Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my sister, Linda, who turns 65 today. Medicare eligible. YIKES!

As previously noted, my sister graduated from high school the same year I entered kindergarten. We had quite different upbringings in many respects. She spent her early years living on 4th Street and her summers as a child out on the boat with my folks commercial fishing. And she remembers the family cabin out on Lena Loop.

I've always envied her for her experiences on the boat and at the cabin. On the other hand, my folks were much more affluent when I was growing-up and I was spoiled rotten whereas she had a much more frugal childhood. When she was a teenager mom would panic if she thought Linda was hanging out at Percy's soda fountain. When I was a teenager...well, never mind....

This morning I'm going to make Linda a lemon birthday cake - per her request. And I am furnishing filets for supper. While having your birthday on New Years Eve may sound attractive at first blush; I know for a fact it has resulted over the years in serious short-changing in the gift department given the proximity to Christmas.

Sister Linda and Brother Elmer

Dad, Linda, and Mom in front of the house on 4th Street.

Linda on the bow of the Frederick F - one of dad's trollers in the late 40's - early 50's.

Composting

Whew! A busy couple of days. I went to the ball game last night with Dougie and Eric. We had supper at El Sombrero beforehand. It's really winter. Driving is tricky - even with Eric in his LARGE Ford pickup. Baby it's cold out there...

The high school basketball experience was quite fun...four or five sons of people we know...including several of our contemporaries from JDHS were on the team. YIKES! I will fucking freak-out the first time I see a GRANDCHILD of one of our contemporaries...but it's just a matter of a few years, I'm sure.

Today we played cards at Dougie's and Alison's and I actually emerged a winner. A good sign for the upcoming new year.

I just got home and was surveying the online news. Nothing remarkable - certainly not the renewed carnage in Palestine with the tit-for-tat stuff in Gaza - just the latest in an apparently endless round-robin of folly.

The only thing that caught my fancy was an article in Slate regarding household waste http://www.slate.com/id/2201176/ which prompts me to describe a heretofore unreported element of my morning chores at the elders.

As previously reported, mom is a card-carrying member of PETA. Her latest personal crusade involves providing daily winter sustenance to a squadron of ravens based at Raven Station Walmart which, as a raven flies, is but a brief sortie of no more than a minute or so from my parent's home. There are three squadrons (consisting of about 12 individuals each) based at Walmart. Similar bases exist at every other grocery store in Juneau in the winter. The A&P (formerly Foodland) Raven Base is augmented by several flights of seagulls and pigeons.

All squadrons can be scrambled immediately to deal with any opportunity that presents itself - like a moron leaving his groceries unattended in sacks in the back of his pick-up or some boob inadvertently dropping something on the way to the car.

In any event, my mom saves all table scraps and other organics for the ravens' breakfast and every morning I must deposit said breakfast on a big flat stone by the stream behind my folks' place. The ravens greet this offering with considerable enthusiasm.

Now, strictly speaking, I'm not sure if this is a "green" activity or not. I prefer to think of it as composting - with the compost simply being spread over the entire neighborhood via air drop as opposed to being spread via rake and hoe in the garden. What do you think?

An Old Friend in Juneau for Christmas

A fun day today. An OLD friend, Brent Long, who grew-up down in my old neighborhood by the Federal Building is in town to visit his elderly dad. I hadn't seen Brent since high school - we have a mutual friend, his cousin's husband, Kevin Henderson, who works for the Department of Health and Social Services. I had asked Kevin for Brent's email some time ago and sent Brent an email earlier this month inquiring if he would be up for the holidays.

Brent replied that he would be in Juneau and this morning we went out for coffee and then did some touring of the old burg. Even though we hadn't seen each other in decades we had no problem with conversation - lots of good memories from the neighborhood and lots of catching-up to do.

Brent will be back-up for a cousin's wedding in January. I hope to see him again and maybe round-up a few folks for pizza. He'd really like to see John Chapman who lived just down the street from him.

Tonight Dougie, Eric, and I are going to a high school basketball game. Haven't been to one since high school. So it's a nostalgia laden day.

