Traveling, Traveling…

Posted on by accordingtohoyt

So, you know how they want us all to stay at home? I obviously am not going to do it, particularly with Polis telling us too. But more importantly, with the completely ridiculous, insane, and possibly otherworldly reasoning for this lockdown.

I mean, if lockdowns worked, then the first one did, and we’re fine, right? if they don’t work…. WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

Oh, yeah, I forgot. Because the “elites” who have found their way to fraud themselves into power for decades now hate us and want us to die. In abject poverty. It’s amazing how I forget these things.

Anyway, we’ve been on the road, so I lost track of time, and connections are a little iffy.

Meanwhile let’s have some inspirational music for this lot.
Come on you no-hopers, you jokers and rogues! Let’s MAKE it a road to the stars and leave all the statists in the dust.

181 thoughts on “Traveling, Traveling…”

  1. Home is where the heart is, so if you follow your heart you’ll always be home.

    Compliance is how you define it.
    ~

    1. Heart…

      That reminds me…

      That gal who who is on all the store PA systems singing about Last Christmas?

      She really should stop dating transplant surgeons.

      1. Heh. Alright, it’s not Valentine’s but with a setup like that I’m pulling this one out anyway:

          1. The amazing thing is that Connor does too, even AFTER crap like that. Poor boy must have one hell of a crush.

      2. “Last Christmas” regularly tops my list of most loathed ‘Christmas’ songs. But then, I dislike most of the pop ones. Christmas Carols are fine. Like most, can tolerate the rest. The only pop Christmas song I really like is ‘I believe in Father Christmas’ by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

          2. A little slower and less overly cute is Montgomery-Gentry’s “Merry Christmas from the Family”. Haven’t heard it at all on the radio, though I haven’t had it on much.

          3. Well, I’m OK with Grandma – it’s funny and warped. That and the dogs singing Jingle Bells were hits when I was an DJ for AFRTS. True I tell you – military audiences overseas and remote did not appreciate maudlin Christmas ballads. The year that I was in Greenland, I had a caller (and it was a small base, we all knew each other) say that if I aired “I’ll be Home for Christmas”, he would come up to the station and slit his own wrists in the on-air studio. “I’ll be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams” – did not go over well, thirty miles north of the Arctic Circle, where about 800 American troops were only home for Christmas in their dreams. Christmas dinner in the dining hall was epic and fantastic, so we had that. But still … that song was on my ban list for all the rest of the Christmases that I was on active duty and pulling an on-air radio shift. Too f**king depressing.

            1. Military away from home Christmases have special music requirements.

              I will not stay in a room where “Silent Night” is played. Ever.

        2. A few years ago I sang that when the song was on the store speaker.

          Family tradition of adlibbing songs, so I was able to keep going fairly well— something about “this year, to save me from tears, I’m going to stab Indy”– my non-related audience appreciated it, from the giggles. The related audience didn’t notice.

        4. I particularly despise “Silver Bells”. Had to learn it for the fifth grade Christmas pageant. The commercialism is what I despise, with a burning, napalm-like hate. “Christmas time in the city … as the shoppers rush home with their presents.”
          Hate that song.
          OTO – got a soft spot for Sting’s “Gabriel’s Message” and The Pretenders “2000 Miles.”

        5. One pop/novelty Christmas son I enjoy is “Snoopy’s Christmas,” by The Royal Guardsmen

          A nice touch in the linked video is the “Hat in the Ring” insignia of the U.S. 94th Aero Squadron on Snoopy’s aircraft.

    2. What IS it with that song? They play it in the mall constantly. (And yes, the malls are open in north Alabama). It’s not about Christmas, it’s about a breakup. (For Orvan. @#!! Word Press).

      1. No malls here, but the mini-box store was playing a bunch of Christmas popular songs. One was from Lady Antebellum’s album, and a cut that they played for the Grand Ole Opry last Saturday.

        Good times.

      2. And what is it with the new arrangements of songs that break up the rhythm? Or mess with a classic for no good reason? Eartha Kitty’s ‘Santa Baby’ (which I can take, once of thrice) sounds like an expensive Kept Woman who probably lives in Central Park West. The new one sounds like Trailer Trash..

        And then there was the version of Feliz Navidad that A) translated the song into English and B) took all the bounce out of it, thereby removing any point for its existence.

  2. As for demands of music and merriment in celebration of arrival on Earth of the one who is to redeem us …

    ~

    1. Love this! It’s my birthday so all good things will be claimed today and used for strength and lightheartedness.

      It makes me think that we’re going to be like the Rohirrim–“they sang as they slew.”

