Questions

I wasn’t sure what my Q post was going to be, but some of you gave me the idea with your comments on my Ornaments post when you shared things about your ornaments and the stories that go with them. 

As I’ve mentioned before, my parents don’t celebrate any holidays.  So, my sister, Gabby, and I are both relatively new to celebrating holidays.  We’ve both happily embraced celebrating them.  Fortunately, Nick’s mom, Susan, is practically Santa Claus, so we’ve both had a very fun crash course in celebrating Christmas.  It also means Nick and I have never had the “that’s not how my family does it” disagreements surrounding holidays.

It does mean that I’m very curious about how other people celebrate the holidays.  I love hearing about other people’s traditions.  Last week, I learned quite a bit about how the Easter bunny works from one of the neighbor kids.  Nick told me he grew up with a different perspective on the Easter bunny, which made me even more curious about different people’s holiday traditions. 

So, I thought I’d list some of the major holidays, tell you what we do, and then ask what you do.  Feel free to comment on any or all of them, and of course, let me know if there are any you celebrate that I left out.

New Year’s Eve/Day:  We never do much for this one.  Let’s just say that Nick’s time working in the emergency services and my time working for a DUI prosecutor left us both with no desire to share the roads with people who have been drinking all night.  Early on, we used to rent a lot of movies from Blockbuster (that makes me sound old, doesn’t it?) and watch movies.  We usually end up falling asleep before midnight.  We usually only manage to stay awake on really bad years (2016 and 2020!) when we want to see them end.  Our neighbors have had us over for New Year’s Eve sometimes, and that is always fun.

Sometimes I cook collard greens and black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day, but more often than not, we don’t really do anything traditional.

I guess we’re pretty boring!  What do you do for New Year’s Eve/Day?

Valentine’s Day:  I used to think this one would be so romantic.  Now, I don’t believe in curses, but if I did, I would say Valentine’s Day is cursed for us.  Some of our Valentine’s Day misadventures include Nick having food poisoning on Valentine’s Day from us going out to dinner the night before and then being out sick from work when I had ordered chocolate-covered bananas to be delivered to him at work, my gardenia that Nick sent me at work dying because we shut down for almost a week for a snowstorm and it dying in the shipping box before we went back to work, and both of us coming down with the flu. 

Now, we never plan to do anything at all for Valentine’s Day.  It seems better for our health!  What do you do for Valentine’s Day?

St. Patrick’s Day:  Nick doesn’t drink at all, and I don’t like beer, so that eliminates most of the obvious celebrations for this holiday.  I used to attempt to make Irish stew, but I’m terrible at it, and finally gave up, deciding we had suffered enough.  Nick wears a uniform for work, so no green for him.  I always wear green.

This year, one of my co-workers went around checking everyone for green.  Another one of my co-workers said that he’d never heard of wearing green for St. Patrick’s Day.  Even as a kid, not celebrating the holidays, I thought everyone else wore green.  So, now I’m very curious.  Do you wear green for St. Patrick’s Day?  And do you do anything else for St. Patrick’s Day?

Easter:  Nick’s grandmother made the best Easter baskets.  Yes, she made them for us even though we were adults.  They always looked so pretty, and she always found a white chocolate bunny for mine. 

My first experience hiding and hunting Easter eggs was in 2019 with our neighbors.  I had no idea how much fun I had been missing out on! 

This year, they had us and some of our other neighbors over for dinner and an Easter egg hunt.  We (most of the adults and the older kids) split up to hide almost 300 eggs in multiple yards.  That’s a great thing about involving neighbors; you can use all of the yards.  The rule was you couldn’t hunt where you had hidden.  I’m terrible at finding eggs, but it was still so much fun, and the kids were very sweet and generous about sharing their eggs.  My bag somehow went from nine to twenty-seven eggs, thanks to their generosity.

One of the girls, I’ll call her Iris, since I don’t think it’s okay to name someone else’s child on my blog, told us that all you have to do is leave all of your empty eggs out in a bag and leave everyone's Easter basket out the night before Easter and that you should also leave carrots out for a snack.  Then, the Easter bunny, along with his brothers and sisters, will come and fill everyone’s Easter basket, hide some eggs in the house for a morning Easter egg hunt, and fill all of the eggs in the bag for the adults to hide later.  Iris advised us to make sure we remembered to leave Easter baskets out on Saturday night. 

Nick said he never believed in the Easter bunny, although he did believe in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy.  He said he always knew his Easter basket was from his mom.  So now I’m curious.  What did you believe about the Easter bunny?  And what do you do for Easter?

Halloween:  I’ve only ever dressed up once; the first year we were married, when some friends had us over to hand out candy, and she loaned me a Minnie Mouse costume. 

