There's No Place Like Home For the Holidays

Seasons Greetings to all.

When My Mr. Cham asked what our Christmas theme would be this year, I honestly did not know what to say, because I had not thought about it. I was so glad to be back in our own home, that I had completely forgotten to make any plans for the holidays. Now, it was certainly not the first time that I have had to make or break, or change plans on short notice, due to My Mr. Cham's former (YAY!) occupation, and he says that I actually work better that way. Well, I do not know about that, but I thanked him just the same.

I turned to our video library, and my cookbooks, for inspiration and six days before Christmas Eve, I decided on a Southern theme. 

As you know, I was born in Louisiana, on a sugar cane plantation. We also raise our own Thoroughbreds. A few years after my father's untimely death, we decided to sell most of the land, keeping the smaller of the two homes, the stables and the acreage around them. It made me very sad to do so, considering that it had been in my father's family since the 18th century, but the new owners of the land have continued to grow sugar cane and the house is still standing, so that is something.

Until recently, my mother divided her time between the farm and her house in Florida and Mr. Cham and I with our home in New York. I grew up there and spent many wonderful Southern Christmases, but the last was 
the year that my father died. 

We did not have plans to go there for the holidays this year, but being prevented from doing so by the travel lockdown, only makes me miss it more. I have not seen any of the horses for eleven months, although our longtime farm manager and our trainer have been wonderful about keeping us supplied with pictures, video and updates via telephone and email. It is not the same.  I miss spending time with them at the farm and at the racetrack. They may be just machines to some, but to us and to many others involved in racing, they are our pets, our friends and our family. No different from dogs and cats. Our last homebred was foaled in March and after much deliberation, we have decided not to breed anymore. Sadly, with the lockdown of so many racetracks and the closing of others, it appears that racing in the U.S. may be in the final furlong. I hope not, but we have to be realistic. 

We never sell our runners when they leave the track, they are sent back to our farm, and I need to think ahead about how many can be provided for with a lifetime home and care. I only have available barn space for two more and Mr. Cham and I have discussed sending his saddle horse there when we go to Japan. He has not had any equine companionship since we moved him here from his boarding stable last year (the owner's sold to developers) and our housesitters have told us that they plan to stay in Canada even if the ban is lifted eventually). At the farm he would have a lot of friends and the best care and our dog is related to our farm manager's three dogs, so we think that he would be happier and less lonely there too. We have also discussed taking a few of the horses to Japan with us, as the house is in a rural area, but we want to go over and get the lay of the land beforehand. 

So we had a simple Christmas this year. A simple meal, snuggling by the fire watching a few of our favorite Christmas themed pictures, and feeding homemade treats to our pets and the nearby animals. Presents were simple and homemade too, mostly edible.

We began with Lily's delicious cinnamon rolls with coffee and hot chocolate.

Dinner was fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and sweet corn.

Apple cranberry compote

And for dessert 

Lily made little cherry pies

And I made a big batch of Mr.Cham's favorite chocolate chip cookies.

And I sent boxes of peanut brittle and chocolate walnut and peanut butter fudge to my mother and Miss Belle. Hopefully we will all be together next year.

I expressly forbade Mr. Cham from giving me any presents this year, as the gift of my childhood dream will take care of every holiday for the next ten or twenty years! He just chuckled, as he does, and after breakfast I found several packages under the tree. That man.

Our movie choices were 

Little Women (1949)

The Little Colonel (1935)

Friendly Persuasion (1956)

I chose family pictures with happy endings and music. 

We did not stick to our theme very religiously, but we had a nice Christmas and that is all that we could hope for. We hope that you had the same.🌷

 

🕎✡️ OY YAY !!! ✡️🕎

A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness.

-Jewish proverb

 Hey Kids,

Well, Hanukkah is over for another year. Tess and I decided since we couldn't be with our families, that we'd spend 8 days and 8 nights enjoying the peace and quiet. So we turned off the laptops and phones and spent time cooking and baking together and watching the snow and the fireplace.

