Thursday 31 December 2020

Farewell 2020!


NO ONE'S going to miss you, 
YOU BASTARD.





NEXT YEAR 
will be MUCH better . . .
WON'T IT?




Oh c'mon --
PUT ON A
HAPPY FACE!

Wednesday 30 December 2020

Contest Winners!

To recap yesterday's contest question --

What is this box used for
when it's reassembled?


The answer is --

CANDY CANES!


This box was a bitch to reassemble, by the way.
If I'd been smart, I would have taken 
the photos in reverse order.

Incidentally, I bought candy canes for 
the first time in years because I made some 
white chocolate candy cane bark 
for Christmas. 

What? 
We didn't already have 
enough calories in the house,
I swear it.


Actually, we have quite a few winners!
I guess this contest wasn't as hard
as I thought it would be!

Congrats and a hearty elbow bump
go out to the following
who got the answer right --

Grace

Travel Penguin

Laurie

e

Anonymous

Marcy

Tundra Bunny
(who sniffed "Too easy!")

Bruce.desertrat
(who had conveniently watched
the candy cane episode of
The Discovery Channel's all-day
"How It's Made" marathon on
Christmas Day)

Old Lurker
(who pretended he
thought the box was for my
"collection of slender, minty-flavored
dild...uh...pleasure devices")

Mistress Maddie
(who of course referenced
 his own "covid dildos collection")

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

And for those who didn't come up 
with the right answer -- 
thanks for all the imaginative guesses!

Tuesday 29 December 2020

It's Contest Time!

But alas, there's no prize 
for the correct answer, 
only bragging rights! 

This contest is brought to you 
courtesy of doing the recycling, LOL!

What is this box used for 
when it's reassembled?


Any guess in the comments today 
that is incorrect will be published 
right away. Correct guesses will not be.

The correct answer will be revealed tomorrow
along with the names of those who got it right!

Sunday 27 December 2020

And Now, In Nordic News


Hail, Sister Valkyries and Brother Berserkers!

Earlier this month, My Rare One and I had occasion to dress in our best Viking finery for a photo shoot. 

Despite appearances, we are not bedecked in red feather boas. That's the blood of our enemies. FEAR US.

But the photo shoot wasn't the only Scandihoovian excitement this month!

One of My Rare One's neighbours is a wonderful artist and crafter. She very generously gifted each of us with a Nordic Gnome that she made this Christmas!

When a Gnome enters your home, it is critical to give them an important, useful job to do or else they'll simply run amok making mischief.

So My Rare One's Gnome is busy guarding Ukrainian Easter eggs that My Rare One has made over the years.


Meanwhile, my Gnome is wrangling Christmas cards, keeping them neat, tidy and orderly.


Aren't they adorable?
Squeeeeeee!

Friday 25 December 2020

"For Unto Us A Child Is Born"

 

This year, for the first time 35 years, I was unable to attend a live performance of Handel's Messiah at Christmas. Thanks, Covid-19! But I made do by listening a couple of times to a full recording of the oratorio. Hopefully next year, I'll hear it performed live once again.

Over the decades, I've heard every conceivable performance variation of this work -- including outstanding soloists, mediocre soloists, downright gawdawful soloists, with female contraltos/mezzo-sopranos or male countertenors, featuring big choirs, small choirs, on one memorable occasion a massed choir of 500 voices, the music played on modern instruments, baroque instruments, at the traditional slower tempo, at a modern faster tempo, etc. etc. etc.

This recent 2019 performance by Boston Baroque features the same kind of small, stripped-down orchestra and chorus that would have been common in Handel's day. Its breezy tempo is almost too fast for my taste but it's still preferable to the traditional tempo's ponderous, overly-reverential pacing.

I hope you enjoy this particular chorus which is perfect for Christmas day. 

Merry Christmas
To All Who Celebrate!

Thursday 24 December 2020

It's Santa's Big Night!


OF COURSE SANTA IS REAL!

And he's got the SWEETEST GIG in the world.

He only works ONE DAY PER YEAR,
the lucky bastard.

And THESE DAYS, it's even
LESS EXERTION --


And speaking of AMAZON --


Yes, with its SURVEILLANCE ALGORITHMS,
Amazon would probably be better
at bringing us OUR HEART'S DESIRE
than Santa's old-fashioned methods --



But Santa still enjoys a pretty 
STELLAR reputation.


Of course, like anyone, 
Santa DOES have his FAULTS
such as:

 Endorsing some DUBIOUS PRODUCTS


Not always being 
the BEST EMPLOYER



 Dumping MRS CLAUS 
during a MID-LIFE CRISIS

 

Hmmm, 
he and Jeff Bezos 
actually have a
LOT IN COMMON,
don't they!

Monday 21 December 2020

Winter Solstice Blessings


You know, I wasn't even going 
to bother decorating for 
the holidays this year. 

But getting out my Sankta Lucia statue 
to photograph her for this earlier post 
inspired me to dig through a few 
drawers and cupboards and 

LO AND BEHOLD

all of a sudden I had put together 
a nice little Winter Solstice 
altar arrangement on my sideboard.

So now on this, the shortest day
following the longest night,

I WISH YOU ALL --


[First photo © Debra She Who Seeks, December 2020;
Second image comes from the internet]

Saturday 19 December 2020

Another MARVELous Advent Calendar!


Well, isn't THIS perfect!

My sister's Xmas parcel arrived mid-week
and now I've got another FAB advent calendar
to eat my way through!

And THE AVENGERS!
Does she KNOW ME or WHAT?

Okay, so technically it's a "Christmas and 
New Year Countdown Calendar" 
going from December 1st to January 1st. 

But that just means "32 Days of Chocolate," YAY!


Doesn't EVERYONE love advent calendars?


Even if you DON'T have one,
you can STILL participate!


Thursday 17 December 2020

HRH's Christmas Message


Greetings, my poor, downcast minions!

Yes, rejoice, for it is I, 
HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE CAT
gracing you with my presence once again.

Every Christmas morning, my cousin Betty Windsor
(you know, "the other HRH")
gives a televised message to inspire her
inexplicably devoted subjects.


Well, if cousin Betty can make the effort,
I guess I can too.

Hell, even my other royal cousin,
The Black Panther,
(King T'Challa of Wakanda)
makes an effort to have fun
at this time of year and
they don't even celebrate
Christmas there!


So, because all of you are effin' miserable right now,
I am determined to set a good example
this Christmas to cheer you up.

Here goes nuttin' --




If that last one
didn't cheer you up,
you're beyond hope
and to hell with you!

. . . err, um, sorry . . .

Man, I don't know how
cousin Betty does it,
that relentless cheerfulness,
year in, year out.

NO! NO!

I CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE!

I GOTTA BE ME!


And may the Cat Goddess Bast 
bless you all this holy season.

Thank you and good day.

Tuesday 15 December 2020

Coronavirus Christmas

Don't be GLUM, chum!
We can still DECORATE!





And okay, maybe we can't 
GET TOGETHER.
But we can still have FUN!

Right? 
RIGHT?



And we can always 
BAKE GOODIES!



Don't forget the 
JOY of GIVING!



That's OKAY, Santa.
We understand.

Besides, HERE'S the 
CHRISTMAS SLEIGH 
everyone REALLY wants 
to see this year!