An ebullient blog entry

COMFORT DOGS + PIZZA HUT COMES THROUGH + GUILTLESS CHRISTMAS-GOODY EATING

Christmas Cheer

From Parade Magazine (11/26):  "Lutheran Church Charities, based in Illinois, sends trained K-9 Comfort Dogs wherever they're most needed. The dogs recently brought comfort & compassion to victims' families, first responders & the community after Hurricane Harvey & after the Las Vegas & Sutherland Springs, TX, shootings."  COMMENT:  Our friends from Concordia Seward brought a comfort dog to help our faculty & staff "process" our first student suicide at LHNE. It was a blessing to us.

From USA Today (12/6):  "Pizza Hut Begins Testing Delivery of Wine, Beer. Pizza Hut on TUE started testing beer delivery in Phoenix & plans to add wine in JAN. The pizza chain hopes to expand alcohol delivery to other markets next year." COMMENT:  This can only be good news for my daughter Sarah, who is a therapist specializing in alcohol & other addictions.

From Omaha World Herald (12/7):  "It's OK to fudge [Mmmm. Fudge.] on diet choices for the holidays. Every year around holiday time, there's an influx of articles about how to stick to your healthy eating goals & resist temptation. That advice is practical, but it focuses too much on what not to do . . . Here are 9 things to tell yourself this year so that you can enjoy family, friends & food. [MY comments follow where relevant.]

1. "I deserve to enjoy holiday meals w/o guilt. I STOPPED FEELING GUILTY ABOUT HOLIDAY MEALS IN 1977.
2. "What I eat every day matters most.  
3. "I have the power to control my portions. HA HA HA HA!
4. "I have the right to say 'no thank you' when I'm full.
5. "It's normal if I overindulge during the holidays. WHY SHOULD I TREAT HOLIDAYS ANY DIFFERENT THAN ORDINARY DAYS?
6. "I will eat when I'm hungry, not when I'm feeling emotional.  WHAT IF I'M FEELING EMOTIONAL ALL THE TIME?
7. "I don't need to 'healthify' my beloved holiday recipe. DOES THAT MEAN I DON'T HAVE TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT ADDING SPUMANTE TO ORANGE JUICE FOR HOLIDAY MIMOSAS?
8. "I promise not to comment on the size, shape or weight of my friends & relatives.  MY MOM NEVER HESITATED TO COMMENT ON MY SIZE, SHAPE, & WEIGHT. I KNOW . . . THIS WAS TOTALLY OUT OF CHARACTER FOR MY MOM.
9. "I will enjoy quality time w/people I love." * ESPECIALLY WHILE WE WAIT FOR PIZZA HUT TO DELIVER OUR BEER & PIZZA.

* NOTE:  This list is definitive, because it comes from registered dietitian Cara Rosenbloom, president of Words to Eat By, a nutrition communications company.

OWH (12/9):  "Dreaming of a white poinsettia? In the weeks leading up to Christmas, one plant seems to come out of the woodwork to redefine the whole festive landscape. The red & green poinsettia is as timeless as Bing Crosby crooning 'White Christmas,' though the appearance of more than 30 million plants is anything but automatic. Since the spring, skilled but nervous growers across the land have been raising one of their most economically important & finicky, crops . . . As recently as 20 years ago or so, poinsettias were seen as the plant you hoped would not break apart or drop most of its leaves before Santa arrived. But over the past 2-3 years, consumers have seen a conspicuous shift in the look of the poinsettias. The classic ebullient [Ebullient: "Overflowing w/fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited." dictionary.com I need to incorporate this word into my ebullient vocabulary.] poinsettias still predominate, especially the reds, but you may notice some curiously different plants . . . The range of varieties is still limited--more are in the works--but already they are available in both soft & vivid pinks, the latter w/neon glow. They're so hot, they're cool. Another significant color shift is in a white variety named Princettia Pure White. It is a clear bone white, unlike the creamy whites of other poinsettias. It is a tint that poinsettia breeders have been chasing for decades . . . "  COMMENT:  

• I forgot to order a Christmas poinsettia this year, so our holiday feels impoverished. 
• We would order a poinsettia in Hawaii, & we could plant it outside after we brought it home from church. 
• Contrary to popular belief, dogs won't die from eating poinsettia leaves. Darn it.
• It's a well-known, well, somewhat well-known, well, actually a little known fact that the wise men brought poinsettias--RED poinsettias--as gifts for Jesus, along w/their gold, frankincense & myrrh.

Conversations w/Grand-Kids

Lois:  "Papa will play Sorry with us tonight, but there will be no whining if the game's not going your way."  Hadley: "I took it easy on you last night, because you're old."

Dept. of Shameless Anecdote Stealing

From Reader's Digest (Oct '17):  "Our 2-year-old, Tess, was sitting quietly in church one Sunday when she became mesmerized by a balding man seated in front of her. Her curiosity got the better of her, & she shouted for all to hear, 'Why is that man's head coming out of his hair?'"