Then we got bored 😄. So, we agreed to only use the DVD player and the TV. 

It's tradition 😉 in our home to watch two movies every Hanukkah.

And FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.

Throughout the years, I added a few things to the list including :

RUGRATS "CHANUKAH"

SOUTH PARK'S "JEWBILEE" (Tess loves Ike😀).

And FAMILY GUY'S "WHEN YOU WISH UPON A WEINSTEIN".

They're all light hearted and funny and inoffensive (well, Peter Griffin is offensive, but the writers have a good sense of humor in this episode) so I'm not going to complain.

What I do want to complain about, is the serious lack of Hanukkah tv episodes, movies and new songs. I hear all the time how the entertainment industry is "run by the Jews". Really? Well, you could've fooled me. I grew up with all of the Christmas movies, tv episodes, Christmas specials, Christmas carols and not a single thing for Jewish kids at Hanukkah time. If it weren't for the annual party at my grandparents and the party at our Temple, there would've been nothing, and I grew up in New York, the second largest Jewish community in the world !!!

I feel bad for Jewish kids growing up without any Hanukkah entertainment. There are Jewish writers, songwriters, producers, directors, and musicians and none of them are doing anything about it. I think that's sad. All the biblical Cecil B. DeMille movies and not one about the Maccabees!

I'm grateful to Rugrats, South Park, Family Guy, and the Simpsons, but I still think there should be more to look forward to the way kids look forward to Rudolph and Santa Claus.

My Tess, as you know, grew up in Louisiana, and unless you saw "Driving Miss Daisy", you might not know there is a Jewish community there (I didn't 😅). Tess went to Temple (as well as church) and was raised both Jewish and Catholic, but she leans to her Jewish side. She went to several Hanukkah parties each year given by relatives and friends and after we became engaged, I was invited too ! They were warm and fun and the food was great !!! Sadly, they had to be cancelled this year, or that's where we would've been for sure. But this year it was just the three of us. 

Tess has been feeling much better since we came home🙏.

On the 1st night, she made a delicious " Japanese" brisket.

And the traditional sufganiyot but with mango custard filling😋.

And yesterday, for the last night, she made her amazing matzo ball soup with mushrooms, this gorgeous roast chicken with eggplant, rice and carrots (we eat a lot of 🍚) and a scrumdillyitious carrot cake

And for dessert.....mango (there was apparently a sale on mango or something) and pineapple and this yummy carrot cake in honor of JEWBILEE and Kenny 😢.

Present time 🎁!!!

I know there's a joke that even though Jewish kids get 8 presents, that it's stuff like socks and.........

I was getting dressed to deliver a Hanukkah "meals on wheels" to our neighbors (the couple from the National Egg Day post). They've both been sick
(not Covid) and Tess feels guilty for neglecting them while we were in Florida. 
Ok, it's true. Tess has never given me a pair of socks, but my Mom still does. Thanks, Mom😒.

Tess gives great presents. She listens to my wants and needs all year long and then she fulfills my every desire. I'm spoiled rotten 😁.

Tess's Hanukkah hairstyle. 😘

And what did I give to Tess?

I told her that this would be our last Hanukkah together in this house. 

Tess: 😢Have I worn out my welcome?

Me: No, but the house will be ready in February.

Tess: Which house?

Me: Ours, so start packing !!! Here, look ! Fishies !!! 🐟🐟🐟

Tess: 😲 😭 🥴.

Me: Uh oh, I think she fainted 😯😮😆

Tess' Japanese teacher told her about the Akiya (abandoned traditional houses) in Japan and we've been researching it ever since our trip was cancelled. We found a house that both of us really liked, but it needed work because it's 83 years old. The same age as my Dad !😏 Tess thought we shouldn't get in over our heads, but it wasn't as bad as we thought. I knew she was very disappointed. I decided to buy it without telling her and the real estate company arranged for the contractor,etc.  They even found someone to do the garden including the koi pond ! They emailed the pictures a couple of days ago and it's beautiful😯 !  I thought I could wait until Christmas to tell Tess, but she's had a bad year (a few bad years, thanks to me 😔 and.....) and I really want and need to make it up to her. 

