Merry Christmas, Ya'll!

Bah! Humbug!

Ok, I wasn’t that bad, but I have been a tad grumpy of late. I normally get into the holiday spirit after Thanksgiving, but this year has been a bit more downer for me (primarily due to last week). We usually have the tree up and decorated early but, we really did not get the ornaments on until Christmas Eve. Normally, we tend to overload the tree with our plethora of ornaments (after 28 years of marriage, we have accumulated a veritable treasure trove of ornaments from around the world), but this year we toned it down. We had both of our families over for Christmas lunch/dinner and opens gifts. Everyone had a great time and ate way too much. I will have to run an extra 5 miles just to work off yesterday. One thing I always wind up making is wassail. I guess I’ve been doing that for 15 years now and it is a tradition. I inherited the recipe from a co-worker back in the ‘90s and I have been making it ever since. It is non-alcoholic and made up of various juices and I cook it up in a large coffee urn. It is really good on a cold day, but, even though it was a balmy 72 degrees down here yesterday, the family sucked it up like it was nectar from the gods. Honestly, I only had a small taste yesterday. A few years back, I had several office parties to attend and was asked to brew my wassail for each one. On top of the normal Thanksgiving and Christmas batches, I must have made & drank 5 batches that year. I’ve kinda been burned out on it ever since. In spite of my dour mood, we had a great Christmas with family. I am grateful for the blessings we have had this year (subject for another post) and glad we had this time together.

For as sidebar, I thought I would try and lighten things up.

Ok. I asked for it. Terri started a little meme (actually morethananelectrician kicked it off, but I credit Terri for tossing it over the wall to me) that we are supposed to list 10 things we like that begin with a certain letter of the alphabet (Ten things I like that begin with the letter “__“). Terri tagged me with the letter “J”. Piece ‘o cake.

1. Jerky – nothing says road trip like a couple of packs of mesquite flavored jerky. We had a couple of guys at work who would cook up some deer jerky every year and give it out as Christmas gifts. I took a couple of pounds of it on the trail to Philmont and it is a great energy boost (plus can give your mouth a work out).

2. Jesse Cook – I picked up a CD of Jesse Cook many years back when we were on a road trip to Fredericksburg (Texas) and really fell in love with his music. He is an exceptional Canadian artist that plays a really wicked flamenco guitar. Gravity and Tempest are two of my favorite CDs.

3. Jets – I have always loved to fly. One item on my bucket list is to get a pilot license.

4. Jewelry – Now, I ain’t much of fan of jewelry but I do like the reaction I get when I give it. I am not one to sport much bling, in fact the only hardware I wear is my wedding band and my A&M class ring. Never go anywhere without them. I wore both when I was in the Army and we were in the field on maneuvers and blowing things up. The last two treks I did to Philmont with my Boy Scout troop, I wore them on all of the time.

5. Jambalaya – I do love good jambalaya (especially with some good andouille sausage). In my younger days, I would drive hours for some good jambalaya, but lately, I have been paying for the sins of my youth and have to shy away from it lest it kicks my heartburn into overdrive. Still, even on an occasional basis, it is worth it.

6. John Wayne – definitely loved the Duke. I know, I know. This is kinda a guy thing, but I watched all of his movies when I was growing up and used to idolize him. Love the way he knocked heads with the bad guys (“I call that bold talk for a one-eyed fat man”).

7. James Bond – Bond. James Bond. Have always been a fan of the Bond series. Have read every book Ian Fleming wrote and seen every movie. I like the new version with Daniel Craig (haven’t yet seen Quantum of Solace) but I still think the best Bond was Sean Connery.

8. Jackalopes - Although hard to track down, they make for mighty fine eating.

9. Jack Daniels – I know someone else stole my idea, but my favorite whisky has to be Jack. I have a dream that one day I will go to Lynchburg, Tennessee and get to tour the Jack Daniels distillery.

10. Jogging – I know. Some folk may think I am nuts for running in the heat of the day or on a cold morning or in the rain, but I find it helps me keep the pounds off and lets me vent some of the stress and frustration I may accumulate during a normal work day. I find it cathartic to run and be alone with my thoughts. Of course, you should keep your conversations to a minimum lest people think you are “strange”. I made it a point to jog/run everywhere go (vacation or business) regardless of the weather. Have some great memories of places I’ve been.

Addendum: My sincere thanks to all who expressed their condolences and thoughts over the past week.