AuntieB

Auntie B actually wants to know where they found illuminated and animated Mormon carolers.
Do find out for me dear, my neighbor down the street needs some.

As for sending him an e-card Auntie B will only sanction it if you find a way for it to occur blurry on his screen, a slight wobble to it would also be nice.

Dragon

Ahh, of course, the ever-present Christmas Dolphin. Nothing quite says Christmas like decorated marine mammals on the front lawn does it
How wonderful to have such a nice holiday tradition to do with your son. We would go to our local Griswald house but the really impressive one is in Rocky Mountain House which is about an hour away and we simply never seem to find the time.
Hope you acclimate nicely to day shift, and that it's not too crazy over the holidays. Does it seem to get busier at Christmas time? It seems like here at the vet clinic we slow way down on the routine stuff (like vaccines) and pick right up on the emergency stuff (like the dog eating an entire box of chocolates or falling off the sled and get run over by the following sled)

Baldur

Isn't it amazing when a new member joins Thinkdraw, and on the very first day creates a lot of drawings and jumps right into the Forum?
And not just one little comment either, a LOT of comments!
My magic amulet is spinning.

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Robin, regarding your question of should you send an e-card to your brother, I would highly reccommend it (I'm not pretending to be Aunty B but I am aunty to dozens of people so maybe she won't mind my jumping in here).

Going back about 10 years, one of my brothers was an alcoholic (amongst other things). He blamed his troubles on everyone else and would phone me in the small hours of the morning, whining about everything and anything. I used to sympathise with him and try to point him in the direction of places he could get help. My advice was always shunned and I lost count of the times he slammed the phone down. He would then call back a couple of hours later, when sleep was once again almost a possibility, to apologise ... and then he would start the whole conversation over again, telling me how all of us were responsible for his mess of a life.

One night (well, early morning) I'd finally had enough of his self-pity. I was really harsh and said something like "At what age will you become responsible for your own actions?" His response was "So much for family!" and, as usual, slammed the phone down ... but this time he didn't call back.

He is now a healthy, normal human being who knows that if he returns to alcohol etc, it will kill him. There's no whining and no hint of being a victim. He has never discussed those conversations and I don't want to rake them up, but I do believe that sympathy and tolerence are not helpful in such circumstances. I like to think that the short, sharp shock that I gave him might have contributed in a small way to his recovery.

An e-mail from you to your brother may or may not give him a little self-worth ... either way, it can do no harm.

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(recommend)

belladonnis

Thank you marg.

Ok Ive got a question for Auntie B! Do you think you could convince Baldur to open a Bakery, Confectionary?!?

belladonnis

I just saw your train, steamroller, bomb and voodoo pics! LLLLOOOLLLL!!!!!
Bravo!!!!

marius

marius did have a great yoga session and as often happens, it gave the most delicious and restorative cure for the, um, er ... morning's ailments! Ahhhhh!

Belladonnis, if Baldur would host a garden party and invite all us hooligans we'd get his baked goods for free AND he wouldn't have to open a bakery. But, then there is the cost of travel. (And, tee hee, the cost of therapy Baldur might need after we've all left ... but Auntie B could help with that.) Oh... and thanks for the idea about veggie comfort foods. But, what is fried corn???

Robin, so glad you got your computer fixed! As for your comment on Emotional Intelligence, it made me LMAO big time because as I have read that book, several times. Maybe it's finally sinking! Also loved your description of the Grizwalds extravaganza!!!

Login, I'm so happy for your brother, and all his friends and family. There is no doubt in this mind that you DID have an impact on your brother reaching his present state of wellness. What a wonderful story! Thanks!

Baldur, oh thank you, thank you, for the vegetarian ideas and book recommendations! And, the Turkish Chickpea Saute sounds divine! Can one buy that Zahtar spice you mentioned or do we need to buy the ingredients and make the spice ourselves? (Yes, I could look this up on google, but seem to recall you mentioned buying sumac powder and so have the idea you make the spice yourself.)

Robindcr8l

Login, I went ahead and sent that card even before reading your post, but for the same reason you suggested... it could do no harm. My brother fortunately doesn't call me in the middle of the night, but he does go on and on and on about what a messed up childhood we had. My view of our childhood is quite the opposite, so I just can't sympathize with that, but regardless, he is now 47 years old. Whatever he went through as a kid has made him who he is now. Celebrate that, for goodness sake! But he can't. His cup has always been half-empty.

belladonnis, I agree with your BRAVO for the Baldur's recent artwork. The man is a genious! (or is it genius...I am just not sure today.) Also, bella, sorry for your recent traumas in life. Sounds like you are experiencing what my good friend refers to as a sh**storm. They pass eventually, but you start to wonder when. Your poor mom...pelvic fractures are painful. Wishing her a speedy recovery.