Of course, we have no idea when we'll be able to see it in person, but it's something to look forward to, and who doesn't need that, especially right now ?

Take care, Kids. 😉

P.S. If anyone can tell me how to get back our original theme template back, I'd be thrilled. Thanks.

😀🦃GOBBLE GOBBLE 😀🦃

Hey Kids!

We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving.

Obviously, none of us was able to have the big get-together with family and friends this year. My Tess and I included. We had a quiet day. Tess surprised me by cooking (I was getting ready to plunder the frozen food section at WALMART again, when she stopped me😌). I did put the boxes of clothes she sent to the church that she donates to (in Baton Rouge) on the porch for the UPS guy though, so I earned my dinner 😁. 

In the morning, we took a walk, enjoying the fall leaves and fed our neighbors. The ducks 🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆🦆, wild birds🐦🦉🐧 and squirrels 🐿️🐿️. 

Dinner, was stick to your ribs southern comfort chicken/turkey  casserole. 😋 There was also a salad 🥗 and baked 🍠sweet potatoes, but unfortunately, the dog🐕 ate mine😏. Bad doggie 😂.

Dessert, was yummy in my tummy coconut cream 🥧 pie.

Tess and Lily are sorting out the winter clothes and bedding because it's getting cold🌬️ 🌡️!🥶 But, I am looking forward to Tess' soups🍲 oven meals🍛, and baking🍪 baking 🍰baking 🧁😋, which always increases at this time of year. 

I think the ducks are getting ready to leave for their winter home. That is, if they aren't too fat to fly 😀!!! 

Looking forward to Hanukkah 🕎(beginning sundown on Dec 10), but not as much now. We had planned to have my parents visit us for two weeks then and Miss Belle for Christmas, but that was before...😔

Still, we're glad to be home and thankful to be together and that our families are safe and well. What more can you ask for? 

ANOTHER PIECE OF PIE !!! 😉🥧

Take care, kids. 

🍌🍌🍌🐘 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TAI !!! 🐘🍌🍌🍌

 

Hey Kids !!!

My Tess was watching elephant 🐘 videos the other day and we both wondered what Tai was up to these days, so we Googled 😃!!!

You may remember Tai from her appearances in 

Jungle Book

Water For Elephants

 Larger Than Life

George of the Jungle

Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Operation Dumbo Drop

TAI 🐘 is 52 years old today !!! 🎂🎁🍌🍌🍌 (but doesn't look a day over 30) and is living at the HILL COUNTRY ANIMAL PRESERVE in STONEWALL, TEXAS an elephant  owned by her trainers GARY and CARRI JOHNSON. 

TAI lives there with four other precious pachyderms and they are all available for a monthly "adoption" donation that supplies them with feed, supplements and their favorite treats. You can also visit them, which not all sanctuaries allow, (which seems kind of odd).

So, if you've always wanted a pet elephant, one of these ladies could be "yours" for practically peanuts🥜🥜🥜. Get it ? Peanuts ? Because elephants like peanuts🥜🥜🥜???😉

Here's the link to their website

https://www.elephantpreserve.org/adopt-an-elephant.html

🎃🕯️🌜Happy Allhallowtide 🕯️🌛🎃

Lulu, from CreamHeroes on YouTube.

As you may remember, I grew up in Louisiana. As the daughter of a German-Irish Jewish mother and a French Creole Catholic father, my upbringing was a combination of both cultures and religions. My parents respected each other's beliefs and my sister and I were raised to do the same.