Among the fun-filled events of my early youth few things topped a good birthday party. So, in the spirit of the moment I offer a few pics of birthday parties at my family's house on 11th Street - I think these are from 1960-61 or 1961-62.

From left to right: Elmer, Stevie Reid, and Brent Long.

Same as above with Dennis Reid added on the far left.

From left to right: Brent Long, Patrick Greany, and Jim Trucano.

From left to right: Elmer, John Chapman, Brent Long, Chuck Nygaard, Bob Chapman, Dylan Gibson, and Jim Trucano.

It was a damn fine neighborhood and we had lots of fun doing all the traditional kid things - many of which involved toys which have long since been taken off the market as serious kid hazards. Not that we didn't get into trouble from time-to-time like when Stevie Reid almost burned-down the Chapman's house. Still, it was good clean fun for the most part.

Brent's house was right-up against the cemetary - which was a primary playground. Flying kites, sailing balsa wood airplanes, playing baseball, sledding, and playing "army" were among our favourite pastimes in Evergreen Cemetary. And on the streets of the neighborhood playing with Super Balls (c'mon they weren't REALLY that dangerous), water balloon fights, riding bikes, making "forts" in the big piles of snow pushed-up on every other street corner by the city, and running through the neighbors' yards was all great fun.

Pretty much a "Leave it to Beaver" gig come to think of it...

I Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Amanda and Mathew

The picture above was included in a box of candy and cookies from my daughters in Portland. "Rudolph" has a distinct Palin-esque air about him. Indeed, there are other "Alaskana" aspects to this picture - Mathew has adopted at least half of the Southeast Alaska traditional costume (although come to think of it I guess Pendleton shirts are, technically, Oregonian). The question that must be asked: Mathew, are you wearing XtraTuffs?

The weather has cleared again in Juneau after receiving about 4 inches of snow yesterday. It was pretty treacherous late in the afternoon as the snow fell; but the snow stopped early in the evening. It's a winter wonderland this morning.

I'll mosey on over to the folks to do the morning chores in a few minutes and then to town for a quick workout. I've got some cooking to do this afternoon for the traditional Christmas Eve supper at Alison's and Dougie's.

Then home and to bed in the hope that Santa soon will be here! Click on the following link for the North American Air Defense Command "Santa Tracker" http://www.noradsanta.org/en/home.html

Christmas 1965. Look at that loot!

Lois Killowich (left), Cousins Sandy, Jan, and yours truly

"I will grant you one Christmas wish!"

Christmas dinner at Grandma Newman's

The last pic is my all-time favourite. Grandma loved Christmas dinner and she made a mean turkey with all the trimmings. I always remember her standing in the kitchen door - her kitchen was her fiefdom. She cooked on an old oil stove and the kitchen was always about 100 degrees (as opposed to the rest of the house which was always quite chilly). Grandma Nora (my mom's mom) is in the blue blouse.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!

White Christmas

Light snow is gently falling on Alaska's Capital this morning with 3-6 inches expected by tomorrow morning. So we should have a lovely white Christmas this year. Ho! Ho! Ho!

I did the last of my shopping yesterday and finished wrapping all the presents. So, I'm READY for Santa.

Yesterday I also mixed up some mincemeat for a pie. I've never made mincemeat before. Black raisins, golden raisins, currants, apples, brown sugar, a few spices, and SUET. Yes, more suet. And then you douse the whole works with brandy and let it marinate for a few days. I'll make the pie Christmas day.

These suet recipes have been around for a few centuries I expect. I'm sure Queen Victoria enjoyed her plum pudd. And Henry VIII looks like a mincemeat kind of guy to me. Wonder if these recipes came over to England with the Vikings? Suet strikes me as something my cousins might have thought-up.

Today I need to do some grocery shopping to allow me to complete my remaining cooking assignments for Christmas Eve and Christmas suppers. Then perhaps a walk in the snow...

Dad and Linda at Grandma Newman's - I'm guessing this is somewhere between 1950-1952. I believe the cat was named Cocoa.

