Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Christmas, Here We Come!

      The tree's up, with lights. (No decorations, but it's still beautiful.) Cookies and other goodies in progress. Movies watched. Presents need wrapping.

      Welcome, the last week of Christmas. But I still have work to finish up. 

P.S. To the very nice man who not only waited to hold the door for me at Taco Bell, but announced he did it because I was "pretty and had a beautiful smile" -- you made my day, fella. I've been smiling about it ever since. 

A review of Diors' $3500 Advent calendar -- and it ain't pretty. 

Homesteading tasks checklist for the winter. 

Rosemary -- for free!  (Start your own seedlings, thanks to Anya the Garden Fairy.)

Historical artifacts we're still not sure about. A number of little-mentioned pieces covered here, including a Viking era penny discovered in Maine.

Incredibly ridiculous scammers, courtesy of Bored Panda. (Hey guys, keep it up and you can graduate to Quora!)

Twentysomethings are honestly surprised when their social media posts keep them from being offered jobs.  Really???

Homemade pools -- with a twist.

What would have happened to the U.S. if Nazi Germany had won WWII? Some ideas, based on Hitler's actual words.  (Shades of The Man in the High Castle.)

Making 'apple' pie... out of green pumpkin?  Laura Ingalls Wilder's mom did it... (From One Hundred Dollars A Month)

Oberlin College FINALLY gives up, and pays $25 (or $36) million to the bakery they tried so hard to destroy. Go here for background -- from the family that ran the bakery.

Our revered Transportation Secretary may be yelling at us about minimizing our 'carbon imprint' on the climate. But he's continuing his use of private jets -- at least 18 flights since taking office.

(The score for John Kerry -- 48 trips.)   

The comedian who spent ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS on a quinceanera -- for his chihuahua.

John Jones and the Nutty Putty cave. A very sad story.

'White Christmas' movie facts. One of the movies we watched last week -- and one of my favorites, remembered from kidhood.

Levis pulled from a shipwreck sell for $114,000 at auction. (Granted, they're early 19th century, from the S.S. Central America. Early Brooks Brothers undershirts sold for $1,000 each.)

'Have you ever found anything valuable hidden inside an antique you purchased?' Another intriguing Quora question, along with:

'Even if you're broke, what's the one thing you can always afford?'

A suspect in the Lockerbie plane bombing is finally arrested. After 34 years.

Have a great week. Enjoy!