Yes, looked like this chocolate but in ufo shape [image: 1766232447410-screenshot_20251220-120532_duckduckgo.jpg]

Thanks for your interesting post, Joe. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to retain these skills but so far so good. Gymnastics actually does work the same way. You aren't thinking about your movements when you're executing them. You set your mind to what you're about to do it and then at a point your brain switches from conscious thought to a kind of intuitive memory sequencing. In any case, my last actual tumbling run was when I was 36. I'm lucky I didn't break my neck.

@AdagioM said in Introducing your new National Parks annual pass!: Does it cover so much that the card is no longer identifiable as what it needs to be? From the article: A California sticker manufacturer and former park ranger has offered to take on printing duties if McCarty becomes overwhelmed, she said, and others have reached out with various offers of support. As of this week, however, she has not heard from the NPS or any other governmental agency about her artistic civil disobedience. She added that if park rangers won’t accept the sticker-covered pass, people can simply apply the stickers to a clear credit card holder. Here's her web page. https://www.thesageleafstudio.com/products/national-parks-pass-stickers

@bernard Ha! On Yahoo, the same Oregon Live article, no paywall.. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/25-favorite-christmas-cookie-recipes-210041370.html

I agree that the FICA cap should be raised. Means testing for benefits? Hard pass.

@ShiroKuro And $369!! To ruin one's hands. I hope whoever buys it knows it's not a good idea.

@wtg Nice looking pans!

Gandalf's response to Frodo's anguish about what he had to do with the ring ... "I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo ... "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Red foxes here in Staten Island recently. Wild turkeys have been here for years.

Yes. It is a karmic joke. No doubt.

I loved Hanukkah as a child. The presents I found were the traditional ones (draidals, chocolate money, etc.) and ones based on a theme (paper, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, etc.). It's clear to me looking back on it now that they were chosen by my favorite aunt who was assigned the role at birth as the standard bearer of the faith. Also, did you know the menorah was the ancient symbol of Judaism? The "star of David" as we know it wasn't at all unique to Judaism. It became its most recognizable symbol much more recently. I loved lighting the candles for Hanukkah and on the anniversaries of the deaths of the ancestors. I still think it's a beautiful tradition.

Lol!

@steve-miller Decided to do crumpets another time, maybe next week. This week's experiment....sourdough bagels! Not very pretty but tasty as all get-out. The great thing is that you are encouraged to eat them when they are warm, unlike many breads that require cooling so as not to get gummy. [image: 20251218-091746.jpg] Recipe: https://littlespoonfarm.com/sourdough-bagels-recipe/ I skipped feeding the starter and just used some pretty active starter that was in the refrigerator to make the dough. Seems to have worked fine. It rose nicely overnight and I made the bagels this morning. NB: The author says "if your bagels stick". There is no "if". They stick. They were hard to peel off the parchment to put in the boiling water, and that's why they look a bit lumpy. I would do two things differently next time around. First, I would use a Silpat instead of parchment. Second, I would put a small amount of oil on the Silpat to prevent sticking. edit: Three things. I would use the method from this next recipe to form the bagels. Cut the dough, form balls, let rise, then finish forming the bagel (make a hole in the center), boil, and bake. I think it would be easier to make a nice looking bagel. https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2021/06/easy-homemade-sourdough-bagels/ And....who knew? There's a bagel subreddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Bagels/comments/1d2ctaz/gonna_need_to_give_this_up_unless_i_can_find_a/

@Steve-Miller said in The ‘Gary Bears’ has a nice ring to it: Don’t let them fool you. Football stadiums operate at a huge loss and don’t generate much revenue No kidding. Which is why I've been against the Bears moving here since they bought Arlington Park. But our Village Board has bought the story hook, line, and sinker. I just want them to go anywhere else, preferably to another state.