Less Than 2 Weeks...

they partied like it was 1621

...'til the big day, and once again we're opting for a little help from our friends...

...at Bob Evans.

They do a very credible job of providing the basics of a Thanksgiving feast, which Karen then supplements with <a few dishes of her own>.

And while it's not especially cheap, it does eliminate much of the heavy lifting, reducing days of shopping / preparing / cooking down to a couple of hours warming things up.

A shout out to <Dave Roderick> who first suggested Bob Evans the year we moved into this home.

We had no functioning kitchen yet, and with the stress of the holidays piled on top of living in a construction zone, he vouched for them as a high quality / low work option during a hectic time of year.

It's helped remove a lot of work and stress from what should be a day devoted to giving thanks to God and enjoying the company of loved ones.

It's old news now, but the 40+ day "Schumer Shutdown" of the government is over.

What were the democrats trying to achieve by shutting down the government?

In simplest terms, they hoped to subvert the will of the American people.

Trump, who won both the electoral (312 to 226)...

...and the popular vote (77.3 million to 75), has been busy delivering on his campaign promises of securing the border, deporting illegal aliens, eliminating waste and exposing corruption in government, revitalizing the economy and putting America first.

Democrats hate his agenda, and they hoped they could reverse much of what has been accomplished this year by inflicting pain on their constituents.

By working against the will of the people as clearly expressed in the election, they are guilty of exactly what they accuse Trump:  "trying to destroy our democracy!"

What did they actually achieve?

As JD Vance correctly summarized...

...<literally nothing>.

They did not get their 1.5 trillion of wasteful spending - eliminated by Trump's Big Beautiful Bill - restored.

Despite persistent denials, their boondoggle spending included billions for illegal alien health care and lots of other ridiculous pork.

And now - since they've been exposed for the fools they are in front of the entire world - they're trying to deflect attention from their abject failure by smearing Trump with the Epstein files hoax - again.

As with everything these clowns attempt...

...<it's not going well>.

How could it?

Anyone with half a brain knows three things:

1) Trump banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago for his inappropriate behavior around young female employees in 2007.

2) Dems installed a dementia patient in the White House in 2020.  Why weren't they demanding the release of the Epstein files for the past 4 years?

-and-

3) They spent all of 2024 launching broadsides against Trump, both legal and physical.

They had the FBI search his home, indicted him, arrested him, tried him in court and attempted to assassinate him twice.

If they actually had any dirt on him re: Epstein, it's guaranteed they would have used it then to prevent their worst nightmare: President Donald J. Trump.

They did not, because it doesn't exist.

And now, in a turnabout is fair play move, President Trump announced he's instructing the DOJ and FBI to investigate the <Epstein connection to Bill Clinton>, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, JP Morgan Chase and many other people and institutions.

Buckle up, Dems...you're about to get more than you bargained for.

That won't stop them from lying endlessly about any and every thing they think will help their pathetic cause.

Always remember, that big blue D stands for Deceit.

The hardest part is saying the line in front of everyone.

"Hi.  My name is T---- and I'm a Hallmark Christmas Movie-aholic."

this is a great movie, and so is "the date before Christmas"

Alright, it's not quite that bad, but looking back, it's been sorta like a catching a virus.

It starts out slow, with just a few mild symptoms.

It's the occasional filler when you've shifted into neutral and just need a break from the daily grind of news, drama, politics, violence.

How about something that doesn't involve profanity, gunfire and despicable human beings?

And waddyaknow...a happy ending...now there's a concept.

Over time the symptoms intensify and you find yourself actually searching for Hallmark Christmas movies.

"Hey," you rationalize, "why should I invest a couple of hours of my life only to be disappointed by some hack scriptwriter who figures since he's miserable, everyone else must be, too?"

Before you know it, BAM!

very clever take on the Dickens Christmas classic

 

There's no denying, you've got the bug.

 

So...what's the cure?

Who said anything about needing a cure?

"Barkeep, another round of Hallmark for me and my friends!

"Drink up, mateys!"

Just what the Dr. ordered.

