2020- The BEST year ever!

2020. Need I say more? I could go on on and on about the mess of a year 2020 was. I could mention the sham of an election, and rampant voter fraud. I could type for hours about the COVID situation and what it has done to our country. I could mention that COVID restrictions caused us to cancel our family cruise and dream vacation this summer. I could mention any number of natural disasters and other horrible things that happened. But I won't. 2020 was a year in which God blessed my family richly. Tami and I have kept our jobs when millions of Americans are out of work. He has blessed us with good health. He has blessed us with another year with three WONDERFUL children and three AMAZING grandchildren, and two incredible sons-in-law. He blessed us with a family reunion of sorts in July when the Mortons visited for two weeks. He has blessed us with a beautiful house, plentiful food on the table, two new cars, and everything else we ever wanted. Complain about 2020? Not a chance! There is nothing to complain about. The Lord has blessed us abundantly and who am I to argue with that? I will not be saying, "Goodbye, 2020! It was the worst year ever!". I will be saying, "Thank you, Lord, for 2020. This year you blessed me beyond measure. I am grateful! 2020 was the BEST year ever!"

New Car

We bought a new car today. Well, at least it's new to us. I am happy to report I will now be driving a 2018 Toyota RAV4. I don't have any good photos yet. It is a rainy day and it isn't conducive to taking nice photos. The car is Magnetic Gray. It looks purplish in the photo, but trust me, it's gray. I am so blessed to be able to afford such a luxurious vehicle.

TRUTH!

The truth is spoken...

Christmases Past

Christmas is a time for reflection and a time for reminiscing. I was thinking recently about Christmases past. I remember mom and dad always made Christmas special for us kids. I know we didn't have a lot of money. I know dad did remodeling work on his days off to make extra money. I know mom worked at the IGA deli and drove a special needs van to make extra money. And I know my parents often bought presents for us that stretched the budget. I am thankful because I have nothing but wonderful memories of my Christmases at 4405 Sullivan Ave.

 And speaking of Christmases past, I was remembering a gift we got that brought us hours of enjoyment. It was called Pendulum Curve Bowl. It was made by the Aurora Toy Company, and it was endorsed by Buddy Hackett. This was a great game and we LOVED it!

 Thank you, mom and dad, for always giving us the best Christmases!

The Visit of the Wise Men

No manger scene is complete without the depiction of three wise men (Magi) bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Although three wise men are always depicted (most likely to match the the three types of gifts being given to the Christ child), Scripture does not specifically state there were three wise men. In the end, it doesn't matter if the number of wise men was 3 or 33. It doesn't change the meaning of the story one bit. Here is the account of the visit of the Magi as told in Matthew 2:1-12. The Magi Visit the Messiah 1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Merry COVID-mas

The morning after Santa delivered all his gifts...

Merry Christmas

 

Well, loyal blog readers, we got what we have been dreaming of... A White Christmas (but just barely). We got about a half an inch of snow overnight. Merry Christmas, everyone. May you enjoy time with your families as we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Reason for the Season part 2

 

On this Christmas Eve, there is nothing more appropriate than the Scriptural account of the birth of a Savior as told by Luke: 

 The Birth of Jesus Christ 

 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. The Shepherds and the Angels 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. 21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 

 Luke 2:1-21

The Reason for the Season

This blogger is going to take a break from silly pictures, corny jokes, and political commentary to talk about a subject of the highest importance. The Christmas season is when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is so much that goes on during the holidays, and I believe the Peanuts characters got it right in the Charlie Brown Christmas special. In this made-for-children, but applicable to all cartoon, Charlie Brown laments the commercialization of Christmas, and Linus sets him straight on the true meaning of Christmas by quoting Luke chapter 2. The true meaning of Christmas really is so simple that it can be put into a cartoon that even young children can understand. Listen folks, there's nothing wrong with Christmas trees, Christmas cookies, exchanging gifts, stringing lights, and all the other things we hold up as Christmas traditions. Those things are all well and good as long as we keep the proper perspective. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem to a lowly man, Joseph, and his betrothed, virgin Mary is the reason for the season. 

 Having said all that, let's take a look at what Scripture says... The prophets Isaiah and Micah lived approximately 700 years before Christ and said this---

 Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

 For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his Government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. Isaiah 9:6 -7

 But you, O Bethlehem, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days. Micah 5:2 

 And there you have it. Proof positive. Christ foretold more than 700 years before his birth. Scripture is clear. There is no doubt that Jesus, the Son of God, God HIMSELF, would come to earth as a man to save His people.

Get ready...

As we get ready for Christmas and the ensuing new year season, we hope and pray that 2021 is better than 2020. But if it's not...

Inside or Outside?

COVID restrictions seem to be arbitrary and subjective. There seems to be no real rhyme or reason to the protocols we are being told to follow. Take for instance restaurants closing their indoor dining rooms, but opening outdoor eating areas. When you think outdoor eating areas, what comes to mind? A nice deck or patio, right? That's all well and good in nice weather, but what happens in cold weather? Answer--- Dining Igloos. Serious question... aren't these dining igloos technically indoor dining areas? They have four walls and a ceiling creating an enclosed space. What's the difference? Just sayin'... Also, what's the point of wearing masks if they have holes facilitating the playing of musical instruments? Do you see what I am driving at here? It's all completely ridiculous!

