RenoVous

I was inspired by the idea of a "Chemistree."   And as we head into the New Year's weekend, fireworks are on the agenda. Here's the short and sweet of it. Once again, I'll be off on Monday, so this will be an open thread! Have a wonderful waltz into 2024! (Because 123123, get it!?)

  Hubby got me a bird bath for Christmas, but instead of water for now, we put some peanuts in the basin. To lure the Scrub Jays. I'm really going to enjoy this. All About Birds

  No, not here.  This is Auntie's home in Palmer, AK, where we stayed a few days. July. Today is part of the Festival of Winter Walks, encouraging people to get out and enjoy the beauty of the chill.  Started by the Ramblers Association (UK), they work to keep the countryside open for walkers and all to enjoy. Locally, there's a favorite called Chickadee Ridge along the Tahoe Rim Trail.  Popular in winter because it's fairly easy, and the birds come to your hands! Source This one's definitely on our list.

 Yes, we were watching some Futurama over the weekend, and caught this episode, where Kwanzaa Bot sighs over the fact that no one really gets it.  The holiday begins today, so let's look into it.  Created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest festivals, it was first celebrated in 1966.  The name derives from the Swahili phrase, "matunda ya kwanza," meaning "first fruits."  The goal was to give black people an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history. The Seven Principles, or Nguzo Saba: Unity (Umoja) Self-Determination (Kujichagulia) Collective Work and Responsibility (Ujima) Cooperative Economics (Ujamaa) Purpose (Nia) Creativity (Kuumba) Faith (Imani) - To believe with all our hearts in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. Kwanzaa lasts for seven days, and one of the symbols is a candle holder, called a Kinara.  The candles are called Mishumaa Saba - one black, three

  It is sooo foggy this morning. Since I'll be off on Monday, I thought we'd touch on some science but mostly leave this for an open thread. The water vapor in fog comes from nearby sources, such as a large body of water or a moist ground.  Fog forms when water evaporates from a surface and is added to the air.  As the water vapor rises, it bonds with aerosols called condensation nuclei, (such as dust particles), to form water droplets, which then condense. Fog usually develops when humidity is near 100% and when the air temperature and dew point temperature are less than 4 degrees apart.  At this point, the air is saturated and cannot hold any more water vapor. From AccuWeather: In any case, it does make for a white Christmas! Happy Holidays everyone, enjoy your weekend!!

  In the beginning of the month I mentioned a short story by George Saunders. The Tenth of December I did start it, and with today's designation, I intend to complete it. It's also worth noting that today is the shortest day of the year - the Winter Solstice. A quick search of "winter short stories" returned a couple options: Arthur Conan Doyle, "The Adventure of Beryl Coronet" Yasunari Kawabata, "Snow Country" Hans Christian Anderson, "Barf Ki Rani" Anton Chekhov, "The Lady with the Dog" Ernest Hemingway, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" Tobias Wolff, "Hunters in the Snow" This one was a read-along back on the channels, so maybe you read it with me or otherwise. O. Henry, "The Gift of the Magi"

 Card games, board games, video games, et al! But I actually wanted to focus on some internet games that I tend to play daily with my sister and friends. First up,  Connections Puzzle #192 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 Lyricle  was a bit of a jerk this morning. #Lyricle #605 🟥🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛ Bandle  is being specifically Christmas right now. Bandle #490 1/6 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ Framed  is more hit and miss, I'm better with music than movies. Never even heard of this one. Framed #649 🎥 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 🟥 For  PopCultured , it's usually the song that helps me pinpoint. #PopCultured #580.04166666667 🟨🟩🌟🌟🌟🌟 🔽🔨🌟🌟🌟🌟 And of course, there's always  Google  Games.

  Partly a celebration of finding a Christmas tree, and partly to appreciate the forests around us. Above is Tahoe National Forest, from Yuba Pass. The Douglas Fir is most popular for Christmas, but this year at Rockefeller Center they chose a Norway Spruce.  White Pine is considered most traditional.  Balsam Fir is said to be the most fragrant. Also in the spirit of Christmas, holly is an evergreen, and previously associated with Saturnalia. More from the Sierra Nevadas: Sequoia Evergreens have played an important role in many societies throughout the ages, selected for "their seemingly eternal nature even in a season of death." I've long loved that contrast of cold and white, life and green.

  Carey Mulligan Sydney Sweeney Shailene Woodley Emma Stone Leah Jeffries Justin Chien Sherri Shepherd Blitz Bazawule Jenna Ortega Jessica Chastain

  The speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second. The Slo Mo Guys have a You Tube channel where they've filmed various actions in slow motion, such as firing bullets and getting a tattoo. But they also captured the speed of light, using specialized equipment from CalTech. "We've filmed at some very high frame rates.  We're talking up to about half a million... Their camera puts ours to shame and does ten trillion frames per second." Postdoctoral scholar, Peng Weng, assured them they'd be able to see light moving the length of a bottle. More recently, they posted about how the Nintendo Zapper worked. I can still hear the dog laughing at me.

  I get a little bothered when people refer to a chimpanzee as a monkey, but the main difference between monkeys and apes is that apes don't have tails. So above we have a Silvery Woolly monkey in the Yasuni National Park.  Photographed by Tim Laman, his mission was to witness the 10 species that live there. White-Fronted Capuchin Squirrel Monkey Red Howler Monkey Pygmy Marmoset Spider Monkey Golden-mantled Tamarin Dusky Titi Monkeys Night Monkeys Equatorial Saki I've never heard of this one!  And apparently, not much is known about them.  They live in Peru and Ecuador, but their range is unknown.

  Today, Google Doodle wants us to know about photographer and filmmaker, Agnes Varda. Above is "Heart Potato" from 1953. Her black and white photography was the subject of an exhibition in Arles, France this year.  She had moved to Paris in the late 40's to study photography, and her daughter says "the seeds of her groundbreaking cinema lie in her earliest still images." "Reflections on the Quay," 1950. "Nude," 1954. "Nus dans les ruines," 1954. In China, 1957. "Enfant," 1957. Her first film, La Pointe Court  was released in 1955 and is considered a forerunner of the French New Wave. Varda became the first woman to win the Honorary Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. She passed away in 2019 at age 90.

  These days you can find many pre-fab options to piece together and decorate. According to French legend, gingerbread was brought to Europe in 992 AD by the Armenian monk, and later saint, Gregory of Nicopolis.  Figurines date back to the 15th century, and baking human-shaped biscuits was done in the 16th century. The tradition of making houses started in Germany in the early 1800's, possibly inspired by the story of Hansel and Gretel. And now, we go all out.  The 31st Annual National Gingerbread Competition recently took place, and here are the winners: Grand Prize Adult 2nd Place Teen 1st Place Teen 3rd Place Youth 1st Place Youth 3rd Place Child 1st Place Omni Grove Park Make your own dough and prepare your own pieces! Here