What's Missing? (Or Isn't)

 Antti Strang's Finnish Nature Photograph of the Year. See what the dragonfly didn't?

More scary water-related photographs here. (Thanks, Bored Panda.)

Weird "strange things I saw while on the ocean" stories, too.

Let This Lift You Up

One of the most encouraging songs I've heard this season -- 

Building 429's Hope Is Here (Do Not Fear)

This year has had a lot of uncertainty. We've had serious doubts, too, about where our country is heading. This song reminds us:

"I need to be reminded

In the darkness of these days...

Our God is not so far away."

God is here. And He cares.

More than anything, we all need that hope right now. 

Meow!!

" Adopted a stray cat. The neighbor's cat got her pregnant. This is what landed on the front porch:"

More 'funny neighbor' stories here, thanks to Bored Panda.

Ella and Marilyn

 

More interesting 'coincidences' here, thanks to Ranker.

Monday Stuff on the Way to Other Stuff: Meet the Mountains

     Here are the Blancas, one of the mountain ranges we see regularly. The Sangre de Cristos are other major contributors to our visual beauty. This is our view from the back deck -- and yes, those trees are on our property. 

     These are our regular companions -- unless it's cloudy. Then they have a surprising tendency to 'disappear,' even when it's reasonably clear over the house. They also get a lot more snow than we do.

     Will this change, as the winter moves on? Our neighbors say yes...and no. Every year seems to be different, according to them. 

     We'll find out. Meanwhile, we trudged out and found a 'small' Christmas tree -- which turned out to be 8 feet high AFTER the Brick trimmed her! The wood rack only  contains a few logs, and the temperature's dropping...so refilling it will be the first chore Monday morning. 

Our buddies, fresh from a night of snow.

(No, that is not a UFO hovering on top.)

Meanwhile:

Norman Lear died, aged 101. A huge influence on our ideas of modern comedy: funny, but a little wistful, too.

What would you do if, on his deathbed, your dad confessed to being a nationally-wanted bank robber?

Thirteen million dollars donated -- by a frugal guy from Indianapolis who just specified "charity" in his will.

How did you act, if/when someone proposed to you? This girl's response is funny -- and heartwarming. What a sweetheart.

People who look or act like they belong -- but don't.   (Thanks, Bored Panda.)  Plus:

Smartypants comments to use on phone scammers.

One hundred free Christmas images. (Thanks, Graphics Fairy!)

A veteran journalist who's covered Israel and Hamas for years -- comments on what she's seeing now.

(Hamas is currently threatening to execute all their hostages, if Israel doesn't cave to their demands. Yep, Hamas -- what a kind, thoughtful group.)

Tim vs Harvey.  (They need to work on their Japanese and Irish accents, though.)

A 'serial wedding crasher' sentenced to prison! (Theft came into play, too...)

Where is Josephine's tiara? It and her necklace disappeared in the late Forties, more than a century after Napoleon's coronation.

An end-of-the-year financial checklist...good to read through, at least.  (From the White Coat Investor)

A 'miracle menorah' -- found after losing it during the Holocaust.

A mountain lion and a bobcat, among other animals, visit Mesa Verde.

Why burglar alarms don't always work -- advice from a former burglar. 

"The world's oldest whisky," 24 bottles of it, sells at auction for nearly 400,000 pounds. Yow.

Thirteen Nazi leaders who were never caught -- or only found near the end of their lives.

Absolutely amazing mummified animals. Lions and mammoths and moas...oh my.  In fact, Ranker's Weird History section has a general "whoa" list that's fascinating. 

Two years and 7.5 billion dollars spent -- and not ONE electric vehicle charging station has been finished and working. (The Biden administration reassures us that 'several' will be up in 2024. We'll see.)

Did you know that McDonald's serves ADULT happy meals? 

A '90 second cinnamon roll.'  Supposedly this helps you lose weight. Hmmm...

"Thriving at rock-bottom." A series from yours truly, revisited.

Odd red carpet moments. 

What's it like to work at the South Pole?  I've always wanted to try this -- but haven't been able to talk the Brick into applying for it. 

Quirky restaurant reviews.

Ten stories of lottery winners in 2022.

What the founder of Bailey's Sasquatch Outpost thinks about the latest Colorado bigfoot experience (sighted from the Durango railroad),

Really tasty meals that take less than an hour to prepare.  I got several good ideas from these. (Thanks, Quora!)

Have a good week.

Things I Don't Understand: Christmas Revisited

 It's time for another stimulating edition of "Things I Don't Understand." And there are a lot of them, Gentle Readers. Especially at Christmastime. So pack up your wild family stories, Christmas comics -- have a sit and see if you agree. 

Merry Christmas, indeed.

What do ducks want for Christmas? Voila...

And if you have a leg to decorate, rather than a sweater...

"Okay, you take that string, and I'll take this one..."

Why do a tree, when you can decorate your animals, instead?

Or yourself...

A quick cuteness break -- 

I'm not quite sure what's going on here -- but it's supposed to be Christmas-related.

Perhaps going to Grandma's house??

This is just plain weird. 

Got a statue? Got a hat? You know what to do...

Um -- muchas grassias?

And finally:

And to all a good night.

Everybody Needs A Cowboy (Or Two) In Their Inbox Now and Then...

 Actually, these brothers aren't. (Cowboys, that is.) But they do dance wonderfully.

See if you don't mentally boogie along with them.