And Mom at Grandma's...guessing the same year as Linda and Dad, above.

Technically, this is NOT a Christmas picture; but I was sure a cute little dickens in my snow gear.

The Classic Christmas Party

Last evening was Alison's mom's traditional Christmas party...and it was the traditional success. Lots of good food and company. I will post a bunch more holiday pics on my Kodak site later; but in the meantime here are some familiar faces!

Dougie does his Bad Santa routine as official mixmaster for the event.

This was Shelly's first Christmas party at Thelma's. I think she liked it.

Eric enjoys a beverage.

The photographer gets the "stink eye" from Carol Collins.


Thelma prepares to ignite the traditional plum pudding.


Alison assists in the ignition.

In other news, the Great Northwest continues with its winter of discontent. Portland is apparently now completely cut-off from the east as I-84 has been closed due to high winds, snow, and freezing rain. Flights are cancelled - as they were yesterday. Seattle, too, is getting pounded. It remains clear and cold in Juneau altough snow is expected tomorrow. A white Christmas!

Meanwhile, the Oregonian featured the following headline in today's paper which I could not resist:

Elderly cat trappers avoid trial in eastern Oregon town


It seems that an elderly couple in Prairie City, Oregon has taken to trapping feral and nuisance cats that keep trespassing on their property. They then drive them out into the boondocks and let them loose. A neighbor's cat was caught in the live trap which resulted in the filing of a criminal complaint.

Wilborns were charged with theft of a companion animal. The case was headed to trial this month before District Attorney Ryan Joslin of Grant County had the case dismissed by the justice of the peace.

Joslin told he Wilborns' court-appointed attorneys that he could refile the charges unless the Wilborns pay the vet bill, stop trapping cats and write a letter of apology to the Willets.

The Wilborns' court-appointed attorneys, however, said they had already rejected those demands in earlier court proceedings. "I'm ready for trial," said Markku Sario, who represents 87-year-old Vera.

Smokey Wilborn, 83, is also against the settlement: "That cat still comes up here."

I guess they don't like cats...

Christmas Shopping

I did a big chunk of my remaining Christmas shopping yesterday. It was NOT crowded and a couple of the merchants I spoke to were quite downbeat about the whole season. I wandered around downtown for a couple of hours. Quite a few stores are open for the season although all of the Outside tourist-oriented chains - like the dozen or so jewelry stores that grace South Franklin in the summer - are closed-up tight with the operators no doubt enjoying the sunny Caribbean this holiday season. I still have several gifts to find; but made generally good progress. And I got a number of packages wrapped last evening.

I always enjoy getting my landlords' kids gifts. It's interesting to me to discover what's hot with the pre-school and elementary school crowd. This year young Samantha's wish list is apparently heavy with Hannah Montana paraphernalia courtesy of our friends at Disney. Fred Meyer's has a bunch of the stuff. I came within a cat's whisker of acquiring the Hannah Montana Pop Star electric guitar which struck me as the near perfect gift and clearly capable of raising quite a clamor.

In the end, however, I chickened-out and went for the far more sedate Hannah Montana Pop Star/Teen Hooker doll. After all, I do share a common wall with the family and, besides, I really don't want to be evicted in the middle of winter.

In other news, I note that winter continues in the Great Northwest with both Seattle and Portland under winter storm siege. Schools are closed, bus routes cancelled, and general confusion appear to be the order of the day. Here in Juneau the temperature got down to near zero and the forecast is for continued clear to partly cloudy weather for another week.

Today I am going up to Alison's mom's to help Thelma make plum pudding for her holiday party this weekend. This has potential for great humor. I will be playing the role of scullery maid. My first task is to find three-cups of suet - something Alison was unable to obtain at Fred Meyers yesterday. I have never cooked with suet which, according to dictionary.com, is "the hard fatty tissue about the loins and kidneys of beef, sheep, etc., used in cooking or processed to yield tallow." Yum.


Dad's friend Dave Reischl with his daughter, Peggy, dad, and yours truly at Christmas 1957.