      1. Seems to me that “We’re Not Gonna Take It!” would be the better choice.
        If you watch the video just imagine the dictatorial father figure as every officious politician of this past year demanding “Rules for thee but not for me!”

        1. It’s no accident that Twisted Sister were on of the targets of the Tipper Gore “we must censor music now” crowd:

          1. My favorite part of those hearings was one of the senators asking how Dee felt about his kids hearing his music. Dee’s response: “Are you kidding? I don’t let my kids listen to my music!” The committee had no response.

            1. He is very intelligent and articulate. FYI, I am old enough to remember when Twisted Sister was one of the local bar bands.

                2. My second concert was AC/DC and Cheap Trick as lead bands for Ted Nugent. Seattle Coliseum.

  6. “The Road goes ever on and on
    Down from the door where it began.
    Now far ahead the Road has gone,
    And I must follow, if I can,
    Pursuing it with eager feet,
    Until it joins some larger way
    Where many paths and errands meet.
    And whither then? I cannot say”

    ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

  7. Safe travels and enjoy the time together.

    Hope you don’t have to get accommodations between home and destination, don’t know how true it is but TPTB interpret the CA 14 day quarantine as “must check in 14 days if you need a hotel, then you are free to continue.” So if your destination is a two day trip to get there, so sorry, it is now a 15 day trip. First day, stop for a rest, stuck for next 14 days. Don’t know how true that is. Seems pretty stupid, personally. But that is how a friend of mom’s interpreted it, or what she was told by the hotel she usually would stop at driving from Canyonville Oregon to San Diego CA. She couldn’t fly down because she was transporting items that can’t fly with you, heirlooms being passed down to their daughter and son-in-law after the death of her husband (her version of a canoe accident). The SIL flew up to Sacramento, she picked him up at 1 PM and he drove the rest the way south. She should be fine coming home. She’ll have done the in state 14 day quarantine by then. She can make as many one night travel stops as she wants.

    1. Sounds like a good formula for killing people by fatigue causing accidents.

      (I suppose you can count them all as COVID-19 deaths.)

    2. I believe that 14 quarantine if passing through was only for SF city/county. There was an argument about what that meant for people flying into SFO because it’s actually in Santa Clara county, but controlled by SF. I’m betting if she had detoured a bit down 99, she could have traveled as normal.

      1. It’s a moot point for us (we won’t set foot or tire tread in California for the forseeable future), but the wording of the current dictates look nasty:

        From https://covid19.ca.gov/stay-home-except-for-essential-needs/#regional-stay-home

        When any California region is under a Regional Stay Home Order, no hotel or lodging entity in California can accept or honor out of state reservations for non-essential travel, unless the reservation is for at least the minimum time period required for quarantine and the persons identified in the reservation will quarantine in the hotel or lodging entity until after that time period has expired.

        Additionally, hotels and lodging entities in a county under a Regional Stay Home Order cannot accept or honor in-state reservations for non-essential travel.

        {definitions of essential travel/lodging deleted}

        (Emphasis mine)

        The Northern Cali region is the only one *not* in lockdown. Whee.

        It goes far enough south that it might be possible to stay at a hotel coming home. Not sure how many accommodations could be found in Willows, but Red Bluff should be practical. My body hurts just to think of San Diego to there, though.

        The most practical way to visit SIL and niece in Nevada would entail driving through Cali. Not going to happen, so we will have a quiet Christmas, like we normally do. (My family is generally in the Midwest or slightly further east. Nope.)

        And yes, there’s a voluntary quarantine in Oregon for those coming from California. Arggh.

        1. It’s ugly and completely ridiculous. My cousins in northern CA are all traveling back and forth to visit each other. Granted, they’re all in-state, but they are all ignoring stay at home orders in terms of ‘essential” vs. “non-essential” travel. It makes me so sad to see my much loved home state fall to such lows.

        2. Not sure how many accommodations could be found in Willows, but Red Bluff should be practical. My body hurts just to think of San Diego to there, though.

          –
          Tell me about it. We’ve done the from Bend straight through to San Diego, once (our honeymoon, ’78), from Eugene, twice (’79, redo attempt, ’87 to support SIL after her husband died just before New Years). Straight Through! I got sick ALL 3 times. (Note. We were suppose to be down in San Diego day after Christmas … But, my grandmother died the day after Christmas, got the call as we were headed out the door at my in-laws in Bend, went to Eugene instead. Headed down after the funeral Dec 31, on Jan 2, taking my Aunt to Sacramento along the way. He died Dec 30. Two family funerals, in two weeks …)

          When we took our 4 year old to Disneyland in ’93, I insisted we fly (Eugene to LA). We did drive from LA to San Diego (and back, in one day, which was bad enough) to meet SIL and kids (son could meet his cousins) at Sea World.