And now, by popular demand, the greatest 23 Skidoo ever presented ever and I mean ever*:

Larry's up north for deer hunting, and they had their first snowfall of the season November 9th...

...we followed suit the next day.

a beautiful sunrise by the lake

a little hick'ry golf humor

and since you mentioned hick'ry golf, that uber tall grass on #5 convinced me to play this par 3 as a dogleg par 4 instead...

...since I'd just get tangled up in the toppers and end up taking a drop anyway.

the other day our doorbell camera kept notifying us of movement, so we kept peering out the windows but never spotted anything.

finally, Karen checked the video:

Look!

It's bigger than the garage!

and that's where Giant Critter Sci-Fi movies come from.

*ever ever ever?  maybe ever; possibly even an outside shot at ever ever.  But ever ever ever?  that's a bald faced lie.

I'll be hearing from my lawyers.

As you scurry for the exits, here's some encouragement from God's Word to take with you:

6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time:

7  Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.

    - I Peter 5:6,7

later, mcm fans...

Only Because I Have To...

...here's the most accurate...and most popular summary of Commie Mamdani's takeover of the world's financial epicenter.

As much as I'd love to skip the politics, you just can't ignore an earthquake.

Think of it...a 34 year old anti-semite from Uganda who's never held a real job in his life and with no relevant experience was just elected mayor of one of the world's most populous and important cities.

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Chief cheerleaders in the Commie's large group of stupid people are a couple of similarly unqualified Mensa rejects:

AOC...

according to this famed meteorologist, we only have 6 years left before <the end of the world>; she hopes to spend them in a socialist utopia.

...and nursing home escapee Bernie Sanders:

according to Larry David, Bernie only has one pair of underwear

Defying both logic and the imagination, this perfectly illustrates the danger of granting idiots the right to vote.

It is exactly as the old saw opines: people who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.

And history is littered with examples of failed socialist countries: the USSR, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea.

Soon we'll be able to add New York City to the growing list of economies sacrificed on the altar of socialist ideology.

The Post sold out immediately, and sellers put up signs saying "No NY Post Papers" in their storefront windows to stem the steady stream of frustrated searchers.

You can still get them on ebay, however:

...proof that in spite of the communist takeover of New York, capitalism is still alive and well.

For now, anyway.

Thanks to brain dead New Yorkers sealing their doom through exuberant youthful nescience, business is booming...elsewhere, that is:

Real estate brokers in Florida, Texas and Tennessee report being swamped with inquiries from panicked New Yorkers.

Consequently, Florida governor Ron DeSantis says they're going to build a wall to keep out incognizant liberals fleeing the predictable results of their lifelong political choices.

Governor Abbott of Texas says they'll slap NY refugees with 100% tariffs.

Governor Bill Lee from Tennessee adopted a <more welcoming stance>, reminding desperate New Yorkers that Tennessee is "open for business".

They're all in agreement, however...if you come to our state, check your liberal politics at the door.

You can pick them up on your way out if you leave, but don't bring your callow political claptrap with you.

It's time to rewrite Sinatra's signature song:

"I want to get away from it, New York, New York!"

Recently had new tile installed in our master bathroom by #4 son and one of my grandsons.

It went from this:

To this:

The best part is not just the new tile, though we love the look...rather it's that the floor is now heated.

Karen is thrilled since it was always freezing in the winter, and no wonder: turns out the old tile was installed directly on a cement slab...no backer board or anything beneath it...just cold, hard cement.

It's toasty now, and just before the snow flies.

Here's to Chris and Isaac who did a great job...

...thank you, gentlemen!

We have this little sign in our coffee nook:

And the sign says true:

...which leads us to the less popular 2nd verse of that little ditty:

"Every hour waking

Will now be spent raking!"

And so we did yesterday...got out the mower and mulched the backyard, then manned the rakes and cleaned up the front:

That's all well and good, but for all the work we did - and I've got the aching back to prove it - here's the problem:

Considering the overall task, we barely made a dent.  Most of the leaves will come down in the 2nd half of November.

But my greens are looking pretty good today...

