A December hodge-podge

Finally, lights on the mantel - 2016

                  How can anyone concentrate on only one thing at a time during December? I know how: when an assignment was due by December 11—a Sunday, no less. But I persevered, and the piece was sent through the ether to Arizona for publication nearer Christmas.

                 How about I mimic the big boys-and-girls and “clean out” the notes in my journal? May I, please?

                On December 4, our Aunt Mary Dirth Scott would have turned 100. Alas, she died a month before that auspicious date. That leaves one daughter-in-law and two sons-in-law living out of Mom’s seven siblings/ spouses. On Dad’s side, no sibling or spouse survives—only their children.

                A month to the day before Christmas, our cousin Jerry, 68, a graduate of the Arkansas School for the Blind, died. He is the eighth male cousin to die on both sides of our families.

                But there are celebrations for the living. Among them, (thank-you-Lord) is my second son, Eric, who turned 54 earlier this month. And a brother-in-law whose birthday was 11^th, and a brother (next oldest to me) whose age will turn over one more number on December 19. And then there’s Jesus’s birthday celebrated on the 25^th.

                December is another prime month for baking goodies. Here is an easy-sounding recipe purloined from Siouxpage’s blog:

              “BROWNIES: *4 giant milk chocolate candy bars (5.29 oz. per); * one family-size brownie mix that fills a 9 x 13 pan. Line pan with parchment paper. Spray w oil. Line bottom of pan with bars being sure every inch of the pan bottom is filled. Make brownie mix as directed, pour over candy. Bake as per the mix. Cut into small squares.”

                Elise R., who owns the Crescent and Basin Park Hotels, also owns War Eagle Mill, but is selling the latter. I met Elise at Dairy Hollow (below the hill from the front of the Crescent) in October.

                WORLD: Every year, 9 million Chinese students compete for 7 million university seats. In 2015, the number of Chinese high school students—more than a quarter who are ‘parachute’ kids (coming alone) --rose from 1200 to 52,000. –from F. Shyong, L.A.Times.

                Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Here is another teacher (besides me) who took her entire class to the principal’s office. This one was in Helena-West Helena, according to E. Besson, AD-G. Mine was a 7^th grade group of boys whom I trotted from the music room behind the stage at Bauxite all the way through the auditorium, and to Mr. ‘Tick’ Bass’s office. The boys behaved better after that.                                                                                                        

                BEST NEWS I’VE READ ALL DAY: “The president cannot literally press a button on his desk and start WWIII. There is no ‘nuclear button.’ – A. Wellerstein, historian of nuclear weapons at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ, appearing in Sunday’s AD-G.

                Thank goodness! Now that the Electoral College has spoken . . . we’ll have to take it one day at a time.

                 

 Daughter Annamarie's pumpkin snowman, 2016