In difficult times, this calms my soul:

Traditional Version

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;*
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic** church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

HE IS RISEN.

So when you do, it’s important to tell them. My wrist was still sore and fairly immobile and entropy was taking its toll on the house. The cats were at risk of developing asthma from the dust. I needed a cleaning lady, but people either had one with a full schedule because they were good, or they didn’t know any.

I took a chance and hired a company I had never heard of from a sponsored ad on Google. Two Spanish sisters have combined their entrepreneurial skills and created a professional business that employs dozens of people. A friendly, hardworking crew of two showed up on time and made the house shine. Here is their website www.luxsmart.ca and another article about them.

It’s important to tell people when they do a good job and thank them. It feels like the ubiquitous screen time is taking away people’s ability to notice and speak. Remember to sincerely compliment and thank people – it makes them happy. I thanked the guy for his skill in putting my cast on. Notice your neighbours nice garden and tell them. If you like what somebody is wearing – tell them. Those stylish funky glasses – tell them they look amazing. Say thank you for that delicious meal, whether it is simple or creative. Society is supported by a lot of people doing things that we oftentimes take for granted. Like all of us, they appreciate being noticed. And if you have more money than you need, give them a tip too.

I would like to see the return of ‘You’re welcome’ instead of ‘No worries’, but I am filiopietistic.

Ah, the lowly potato. So delicious and so dangerous for diabetics.

Here are eight ways to put some excitement into boring old mashed:

• Roast a yellow pepper under the broiler, remove the skin, puree in a MiniPrep with 35% cream and mash away.
• Horseradish and sour cream or yogurt in mashed is nice with beef.
• Throw some carrots in with the potatoes and mash with yogurt.
• Grated Parmesan and fresh parsley is very nice with this Irish staple.
• Lobster meat, 35% cream, and a bit of horseradish if you’re feeling well-heeled.
• Slowly sauteed shallot with goat cheese, yogurt or cream and a little parmesan is quite delicious with the spud.
• Creme Fraiche and butter.
• And my favourite: Dice up a bundle of green onions and gently cook in a bit of oil or butter until lightly browned and wilted. Mash with buttermilk. It tastes like sour cream and onion potato chips.
• And when I say oil, never use Canola oil. It is an industrial oil from rapeseed that they sold to the sheeple as a healthfood. You can read about its sordid history here.

Another day, another list about how to have a good life. Take it or leave it.

• Move more. Eat less.
• Do your part. It’s your job.
• Make an effort. Don’t blame.
• Fuse creativity with what you love.
• Drink more water.
• One size does not fit all. Decide for yourself.
• Strive for balanced optimism, accountability, productivity and charm.
• Embrace Hygge – the Danish art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection.
• Find a few ways to reduce the chaos and simplify your life.
• Be a friend. Connect and commit.

Don’t even bother with a resolution. You won’t keep it.

Something I like better is the concept of OneWord365, where you pick a single word to embody how you want to be in the world in the new year.

My word last year was Unlock, and this year I have chosen Strengthen. And since I’m sitting here with a broken wrist, increasing deafness from Meniere’s Disease, and the flu, I need my health strengthened. And my mind, body, finances, relationships, faith, how I use my time, etc.

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM TFO!

This is the best litter box on the market. I have four of them (two at the cabin and two at home, so I always have a clean one ready for the next round of kitty litter). He only sells them online, not in stores.

Here is the link:

https://nvrmiss.com/

Just in case you still believe in the fairy tale about war being about spreading democracy:

https://thefreedomarticles.com/we-want-to-keep-the-oil-bigmouth-trump-on-syria/?owa_medium=feed&owa_sid=

• Choose grout in the colour of mould.
• Wear Fridge Mittens with stainless steel appliances, to eliminate fingerprints. Works for dishwashers and stoves too.
• Support the fledgling industry of Cat Clothing, by wearing clothes woven from cat fur. This will free up all the time and money spent on lint brushes.
• Install tile in 4 x 8 sheets, like drywall, thus eliminating the need for mould coloured grout.
• Take a tip from the Scandinavians, and fall in love with blonde wood. It makes dust invisible using the same magic of the cloaks that the elves gave to Frodo.
• Embrace your inner John Pawson and build floor to ceiling storage walls with slab doors in every room. That way, everything you own is hidden from view, making clean up a snap.

We thought it would be a good idea to put a Kitty Holster on one of our indoor cats and let him walk around on the lawn at the cabin.

Mistake.

The minute we brought him back inside, he laid on his side trying to rip the bottom off the screen door and howled for three hours. The Call of the Wild had seduced him.

I had to administer Cat Rescue Remedy drops into his cat mouth, which is the cat equivalent of the Men In Black neuralyzer in the face to wipe out his memory of being outside.

It worked. Added bonus – now he doesn’t believe in aliens either.