Today is Sunday, December 3 and there are only 22 days until Christmas.  I am still trying to find the small stuffed clams I need for Christmas Eve, but otherwise things are going smoothly.  Of course it’s early, but one can hope.  Today we remember the birthdays of Gilbert Stuart, John Backus and Katarina Witt.  On this day in 1557 the first Covenant of Scottish Protestants was formed, in 1775 the first official US flag raising took place, aboard the naval vessel Alfred, and in 1969 John Lennon was offered the role of Jesus Christ in “Jesus Christ Superstar.”  In Illinois it is Admission Day, world-wide it is Heart Transplant Day and in the US it is National Roof Over Your Head Day.

It is already December.  Tempus seems to be fugiting faster all the time.  December is the twelfth and final month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars.  It is the seventh and last month to have 31 days.  December got its name from the Latin word decem (meaning ten) because it was originally the tenth month of the year in the Roman calendar, which began in March. The winter days following December were not included as part of any month. Later, the months of January and February were created out of the monthless period and added to the beginning of the calendar, but December retained its name.

December’s birth flower is the Narcissus and the birthstones are turquoise, zircon and tanzanite.  December is National Egg Nog Month, National Fruitcake Month and National Pear Month.  Some other holidays during the month are National Cookie Day (12/4), National Pastry Day (12/9), National Have a Bagel Day (12/11), and National Ice Cream Day (12/13).  That should take care of your December trivia file.

As you may have read, I was away for Thanksgiving and did not have the chance to post last week.  Barbara and I travelled to South Carolina to spend the holiday with her family.  I had not met most of them and it was a great opportunity to do so.  We had dinner with her daughter and her family.  It was fun and I enjoyed spending time with them.  We then went to her brother’s house for desserts, where I met more family and friends.  They were a gracious group of folks and it was great to finally meet people I had heard so much about.

I do want to mention one thing about Thanksgiving dinner before I go on to other things.  Barbara and I took care of dinner.  Barbara ordered a dinner through one of the supermarkets down there and we picked it up the night before.  When we got there, they asked if we had ever done this before.  We said no so they opened the box to show us everything.  When the box was opened, my eyes were drawn to the turkey and I missed much of what was said about the rest of the meal.  I stared at that turkey and was quite concerned.

What they do is they cook the entire meal and then package it up, so all you have to do is heat it up when you need it.  The turkey is cooked and then wrapped to seal it.  They use a special wrap and suck all the air out to keep it fresh.  When they opened the box, all I saw was this brown, shriveled thing that looked like the original turkey’s grandmother.  Fortunately, once the wrapper was taken off, the turkey plumped up nicely and was quite good.

We drove down and I noticed a few things while we were travelling.  The first thing that became obvious to me was that my state does not have the concession on crazy drivers.  They are everywhere.  I will not bore you with a diatribe on drivers because you have heard it before.  Just substitute the different states between here and South Carolina.  Just know that the crazies are out there.  One thing I did notice was the license plate for Washington, DC.  The slogan on the bottom was “Taxation without representation.”  What I am wondering is are they bragging or simply pointing out something we already know.  When anyone asked about how long it took us to drive there, we would tell them, pointing out that we hit traffic backups in one particular state.  The reaction was always the same.  “I know.  It’s always like that there.  I hate driving through that state.”  Unfortunately, we have to go through there to get where we were going.

The other thing I wanted to mention is the behavior of men in public restrooms.  I have noticed this a number of times, but have not talked about it before.  I went into one rest area and went into the men’s room.  There was a line of urinals there and many were occupied.  I didn’t want to stare too long and risk getting arrested or propositioned, but I did make the observation that there are a number of poses that men use when in there.  Some stand there, looking down while they go.  Others look at the wall in front of them.  I do that.  I don’t really know what I am looking for.  I guess I hope to find something good to read.

Some guys lean forward with one arm against the wall like they are being frisked or are too tired to stand.  A couple showoffs stand there with their hands on their hips.  I am never sure if they are actually going or just trying to make the other guys jealous.  I have even seen a few who look around furtively.  I have never figured out what they are hoping to see.  I always wonder if they are afraid someone will sneak up behind them for some nefarious purpose.  I just want to get in, get done, get out and get going.  I usually look for a place to get coffee, if it is going to be a long ride.  Barbara thinks it’s crazy to stop to use the restroom, then buy coffee so that I will need to stop again.  What can I say?

This week our fact tells us that watching an hour-long soap opera burns more calories than watching a three-hour baseball game.  This just proves what I have always said about baseball games – they are boring.  The questions that I am sure everyone has are how did they prove this, why did they study it in the first place and what benefit is there to having this information?

Start wrapping those presents and getting your cards out.  Don’t forget to eat some cookies tomorrow.