We used to hand out candy but kept getting fewer trick-or-treaters every year, so we finally stopped.  Now, I usually make chili, and we have a movie marathon with lots of candy.

What do you do for Halloween?

Thanksgiving:  Or, as I like to call it, the BEST HOLIDAY EVER.  I know, I know, most people don’t get that excited over Thanksgiving.  That’s okay.  I get excited enough for all of us. 

I love Thanksgiving for so many reasons:  When Nick and I were first engaged, and I was still getting to know his friends, we went to someone’s house for Thanksgiving.  We weren’t planning to stay long because Nick had to work that night.  They invited me to stay the whole time and drove me home later.  It was the first time I felt like Nick’s friends accepted me for me, not just as a package deal with Nick.  Thanksgiving feels like it has all of the hope and magic of the holiday season.  It seems like so many people are exhausted and irritated by the time Christmas is over, but Thanksgiving doesn’t have that.  It feels special.  I worry a lot about getting most of the holidays wrong and seeming rude or looking like an idiot.  Thanksgiving is the one I feel completely confident celebrating.  I love to cook, and I’m reasonably good at it.  Add to that the fact that we’ve made our very own special traditions, and I just feel good about it.  

I always take the day before Thanksgiving off from work and cook and bake all day, usually from 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning until 11:00 or 12:00 that night.  That may not sound like fun to everyone, but I love it.  We take the meal to the hospice house for lunch, and then we come back and finish getting everything ready for our celebration that evening, usually around 6:00 or 7:00.  We have friends and neighbors come, and we eat and play games.  It usually lasts until around midnight.  I go to bed exhausted but incredibly happy.

What do you do for Thanksgiving?

Christmas:  Christmas is my second favorite holiday.  As you know by now, I love ornaments.  Usually, we go to my sister Gabby’s house, along with Nick’s mom and step-dad, Susan and Alan.  I know it’s probably a little unusual, but that’s our little Christmas group.  Susan and Alan are both at higher risk from COVID than we are, and Nick and Gabby have a lot of exposure from work, so we didn’t get to spend the last two Christmases with Susan and Alan.  I’m hopeful for this year. 

We watch Christmas movies, eat tons of food (Gabby cooks for Christmas like I cook for Thanksgiving), celebrate Nick’s birthday, and always end up opening our Christmas presents early.  We all talk to each other about what we’re getting for other people, so usually, everyone is excited to see everyone’s reactions to their presents.  And our excuse for not waiting is that there are so many presents, we need to open them to have more room in the living room.

What do you do for Christmas?

Like I said before, feel free to tell me what you do on any or all of the holidays and tell me if there are any others you celebrate.  I’d love to hear about your holidays. 

Answering Questions

I’ve noticed when it comes to blogging that about half of the bloggers I usually visit seem to respond to each comment on their blog, and about half don’t seem to respond to any, at least in the comments section.  I’m never really sure which one is best.  I don’t know if people actually check back, so I very rarely respond to anything in the comments section. 

I also don’t write many (any?) posts that are going to inspire much debate, or raise very many questions.  There’s only so much discussion possible when it comes to recipes or cat pictures.  That being said, there is an occasional question in the comments section, so I thought I might start periodically doing a post with responses to those. 

I’ve skimmed over the last several posts, and these are the ones I noticed:

On Throw Back Thursday - The Baby Howard Edition, Liz asked if Howard still tries getting into places that are too small for him. 

Not really.  Howard is “portly” as the very nice nurse at the emergency vet once described him, and has been for a while.  I think he’s used to not fitting very many places.  He’s also twelve now, so doesn’t do nearly as much climbing around as he used to. He does like to squish himself into the smallest pet beds possible, but I think that’s probably just for the warm, cozy feeling.  Howard is super cuddly, and is happiest when he’s cuddled up to someone else.

When I posted my Cheap Steak Fajitas recipe, and lamented my inability to make beef stew, Bijoux made the comment that she thought I needed a Crock Pot until realizing that the recipe was a Crock Pot recipe.  

All of my failed attempts at beef stew have been in the Crock Pot.  I usually have great luck with Crock Pot recipes, so I’m not sure what the problem is when it comes to beef stew.  

Betty asked if I’d like a recipe.  

I’d love one!  If it claims to be simple or foolproof, I can definitely put that to the test.  

When I posted my Tzatziki sauce recipe, Cat asked for possible substitutions for dill.  

I’ve had it without dill, and it’s good.  That’s actually how we were taught to make it in the cooking class I took.  Honestly, I prefer it with dill, but it’s still really good without it.  If you’re looking for a substitution, though, I would probably try oregano or mint, since those are typically already found in the types of food you’re likely to be having with Tzatziki sauce.  

And I think that’s it for posts that had any kind of questions.  Like I said, I don’t seem to post very much that raises questions or leads to much debate.  