          Hubby used to drive the route straight through on college break from Corvallis to San Diego in ’72 & ’73 before his folks retired to their place outside of Bend. Often alone, but he did have requests for people headed south that provided company at least part of the way going down. I don’t know how he pulled it off.

          After the above distance (in a car, an RV is a whole lot worse), we agreed to break long trips up, if we didn’t want me getting sick during the trip. Especially after the kid came along. Could get him to comply going. But coming home … I swear to, whatever, that he’s like a horse headed toward the barn, once he hits the Oregon Border, we stop for gas, they’d better have restrooms … The only time I didn’t argue was our ’19 trip home from Jasper through Banff. We hit Seattle around 8 PM Sunday night. We’d planned on getting a hotel (didn’t have the RV) after crossing the border and continue in the morning … until we realized we’d be navigating Seattle Monday morning, Olympia, then Portland, on a Monday … Nope. We got home at OMG AM … I got sick the next week … This fall, for the First Time Ever, we actually stopped at a rest area coming home from Tetons to sleep (RV), before getting up early and heading home (via altered route due to fires, but not that much of a detour). First. Time. Ever.

          Note. On these long drives, I’m not doing most of the driving so I actually get to sleep while traveling. When we tow the trailer, I don’t do any of the driving, although certain stretches I need to be awake too to watch out for idiots. (Dang truck towing a trailer does not stop that fast people! Guess what! It won’t tow at 80, don’t tailgate.)

          Not that we’re headed south to San Diego anytime soon, or ever, now … but the thought … um, No.

          1. In college, we did a road trip from U of Redacted in the Midwest to California; San Diego for me, Yosemite for others and such. I think we did the westbound trip in 36 hours. Coming home, we lost a wheel bearing (along with the relevant tire and the brakes) near Blythe, but one of the guys had relatives there, so despite being laid up over New Year’s, we did OK, and were back on the road at sundown on the 2nd. Missed my morning classes, though. (We traded off driving. That was when I started to figure out that night driving wasn’t something I really liked.)

            After college, I moved to Cali, and flew back several times, but started road trips in the ’80s. My first trip got me from Silly Valley to a no-tell motel in Salt Lake City (protip; cheap motels might have broken beds. Arggh.) Hit the road at 5AM the next morning and drove straight to Omaha, arriving around 10PM. 900 miles, and never again.

            Subsequent trips had more rational distances, though in summertime, I could make it to western Nebraska or even Cheyenne from the Midwest if the weather was good and I was well rested. Eastbound usually needed three stops, but westbound could be done in two.

            As my eyes and body have aged, I’ve given up on the long road trips. When I was doing a lot of medical trips over the Cascades, I’d fit in a Costco run, but the last time I needed to hit Costco without a med appointment, it made sense to stay overnight. (Suites now, because hotel food service is nonexistant.) Even the 100 miles was more interesting than fun, at least according to my knees.

            I don’t anticipate any more Midwest trips, either air or road. I don’t have the Real-ID to fly commercially, nor the desire to drive that any more. Nope.

            1. Even the 100 miles was more interesting than fun, at least according to my knees.

              –
              I’m not real fond of the Valley to Bend or La Pine run myself. Definitely not both ways in one day. Might be biased because of two trips. First one was the La Pine to Eugene via 58, that took 6 hours because it was essentially turned into a blizzard from 97, using the cut off, to 58, on down into Eugene, and home. People (not us) had to pull over every 1/2 hour or so to clear ice off their wiper blades because the heaters couldn’t keep up. We didn’t because hubby could reach his side without getting out. One line of traffic from 97 to I-5. Second trips (multiple) was in Aug ’89 when our son was 2 months old and we were having nursing problems. Bad enough at home. We had to drive to Bend every weekend, via 126. We had to stop for him to nurse every 45 to 60 minutes, for 30 minutes. I’d say it got better but the kicker weekend was driving to Bend, then having to drive to Portland to help move MIL in with her daughter. By the time we got there, baby was in tears, I was in tears, all but huddling in the corner with the baby, with MIL advising in the background to “let him cry”. He was HUNGRY. We started using supplemental formula that day … To this day I have NO idea why we couldn’t have come up with that on our own (just wait your milk will increase with demand, was NOT the answer, thank god for reasonable ask-a-nurse). Sure he’d been doing fine, until he wasn’t. He was eating … just there wasn’t enough to sustain him any length of time.

    1. All I see are people in slave diapers.

      I honestly can’t watch videos where the people force themselves into the diaper–it’s hideous and it makes me want to go away.

