Christmas Card From My City to Yours

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The Birthday of a King

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In the little village of Bethlehem,

There lay a child one day,

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And the sky was bright with a holy light

O'er the place where Jesus lay.

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Alleluia! O how the angels sang!

Alleluia! How it rang!

And the sky was bright with a holy light;

'Twas the birthday of a King.

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'Twas a humble birthplace,

But O how much God gave to us that day.

From the manger bed what a path has led;

What a perfect holy way.

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Alleluia! O how the angels sang!

Alleluia! How it rang!

And the sky was bright with a holy light;

'Twas the birthday of a King.

 (words of an old Christmas Carol

 by Harold Neidlinger)

And now I wish for you 

All the joys the season can bring

As you gather with those you love

To celebrate the birthday of The King.

Merry Christmas!!

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Joining Unknown Mami

For Sundays in My City.

Please hurry over to her place to see

What others are sharing from their cities today.

My city is Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

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Saturday Morning Bits and Pieces

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Santa, cleverly disguised as the Fed Ex Man, came yesterday bringing two large boxes FULL of Christmas gifts for Fisherhubby and myself.

I'm pretty excited that we will have these to open on Christmas morning.

I put them under the Christmas tree wreath and beside the Soldier-King guards.  HOPEFULLY the Soldier-King guards keep Gregory Farrell "Snot" Broyles from opening HIS presents early.

I dub Fisherhubby with the "S" middle name when he does things like open his presents early - - - just so you know.

The "F" middle name his parents gave him with nary a helping hand from moi.

Thank  you Santa-Robin, sender of these gifts, for thinking of us in this oh so fun way!!!
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We had some friends in last night for Christmas cookies, hot chocolate and - - -
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A bit of holiday "warm yellow glow" ambiance.
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Kay brought me a gift of some Bucky Badger Red football ornaments for my chicken egg basket.

I think she knows me well, no?
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Then I woke up this morning to blue skies over white snow-blanketed countryside - - -
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A "balmy" one degree (F) above zero temperature and - - -
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Even a little hoar frost on lacy tree branches.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER I asked myself.  MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ME!!!

Here's hoping all of YOU are as happy with your lot in life today as I am with mine.
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Let it Frag, Let it Frag, Let it Frag!!!

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It's been fraggin' all OVER the place 'round here again!!!

If you've got piles and drifted frags that you'd like to shovel up, head on over to Mrs. 4444's place and join the par-tay.  You'll find a link to help you do so at the end of this post.

And now for the frags from here:
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We got to make use of our handy dandy snow gauges again yesterday, Thursday Dec. 20.
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As you can see, it wasn't QUITE the blizzard the weather gurus called for, but it was a lovely Christmassy snow all the same.
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Fishserhubby got to dig out one of his winter toys.

There was lots of testosterone and grunting and other "man expression" goin' on out there in that driveway.  He does love his winter toys.

There was even enough snow that I got to shovel - - - - TWICE.   I think I may get to go back out at least one more time before all is done and said.

"Don't cry for us, Argentina" - we LOVE the white stuff, the shoveling, AND the snow blowing.

We are happy clams at high tide.
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I am WAITING for my diamonds - - - and I'll take them with rubies and sapphires too, please.
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Some of my bloggy fans liked the Christmas lights reflected in the water, so I went back and got a better shot - - - one in which the downtown bridge didn't hide the shore lights.
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Someone must have captured this picture of Sister Pam and me ice skating back in the day.

The poor guy on his tush on the ice may or may not be a hockey player we knocked down.

I'm just sayin'

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BIL Joe with his darlin' little gran Cohan.  You MAY feel sorry for Joe - - - he's in Indiana where it COULD snow tonight, and he's not happy about the snow AT ALL.

Only his grans could have lured him out of his beloved Florida home in THIS kind of weather.
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Specifically Little Miss Finley celebrating her FIRST birthday.  A granpa's gotta do what a granpa's gotta do to celebrate birthdays!
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I noticed some Christmas decor on OTHER blogs that featured cookie cutters, so I just HAD to show you mine too.
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I just love my vintage accoutrements mounted on boards made to LOOK old and hanging on my kitchen wall.

Yes, Erin - - - this frag IS for you.
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FIL Farrell sent me this photo of himself posing AS and WITH a King.

I LOVE it - - - it, this picture, is my ONLY new King so far this season.
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Just look who came out of a LONG hibernation BRIEFLY this afternoon!

You may hurry over to THEIR blog to see what antics they performed.
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That's it for the fraggin' this week.

Please hurry on over to Mrs. 4444's place 

To see all the other frags.

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As Paul Harvey Used to Say - - -

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"Now here's the REST of the story!"
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The other day I showed you this kitchen footstool that my friend Eloise (pronounced E-Lois) gave me for Christmas.

One of my very wise and astute bloggy readers said, "There has to be MORE to that story" and of course there is.
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Once upon a hot summer's day a long time ago Eloise and I were browsing antique and other novelty shops in Hayward.  And by a long time ago, I of course mean July of this past summer.

