A first for us: We decorated the Christmas Tree at 7am. That is when Charlie got up and was ready to go. We still need to dry the grapefruits to add to the tree. Every morning Charlie turns the tree on when he comes downstairs, and he turns it off before we leave. He loves it.
Charlie playing trains.
Charlie helping make Christmas cookies
We went to the Harvest Moon Orchard Festival of Lights on Saturday. They had lots of great displays and a well-paced, self-guided path with calming music. We enjoyed it. Charlie’s favorite was the tractors.
I’m surprised more orchards and farms don’t do something like this. I know it is a lot of work, but this place is raking it in on what is the typical off season. They not only charge for admission, but they have 3 refreshment stations where you can buy hot chocolate, coffee, and booze while going through the lights, then food and fresh hot donuts at the end. Quick napkin math, I expect they are bringing in at least $30K per night on the weekends.
One more for good measure.
I spent Saturday morning helping Jon frame out a woodshed at his place. We work well together. We usually drink our coffee and discuss the plan, then divide and conquer. We don’t waste much time.
I learned a new trick for squaring things like the bottom frames: The 3-4-5 rule. Mark 3ft on one side, 4ft on the other, and adjust until the hypotenuse is 5ft. This makes perfect sense, but I hadn’t thought to use it before.
I’m feeling the itch to redesign my website. The homepage and archive pages need it. I’ll probably start by surveying other blogs I like and taking screenshots for inspiration.
Reading
Amanda and I usually spend Charlie’s naptime on the weekends trying to get some stuff done around the house. Today we brewed some coffee, snuggled up on the couch together, and read for two and a half hours. It was nice.
- I just finished Candle by John Barnes.
- Currently reading The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler.
- Currently listening to the eighth and final book in The Baroque Cycle, System of the World.
- I gave up on the third book in the Red Rising saga. I liked the first, the second wasn’t as good, and just couldn’t stay interested in the third.
Spotify Wrapped 2023
For as long as Spotify has been doing Wrapped, Tycho has been my number one artist, and that hasn’t changed. Though, I’m thankful that Spotify opts out kids music, because Blippi or Twenty Trucks might have taken the top spot this year…
Some new artists made it in my top songs list:
- Frou Frou (an Imogen Heap project)
- Sudan Archives
- The Hold Steady
Some old favorites resurfaced this year:
- Mighty Mighty Bosstones
- zebrahead
- Mutemath
- Foster the People
Some are no surprise:
- Rancid
- The Strokes
- Less Than Jake
I made Japanese curry tonight, a cold weather favorite in our house. If you haven’t tried it, get some roux blocks and make a batch. We like the Vermont Curry brand, which is easy to find in the US. We make it with chicken, potatoes, peas, carrots, and onions, but it works well with ground beef or vegetarian, too. One batch is good for multiple meals.
Twelve Days of the Rings
Seven swans to rule them all,
Six geese to find them,
Five rings to bring them all,
And in the pear tree bind them
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