      1. Wow! And I thought it was awesome when one bald eagle flew over the laundromat as I was carrying in laundry, then circled around and flew back over again. (If it hadn’t flown back over, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. When it went over the first time, I honestly thought my eyes were playing tricks on me).

          1. Grrr, put this as a reply, when it should have been standalone, whilst not showing my own picture. Is there a way to show pictures of my own without creating a WordPress site?

      3. I have to ask: Is that a real picture, or a Photoshop job? It looks like a photoshop, but there are places where you can really see that many Bald Eagles at once in wintertime.

        1. It’s definitely a photoshop; there are only two individual eagles, from what looks like started as stills from a video (some of the eagles are identical, just flipped horizontally)… but it’s very nicely done regardless. The ultimate American Christmas tree.

    1. “Now to the Lord sing praises
      All you within this place
      And with true love and brotherhood
      Each other now embrace.
      This holy time of Christmas
      All others doth deface.
      Good tidings of comfort and Joy! Comfort and Joy!
      Good tidings of comfort and Joy.”

  13. Anyone else notice the amazing coincidence of Britain “discovering a new strain that’s more contagious” (tho not more lethal) so doing a harsh new lockdown… including stopping all truckers carrying foodstuffs from Europe (despite that this “new” strain is old news there)… thereby causing shortages…. JUST in time for the final “negotiation” with regard to Brexit??

    Yeah, I really think it’s designed to force a backpedal on that. OMG, if we go through with regaining our independence, or worse if we do so without paying through the nose to Brussels forever and ever, WE’RE ALL GONNA STARVE!!!

    1. Suspicious as all hell.

      Of course, it only takes one (successful) truck bomb to thwart that chunnel thingie.
      Probably NOT what any *reasonable* party wishes to encourage.

      People tend to be unreasonable in larger groups.

      1. Well, I have no real investment in positive events in Europe, and this year has been quite effective in making my more outrageous positions seem reasonable.

        Of course, just yesterday I got effective pushback on “Guys, y’all are wrong for not being on Team Zemo, because Team Cap doesn’t go far enough.”

        😛

          2. Marvel Cinematic Universe. Quite a lot of fans are salty over the Civil War story line, and going by fanfic are quite heavily polarized into Team Iron Man and Team Cap.

            Basically, the supervillain Zemo precipitated things with a bomb that killed Black Panther’s father, and framed Cap’s old friend. Cap’s old friend had previously been a brainwashed slave, and while in that state had killed Iron Man’s parents. Black Panther’s father was also the uncle of the supervillain Killmonger. Black Panther’s father had previously killed his own brother, who was Killmonger’s father.

            Iron Man’s answer was to back an effort to force all supers to register, and imprison those who refuse. Cap backed his friend, and pushed back with “wait, how do we even know he is guilty”.

            Black Panther the movie is where Killmonger is the antagonist, and we find out about his backstory with the guy who was killed several movies back. Black Panther the movie was heavily pushed as being relevant to American racial politics.

            Killmonger’s rhetoric was apparently basically a rip off of the BLM/1619 crowd. So, interpretation A is that the movie is relevant because it discredits the accepted spokesmen for the black political cause. Interpretation B, which seems to mainstream, is that Black Panther the movie supports the accepted spokesmen for the black political cause. Interpretation C is that Zemo and Killmonger were not actually the villains, that the bombing was actually correct, that Iron Man and Cap were both wrong, and the real world political relevance is that vigilante killings are the culturally authentic answer to black criminals.

            So basically, I want to make the people choke on their words who were saying that the movie Black Panther was relevant to American racial politics. Interpretation D, no political relevance. The MCU is not sound as the sole basis for making policy from. Wakanda is a fictional country. The justification for the lower rate of people saying that Middle Earth, Westeros, Latveria, Xanth, and Midchildia are fictional is exactly the lower rate of fruitcakes saying that those places are relevant to real world politics.

            Team Zemo because Team Cap did not go far enough.

            1. Black Panther’s father had previously killed his own brother, who was Killmonger’s father.

              Note, not for normal dynasty reasons, but because he’d been recruited into some terroristic movement that stole a bunch of the magic metal, killing a lot of the innocent Wakandan type people in the area in the process.
              (Killmonger’s mother was put in jail for life at some point before he grew up, too.)

              It really is a good use of the BLM logic.

              1. Well OF COURSE the police, courts and prisons are at fault for catching and punishing criminals.

                WPDE tried to put this in the wrong place, but I noticed before hitting POST, and tried again.

          1. Deadpool is objectively reasonable compared to the “Wakanda proves Y real world thing” advocates.

            Oooh. Finally found something I had been searching for.

