Never catch snowflakes with your tongue until all the birds have gone south for the winter!
It’s a dark damp rainy day… just like London! The Brits are here and we called them and accuse them of bringing the weather. BTW, I enjoy the rain as everything seems to grow better with rain water! Sue, not so much! She had all the rain she ever wanted growing up!
I ran to the store first thing to get needed supplies…berries, ice cream, beer…the staples of life! Blackberries were on sale for $2.00/double-box! These berries were outstanding and I use them every morning on cereal or with dessert at lunch time on yogurt! Do not laugh…since I have been doing the shopping, I look at the adds and I signed up for Ralph’s on-line!
But first, the Christmas Memory! This memory is kinda sad in a way as it involves a terrible act of nature but ends with families becoming closer!
Christmas Memory #5 – The Levee Broke
It was a rainy year in California adn the northern part of the state was getting hit pretty bad. It was December 23rd 1955 when we got the call from Aunt Kaye…her and the kids along with Ray, her husband, had just enough time to collect some paperwork, some clothes and leave before the levee totally gave-way and broke. They lived adjacent to the Stanislaus Slough which was tied to the American River and the slough could not take the pressure then the river went over the banks.
We saw some after-the-fact pictures and the house and all the contents was sitting in six feet of water…everything remaining was destroyed. NO Christmas presents this year.
Mom and Dad told them to head south. As I recall, Aunt Kaye and the kids joined us for Christmas and we shared all of our gifts. Poor Gayla, she had to share some of my “Boy’s” gifts but at least she had something to open!
They stayed with us about a week before going back to sift through the remains. Ray stayed up in Stockton to keep an eye on the place.
It was a sad and happy time…sad at their loss but happy to spend a Christmas with family so close!
They never returned to that house and I believe it was torn down s the water damage made it irrepairable.
I departed for a CT Scan of the next at noon and returned about 1:30 PM. I have the CD in hand and will be seeing the doctor on the 12th for the reading and plan of action.
We did lunch and more of the take home delights has disappeared. I did in the Chicken Tikka and my tongue is starting to taste again!
It rained most of the afternoon finally starting to show signs of stopping about 4:00 PM. We decided to watch some Christmas movies beginning with White Christmas! In today’s goofy world I am surprised it is not banned! It remains a great movie and we both ended up with tears!
White Christmas is one of those movies you can just enjoy without having to think about why the characters act the way they do. The plot is very thin, and seems to be written just to hold the musical numbers together, but it makes for a very enjoyable movie indeed. Viewing this film has become a holiday tradition in my family, and it is great fun to quote memorable lines and sing along with Bing, Danny, Vera-Ellen, and of course, the incomparable Rosemary Clooney. White Christmas is just a fun movie, and I highly recommend it for holiday viewing. The Irving Berlin songs, the dance numbers, and yes, the “schmaltz” are just the right combination to put even the Grinchiest person in the Christmas spirit.
Hunter Toys CEO Drake Hunter turned his father’s company from a cozy quality manufacturer into a ruthless, profitable business. After denying his staff any festive generosity again, the scrooge is suddenly and magically transformed into Kris Krandall. That forces him to work as a Santa in Norm Dobson’s toy store, with weird would be-actor Sebastian. Drake reassesses his values and priorities in life.
After the Christmas movies we had our tookies, watched two episodes of NCIS and one “Young & Hungry” before crashing!