Traditions, including holidays, were observed in various ways. For example, Hanukkah and Christmas were equally important in our home as were Easter and Passover. They could have easily clashed, but before they exchanged their wedding vows, my parents vowed to keep their own religions and cultures alive for future generations. They had seen too many other couples marry and have children and discard their own heritage in favor of their spouses, and they and their children suffer because of it. They also wanted their parents to be honored.

I think it instilled a much more open minded view of other cultures and spiritual beliefs in me, and that is always a good thing.

As a child, we celebrated Halloween and the two following days, All Saints Day and All Souls' Day. On All Saint's Day, we visited the cemetery and tidied the graves, put out wreaths and bouquets of flowers and favorite sweets and lit candles.

On Halloween, my parents hosted a masquerade party for business associates, friends and family. I remember the ladies and gentlemen in their beautiful costumes waltzing in the candlelit ballroom. It was like a dream. For years, before I was finally old enough to attend, I watched from the top of the stairs with my nanny, Miss Belle. When the refreshments were served, she would go downstairs and bring up a tray for us to share with dainty cakes and finger sandwiches and ice cream. When we moved to California, my parents were invited to many parties. I went with them occasionally, but it was not the same. Something was missing.

I was never allowed to go trick or treating, so the concept was new to me, when I came to work for My Mr. Cham. Now, he loves Halloween and I love him, so I like to help him to enjoy it. He decorates, buys the treats to bestow on our costumed visitors, chooses our costumes, and makes dinner. I usually assist him at the door and provide the dessert for our post-festivities dinner. He also chooses our entertainment for the evening.

This year, our dinner was Panda Express Orange Chicken, fried rice and egg rolls. 

Dessert was little sweet potato pies with whipped cream. My Mr. Cham is partial to an extra sprinkling of nutmeg.

 I also made a tray of brownies with walnuts, candy corn and pumpkins. 

We did not have any trick or treaters this year, so after dinner we watched the YouTube playlist that my dearest had prepared. All of our favorite animal channels had Halloween videos this year, including Claire Luvcat https://youtu.be/iA8gyRbIR6s

TT, that hat becomes you so!

We also enjoyed this offering from Mugumogo https://youtu.be/E7lhfs3TIFg

Oh Maru, is there a container you have not tried?

And we recently began watching Reachfortheskylar, the first channel I have seen that uses American Sign Language. Terrific! Reachfortheskylar Channel

Our movie was The Most Dangerous Game with Joel McCrea and Fay Wray. https://youtu.be/_DXLTw22HOQ

Old movies are still the best. I have not set foot in a movie theater in over a decade and I do not miss it. Anything worth seeing, will be available on dvd eventually and I am a patient person. Good things come to those who wait. My Mr. Cham is proof of that.

Happy Halloween.

Tess🌷

WHERE AM I ???

         Tess: 🤭Home !

           Me: What day is it ??????

Tess: Thursday.

Me: 😦What happened to Wednesday ???

Tess: 😞 You slept through it.... and Thunderbirds day.

Me: 😃 You're kidding !!!

Tess:  No. 😢

Me: 😬.

My Tess says I was sleeping so deeply that she almost called a doctor. She's said that about 5 times

since we came home. What can I say ? I missed my own bed🛏️. 😁

Hey Kids, 

How's everybody doing ???

We came back to New York two weeks ago. Our housesitters, a French Canadian couple who have been with me since before Tess arrived in 2009, kept the house, the dog and my horse safe and sound for about 6 months 😌, so we've sent them off to Montreal for a little R&R on the two of us 🧳✈️.

The dog,

 who didn't seem to know if we'd been gone for 6 months or  6 minutes😆, greeted us warmly🥰. 

My horse 

gave me a "Do I know you 😒?" glance and went on chewing his alfalfa. "Someone" was apparently expecting a present.🎁🍎🍌🍪🍬💵. Message received😏.

Tess missed the pool🏝️🏊 and the ducks, Homer and Marge.