            Rorschach is obviously the edgier version of The Question/Mr. A that I like better. I was also looking for crazier analogues to Captain America and Superman. At one point, I found one that I liked much better than Dragonball’s Goku as a crazy analogue to Superman, but forgot. Deadpool could be a crazy analogue to Captain America. He’s not really a fanatic, so I missed him because I was looking for a right wing vigilante version of Cap’s extreme philosophical views, that wasn’t simply reusing Rorschach.

              1. The thing about Wakanda is it’s a Kirby creation. He did a lot of ‘lost civilization’ things throughout his later career, and they tend to fit badly into ongoing worlds. Not that he’s the only one. But Kirby characters/creations from the late part of his first Marvel period on through the DC years and back to Marvel just fit oddly. Etrigan. All the New Gods stuff. The Eternals. They’re too good to leave alone, though, so both companies keep trying.

                    1. Considering that half the motivation for including magic was so Superman would have an additional vulnerability…..

    2. With this twitter comment for additional spice:

      IIRC, Imperial College was the source of the Millllions and Milllions are going to die from the CCPvirus models.

      2. Funny thing, but if you take the 1918 flu raw fatality rate and multiply by the current U.S. population, the result is 2.2 million. How many deaths did they predict, again?

        Nawww, they couldn’t have done something that lazy and ignorant, could they?

        Could they?

        2. Anonymous Conservative noted Fauci’s reaction to the shot. “I had a sore arm for a while”, sayeth he, pointing to his right arm. Fine, except the [redacted] creep had the shot in his *left* arm.

          Between that and the moving-the-goal-posts admission (Approximately: “I said 60% gave herd immunity. It’s really 90% but you peasants wouldn’t accept it”), I feel that Fauci and all others in authority lying or being hypocritical about their own shutdown crap should be given the proper respect due any cockroach.

  15. You’ll be happy to know that I’m currently sitting on the sofa in my dad’s living room. We drove over today to visit for the holiday weekend, and will be getting together with other members of the family on Christmas Day. Sunday we drive back home, and on Monday I take the van in to the shop to get the problem with the emissions control system fixed.

    (And when I went to Auto Zone to get the code pulled after the Check Engine light came on, the guy didn’t get upset when I said I was ready to go on a Christmas trip, just told me that the vehicle was safe to do so, but I should get it fixed when I got back. No scolding about the danger of contagion or anything, which suggests to me that he’s not exactly down with all these restrictions either).

    1. Why does this band of ruffians remind me of my boisterous family gathering that we won’t be having this year? Bless their hearts, I think he’s pulling our leg.

    1. Hold it. You got WP to take THREE links at once? It’s a Christmas miracle!

      …Or black sorcery. One of the two. [eyes you suspiciously]

    2. Thanks! I’d forgotten the name of that C. W. McCall song!

      And the Yuppers are a hoot! And I didn’t know the other name of “Who’ll be King but Charlie?”

  20. The hypocrisy of those imposing the pointless shutdowns tells us that the forced compliance is the point, not the stupid virus. And there’s a reason they’ve been harder on churches — they don’t want people to have a higher source of values.

    Hope you all can find some joy in human connections for Christmas. Cocooning seems appropriate when so much is wrong with the world.

    1. Despicable Kate Brown is admitting that the Oregon lockdowns aren’t actually working, but I didn’t notice her saying anything about lightening up. I suspect the new pivot will be to get vaccinated or else.

      Nope. You first, then call me in a year.

      1. I suspect the new pivot will be to get vaccinated or else. Nope. You first, then call me in a year.

        –
        My response is/will be. “Not my fault I’m in the despicable undesirable low to last category, you know, white female, short, fat, and old …” (but not in the old persons jail). It’ll be safe or there will be screaming (unable to litigate) hordes screeching how bad they have it because they were first in line … oh well … then my answer will be “Don’t look at me! I didn’t qualify.” 😉

        1. And, Pfizer says that the allergic reactions to the shot are considerably higher than normal. That makes me so *much* more willing to get the shot. (Would that be Chinese Roulette?)

          1. allergic reactions to the shot are considerably higher than normal

            –
            I hadn’t read/heard about the allergic reactions to the shot until this morning. Your comment is the second reference … Yes, that helps. Not! The reported fever of 104 after the second shot is scary enough. I’ve been told over and over again that adults with a fever over 101 should hit Urgent Care, Right, Now! All together, makes me fear for my niece who is immune compromised and carries an Epi Medical pen. At least she’d be prepared.

