In March, NASA discovered that they didn’t have space suits that would fit their female astronauts for use outside the International Space Station. Hmmm. Since then, they have corrected their mistake and female astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir were able to fix a malfunctioning battery charger on the exterior of the space station in what is called the first all-female spacewalk. That’s crazy. Barbie has had her own space suit for as long as I can remember. The first Barbie astronaut outfit, “Barbie Miss Astronaut,” was released in 1965, two years after Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the world’s first woman to fly into space and 18 years before an American woman, Sally Ride, would follow her.
Santa has been reading your posts all year long. Most of you will be getting dictionaries this year.
The troubled Toys ‘R’ Us is planning to open 10 new stores after going into liquidation more than a year ago. The new stores have kid-height shelves in specialty spaces with about 1,500 items that will be available on site, a treehouse and a movie theatre. Bet Santa was happy to hear this.
“I am so angry. That’s not showing consideration for us. It’s like they don’t care if we die.” – Houston resident Leisa Glenn, after finding out a state study that revealed a cancer cluster in her neighborhood was not disclosed to residents for nearly four months.
A ‘cancer cluster’ is a geographic area with a statistically higher than average occurrence of cancer among its residents. Historical examples of work-related cancer clusters are well documented in medical literature. Scrotal cancer among chimney sweeps in 18th century London; osteosarcoma among female watch dial painters in the 20th century; skin cancer in farmers; bladder cancer in dye workers exposed to aniline compounds, and leukemia & lymphoma in chemical workers exposed to benzene.
Comcast/Xfinity customers will see their bill rise 3.6 percent nationwide starting next week. Some programing costs will rise along with an increase to rent their equipment (which none of us want anyway, but is there a choice?)
Climate change is real and allowing for some interesting discoveries. Because of the melting permafrost, more and more parts of woolly mammoths, canines and other prehistoric animals are being discovered in Russia’s Far East. Most recently, scientists found an unusually well-preserved puppy believed to be 18,000 years old. It still had all its limbs, fur, teeth, whiskers, eyelashes – even whiskers. I saw a picture and you could even see its little black nose. Amazing. Right now, they are finishing some extensive testing to determine whether it’s a dog or a wolf pup.
Kroger has an ad that says: “The Freshest turkey that won’t cost you a wing and a drumstick”.” Cute.
My sweet office co-workers bought me a 6-pack of unusual artisan beers for Boss’s Day in October. I had saved them in my outside refrigerator so the kids and I could do our little beer tastings when they came home from school. On Friday night, Gage brought in a bottle with a smooth, very attractive, non-paper label and a picture of a Halloween pumpkin holding a cellphone and a coffee cup; a Prairie Ale called Basic Becky. We poured it into our glasses, smelled it and then smelled it again. What the heck were we smelling?!? A couple of sips and we were sold, but we still couldn’t figure out what the dominant smell and taste were. When all else fails, read the label. Imperial Stout with pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, coriander, clove and caraway. I think that sums up why we couldn’t figure out what we were tasting and smelling. It was like drinking Thanksgiving, but SO much better.
RECENT BIRTHDAYS: Actress Kim Basinger is 66. Actor Kirk Douglas is 103. Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne is 71. Actress Julianne Moore is 59. Actor Hal Williams is 85. Police Officer Smith on Sanford and Son. Pop singer Joyce Vincent-Wilson is 73. Tony Orlando and Dawn. Taylor Swift is 30. Singer Cindy Birdsong is 80. The Supremes. Actor Paul Kaye is 55. Game of Thrones. Actress Michelle Dockery is 38. Downton Abbey.
Frank Sinatra, born on December 12, 1915, was one of the best-selling music artists of all time and sold more than 150 million records. He would be 104, just one year older than Kirk Douglas.
Danny Aiello, a New York-born stage actor who was 40 when he made his movie debut, died at 86. He was so good as Cher’s kind and clueless fiancé in Moonstruck (1987).
The former Boston College baseball player whose public battle with ALS inspired the popularity of the ice bucket challenge, died at the age of 34. He was diagnosed in 2012 and at that time, the “science was getting exciting but there was no funding” for this disease with no cure. But five years after he started the challenge (which raised over $220 million in just weeks) scientists are now much more optimistic about finding a cure.
You missed a great show at The Clarion this last weekend. Colbie Caillat and her new band, Gone West, which includes her husband Justin, her co-writer, Jason Reeves and his wife, Nelly Joy, definitely entertained the crowd. Their new music is called modern country and it’s working for them.
