You can pick up factoids in the strangest places. For example, I saw this on my box of Kleenex this morning:
“Butterfly wings are transparent. The colors you see as a butterfly flits across the yard are actually the reflection of various colors through their scales.”
Malachite Butterfly
Butterfly on Cyprus
Sometimes it is hard to believe in God. Other times it is hard NOT to believe in God.
The Butterfly Nebula
Some people think Taco Tuesday started as cultural appropriation. Actually it began as part of the Body Positivity movement:
Enjoy it while you can as you won’t be we allowed to celebrate Taco Tuesdays come February. It’s Black History Month and diluting the victimhood will not be allowed. You’ve been warned so be prepared.
Oh, and that caucus yesterday? Not really a contest. So enjoy your tacos steer clear of emergencies and dream of making America Great Again.
Is it too soon to dream of Spring?
.jpg)
And spring flowers?
Flowers – Constantine Font
I think not.
Sorry, still too weary to do a real post. No wonder they call anemia pernicious.
2023 New Year post updated: Last year it was my eyes, this year it’s a severe energy deficit due to anemia so, like last year I’m not posting anything new but I have assembled a few excerpts from previous New Years’ posts which are mostly still relevant.
From revelry:
To those who made it to midnight on purpose to usher in the new year I salute you. To those who were forced to make it till midnight by merrymakers in your neighborhood ushering in the new year, I sympathize. And to those who were awakened from a sound sleep by neighborhood merrymakers ushering in the new year, I empathize.
to predictions,
I’m not making any more predictions because I just realized they’d be mostly pessimistic which somehow doesn’t seem appropriate for a New Year post. I’m still optimistic about some things but at my age it takes infinitely more effort to convince myself that logic and circumstance warrant such irrational exuberance. So I tend to conserve my optimism these days for really important stuff, like saving the world. [Relevant current article]
and resolutions:
Happy New Year everyone! We’ve made it through one Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Year.
I don’t know what year that last excerpt was from but I must say, it applies to 2022/3 as well.
When my eyesight improves I might just muster enough energy to make a couple of casual promises to myself.
Until then I wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year.
I Don’t Make the Rules, Hallmark DoesYou should know that I have a love-hate relationship with Hallmark Christmas movies. I sometimes love the simplistic, mind-numbing love stories with happy endings that require absolutely nothing of you other than your presence. No thinking, emoting, relating or empathizing really required for the 2 hours (or 90 minutes if you record and skip the commercials). You simply need to have the TV on to watch a misguided young woman’s drama as she finds her one true love and the real meaning of life all within 2-3 weeks in television time. It’s Christmas magic!
I hate the shallowness of it all, but for insomniacs it’s a bromide which you can set the TV timer to and nod off to. Completely inoffensive which is more than can be said of most offerings.
So, as it’s seemingly 6 month season finally draws to a close, I re-run the Hallmark Christmas movie post originally from December 31, 2020. It’s not too late to catch one.
Hello, my name is MOTUS and I’m addicted to Hallmark Christmas movies – don’t judge, especially if your idea of a Christmas movie is Die Hard.
In fact, I’m watching one – A Boyfriend For Christmas - as I write this. It is one of the first of 5 Christmas themed movies that Hallmark made way back in 2004. There are now 136 Christmas movies if Wiki is to be believed, although I’m not sure if that includes the whopping 40 new ones they cranked out in 2020 despite the cooties. So I think we can all agree then when I say of Hallmark:
Now when I say I’m “watching” I mean that in the same way I once “watched” Fox and Friends First when I woke up at 5 AM: it is providing a low buzz of background noise as I work on my post. And for about 6 months at this longitude it also provides background light in an otherwise dark bedroom.
Now I’ll bet there are some of you that pride yourselves on never having seen a Hallmark Christmas movie. Too bad, as that means you are unfamiliar with the unique genre in which 15 actors, 2 writers, 5 settings and a plot generator -
are used to create an endless array of escapist movies that are both cheesy and predictable while at the same time as comfortable as a pair of old jeans, assuming they still fit.
Up until this year the movies were, well, embarrassingly middle class and white.
But with BLM’s “encouragement” and the LBGBT community’s shaming, this year’s 40 entrees made up for that. You have never seen so many ethnic characters and mixed race couples enjoying Hallmark romance.