So, how do you handle questions and comments on your blog?  Do you respond to every comment, or just questions?  Or do you do something else entirely? 

What Would You Really Like To Read?

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.  I never seem to stick with them, and I’ve read a few different places that’s it’s not the best idea because we tend to be vague – “I’m going to lose weight” (how much, how, etc.) or not realistic – “I’m never going to drink soda, or eat sugar, or junk food, ever again starting today” (only to binge on a two-liter bottle of Coke, a bag of Cheetos, and a tub of ice cream a week or two later).  So, no New Year’s resolutions for me.

That being said, I can’t help but get drawn in by the idea of a fresh start, a clean slate, etc.  It makes sense, the beginning of the year can be a great starting point, and having some goals kind of helps with the post-holiday letdown.  I always find myself setting goals for the year, and this year is no exception.  A few of my goals are writing related.  I really enjoy blogging, but it seems to be one of the first things to go when things start getting hectic.  I’m trying not to let that happen so much this year.

Of course that begs the question of what I’m going to blog about.  I don’t seem to have much of a theme, and I did that on purpose.  I’m interested in a few different things, but none of them seem to merit their very own blog.  That’s why I post everything from recipes to pictures of adorable fur kids to my attempts at flash fiction, and everything in between.  I try to keep it varied.  I get bored easily, and if you’re kind enough to spend part of your valuable time reading what I write, I certainly do not want to bore you either. 

One way to attempt not to bore you is to just ask you what you want to read.  I’m not good at guessing.  Sometimes I post something that I think will be really popular and it gets very, very few page views.  Other times I post something, somewhat reluctantly, that I’m not so sure about, and it camps out on the side as a popular post.  Like I said, I’m not good at guessing. So, what do you want to read when you visit?

Let me take this opportunity to clarify that I’m not trying to be lazy here and ask you for content.  One of my other goals for this year is to actually post all of the things I write and intend to post, but never actually do.  I write lots of posts, email them to myself, and then they’re lost in the black hole that is my inbox.  (Organization is an ongoing goal for me.)  But I’d still like to know what you actually want to read.

Two blogs I really enjoy asked for questions last year, and it made for some interesting posts. Maria at Just Eat Your Cupcake answered questions from readers in a few posts, and Anna at Herding Cats & Burning Soup let readers interview her.  The topics were interesting, and it was nice to be allowed to ask questions.  

So I’m trying it myself.  Is there a topic you’d like to read more about, a fur kid you’d like to see more pictures of, a type of recipe you’re interested in, or something else entirely?  Just ask.  I will endeavor to come up with something worthy of your time.  The only things off limits are controversial topics.  I’m just not going to get into my views on politics, religion, etc.  There’s enough nastiness out there without my creating yet another forum for name calling.  So, other than that, ask away.  And if you like a question or topic and want to answer or expound on it as well, by all means tell us in the comments so we can check out your post as well. 

I Can't Believe It!

I am very happy and honored to announce that Carrie at The Slow-Dripped Life has bestowed the Kreativ Blogger Award upon me.  I met Carrie during the A to Z Reflections, and have been happily reading her blog since then.  It's my first award, so I'm pretty excited about it.  Thank you so much Carrie!

The rules for the award are as follows:

1.Thank and link back to the awarding blog.

2. Answer the seven questions

3. Provide ten random factoids about yourself.

4. Last but not at all least, hand this on to seven deserving others.

The Questions:

What is your favorite song?

This one is always tough.  There are so many really great songs out there, and a lot depends on what kind of mood I’m in.  I think I have to say Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World.  I’ve loved this song for as long as I can remember, and it was the song my dad and I danced to at my wedding, so it has some great memories.

What’s your favorite dessert?

Definitely Crème Brule!  I LOVE it! 

     What do you do when you’re upset?

This one is kind of embarrassing because I’m a crier.  I cry if I’m sad, but I also burst into tears if I get really angry.  It’s so annoying to start crying when I’m MAD, which just makes me madder, which makes me cry harder.  Pathetic, I know.

Which is your favorite pet?

Rescued!  I don’t have a preference between cats and dogs.  We have more cats, but I think cats are easier to have more of.  I love rescued cats and dogs.  I’m not into rodents, fish, or birds (which is probably a good thing considering our fur kids), and definitely not reptiles, but I love cats and dogs.  Being a rescue, and of course getting along with the other pets, are my main requirements for a pet.

     Which do you prefer, white or whole wheat?

Whole wheat!  It’s not a health conscious choice; I just can’t stand white bread.  It seems like a soggy, bland mess to me.

     What is your biggest fear?

This one is kind of heard to answer; I’m a total chicken, and I have a very active imagination, so there’s a lot!  I guess most of my fears come down to bad things happening to people I love, or getting hurt.

What is your attitude mostly?