Which is healthier, a slice of apple pie or pumpkin pie? Apple pie tends to have a top crust and more crust means more calories, as well as saturated fat from butter or shortening, plus the sugar. Answer: pumpkin. Which is better for you, a white potato or a sweet potato? A 4-ounce sweet potato provides 13 percent of daily fiber needs and your recommended dose of vitamin A. Skip the marshmallow topping on Christmas Day and the answer is sweet potato.
Did you know that in 1972, the FBI hired its first two female agents, a former nun and a former US marine? DID I RUN THIS BEFORE?
A camel, cow and donkey were found roaming together along a Kansas road. (Sounds more like Jerusalem) Local police asked for help in locating the owners of the “three friends traveling together (towards a Northern star).” Now, Sully the camel, Gus the donkey and Rufus the cow will appear in a Christmas Nativity scene at the same wildlife park that they escaped from last month. Great story. Sweet picture.
Not too much sets me off but, why in the world would anyone dump grease and/or oil next to my gardens in the alley behind my office? And while I’m on it, DO NOT dump your trash in business dumpsters and trashcans. We pay a fortune for city service. I watch you do it ALL THE TIME. I even have pictures of your cars and plates. If you don’t work here, then put it out at your own home or the dump.
Movies coming out…Little Women: the beloved story of the four March sisters, Oscar nod, men – hang up your macho and buy a ticket. Cats: the music alone should be fabulous. Bombshell: focuses on the group of women who took on former Fox News chief Roger Ailes over issues of sexual harassment – Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, John Lithgow as Ailes, and Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly. It’s getting an Oscar nod. Jumanji: The Next Level, Richard Jewell, Knives Out, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Two Popes, Spies in Disguise…and many more…these are just the ones I want to see.
My daughter asked me about the love/hate relationship that most people have with fruitcake. Do you mean the tasteless bricks or the edible treats? Needless to say, I didn’t have a very good answer for her. Many years ago, I remember passing an aging fruitcake back and forth to my friend Barbara. It was a joke and each of us knew what we would be giving or receiving for Christmas those years. I have some inflatable fruitcakes in my closet to give for Christmas gifts this year. (I have an inflatable turkey, too.) I mentioned to my daughter that even a bad fruitcake is good with a nice rum bath. Then I looked it up…the name “fruitcake” can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages when dried fruits and nuts were luxuries, mainly reserved for holidays since it was considered a sign of wealth. The following is a 5-star ‘World’s Best Fruitcake Recipe.’ After all, your Christmas may need a little fruitcake – even if you already have one in your family.
14 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
8 ounces chopped sugar rolled dates
16 ounces chopped pecan pieces
8 ounces candied cherries
8 ounces diced candied pineapple
2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven 300 degrees. Place coconut, dates, and pecan pieces in a very large (7 quart or larger) bowl. Break up chunks of dates & coconut and stir together. Add the cherries, pineapple, and sweetened condensed milk and mix together with your hands. Wear disposable gloves. It will be a very stiff mixture. Let it set at room temperature while you prepare the pans.
Spray 2 – 9″x5″ loaf pans with Pam. Line the pans with waxed (or parchment) paper. Cut parchment paper in 4 1/4″x 16 1/4″ and 8″x 12 1/2″ strips for this. You want the paper to come up past the sides of the pans after the mixture is packed into the pans. It’s a little work, but worth the effort. Now spray the paper that you pressed into the pans, with Pam or vegetable cooking spray.
Stir the ingredients well again and divide ingredients between the 2 loaf pans. Pack TIGHTLY and smooth into the pans. Wet your hands to keep them from sticking to the batter then press and pack down, smooth. Place the pans on the middle rack of the oven and bake 1 hour, or until lightly browned. (If the cakes have baked for an hour, or look a little brown around the edges, take them out of the oven & lift edges of paper a little to see if sides look brown enough. If they’re brown on sides, but not on top, you may broil the tops for a few minutes but watch carefully.)
Remove and cool for just 10 minutes in the pans. Gently lift the edges of the paper a couple of times on each side – kind of a rocking motion. Turn pans upside down onto a paper-lined cookie sheet and lift pans from the cakes. Remove paper from bottom of cakes IMMEDIATELY. Let cool completely. Place in a large container (don’t wrap yet) and refrigerate overnight. Next day, turn cake upside down to slice. After slicing, wrap in waxed (or parchment) paper, then in heavy duty aluminum foil. May be refrigerated up to 3 months or frozen up to 1 year.
Have you ever wondered what PAM (the vegetable cooking spray) stands for? Me neither. PAM is an acronym for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff, the man who marketed the spray in 1961.
Friends, neighbors, readers and advertisers…have a great CHRISTmas.
Lisa