“Memories of Christmas,” “Majestic Christmas,” “Christmas Everlasting”
Plus, the yuletide has certainly never been gayer on the Hallmark channels.
But aside from those new twists, everything else is the same: a plot selected from the matrix above, a conflicted main character meets his or her true love but doesn’t realize it: tension/misunderstanding ensues followed by a happy ending. To say that the movies are formulaic is an insult to formulaic fiction, but then…did you miss the part about a happy ending? Every. Time.
Is there anyone out there who couldn’t benefit from a happy ending once a year or so?
And if you’re still not convinced allow me to point out other benefits of the genre: you can organize a whole evening of games around a Hallmark Christmas movie. There’s bingo of course:
And if that’s not enough there is the Hallmark Christmas Movie Drinking Game, which is basically bingo sans the markers.
So as the New Year approaches, and the Hallmark Christmas Movie season draws to a close – at least until July – you should consider catching one before it’s too late. There are worst things than happy endings you know…
Hijinks ensue.
Or you can just watch Die Hard again I suppose. It does have a happy ending so I suppose it technically qualifies.
Happy endings to one and all!
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Raj and I would like to wish all of our wonderful friends here a very, very Merry Christmas. We all deserve to set the world’s burdens aside and simply embrace the beauty and miracle that is Christmas.
We send our love to each of you and wish you all a wonderful Christmas. Fill it to the brim with all the merry and the bright you can muster. For we are blessed.
Christmas was a long time coming to the MOTUS house this year. We didn’t even get the tree out until this week and when we did the result was, well, predictable.
There’s always one naysayer in every crowd
Turned out to be one string that wasn’t plugged in so an easy fix but I was discouraged and let it sit unadorned for several days. We finally got it together when these arrived and shamed us into completing the task.
Two gorgeous His and Her bouquets from the MOTI! So, so big and beautiful. As usual my pictures really don’t do them justice but here’s a closeup of Raj’s.
Deep red and white roses, shiny red/green leaves, hydrangeas, purple thistles and red berries and greens all tied up with a green bow.
And Hers:
Deep fuchsia and white roses, white peonies, red amaryllis, red berries and greens with a burgundy bow. I know everything doesn’t show up in my pictures but they’re all there! Including pomegranates in both.
His and Hers, as beautiful on the backside
And here we are, thanks to all of you, properly decked out. It’s finally looking a lot like Christmas around here. It may have been late coming this year but the MOTUS home is now done up proper, with love and care.
Even my tree, now lit top to bottom:
and topped off this year by the little wolfie Jettie sent me for my birthday.
Raj and I cannot thank all of you enough for your kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. You spoil us rotten (butt we love it).
Again, our heartfelt thanks. Now get those ovens fired up: those Christmas cookies aren’t going to make themselves!
As if! (unless you’re Robin)
It’s Throwback Thursday, so how about another repost? This from December 21, 2019:
For never-resting time leads summer on
To hideous winter and confounds him there;
Sap cheque'd with frost and lusty leaves quite gone,
Beauty o'ersnow'd and bareness every where.
Shakespeare, Sonnet 5 The winter solstice occurs in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun is directly over the Tropic of Capricorn, or 23.5° south latitude; this year that happens at 11:19 PM EST. It is the shortest day of the year so rise early, although it will still be dark, and have your coffee and breakfast before the sun comes up. You cannot afford to squander even a minute of what has become precious daylight. 
Originally posted by Lili, wherever you may find her
Where you live determines the exact amount of daylight you will get today. Sunrise in Detroit is at 7:58 AM, Sunset at 5:03 PM giving us 9 hours, 5 minutes of daylight. I am luckier than some but not as lucky as others.
Which of course is true about nearly every aspect of life; learning to accept and appreciate that fact is one of life’s important lessons.
Each day grows a bit longer now, so we should celebrate the solstice as it is the beginning of the end of darkness. So get out there and enjoy whatever light you are fortunate enough to get.
O, that that earth, which kept the world in awe,
Should patch a wall to expel the winter flaw!
Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 1
Snow at Louveciennes, Alfred Sisley
Posts
All Comments