I forgot to mention my little excitement yesterday. I was about to take a shower and pulled the shower curtain back to turn the water on. At that moment a MOUSE fell off the top of the shower curtain and missed my head by a fraction of an inch! Did you hear me?? I said a MOUSE! I screamed and ran and slammed the bathroom door closed behind me. I then put my cat in the bathroom, but never found that stinkin' mouse. Later last night, though, the other cat found him, and I believe he had already eaten some of the decon I put out for him, so his demise was a quick one! I assume I'll have nightmares for weeks.

Robindcr8l

Oh, and don't worry, Dragon. I put the decon in the walk-in closet with the door closed, so cats can't get it. And they didn't eat the little rat, just toyed with him until he undoubtedly internally bled to death from the decon. When my big cat discovered the fun toy the little cat had found, he claimed it as his own and laid next to it growling like a pit-bull if anyone approached within 10 feet. Kind of humorous!

marius

Meant to say, belladonnis, I join in with the others here who are wishing you, your mother and your friends well through these difficult times.

Robin, gald you sent your card to your brother. We have several in my family like that and they are all drinkers too. Sigh.

And, I had the exact same mouse thing happen to me. It was running along the top of the shower curtain bar. But, alas, no cats in those days!
Congrats on your new shift too!

Baldur

I actually bought the Zahtar from a place called Penzey's Spices.

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html

A great company. Baldur understands they have a store in Boston, and I could conceivably take the train up some day and go visit.

Dragon

I always wonder about the people who blame their rotten childhood for all their problems when they have siblings who seem to do well in their own lives. It seems to me that you can't say it was all your parents fault when you all grew up in the same terrible environment and only one of you ends up screwed up. But I guess if they were looking at themselves instead of elsewhere that would be the first step in getting better.
My sister (also an addict and alcoholic) always had excuses why someone else was to blame for her failures. The driving tester hated her so she failed to get her license. Her co-workers talked behind her back to the boss so she lost her job. Once she actually told us her boss tried to pick my sisters nose and when she said no she got fired.

Baldur

This was an amazing baking day, especially since it involved a brand new recipe for me.
The recipe was for Butterscotch Pecan Bars with Brown Sugar Meringue.
It came from a relatively modern cookbook that in itself is a collection of older recipes reworked for today's kitchens.
These may be the best cookies Baldur has ever eaten
(and Baldur has eaten many a cookie).
As soon as I had sliced the cookies, and placed each one in a paper cupcake liner and arranged them in absolutely perfect rows on a tray I dashed out to buy more pecans.
Then upon returning home made 2 more batches of the same cookie.
Heavens.
Even Robert kept eating these.
This evening I made up another batch of 'Chocolate Crinkles' dough,
as it needs to refrigerate overnight. Even so it was still quite sticky when Baldur made his first batch a few days ago.

Baldur

I also made a large pan of Lemon Oatmeal Shortbread Squares.
These have always been a favourite of mine, but this year they pale in comparison to their traymates.

Baldur

Dragon, I am fairly certain that one should never allow anyone else to pick their nose for them.

Robindcr8l

he semi-visual of my mouse trauma...

http://www.thinkdraw.com/picture.php?pictureId=75201

Baldur

Butterscotch Pecan Bars with Brown Sugar Meringue

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheit
Place 2 cups of pecans in a shallow pan and toast them for 7 minutes.
Coat a nonstick 9" by 13" by 2" nonstick baking pan with vegetable
oil spray.
In the bowl of your food processor combine:
1+1/2 cups flour
1+1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar.
Process briefly, add
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into bits
process until it forms lumps the size of small peas. Add
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract.
Process for just a couple seconds longer.
Transfer the mixture into the prepared pan and tamp it down gently into a nice flat even layer.
Scatter the toasted pecans over this layer and gently press them into the surface.
In your mixer place
2 egg whites
beat then until they start to form peaks. Add
1 cup brown sugar
Beat for exactly 4 minutes.
Spread the goop over the top of the pecans
Bake for 25 minutes until a tester inserted into the bars comes out clean.
Allow the bars to cool completely before you try to slice them
(yeah right).
The meringue will appear brittle and crack when cut, but it will adhere itself back together with a little p[ressure from your fingertips.

Dragon

Baldur, I'm fairly certain that if anyone was trying to put something up my sisters nose in the back room it was, in fact, my sister (and it very likely was not a finger but rather something of the powdery, mind altering variety).

I'm also absolutly drooling over just the name Butterscotch Pecan Bars with Brown Sugar Meringue. There is nothing in that description that is not incredibly eatable. Butterscotch -- good, Pecans -- good, Meringue -- good, brown sugar -- gooooood!

Robin, LMOA at your mouse pic!

Baldur

p[ressure -[ =pressure