I don't know for sure now which of us saw it first, but both of us spied the little blue and white kitchen stool.

I do know this for sure and for certain - - - by the time MY brain processed that little stool and by the time I realized EXACTLY where I wanted to put it in my kitchen and by the time I realized I not only WANTED it but that I actually had a NEED to use it to get into my top cupboards - - - Eloise was already thoroughly studying it with intent to purchase.

I'll tell you girls (and boys if any of the testosterone persuasion are reading this tale) that "thing" that some of us have which makes us loathe to purchase items that we like solely for the joy of owning them does cause us to miss out on some real deals sometimes.

While Eloise studied the stool contemplating purchasing it, I TRIED not to act too much like I wanted that little blue and white stool it myself - - - hovering a little ways away and feigning interest in I know not what 'cause I had ZERO interest in whatever item that may have been.

Sure enough, Eloise decided to buy the stool, she paid the asking price, we loaded it in the car, and away we went.
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From time to time over the rest of the summer months, into fall, and even into the Christmas season, I thought about that little blue and white stool and how USEFUL it would be to me and how well it would look in the spot I had chosen for it.

Sometime during that interval, I began to notice that the stool was conspicuously absent in Eloise's decor.

Hmmmmmm, thought I.   Where is that little blue and white stool?

These thoughts were followed closely by this one:  Could she have gotten that stool for MY Christmas present???

I will confess right here and now that once that thought seized me, I couldn't get away from it.  I would be dragging a chair to the cabinet so I could crawl up on it to put away groceries or dishes on the upper shelves in my kitchen and INVARIABLY I would think of the little blue and white stool and WISH that I had it.

Well - - - when Bill and Eloise came in our door on the night of our Christmas celebration carrying a LARGE object wrapped in a black trash bag and sporting a beautiful  red, gold, and green bow I was positive I was right.

When it finally came time to open our gifts, I even had the GALL to ASK if I could open my stool now.

WHAT STOOL???  said Eloise.

But I could tell by the shocked look on her face that I was exactly right.

And, of course, I was.

Oh but the "journey" made the gift all the better.
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Christmas Lights in My City

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'Tis the Season

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When carolers line up on the stoop,

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Wreaths festoon the portals,

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Garlands bedeck the doors,

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And strings of lights

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Trace images on house and fence.

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In our city, these lights can be seen reflected on the river.

Along the banks of the Mighty Wisconsin you will find:

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Santa's Sleigh with Helper Elves,

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A Tall Toy Soldier,

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The Christmas Grist Mill,

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Ice Fishermen 

(A portrait of Fisherhubby and fishing buddy)

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Jack in the Box,

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A Carriage pulled by High Stepping Prancers

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And the Christmas Train packed with

Presents for all the good boys and girls.

Merry Christmas!!!

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Joining Unknown Mami
For Sundays in my City.

Please hurry over to her place to see
What others are sharing of their cities.

My city is Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

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Christmas With Our "Snowmies"

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'Twas a night before Christmas

When all through the house

Keepie was rushing and stirring

Like a Santa Elf Mouse.

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The places were all set

On the table with care,

In hopes that the "snowmies"

Soon would be there.

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The wassail was wassailing

In its seventies crock pot,

While the Turkish tea glasses

Danced on the spot.

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The tree wreath lights

Were lighted in a warm yellow glow,

Which cast Christmas ambiance

On those seated below.

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When what to our wondering

Eyes should appear

But two Christmas "snowmies"

All full of good cheer.

Then the feasting and eating

Did surely begin

Until each and every "snowmie"

Was full to his chin.

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The presents were piled

Up high on the right

While the child rubbed his hands

 In pure T delight.

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Then off came the wrappers,

The ribbons, the bows.

And such delights that were found,

Only Saint Nicholas knows!

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There was coal for the stocking

Of one naughty boy

But even that black stuff

Didn't erase his joy.

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He was given a candy dish

Held high on a stick,

Note what it's made of 

And take care where you lick!

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It also can serve

As a handy drink fount

When the plunger head

Is turned inside out.

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The "snowmies" brought Keepie

This vintage step stool - - -

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All old and distressed 

And looking so cool!

Before we even knew

Where the time had all flown,

The evening was over

And the "snowmies" gone home.

Then we looked round the place

And we said with a grin,

"That was so much fun

We must do it again!!!"

So off we all went 

To our own trundle beds,

While visions of next year

Danced in our heads.

And that's all there is,

There isn't much more,

'Cept to say MERRY CHRISTMAS

And we hope you don't snore.

Well, YOU rhyme with "more" then.

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Christmas Wassail Recipe 

 1/2 Gallon of apple cider

2 C  orange juice

1/4 C  lemon juice

4 sticks of cinnamon 

12 whole cloves

3 generous pinches of allspice

1 pinch ginger

1 pinch of nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a crock pot or in a pan to heat.

When heated, sample and 

add extra allspice, cinnamon  or ginger

to your own taste.

Serve hot in festive glasses,

Like Turkish tea glasses.

Left-overs may be stored in the refrigerator

Rewarmed and served later.

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