Think I'll bundle up - it's 33° this morning - forget about what's still ahead...

...and walk a round or three on Ryan's Hickory Golf Course.

On Halloween, one of our trick-or-treaters greeted us with "Merry Christmas!"

His dad looked at us and shrugged, then told his son, "You mean 'trick or treat', right?"

I joined in with, "Don't rush it!  Thanksgiving is next."

"Nope," the little costumed rebel insisted, "Merry Christmas!"

And that's pretty much the prevailing attitude, isn't it?

Thanksgiving is little more than a speed bump on the holiday highway, a brief pit stop between Halloween and Christmas.

Given the strident political atmosphere of the last few years, you can almost understand people's desire to just skip it.

Who wants to risk a big family get together tinged with the threat of nasty ideological conflict?

I know I'd welcome Karen's TDS riddled brothers with the same enthusiasm I have for an abscessed tooth or a bout of the puking flu.

Their sickness is so advanced, they actually believe CNNLOL and MSDNC are news outlets and not just soviet style apparatchiks of the democrat party.

But putting the potential for a strife of tongues aside, it's worth remembering God calls us to be truly thankful:

"15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."

    - Colossians 3:15

"16  Rejoice evermore.

"17  Pray without ceasing.

"18  In everything give thanks:  for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

    - I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Whether your upcoming Thanksgiving holiday promises to be peace and joy or political pistols at 20 paces, take time and give thanks to God in heaven "...who daily loadeth us with benefits" (Psalm 68:19).

later, mcm fans...

Last Round Of The Season...

...is officially in the rearview now. 

Not happy about that, but at least it went ok.

Decided to play my McIntyre gutta perchas...

course was still soft from the recent rains

...something I haven't done in a long time since they seriously <underperform "real" gutties> from the late 1800's.

Do love the sound they make when you hit them, however...a sort of wooden "thwack" that's really quite satisfying.

And their reduced distance works ok for this par 3 course.

For both featheries and gutties, I lengthen the holes by playing most of them as dogleg par 4's, hitting around / away from the water hazards where I can, instead of over them.

It was a beautiful, sunny, late fall day when I tallied ho to the Links At Rolling Meadows for one last round.

my 2nd shot on the 1st hole, hitting into a 25 mph headwind.  you can see the sand traps were still pulling double duty as water hazards.

#6 tee.  hit well from the tees and fairways today, though inconsistent on the greens as usual.

my birdie putt on #7...

...and (surprisingly) where I left it for a par tap in.

Since I play bogey or better wins the hole, double bogey or worse loses, notched a 4 and 3 win as I walked off the 6th green.

Not my best round but have definitely done worse.

Just wait til next year...

You know what comes next...

...and it was a pleasant weather evening for all 107 of our trick-or-treaters...high 40's and calm.

We raised the Jolly Roger to let them know we were open for business...

...applied the finishing touches to our costumes...

the beautiful Lady of the Manor...

...at her station, ready to pass out treats...

...and Gramp N. Stein, just ready to pass out.  proof that while time may be a great healer, it's a lousy beautician.

...made sure the greeters were on duty...

careful, she bites

Big Frank: tall, green, formerly deceased

...and everyone was in their place...

...then welcomed the hungry hordes:

our neighbors...the lady in the dress makes all their costumes each year

Happy to report a good time was had by all the ghouls and goblins that graced our Walk Of Fear™, and their parents seemed happy, too.

Thankfully we got most of the cleanup done last night since it's raining this morning.

Still have to remove batteries and store things away, but All Hallows is done and dusted for another year.

Next Stop:

Yikes.

Somehow or other we've quite suddenly and without adequate warning arrived at November.

As if that's not bad enough, it's also time change weekend, when we voluntarily plunge ourselves into wintry darkness by chopping an hour of daylight out of our days.

What the heck were we thinking?

For us northerners who exult in the long sunny days of summer, the cold and dark of the next few months promises to be challenging.

But the months ahead don't have to be spiritually cold and dark, as we have this promise from God's Word:

12  Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

    - John 8:12

take heart, mcm fans...