesterday but was side tracked. It may have been a blessing in disguise because I found the lining I had cut and prepared for the shade. It may not be wide enough since I made the shade wider but I will check it today.

Yesterday we decided to go through a filing cabinet and discard things we no longer need. We made a lot of space in the files. We have a lot of paper for recycling. There is still a lot more we need to go through.

Without intending it that way, it looks like we are trying to make a fresh start for the new year.

Forty years ago 27 December was on a Saturday. The night between Saturday and Sunday we had a heavy snowfall. It was the day that our sons were born. I think we plan to mark the day by going to a fabulous Oriental buffet brunch after church. I also probably ought to make a birthday cake even though we still have apple pie.

Please glance back to the post from yesterday and take another look at my bee slippers. I cannot get enough of them. To me they are a metaphor for a description of friendship. My friend knew that I would smile when I saw them; I know that when she saw them in the store she smiled thinking about them and giving them to me. We both gave each other smiles over a single pair of slippers.

The Bee's Knees, It's the Bee Feet

I want to show you this marvelous gift I received yesterday. A very dear friend sent them to me because she knows that I especially like bees. This was a very bright moment in an especially nice day. I have them on right now but will have to take them off, especially if I am handling food. I tend to drop food and I tend to get things dirty. Yes, I am a little klutzy.

During the night we had a little more snow. The temperature has not yet dropped but is supposed to during the day.

Oh my, I had forgotten that most of my followers are not US citizens. A Turtle is a candy; in this case "Turtle" is a registered trademark. No one else may use it. Turtles are nuts, primarily pecans, covered with a large drop of caramel and then covered with chocolate. We are talking here about a major food group, chocolate, caramel, and pecans. Other candy manufactures who make a similar candy cannot call it a Turtle. I have seen Pecan Dixies, Alligators, and Bumble Bees to name a few. Some of the mock turtles that I have eaten actually are better than the original Turtles. And some of the mock turtles are very artistically arranged with five pecans in a star pattern. The caramel is dropped over the center where the pecans come together. Then chocolate covers all of it except for the ends of the pecans. They show and look like the feet and head of a turtle. But the candy still cannot be called a Turtle.

So, my turtle pie had chocolate, caramel, and pecans.

We were up at 5:00 a.m. this morning to make pies for the extended family dinner today. I am the only member of the family who makes pie and everyone wants pie. How did this happen?
The pies for 2009 are apple (with the pie bird in it), turtle chiffon (front and center), lemon meringue, and pumpkin. Picture #2 shows the remains of the evening. I guess no one wanted apple.

I wish that I could show you delightful ice luminaria but the weather has been against us. In the previous 60-72 hours we received the typical amount of snow that falls in the entire month of December. We have all been shoveling and shoveling and shoveling more. We are extremely tired. Wednesday night the temperature did not drop low enough to freeze the luminaria. I wondered if the ones that we had already made would even be suitable to use last night; they are not the best ones ever but did look nice at night with their candles. Today the temperature was above freezing and we had a light, drizzling rain on and off all day. Either tonight or tomorrow, the temperature is supposed to drop significantly. All of the slush will freeze into hard mounds. Driving will be very bumpy and rough for a while.

I hope that your day has been a beautiful one and that you have a collection of memories that will warm your heart when you recall them in the future.

Raider in the Feeder

Yes, the squirrel got into the bird feeder yesterday. It was so enter- taining that we had a hard time making it go away. Unfortun- ately, the quality of the picture is extremely low. We think this is probably the same squirrel that ate the pumpkin in October. I did chase it out of the feeder but we know it will be back. Squirrels are not supposed to like red pepper (cayenne); birds are not supposed be able to taste it. We are following the suggestion of dusting the bird food with red pepper. If the birds still come to the feeder, I will sprinkle red pepper in with the food.

Yesterday, I gave the Merry Christmas ornament to its recipient. Today I will give the remaining three to their respective recipients. From my perspective, that is good.

Although I have not checked the ice this morning, I know that I will not unmold it. During the night, the temperature was not as cold as I had hoped. I think we will call ourselves fortunate to have six.