            Oh well. I’m not on the must have now list. I’ll wait. What scares me is if there are major unknown oops, who is being forced to get the vaccine? Our first responders. I mean okay the politico’s are forcing their way in … They have ill consequences, um, so what? 🙂 But our First responders? That I’m not a fan of. They are being forced, not volunteering. Not real fond of the “well the Hispanics and darker hued skin being higher percentage affected need to be in the front of the line” either. Not because it “not fair” (how is that new?), but because the flip switch of that is they were targeted.

      2. NW Observer had an article on the state “allowing” schools to fend for themselves on reopening. Of course, major fines for violating social distancing with “positive” people (with definitions so loose as to make any random person “positive”). And the law now has severe consequences for retaliation against “whistleblowers”, carefully ignoring the fact that they are incentivizing Karens all over, whether or not the accusations are real.

        No wonder they wouldn’t let real people in the state capitol when they were passing this crap.

    1. Horslips? I thought I was the last living American who’d recall that group!

      Though they were no Steeleye Span they were still quite good.
      ~

      1. I think that’s the only Horslips album we have. We moved to Ireland in ’76 when I was in high school, and I didn’t get back stateside til ’84, after I’d finished my first stint at uni.

        I do love Steeleye Span, and Maddy Prior has a great christmas album she did with the Carneval Band, A Tapestry of Carols.

        1. I have four Steeleye Span CDs, and they’ve been played in a few trips recently. I have the thumb drives set up so that as one album finishes, the next in alphabetical order shows up. Not sure why, but “The Elf Knight” has been an ear worm lately.

        3. I have four of their albums and have been playing them a lot in rotation on the drive to town and back. “The Elf Knight” has turned into an ear worm for me.

          1. I love their albums “Time” and “Sails of Silver” … whole bunch of earworms there! And I always see “The Prickly Bush” as a Bullwinkle-style cartoon.

            1. I confess to having seen them open for Procol Harum (for my money Steeleye completely blew the Harum away) when they were touring in promotion of their first American album, Below the Salt, but my favorite albums of theirs were the three British releases* ere they were brought across the briney.

              *In sequence:
              Hark! The Village Wait
              Please to See the King
              Ten Man Mop, or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again
              ~

              1. What the heck, double-checking those three brought this one back to mind:

                “Oh, where are you going,” says the false knight on the road
                “I’m going to me school,” says the wee boy and still he stood
                “What is on your back,” says the false knight on the road
                “Me bundles and me books,” says the wee boy and still he stood
                ~

              2. The first song of that last album is seasonally appropriate:

                And all the rest are damned good. Skewball was a fond memory, and Marrowbones always sets my feet a’tappin’
                ~

              3. Let’s see. I have two of the UK releases (Pleas to See the King and All Around My Hat) and two of the US (Tempted and Tried and Time). Looks like I have re-releases of the UK records; the release dates on the CDs are in the late 1980s.

                According to Wiki, there are three box sets, with overlap on what I have. Must check them out.

  24. I blew the wad last month traveling: time, money, stress, running multi-state curfews…

    I don’t have anything left for December and have gone full hobbit. But for those of you going pedal to the medal this month: Cheers and God speed!

  25. I would say my home is on Minbar, but they’d throw me out for teaching that there’s no need for three rigid castes in society and you can be whatever you want……

    1. Oh, that house that my cousin sold back in October? It went for 87 thousand; it needed new wiring as it was two wired (no ground wire) and a bunch more besides (according to someone who works for the auctioneer). A large farmer/land owner bought it. It’ll probably be flipped is my guess.

  29. And it wouldn’t be Sarah’s without Kipling.

    https://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/kipling/eddies_service.html

    Eddi’s Service
    (A.D. 687)

    Eddi, priest of St. Wilfrid
    In his chapel at Manhood End,
    Ordered a midnight service
    For such as cared to attend.

    But the Saxons were keeping Christmas,
    And the night was stormy as well.
    Nobody came to service,
    Though Eddi rang the bell.

    “‘Wicked weather for walking,”
    Said Eddi of Manhood End.
    “But I must go on with the service
    For such as care to attend.”

    The altar-lamps were lighted, —
    An old marsh-donkey came,
    Bold as a guest invited,
    And stared at the guttering flame.

    The storm beat on at the windows,
    The water splashed on the floor,
    And a wet, yoke-weary bullock
    Pushed in through the open door.

    “How do I know what is greatest,
    How do I know what is least?
    That is My Father’s business,”
    Said Eddi, Wilfrid’s priest.

    “But — three are gathered together —
    Listen to me and attend.
    I bring good news, my brethren!”
    Said Eddi of Manhood End.

    And he told the Ox of a Manger
    And a Stall in Bethlehem,
    And he spoke to the Ass of a Rider,
    That rode to Jerusalem.

