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Sunday Gratitude – 21.XII.2025

There’s something a little comforting about the fact that I can still take a tumble from a bike without being seriously injured. Yes, I took the bike out this week. Yes, multiple times. The roads are basically clear, and with temperatures occasionally getting over freezing, we’re good to go. The issue, though, is not the roads, but the trails. The trails and park roads still have a good deal of snow on them, and worse than that, ice. I have a bike that does well in snow with its heaviness (over 50lbs) and its 2″ wide tires, but when there’s no traction at all, it still can’t handle it. The funny thing, I suppose, is that the bike just kind of tips horizontally, and I come sliding off. And… I managed to do this twice this week. I’m a little sore, I suppose, but not injured, and both times, I was simply able to walk the bike further to where the ice wasn’t as bad and keep going. At some point, I suppose, it won’t be an option, but sometimes I can still imagine I am young. In the meantime, though, I am grateful that I didn’t end up getting seriously injured.

This was ride-able; further on, not so much. Last night, the quietness of the house was really getting to me, and I just had the feeling that I needed to talk to a certain friend of mine to feel better. He had a little time, and we talked, and I think it helped.
I am thankful that a couple of little things with time deadlines got remembered and got done before “consequences”.
The last week has included a lot of running around due to appointments and such, and I’m grateful all of that worked out without any great issue.
I am thankful to have been able to get the outdoor lights out. The little girls mentioned that they missed them, so I really wanted to make a point of getting them out, but with the weather and the snow, I wasn’t sure that the things with stakes in the ground could be used. However, with a couple of days with warmer temperatures, and much snow melting, the stakes could be set up. Also, I managed to accidentally put out the one string of lights that is having an issue of about 20 lights in one section not work. Last year, I went through to put a replacement in every socket to try to fix this, to no avail (which is part of the reason the outside lights didn’t get put up), but luckily, due to where they are set up now, it’s not noticeable.
I am also so grateful that we’re at the end of shorter days, and that by the time the kids need ferried to school again, it should be at least a little bit noticeable in the morning that the days are getting longer again.
Thank you dear friends, for being here; I am always grateful for you.

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Sunday Gratitude – 14.XII.2025

How is it that I blink and December is half over? It’s crazy that this also means that there are only a couple more weeks left until 2025 is in the history books. Sometimes I just wonder where the last 10 or so years went. I’ve gone from having really little kids to having a child who is close to being a legal adult in what seems like the blink of an eye.

Squishmallow! I’m grateful that things seemed to have gone of relatively we ll with the December birthdays. There was even a fun outing with my oldest, who happened to have the day off of school. (Yes, I’m as surprised as anyone!) I’m grateful – very, very grateful – that the stomach bug that went through left again quickly.
I’m grateful to be getting some of this medical stuff figured out, not just for myself, but for my kids as well. I am thankful that whatever the shortcomings may be in the US health care system, getting appointments – even with specialists – generally happens pretty quickly. Oh, yes, and the woman who cleans my teeth is fantastic and a very sweet soul, and I’m always glad for the chance to see her and chat a little.
Even though I hate feeling like I’m getting nothing done, I’m thankful to have been able to relax and sleep this weekend – I even got a couple of good sleep scores on my Garmin tracker! 😉
I found out that an acquaintance – one of those people I met a couple of times and liked, but knew more through others was killed by accident a few days ago. He was only two years older than I, and it really drives home the point that life is precious and this life here can be over with no warning. Even with all the hardships and suffering, I am thankful for this life here and don’t want it to end too soon. If you do pray, though, prayers for the soul of Matthew would certainly be appreciated.
(I am missing spending time riding on the bicycle – it’s been incredibly cold and it’s got to get up closer to freezing before I’ll consider going out again, even if that makes me a wuss. I guess I’ll just have to check back to Bluebird of Bitterness more often to keep smiling! )

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Songs of the Season 2025 – “Raining Tacos (On Christmas Eve)” – Parry Gripp

Well, I can’t tell at the moment if this is part of the “Taco Saga” or not, but I still think it’s funny. 🙂

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Songs of the Season 2025 – “Как в Иерусалиме рано зазвонили” – Otava Yo

This is a beautiful Slavic Christmas carol, though I know it in English as “Christ, Our Sun” and it seems like the lyrics here are a good bit different from what I remember. (This post from Canada is much closer to what I know: https://www.facebook.com/byzantinecatholicsf/posts/%EF%B8%8Fchrist-our-sun-shines-out-today-with-godsown-warmth-and-healing-raysrefrain-chr/1604645489571832/ ) Still, this is beautiful, and I love the Slavic folksong harmonies here.

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Songs of the Season 2025 – “The Pembroke Carol” – The Choirs of Pembroke College/Anna Lapwood

I have been following Anna Lapwood on Instagram for quite some time there. It’s funny; because what she posts there is primarily her work as an organist, and boy, is she a great person to follow! She has such a joy and enthusiasm about her that it’s contagious.
In any case, I was looking for a long version of one of her shorts of her playing “O Come All Ye Faithful” on organ. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find that, but I found this instead, but this time, she’s conductor rather than organist.
Enjoy!

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Songs of the Season 2025 – “Бубенцы” (Russian “Jingle Bells” variant)

So, in the former USSR, the New Year was the winter holiday that was celebrated the most, so it makes sense that there’s a lot more for variety for New Year’s popular songs than Christmas. This is a Russian variant of “Jingle Bells” changed to celebrate the new year (as all the post cards also attest to).

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Songs of the Season 2025 – “New Year’s Resolution” – Camera Obscura

Hard to believe that 2025 is just about in the history books. I wish to all of you all the best in 2026!
I just heard this for the first time, trying to stay away from “Auld Lang Syne”… My brain is still figuring this one out, but I kind of like it. 🙂

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Songs of the Season 2025 – “A Long December” – Counting Crows

Forgive me for disappearing for a bit there! I’ve been sick the past few days (my youngest and I came into Christmas with fevers in the 102F range), and I feel like I’m just starting to catch up. I hope you all had wonderful Christmases.
This is really not a Christmas song in any way, shape, or form; but as we’re coming to the end of the year, I’ve always liked the way it kind of captures the weariness of the old year, but through it all, the idea that it’s not going to stay that way.
This song got a lot of radio play my freshman year of college. It was the first time that I was actually listening to current stuff, in no small part due to the fact that my dorm room was across from the bathroom, and there was a radio in the bathroom that was on all the time playing KCLD. (Seriously, the thing was on from 6am to 10pm *at least*. And, you know what, it wasn’t all that bad – there was a lot of interesting music on the radio at that moment in time.)
The thing about it, too, was that it seemed to express feelings I had about a situation that was going on in my own life; but that despite all the really heavy stuff going on, how much had been lost, how much there was no road back, there was still realistic hope in the midst of it. It was definitely a sentiment my 17-year-old self needed to hear.

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Songs of the Season 2025 – “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” – Bing Crosby

I really didn’t get this song as a kid; it’s one that is much more understandable as an adult.

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Songs of the Season 2025 – “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent” – Vesper Stamper

The amazing Vesper Stamper not only is a talented writer and artist, but also a singer as well. At this point, if I were to find out that she’s a pilot or brain surgeon, I don’t know that I’d be terribly surprised!

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Songs of the Season 2025 – Bach Christmas Oratorio – Harpatorio

I’ve fallen in love with the nyckelharpa! 🙂

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