I missed my car 🚗 and my  favorite coffee cup☕  and we both missed the house 🏰 and Tess' "onsen" 🛀🏻🧖. 

We decided not to buy the house we looked at in Florida 🌴because when I asked Tess what she wanted for her birthday in July, she finally admitted that what she really wanted, was to go home 🤗. DONE !!!  My parents were a little disappointed, but they understood and we've promised to visit them more often and we'll have them here as soon as possible. Mrs. D was a lot harder to convince 😬, but I can be pretty persuasive when I need to be 💐💝💎😉. So, long story short (😆), we hopped the train 🚝 and came home. It's cooler here and we're in for some rain 🌧️ this week. Oh well, it'll be good for the crops 🤨🌾.

I've officially retired, although a couple of clients aren't sure where they're going to go yet, so I'll be helping with the change over the next month or so. A colleague sent me a link that listed PR as one of the top ten most stressful occupations. Thanks a lot, late Uncle Myron ☹️. As a kid, I thought of becoming a doctor 👨🏻‍⚕️, like my dad. As a teen, I wanted to write the Great American novel📚. During college, I worked summers for my aforementioned maternal uncle at his PR firm. It was exciting and I met a lot of famous, interesting people. (This isn't a kiss and tell, so I'm not going to name any🤐. ) After graduation, I traveled around Europe🏰🏔️🗼🧳 for a year and then came back and joined the firm. Seven years later, when my uncle died suddenly, I inherited the firm and it became my life. I married, became a father twice👦🏻👧🏻, travelled ✈️ too much , worked too many hours💼📱, eventually got divorced🎉, and traded the city 🏙️for the country 🌄 (at least on weekends).

The industry used to be great, but it's seen too many changes. The real stars are long gone, the glamour has faded and moviegoers want more and more of the same violence, profanity, superheroes and stupidity. 

Tess and I were raised on the Golden Age of Hollywood🎬 🎩🎥by our parents and grandparents. Back when screenwriters typed something other than slang and four letter words, actors and actresses were talented, good looking and likeable, movie studios were all actual studios with sound stages and backlots instead of independent production companies. A few remain, but it isn't the same.

The studio system wasn't necessarily a bad thing because it kept some people in line. Serious actors didn't kibosh their own careers by ignoring their more experienced handlers to choose schlock over substance.

 I was taught by my uncle to take care of my clients, to look after them, to protect them. It's a good practice, but it only works when your clients keep up their side. Creative people are......how can I put this nicely....🤔? Complicated. And when they're also stubborn , foolish, and self-destructive, you spend a lot of time hitting your head against a brick 🧱 wall. Then, you try to mend fences, run interference, do damage control and if you're really desperate to save them from themselves, you force your fiancée (😢) to help you cover for them and you both wind up in Hell 😬🔥!!! 

Oh well, all's well that ends well and I'm done with all of that, thank goodness ! A couple more years of that and I would've ended up like my Uncle Myron.🚬💣⚰️

Tess is still making pages for the movie blog and seems to be enjoying it. I'm hoping that when the holidays get closer, she'll come back over here and pretty the place up. Now that we're back home, I'm trying to decide what I'm going to do next, so made a list 📋.

 1 Sleep late 🛌🏻, have breakfast🥞🍳🥯🥣.....or brunch 😃, lunch 🍔🌭🥪🍟🍕and dinner 🍜🍗🍛🥩🍣🍝🍛🍧🍨🍦🥧🍰🧁🍪🍷☕.

2 Go swimming🏊. 

3 Clean the garage🧹😩. 

4 Walk the dog🐕. 

5 Wash my car🧽🚗. 

6 Hug and kiss My Tess a few dozen more times a day😘🥰🤗.

7 Soak in the onsen🛀🏻. 

8 Start chopping firewood for the upcoming cozy Autumn evenings🌋.

9 Dust off the gym equipment and start using it.😆🤞

10 Count my blessings. (I'm moving this one to Number 1). 😉