    They steamed and dripped in the chancel,
    They listened and never stirred,
    While, just as though they were Bishops,
    Eddi preached them The Word,

    Till the gale blew off on the marshes
    And the windows showed the day,
    And the Ox and the Ass together
    Wheeled and clattered away.

    And when the Saxons mocked him,
    Said Eddi of Manhood End,
    “I dare not shut His chapel
    On such as care to attend.”

    1. I see your Kipling and raise you Chesterton: “Christmas Truce” (first verse)

      Passionate peace is in the sky—
      And in the snow in silver sealed
      The beasts are perfect in the field,
      And men seem men so suddenly—
      (But take ten swords and ten times ten
      And blow the bugle in praising men;
      For we are for all men under the sun;
      And they are against us every one;
      And misers haggle and madmen clutch,
      And there is peril in praising much,
      And we have the terrible tongues uncurled
      That praise the world to the sons of the world.)

      https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/truce-christmas One of the best readings of this was done by . . . Orson Welles in one of his Christmas radio programs.

      1. And I will (with request for forgiveness if I have erred) returned to the most what I think the most beautiful Christmas poetry written over 1900 years ago by John the disciple:

        In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

        That (and 9 more verses John 1:1-14) end the traditional set of 9 readings in a service of lessons and carols, one of the Church of England’s best additions to the Christian liturgy. Tonight for those of us that believe it is time to remember who’s birth we celebrate and remember He is on our side and that He shall not be defeated…Indeed He is already the victor.

    2. Meanwhile my church, even in this port of call, won’t let us attend unless we put our name AND ADDRESS online in a website. And they limit those who can attend.
      So, I’m going through a churchless Christmas.
      Our ancestors paid for attending church with their lives, but the priests didn’t close the churches.
      The Catholics in Tudor England were put to death in horrible ways for attending secret mass, but the priests — who would suffer even worse — came and celebrated, even just one and then killed.
      “Oh, but you can watch our streaming mass.” Because it’s exactly the same to sit in my living room, and watch on the same computer I watch mysteries. And the presence is totes there.
      May G-d have mercy on their woulds, for they know exactly what they’re doing.

      2. Bummer about the address, because otherwise it would be a great opportunity to do like restaurant goers up in MN did. “Jaques Cuze, part of two,” “Michael Easter, party of four,” and of course my favorite, “Tamsin Donner, party of nine.” Suitable delay, “Donner, party of eight . . .”

        In all seriousness, the church authorities are going to have to do a lot of explaining at some point in the future, be it here or There.

        1. Back in Fall, when they were taking names at the entry, I made Heinlein laugh wherever he is, since Mr. and Mrs. Manuel Garcia O’Kelly attended church. (And gave Polis’ number, because, well….)

  30. Safe holiday travels, Sarah. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all the Huns!

  32. Safe travels! We are not traveling this year if only because family on the receiving end was more nervous about us being there than we were about any of it. Sigh. So, we are here, having a quiet few days. Friends are coming over for Boxing Day dinner as their travel plans were nuked as well.

  34. PS No family Christmas or travelling for me because my parents are in Canada behind a closed border and my brother is in California. So today’s plan is to pop back down to the grocery store and buy the eggnog that I forgot to get yesterday.

    In a mask because all the businesses are enforcing the governor’s illegal edict so that he doesn’t have to.

    1. “In a mask because all the businesses are enforcing the governor’s illegal edict so that he doesn’t have to.”

      And because they’re “private businesses” so don’t even bother with the 1st Amendment. Classic Fascism.

      1. That’s how it’s working in the Soviet Of Western Washington. Local stores are full marxist/fascist. Don’t even think about wandering past the threshold without your slave diaper firmly in place.

        1. A lot of stores are doing it out of fear, because those who don’t are having their licenses to do business stripped without any due process whatsoever. The Democrats clearly are emptying the jails of violent criminals so they can fill them with political prisoners.

          1. At some point, people are going to realize that those pieces of paper have a secondary function of bait. At which point, I predict they’ll run out of minions willing to enforce it.

            1. Sadly there are always minions/collaborators who are willing to enforce the will of tyrants/fascists. In this case, there is an extremely wealth Nazi collaborator financing the tyranny.

          2. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

            Most business owners don’t have the temperament to weather a fine over a million bucks like the co-owners of the Atilis Gym in NJ. So I get it. That’s what makes the blatant disobedience harder. Necessary, very shortly, but harder.

    2. Here it’s the County Commission with the mask mandate, not the State – but the county can make it hard on businesses so most businesses (including all the grocery stores) enforce it. The Governor has prevented people from being fined for not wearing a mask so outdoor mask wearing is uncommon (except in parking lots) but that order didn’t extend to businesses.

