CHRISTmas Eve

I'm working on our CHRISTmas cheesecake now (actually I'm effing around on the computer waiting for my ingredients to come down to room temperature); I will also put together our cheesy potato dish for tomorrow's baking and probably watch 1951 Scrooge one more time before bed. Mass is tomorrow at 9 or 10 depending on where we go, then to mom and dad's for a visit.

My favorite recording of Handel's Messiah, Part I

I first recorded the entire concert from an A&E television show in 1992, and still have the video tape.

The fifth chapter of St Matthew's Gospel, and the fourteenth verse

Dear Jesus let this be my prayer every minute of every day for as long as I am blessed to be on this good earth; from my Loyola Press devotion this morning:

Jesus, light of the world, thank You for 

sending me forth into the world to be Your light. 

Help me to put aside all that prevents me 

from letting Your light shine through me.

To my friend Kevin~

Rest in peace; or if you are not dead and not incapacitated somewhere, rest in agony; for your lack of response, although not totally unprecedented, is quite maddening.

If you are laid up somewhere dying with no charger for your phone, then please forgive me, and disregard these last thoughts.

For it was you who taught me to cook fish  seasoned and in foil, in the embers of our fire.

Together we perfected the tee-pee fire and there was not one that we could not light.

You introduced me to snorkeling, and fishing while doing so, as well as wrist-rocket frogging.

The un-dead dogfish, the talking catfish, and the tastes-like-chicken turtle were ours to share.

I will be reminded of you every fire I light, and ever reel I cast.

Our eighty four inch sucker must have weighed in at a record-breaking six thousand pounds, but alas there were no phones with cameras in those days.

The flaming dog will be remembered, along with the land of the angry negro.

The trails and reservoir of Allegan woods was ours, in spite of the woman who wanted to swim now.


Rest in peace, old friend, if you are indeed dead. The next campfire I light using Coghlan's Fire Starters, I will drink to you and us, like we said we should.

Two years ago on the left, our little guy was in Cheyenne, Colorado with four feet of snow outside. Yestreday, he was on a joint Air Force base in sunny 80 degree Honolulu. But Santa is Santa, and he can get where he needs to be (thanks to Rudolph).

In God's Time

Oh God of peaks and valleys and plains and cliffs,

help me to see You 

and to embrace You

in all the paths and seasons of my life.

Early Saturday Morning and thoughts are running through my old mind...

Trying to shore up my fantasy football team for the first round of the playoffs this weekend. I already caught a break as my vs didn't play his Ravens defense, who had a spectacular game Thursday night (the last Thursday game of the NFL season). Julian Edleman and Jameis Winston are both hurt but should play and I will roll the dice and take my chances. My receiving corps has been lacking since Week 1 but my running backs (Fornette and McCaffery) and my coaching decisions (according to CBSsports.com) have attributed to my winning the division and earning the #2 seed.

CHRISTmas cards have mostly been addressed and stamped and sent out, and we are expecting our futon mattress this coming week! We've had that beautiful cedar futon crammed in one bedroom or another and used for storing boxes of shit for seven years - it is now out in the living room and will afford us opportunity to sleep by a warm fire like we used to in Stanwood. We are blessed indeed!

Later this morning we will have our Howell Sunrise Diner breakfast, and run errands out that way. Then we will place our colored CHRISTmas lights out on the tree of Moni's choosing. 'Lights and display contest?!? Oh no!'



When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot
Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well (It is well)
With my soul (with my soul)
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Lyrics: Philip P Bliss 1838-1876
Tune: Horatio G Spafford 1828-1888

This guy blends well; his crescendos are good and proper:

Happy Birthday Ron!

Yestreday at work I received a 4:00 text from the Branch Manager inviting me down to Jameson's Irish Pub & Grill. It was the bosses birthday, and he was celebrating, and I was able to celebrate with him for a wonderful couple of hours.

All the best to you and yours, Ron!

Branch Manager Tim, me in back, President Ron, and new loan officer Mr Buttrey, who joins us from the East side and who likes The Cars

Moonrise over Brighton last night

Recipe #17: Mexican Chicken Bake

Can you even call something 'Mexican' anymore? Will the lefting libtards cry mysogeny or racism or some other such common morgul-filth that seems to come out of their foul mouths these days over and over?!?

Whatever.

'Mexican', for lack of a better word; 'chicken with salsa bake' if you prefer.


I cooked up about a pound of chicken strips in medium Meijer salsa and diced white onion; and then added the mixture to a baking dish already layered with crushed corn tortilla chips. I then brushed the chicken with sour cream, topped it with diced tomatoes, and then covered all with a multitude of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Boneless chicken strips cooking in salsa and white onion

Our kitchen shelf over the vent hood, over the stove

Chicken on top of crushed corn chips in a greased bake pan

Probably the funnest part of putting this dish together: the smearing of
the Sour Cream

Fresh diced tomatoes on top...

and then the cheese, and then the baking: 350 for about 40 minutes will get everything nice and bubble-y

Enjoyed with a dollop of guacamole on top

Our little corner in the kitchen, where the spices rest, the knives stand ready, and the oven mittens hang

The annual work CHRISTmas photo - Livingston Lending

Tim the Branch Manager and Ron the President in front, I in back in black

Pitch Perfect 2 Snoop Dogg and Anna Kendrick(Winter Wonderland/Here Come...

From the cross to the grave, Lord I lift Your Name on high!

Saturday morning and I wanted to let out some of my thoughts from the past few weeks...

We have entered the new Liturgical year: the preparation and reformation time of Advent! These four weeks, in my not always humble opinion, can indeed be described as the most wonderful time of the year, in that we are preparing to receive Christ turning our hearts back to He Who gave us life, Who showed us the Father's love in person. Oh the joy of knowing Him! Oh the anticipation of His coming - both the remembrance of His birth as the Child Emmanuel, and His second coming when He will judge all and direct each one of us to where we will spend eternity. And as part of my preparation time, I have already watched Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, It's a Wonderful Life, and A Christmas Story about nine times!
I wrote out a few Christmas cards last night, and watched the some of the PAC-12 Championship (Ducks beat the Utes going away); there will be more football to-day and then tomorrow the final rankings are released and the post-season matchups announced. Our Spartans somehow managed six wins and will get to play in a bowl game (most probably the Crayola Green Marker That Has Dried Out Bowl, or some such in significant contest, played in a vacation destination like Fargo [and only insignificant to those who don't live in Fargo]). I had heard talk that the possibility exists for Michigan to play Alabama in their bowl game - I think that would be fun.

I am ready to ditch cable.

We are going to Sunshine Diner in Howell for breakfast, before our Saturday morning errands.

It is 20 degrees outside and we have the car warming up.

It is a beautiful day and I thank God for it!

Helloo!