Run Fox Run

We’re gonna score tonight

With apologies to Adrian Zmed, we tried to score at the old bowling alley today. Even though we had to use the bumpers. Leda and her good friend Lucas (along with associated siblings and parents) hit the bowling alley this morning just after 9am.

You’d figure that no one would be bowling at 9am on a Sat. Leagues can’t possibly get up that early. You’d be wrong as we and approx. 120 other people filled 30 lanes at the local bowling alley. Both Leda and Lucas were able to roll their balls down to the end and knock a few pins down. I don’t think they were too clear on the rules of the game, but their scores would have bested many a giggly teenage girl. We also went out for Dim Sum afterwards; Daddy does love his tripe and chicken feet. Thanks to Lucas and his family for a fun morning out at the lanes.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without the cookies

Like bacon and eggs, booze and babes, and nap time and happy days, late December is inextricably linked with the making of the “Christmas” butter cookies. And as anyone knows who has made butter cookies, they really live up to their name. I think there is about a teaspoon of butter in each cookie. These cookies are fun to make with Leda because there is machinery (mixer) and decorating involved. Leda is wowed by the mixer and also enjoys licking dough. But she really shines when we get to the decorating part. Any when I say shine, I mean she knows how to decorate a mean cookie. She exercises little restraint in color or flavor combination and chooses to drown the cookies in her decorating world without moderation. Still, I have to admit her cookies do taste the best.   And besides, I’m only good with the cookie press anyway.  

The Real Meaning of Chrismukkah

I guess I never figured us as an “interfaith” family. I’ve always celebrated Christmas and had a few year where we lit the candles. Jenn was a big proponent of celebrating Chanukkah and I happily went along for the ride. Without kids, we would play dreidel for a while until someone held a commanding gelt lead and we’d call it a night. Prayers were half-heartedly said, but the candles sure did look nice.Now, once with the kids and the not going so much to temple, celebrating holidays becomes more nuanced. Luckily (or rather tragically), Hallmark and other associated holiday industrial complex companies have supplied up with a wide range of holiday mascots (Santa, Easter Bunny, Turkeys & Pilgrims, Skeletons and Pumpkins, Hearts, Punxatawny Phil, etc.) Judah Maccabee just doesn’t hold the buying power that those other folks have engendered. So you’re left to fend for yourselves to figure out how to fill your house with Chanukkah cheer. And, like many Jewish traditions, Chanukkah comes without ribbons, it comes without tags. It comes without packages, boxes, or bags. It downright makes my puzzler sore. So this year, we sang songs, lit the menorah (both the traditional and Leda’s play one), played our dreidel, ate our latkes and donuts, received gelt and some presents. We glossed over the prayers but we talked about what made us happy. Every night, we would ask Leda to tell us what made her happy and to be thankful for that. I guess that’s our version of the opiate. We’ve fully incorporated a pop-culture neologism.  Save rambling rant above, we did have a wonderful december with many presents (books for Chanukkah and toys for Christmas). Photos are up in albums. Here we’ve chosen to show both holidays and the fun we had. Note the Chrismukkah tree.

Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens

Speaking of holiday traditions, we’ve gone two in a row! That is to say this is the second year we’ve gone to the New York Botanical Gardens (in the Bronx) to see their annual train show. The focus isn’t really on the trains, but rather all the New York Landmark buildings created from plant material that the trains wind around. It’s like a really mini Pasadena Rose parade, but without the million or so spectators. It’s housed inside the conservatory with some very beautiful tropical plants surrounding. In addition, Leda and Cleo got to “learn” about ginger bread, make a holiday smelly sache, and jump around the holiday festooned flora. 

Cleo in the Gingerbread house

Leda with the botanical version of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Soon to be replaced Yankee Stadium

What we missed

Today is one of those winter days you almost forget about when you spend too long in perpetually temperate California. Four inches of snow followed by a few hours of sleet, resulting in slushy, slick roads and a thick coating of ice on everything. The dogwood in the backyard was especially picturesque.