  35. I can’t help but appreciate the sheer supervillain-level stuff here:

    Back in the last election everybody was chanting “Lock Her Up!”

    So they were all like: “How bout we lock all YOU up instead?”

    “Well they can’t lock ALL of us up!”

    But by golly they did.

    2. Yes, although I haven’t check on her lately, I’m fairly sure Dar falls under “don’t give money to people who hate you”, but these songs embedded in my life too strongly 20 odd years ago to let them go even if I buy no new albums.

  37. That reminds me, somehow, of Conrad’s Christmas Guest:
    GRANDPA JONES
    The Christmas Guest Lyrics

    It happened one day near December’s end
    Two neighbors called on an old time friend
    And they found his shop so meager and mean
    Made gay with a thousand bows of green
    And Conrad was sittin’ with face ashined
    When he suddenly stopped as he stiched a twine
    And he said “Oh friends at dawn today
    When the cock was crowin’ the night away
    The Lord appeared in a dream to me
    And said ‘I’m comin’ your guest to be.’
    So I’ve been busy with feet astir
    And strewin’ my shop with branches of fir
    The table is spread and the kettle is shined
    And over the rafters the holly is twined
    And Now I’ll wait for my Lord to appear
    And listen closely so I will hear His step
    As He nears my humble place
    And I’ll open the door and look on His face”
    So his friends went home and left Conrad alone
    For this was the happiest day he’d known
    For long since his family had passed away
    And Conrad had spent many a sad Christmas day
    But he knew with the Lord as his Christmas guest
    This Christmas would be the dearest and best
    So he listened with only joy in his heart
    And with every sound he would rise with a start
    And look for the Lord to be at his door
    Like the vision he’d had a few hours before
    So he ran to the window after hearin’ a sound
    But all he could see on the snow-covered ground
    Was a shabby begger who’s shoes were torn
    And all of his clothes were ragged and worn
    But Conrad was touched and he went to the door
    And he said “your feet must be frozen and
    sore
    I have some shoes in my shop for you
    And a coat that’ll keep you warmer too”
    So with grateful heart, the man went away
    But Conrad noticed the time of day
    And he wondered what made the Lord so late
    And how much longer he’d have to wait
    When he heard a knock he ran to the door
    But it was only a stranger once more A bent ol’ lady with a shawl of black
    With a bundle of kindlin’ piled on her back
    She asked for only a place to rest
    But that was reserved for Conrad’s great guest
    But her voice seemed to plead “Don’t send me away
    Let me rest for awhile on Christmas day”
    So Conrad brewed her a steamin’ cup
    And told her to sit at the table and sup
    But after she left he was filled with dismay
    For he saw that the hours were slippin’ away
    And the Lord hadn’t come as He said He would
    And Conrad felt sure he’d misunderstood
    When out of the stillness he heard a cry
    “Please help me, and tell me where am I!”
    So again he opened his friendly door
    And stood disappointed as twice before
    It was only a child who’d wandered away
    And was lost from her family on Christmas day
    Again, Conrad’s heart was heavy and sad
    But he knew he should make the little girl glad
    So he called her in and he wiped her tears
    And quieted all her childish fears
    Then he led her back to her home once more
    But as he entered his own darkened door
    He knew that the Lord was not comin’ today
    For the hours of Christmas had passed away
    So he went to his room and he knelt down to pray
    And he said “Dear Lord, why did You delay?
    What kept You from comin’ to call on me?
    For I wanted so much Your Face to see”
    When soft in the silence, a voice he heard
    “Lift up your head, for I kept my word
    Three times my shadow crossed your floor
    And three times I came to your lonely door
    For I was the begger with bruised, cold feet
    And I was the woman you gave somethin’ to eat
    And I was the child on the homeless street.
    Three times I knocked and three times I came in
    And each time I found the warmth of a friend
    Of all the gifts love is the best
    And I was honored to be your Christmas guest.”

  40. A lot of people have a strong preference for action and a lack of patience. Those that get elected to office almost always pair those with a lack of humility.
    This leads to: (Pol) “This is crisis, we have to do something!” (Expert) “Well this might be something” (Pol) “Do it! Make sure everybody does it!”
    Yes, some of the pols are evil and controlling but I suspect most of the Karens just can’t fathom that not doing anything can possibly be better than doing something. You can’t list patiently waiting as an accomplishment so it doesn’t count.

  43. My favorite travelling music is the William Tell Overture (The LONE RANGER theme)! And a hearty, HI HO SILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR….AWAyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…

  44. Safe journeys to those who are traveling. A Merry Christmas to those who are already there (or did not need to leave; all of mine are coming to me, not the other way around).

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