Christmas Mix Up

 

Christmas Therapy

 

Christmas Break

 It is 3:00 on Friday, December 18th. My Christmas break begins shortly when I walk out the door for the final time in 2020. It's hard to believe it has been 9 months since all this COVID madness began. It's also hard to believe that I only have four more Christmases until I retire. 

Merry Christmas, St. Bernard Elementary!

Grub Hub

This could TOTALLY be my grandkids. It's not, but I sure could picture them doing it. 

 

Creepy and Funny Christmas

 I happened upon this batch of creepy and funny Christmas photos. What in the world were people thinking???????

Ummmm... No words!

Creepy!

Gee, dad! It's Christmas. Couldn't you class it up a little?

Christmas... such a HAPPY time of year!

Nothing to see here... Until you see what ol' dad is reading. Yikes! When Vixen isn't one of Santa's reindeer.

Creepy!

This is wrong on so many different levels!

Once again... Class it up, Dad! 

More Christmas creepiness!

Dad worked for a tobacco company. Nothing says Christmas like Marlboro sweatshirts!

And finally... creepy Christmas again!

Milestone

Another milestone! 120,000 page views as of today! Thank you loyal blog readers! 

Canceled

 For the year 2020, this sounds about right...

The 12 days of COVID-mas

 2020 has been a crazy year. Most of the craziness has been caused by COVID 19. So, in honor of a year that has been anything but normal, I bring you a little song I wrote myself: The 12 Days of COVID-mas.

This year you can forget Partridges in Pear Trees, Turtle doves, French hens, Golden Rings, Geese a Laying, Swans a Swimming etc...

This year you get COVID-mas. Sing along with me...

On the first day of COVID-mas my true love gave to me, "People hoarding TP".

On the second day of COVID-mas my true love gave to me, "2 Quarantines, and people hoarding TP".

For the sake of time and space, skip ahead with me...

On the 12th day of COVID-mas my true love gave to me, "12 travel restrictions"

11 Canceled plans

10 Mental breakdowns

9 Hand washings

8 Sanitizers

7 Curbside pick ups

6 Feet apart

5 Zoom meetings

4 Face masks

3 COVID tests

2 Quarantines 

and... People hoarding TP!

Cool Photo

 No reason for posting this other than I thought it was a cool photo...

The joy of owning a house... or not

 Thomas and Abby recently bought their first home and moved in over Thanksgiving weekend.  Any homeowner will tell you owning a house is great… until it isn’t. What’s the first thing people always tell first time home buyers? Welcome to the world of home ownership! Now if something breaks, it’s up to you to fix it! Good luck! 

 

I mention this because after only two weeks or so, Thomas and Abby have their first issue with the new house. Just in time for Christmas, their water heater went out. It figures, huh? Right in the midst of winter, wham! No hot water! Poor kids. I really do feel sorry for them. What a welcome!

 

Thankfully water heaters are not terribly expensive. Yes, it comes at the worst possible time… Christmas. And yes, it’s money they weren’t planning on spending. But hey, there are much worse (and more expensive) things that could go wrong. Also… water heater replacement is a fairly simple DIY project. No labor costs this time!

 

Hang in there, Thomas and Abby. We love you, and are proud of you!

Interesting Fact

 I visit a website that gives a daily "FUN FACT". Here is today's...

The wood frog can hold its pee for up to eight months.

My first thought? The Wood Frog would make a good teacher! I don't have to wait eight months, but there are days in my classroom where times between restroom breaks feel like eight months!

Answers from Tuesday

How many of the items from Tuesday's post did you identify? Here are the answers... 

 1. High beam lights in car (activated by foot) 

2. Record player speed adjuster 

3. Washboard 

4. Address book (Yes, there was a time when everything WAS NOT on a cell phone) 

5. Nut cracker and picks (A Christmas mainstay) 

6. A bank of pay phones (with phones removed) 

7. Blue Light from K-Mart's Blue Light Special (Long before Amazon came along!) 

8. Pull tab from beer and pop cans (A nightmare for those of us who use metal detectors) 

9. Foot size measurer (used in shoe stores). Yes, there used to be stores that sold shoes only 

10. Mercurochrome (I think I can still feel the sting!) 

11. Jiffy Pop stovetop popcorn. (Long before microwaves came along) 

12. Lighted make up mirror (The ladies LOVED these) 

13. Cap gun (Pop! Pop! Pop!) 

14. Silly Putty 

15. Chalk board liner (Remember learning cursive?) 

16. Jacks (Remember sitting on the sidewalk to play this game?)

Another cool light display!

This one is cool too! However, this one was 4 years ago. Still doggone nifty!

Not a Christmas song

I know "Take on Me" by A-Ha is not a Christmas song, but check out this cool Christmas light display. Pretty neat!

You know you're old if...

You know you're old if you recognize these objects. How many can you name?