Hmm, that’s kind of hard to answer about yourself.  I guess I’d have to say I’m kind of a wait-and-see person, but I definitely trust my instincts, and with go with that in the absence of certainty in any situation.

Radom Factoids:

I’m left-handed, just like my dad and my grandfather.  I can barely do anything at all with my right hand. 

I didn’t love my wedding dress when I bought it.  The whole dress-shopping experience was pretty bad, and I was getting close to the cut-off time for getting it ordered.  I was okay with it, it was in our price range, and my husband loved it, so I ordered it, at least partly so I could get out of the store.  It worked out well, though, because I really did love it by the time our wedding day came around.

I don’t like any kind of chocolate, except white chocolate, which a lot of people tell me isn’t real chocolate.  I’ve tried everything else, and I can’t stand it. 

I love Thanksgiving.  It’s possibly my favorite holiday.  I just love it.

I am terrified of escalators.  I will NOT get on one.  I’m coming up on 26 years of staying off of them, and I intend to keep it that way.  We saw a lady get her high heel caught in one in the airport when I was four, and it was awful!  I’ve stayed off of them ever since then.

My sister and I used to fight like cats and dogs when we were growing up, but we get along much better now.  I’m not sure if living in two separate states has anything to do with it.

I am totally addicted to caffeine; mostly in the form of Coca-Cola Classic.  It’s not a pretty sight when I haven’t had enough caffeine.

I am hyper-paranoid about our pets’ health; even though they seem fine I’m always a nervous wreck at their check-ups until the vet says they’re in good health.  I need the official confirmation that they’re alright, and I’m a total pain about it whenever one of them is sick; I always think about the worst possible thing it could be.

I am obsessed with feeding people during a crisis.  I don’t know why, and I know a pot roast dinner isn’t going to bring someone back to life, or cure cancer, but I can’t help it.  Anytime someone I care about has a real crisis I want to feed them and their family.  I think all of the chopping, cutting, beating, etc might be a way of working out my own grief. 

 

My engagement ring has sapphires, but I had it before Kate Middleton made sapphire engagement rings popular.   People used to think it was a little unusual, but not so much anymore.  We chose it because we both love sapphires, and also because it’s the birthstone for September, which is the month we met in, and the month we got married in.

Now for the hard part, passing the award on to seven other bloggers:

Delores at TheFeathered Nest

Linda at Writers DoLaundry,Too

Archna at As If ByMagic

Becky, a.k.a. Grover at Inane Ramblings

Dana at The DailyDose

Sarann at SarannWrap

Betty at A BenchWith A View

You, Yes You

Please bear with me; I will get to the point of how this post is, in fact, a Y post.  It’s just going to take me some time to make the connection.  I think that’s alright since Y is the next to the last letter in the alphabet.

We live in such a fast-paced world that sometimes it seems like it’s really hard to get to know someone new, especially if, like me, you don’t always excel in casual conversation with people you barely know.  It’s always hard for me at first on new jobs or in new places to get to know people.  The thought of trying to talk to strangers filled me with terror when I started my first “real” job after I finished school.  Then I got my lucky break; my now-friend Traci invited me to lunch.  She said she realized that even though I’d been there for months she barely knew me. 

We went to lunch and discovered we had a lot in common and shared quite a few interests.  We soon developed a friendship that extended beyond work.  That was almost eight years ago.  We have both since moved on to other jobs, in fact it has been almost five years since we’ve worked together.  We now live in different states, and our lives have taken different paths, but we’re still friends, we still keep in touch.  All because eight years ago Traci decided to get to know someone new.

I learned a lot from that.  I now firmly believe that the best way to get to know someone new is to have a meal with them.  (I think this may be the reason why most dates involve dinner.)  Maybe people are more comfortable over a meal; after all we all have to eat to live.  Sharing a meal seems to be a way to get people to open up, to find out what they like or they don’t like, how they treat the server if you go to a restaurant.   I really do think it’s the best get to know you tool available.

Obviously all of us here in Blogger Land can’t just schedule a lunch together, so I thought I’d come up with five questions about you that I hope you’ll answer in the comments.  Why five, you may ask; because I like the number five.  Six of you were kind enough to answer yesterday’s question about what  makes a post x-rated for you, so I’m hoping at least a few people will play along.  I will answer them too.  Also, feel free to leave an extra question in the comments for others to answer, if you’d like.

1. What is your favorite dessert? 

     Crème Brule

2.  What is your favorite color?

      It’s a tie between blue and green.  They work well together, so I don’t usually have to choose.

3.  Do you prefer the mountains or the ocean?

     The ocean!  I need the sun, salt, and sand.

4.  Who is your favorite poet?

      Emily Dickinson

5.  Do you, or did you ever, have braces?

     Yes, braces for four years and headgear for two.