Happy New Year (and Toad Hula)

Happy New Year! I do hope it's a good one! {SMILE}

I hope you had a Merry Christmas if you celebrate it. I also hope you are still having a good Christmas if you celebrate it until January 6th like my church does. {Smile}

I have a video to share, too, or a link to one, at least. I found my favorite hula. The video is old, so it's not the best quality. It's unusual, and very kid-friendly. It's also unique. I've never seen anything else like it. It's about a toad who finds true love.  I did say it was unique. This might be why it's my personal favorite, when I normally can't pick a favorite. {wink, Smile}

https://youtu.be/3IDTGuesHVI

or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IDTGuesHVI&feature=youtu.be


Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Holidays {Smile}

I probably should have said this sooner, but both Christmas and New Year's went well if quietly. The Christmas Tree never got as many ornaments as meant to add, and the mochi never got baked. I really need to find traditions that are closer to my own talents. Then again, you may have noticed that this year's story hasn't been sent yet, either... You'll get something when I get something done. Currently it's stalled. {rueful Smile}

However, the tree did have some ornaments. Dad fixed a nice dinner on Christmas Eve from steak, potatoes, and cake an aunt sent. (She's noticed that Dad complains that he can't find reliably tender steak in Hilo. In fact, we gave up on non-ground local beef after one batch was so tough, all three of us complained about how much exercise chewing was... {wryly amused smile}) Then there was a nice breakfast followed by present opening the next morning, followed by present reading for Mom and Me, since we both got a lot of books. {Smile, wink}

New Year's was surprisingly quiet this year. There weren't nearly as many fireworks as previously, not even the "novelty fireworks" you don't need a permit for. (You need a permit for every 5000 firecrackers in this county. They aren’t expensive compared to the fireworks budgets of the people who want them, but they're a nuisance to get. I guess that's one way of making people cut back. {lop-sided smile})

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Happy New Year

I hope you're having a good start to the New Year, whether you're shooting off fireworks, pounding mochi, watching a ball or something else drop, or whatever. We're doing well. I hoped to bake mochi (Japanese rice flour pastries) tonight, but I'll just have to do that tomorrow. No, baking it isn't traditional, but I'm not Japanese. {wink, Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Merry Christmas, etc.

 

Merry Christmas! I hope you had a good time, if you celebrate it, of course. {SMILE}

 

If you celebrated Yule a few days ago instead, I hope you had a good time then. {SMILE}

 

If you're still ramping up to the really big bash on New Year's Eve, I hope your preparations are going great, and you have a really good time next week. {SMILE}

 

And if you're doing what a few neighborhoods in my town do: started your party a little before Christmas and plan to keep going until after New Year's, I hope your party is going well, and continues to do so! {BIG SMILE, wink}

 

If you didn't do anything above, I hope you've still had some good days, and continue to do so. {SMILE}

 

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

 

Thanksgiving

I'd like to wish a happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrated it today. {Smile}

To those who don't, I hope you had a good day. {GRIN, wink}

If you're interested, for us it was just the four of us. Valentine only jumped up on the table once, and got back down when scolded, so he didn't have to be exiled. He had as much turkey as he could cadge off of us. Mom, Dad and I had turkey, stuffing, succotash, cranberry sauce, and blueberry pie.

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! {SMILE}

I do hope you've had good ones this year. {WARM SMILE}

We did. Dad and I would have liked to go to church, but they started too early. So we concentrated on fixing a nice dinner and relaxing instead. We had turkey, some of the fixings, and apple pie for dessert. We had to make a run this afternoon for the pie; Dad remembered dessert only last night. {Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Happy New Year!

I know I'm a little late, but I do hope your new year has started well, and continues to do so. {Smile}

So yes: Happy New Year! {BIG SMILE, REALLY BIG GRIN}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! {WARM SMILE}

I do hope you have a good one, for a nice, full twelve days, however much of that you may or may not actually celebrate. I'm sure you can use twelve good days in any case. {BIG SMILE}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Happy Thanksgiving! (etc.)

Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it today. {Smile}

If you celebrated it a month and a half ago because Canada does, I hope you had a good one then. {Smile}

If you skip it entirely because your country doesn't go in for it or something, I hope you've had a nice day. {SMILE, wink}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Happy Thanksgiving! {Smile}

I hope everyone who celebrates it has a Happy Thanksgiving. {SMILE}

And I hope everyone has a nice day. {BIG SMILE}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Easter {Smile}

Easter went well, if quietly. We didn't make it to church, because we just weren't feeling up to that and later too. However, we had Paella (particularly fancy Spanish fried rice) with a friend. Then Dad, the friend, and I watch Return of the King on TV. {Smile}

As I said, it was a quiet but nice Easter. {SMILE}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Happy Easter! {Smile}

Happy Easter to all who celebrate it. {SMILE} And to those who don't, have a nice day anyway. {Smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Easter food question

Does anyone have any suggestions for a nice Easter dinner? Ours will be a day late, since Dad expects to have more time to cook on Monday than either today or tomorrow. The problem is that we usually have an Easter ham, but with his congestive heart failure, Dad has to avoid salt. His condition is currently under control, but ham is now a flavoring added to eggs and fried rice in relatively small quantities. {resigned smile}

So we're looking into alternatives. Dad's decided that something bready would be nice and festive. I think he's settled on Chelsea buns with cinnamon added. {Smile}

However, it would be nice to pick out something special for the main course, too. Ham is out for the salt. Lamb is out because they only sell it by the leg around here, and Dad would rather not deal with that. Especially since he thinks "lamb" is a euphemism in that the lamb's lambs have probably had lambs before it reached market. {half-smile}

So... any suggestions? {hopeful smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

Happy Girls' Day!

Happy Girls' Day! That is what the third day of third month is by the Japanese calendar. {REALLY BIG GRIN}

My family is celebrating with mochi (rice flour cakes). That is traditional. However, it would be more traditional if we were celebrating with steamed pink, white and green mochi, instead of baked pineapple-coconut mochi. {lick lips} Not that I'm complaining. Traditions are nice, but Mom's latest mochi experiment is delicious! {REALLY BIG GRIN, HUMONGOUS GRIN}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin

May Day

I hope folks had a happy May Day. Dad and I celebrated it by wearing leis, since May Day is "lei day" in Hawai'i.

We were the only folks who did. Every one Dad talked to remembered to late. {half-smile}

Anne Elizabeth Baldwin