Happy New Year

And Merry Christmas too.

Yes it is still the Christmas season; the wise men have yet to arrive. One radio station kept the Christmas music through the Christmas weekend. You would think retailers would want to keep the music playing for the after Christmas sales. But basically if you want to hear Christmas music now you have to be playing it yourself.

Getting back to the gym but finding myself severely restricted. Misao thought I was dead as I collapsed after Christmas sleeping ten hours straight. The exhaustion has kept me from doing much this last week. Maybe I need to try a new energy drink. No room on the credit card to send for my usual stuff.

What did I get for Christmas? Two pounds. And some jeans with a sweater and a book. I hear a lot about Acai products. I'm sure for most people it would help them lose weight. I'm not most people.

Happy New Year!!

Oh Little Town

This is claimed to be the actual birth place of Jesus. It is a cave. Iconography covers every surface. The actual cave floor is protected underneath the marble.

Merry Christmas. And thanks to Alois for his Christmas post.

Das Christkind kommt!

Der beliebteste Christbaum in Deutschland ist die Nordmanntanne. Dieses Jahr mit einer neuen Christbaumspitze.

Frohe Weihnachten und alles Gute für das neue Jahr!

Merry Christmas

And Happy New Year, and a

Great Big Congratulations

to #1 niece graduating from Eastern Kentucky University tomorrow. That there is fueden country. I'm sure she earned plenty honors and adulation's. We can't afford the time or money to go to the celebrating or we would be there.

I missed the gym and any other significant exercise, outside of walking the dog, the entire week. But we got the tree up, finished all our Christmas cards and got any gifts going out of town bought and sent. Today I put up the outdoor lights. A great relief and time to focus on deeper things. No Grinches will steal this Christmas. It just ain't possible. But we will enjoy the hustle and bustle of the season with a few more gifts to pick out before the big day.

Blue Snowflakes

It's that time of year when the weatherman's map is covered in blue for snow. And the garden is buried and frozen with our now frigid temperatures. Of course the secret to enjoying Winter, a season extremely unappreciated, is long underwear. A good down coat that extends below the waste and the joys of Winter are here for the taking.

Not prepared well to ride in this weather though. I hope to hit the gym regularly for two hours. Walking worked in with core training to make up the bulk of the time, working up to some off speed stuff. Keep the strength training for each muscle group on a weekly basis with a bit of emphasis on the shoulders. Work on the legs a lot if my knee allows. I'm suffering from the Santa Clause syndrome with my weight already shooting up and we didn't even have much for Thanksgiving. It's hard to figure out why I can't lose weight in the Winter.

I made the rice pudding. Rice cooked in half and half with a mixture of heavy whipping cream, egg yolks and sugar added towards the end. It's to die for. One spoonful sends you straight to heaven, makes your heart skip a beat. Misao was disappointed I didn't make a double batch.

Hope to spend much more time writing over the Winter on my other blogs. If I don't get a chance to write here before Christmas I hope every one has a merry one or a Happy Hanukkah. And no greetings for that manufactured holiday. A true holiday is based on a real significant event that occurs spontaneously and organically like Juneteenth Day. Not that not to be named I wont buy the stamps, stick the finger in the eye of Christmas holiday. Looking forward to a German Christmas post from Alois. And for you solstice worshippers here is a little song I found.