The New Years Evening Rambler

Apologies to my few readers for the small number of posts here the last month or two. There are things I've been meaning to post about, but I've been easily sidetracked with other activities.

I have another installment in my "Astronomy Stuff" writings on the way.

And I need to finish posting photos and comments from the 2009 California vacation trip.

And rumor has it, there's another unofficial Marty story in the works.

And of course, I need to look through more recent photos from this Christmas season. We had a great visit from our California family - granddaughters and all, along with a fun day trip to Branson, where I had a good though short visit with other family members (and I got to ride in a small plane)!

At least it's not like I've been sitting here all by my lonesome. Check back here on The Porch for updates these next few days.

I had a couple of observations about New Year's Eve today. I saw this AP headline for a Yahoo News story...

"Millions gather worldwide to ring in the new year".

So now, what would happen if all the celebrations were cancelled, and the millions did not gather? Would the approaching 2011 stop in its tracks and say, "Hold it...what now?", or would it arrive anyway? If I were a betting man, I'd bet on the latter.

Then another thing. Holidays have colors, right?
Valentine's Day: red and pink
St. Patrick's Day: green
4th of July: red, white and blue
Halloween: orange and black
Christmas: red and green

I think New Year's needs official colors! It's wide open, so I'm going to start something, right here, right now. I took a poll of my family, and from now on, the official colors of New Year's will be...

purple and silver.

Who's with me on this?

Finally, I hope you all have a Happy, Safe, and Healthy New Year!

Christmas Eve 2010

These may not be scripture verses that you usually associate with Advent or Christmas, but they've been on my mind a lot lately.

Mt. 9:11-13

v 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
v 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.
v 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus didn’t come only for those who appear righteous, but as we sing in the hymn Amazing Grace, He “saved a wretch like me”.

That gives me hope. Merry Christmas!

Laugh if you must, but what's in Your junk drawer?

Yesterday morning I had need of a pair of pliers, there were some hard shelled nuts that desperately needed cracking. I was in the kitchen, so I looked in the tools / scissors / tape drawer first; we always keep pliers there. Didn't find them, so I thought, "Well, it's a long shot, but I'll check the junk drawer".

Admit it, we all have one of those.

So I went to open that drawer, got it about four inches out when it jammed, but good. I reached in and tried to push down whatever the obstacle might be, removed my hand, pushed the drawer closed, and tried to open it all the way out again. No joy...what all's in this thing, anyway?

Well it was time...nothing for it but to unload. I got a cardboard tray (formerly a box, cut down), and the amazement began. Some things I fully expected, birthday candles, kids watercolor sets, twist ties...I knew those were in there. When I started to find some odd, and in some cases really old - as in decades - items, I figured an inventory was in order.

Now, for your entertainment, an alphabetized list of what was in the Wingate junk drawer. Some of the items have been thrown away, many of the rest have been relocated.

The list:
35mm film container (contents: key, pins, small fasteners) 1
Adapters (light fixture to plug in socket - one scorched) 3
Aquarium air tubing - short 5' length 1
Bamboo skewers 2
BB 1
Belt buckle 1
Birthday candle holders - Flowers 10
Birthday candle holders - Train cars 5
Birthday candles - novelty (2 ea. spaceships, UFOs, planets) 6
Birthday candles (regular - including 2 broken) 35
Bobby pins (one large, one small) 2
Bolts - flat head 1 1/2" with 2 nuts & 2 lock washers 3
Bracelet - toy beaded 1
Brush - misc. (could use for paint splattering effect) 1
Cake decorating icing tip 1
Cake decorations - small plastic evergreen trees 2
Candle wax (irregular lumps) 2
Candles: regular 5
Candles: small or thin 5 1/2
Candles: tea light (two slightly larger) 5
Candy - Osco Wild Cherry (25 cents) 1 roll
Chain (short, thin) 1
Chalk piece (1/2 inch) 1
Clothes pins (wooden two piece with spring) 2
Coaster - red plastic, part of our set (that's where it was!) 1
Coffee stir stick 1
Container (plastic - contents: 2 straight pins) 1
Cookie cutter (small cross) 1
Cork 1
Crayon - light yellow (not Crayola brand) 1 half
Cup hook (large - in cork) 1
Cup hook (medium size) 1
Curtain ring 1
Drain Stopper - Rubbermaid 1
Easter egg dippers (copper wire) 6
Easter egg dry transfers (bunnies and chicks) 1 pkg.
Easter egg kit parts (1 "Dudley's magic crayon", 2 squeeze bulbs for dye) 3
Fels-Naphtha laundry soap 1 bar
Finger "sizer" - size 4 ring (blue plastic) 1
Fireworks sparklers 4
Floor protectors (put under chair legs, etc.) 8
Fuse - 40 Amp Slo-Blo (air conditioner) 1
Glaze - Small cup with lid (from paint by number set?) 1
Gob (melted rubber or plastic, 1" by 2") 1
Gum - Trident Sugarless Original (two sticks left in pack) part 1 pkg.
Instructions for air mattress / beach ball repair patch 1
Jingle bells (small) 3
Keys (small) 2
Lids - (1 ea.: Sour cream, Yogurt, Maxwell House & Pringles) 4
Lids - plastic gallon milk jug 3
Lock washer (large) 1
Marble (small) 1
Moist Towelettes 2
Nails - Finishing 22
Night light cover 1
Outlet tap plug (not polarized) 1
Padlocks (one Slaymaker) 2
Paint brushes - foam 3
Paint brushes - kids watercolor / hobby quality 17
Paint can openers / roller scrapers 2
Paper clips (one small and one large) 2
Parafin disks and half-disks (canning?) 5
Pencils - colored (short; one yellow, one yellow-orange) 2
Pencils - stuck in Gob (ruined) 2
Pencils (one ea. #2 & #4) 2
Picture hangers 2
Pipe cleaner - short piece (loose in drawer) 1
Pipe cleaners: Dill's- partial package (15 / 32; Osco 49 cents) part 1 pkg.
Plastic - clear curved piece (from broken plastic cup?) 1
Plastic bag (small - contains old mini lights, fuses, suction cup hooks) 1
Popsicle sticks / wooden craft sticks 3 1/3
Pressure cooker top 1
Rubber bands (broken) 3
Rubber bands (good - various sizes & colors) 13
Rubber stamp & ink pad set (Dino-World) 1
Safety pin - large 1
Safety plug (to keep children from sticking things in electrical outlet) 1
Screws (various) 9
Shoelace 1
Sponges 2
Spring (from click type ball point pen) 1
Steel Wool (small wad) 1
Straight pin (loose in drawer) 1
Syringes without needles (watercolor project) 2
Tinker toy (2" yellow) 1
Toothbrush holder (small plastic box - goes around bristles) 1
Toothbrushes - used (Crest: 1 in shape of Shamu the killer whale) 3
Toothpaste tube roller (plastic key) 1
Toys - small; one aluminum, others plastic (various) 5
Tupperware cheeze "knife" gadget 1
Tupperware tiny bowl with lid (from keychain?) 1
Twist ties 11
Twist ties - oversized (from produce?) 2
Various and sundry hard to categorize objects 10
Velcro (short strips with hooks) 3
Water color sets (including old Prang set in metal case) 7
Window blind plastic pull piece 1
Window shade end piece attachment 1
Window Sticker - No Solicitors, No Peddlers (City of Lee's Summit, MO) 1
Window Stickers - Neighborhood Watch (We Call the Police) 2
Wires (somewhat stiff yet bendable; bent in half) 3

I'm happy to say the drawer is much cleaner and better organized, and opens easily.

For now.