Today’s song is “African Noel” or “Sing Noel,” because I did Christmas in South Africa Lesson Plans over at FreshPlans, and this song is popular in South Africa. The tune appears to be from “Banuwa Yo,” a Liberian song. We sang this as “Sing Noel” in school when I was a child, I think, so […]
Laudamus Te from the Poulenc Gloria can’t really be the song of the day, because it isn’t the kind of thing you can sing in the car, even with a group of friends. It requires an orchestra. It’s what was in my mind when I woke up, though, because I was rehearsing it last night. We’re […]
I’ve realized that this is seventh year in a row that I’ve done a little musical Advent calendar here at Xanga. Startling thought. I still come up with new tunes every year, but today’s is a classic Advent carol, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.” This site takes it at a very brisk clip compared with […]
This is the appetizer #2 daughter made for us for Thanksgiving dinner. You fill a little baking dish with cherry tomatoes (I bet grape or plum would work, too), drizzle on a little olive oil, season with bay leafand garlic, and roast them at 250 degrees for a couple of hours. Then you spread the […]
Yesterday’s mail contained a Mio Pacer PC + Pedometer for me to review. When 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You said to get off the couch and get more active, it specified 10,000 steps a day as a healthy goal. Yesterday, even though I took a 20 minute walk, I only […]
Here’s my handsome family. We had a very nice Thanksgiving Day. I chivvied everyone into helping me in the morning. We had a proper Thanksgiving feast around lunchtime, took the dogs for a walk, and then went over to my parents’ place for tea. I took along all the tiny deserts. I’m not sure they […]
It’s Thanksgiving Day and I did some baking, but otherwise I don’t think I’ve ever been less well prepared. The venison chili was good and we all managed to eat it, and then we watched Jeeves and Wooster, played Wii, and otherwise disported ourselves, not even bothering to clean the kitchen or wash the dishes. […]
We closed up shop around noon and started baking. The results were not unmixed. For example, my attempt to make turkeys from candy, as I have seen done all over the net, was a dismal failure. This may be the worst candy turkey ever seen. On the other hand, I was successful with the other […]
One more picture from Rome. #2 daughter and I were walking along and we saw this suit in a window and snapped a picutre because we thought it would look very good on her brother. Italian men didn’t look especially lovely, but the suits sure did. I’m thinking about giving my younger boy a jacket […]
I have an eye infection. I’m taking antibiotics now, so it has improved a little since I took this picture of my grotesquely swollen eye. It hurts as much as it looks as though it would, but I won’t regale you with the revolting details. No, the point is that I have been avoiding people. […]
