Boo

Happy New Year to each and everyone of you. May good fortune find you often in the new year.

I know how time zones work...for the most part. That being said, the Australian contingent here on the Train always seems to be posting from tomorrow today. They say they're from the land down under, but what if Jo and CB are actually time travelers.

Meathead! Long time, no see. Sonic always livens up the party when he comes around. He also causes the collective IQ to drop a few points when he comes around. It's a trade-off we're willing to accept. Don't be a stranger Meathead.

Trying to get my bearings about me. The week between Christmas and New Years always feels a bit discombobulated. As my grandfather used to say: "I'm not sure if I should scratch my watch or wind my ass." P.S. I really like the word "discombobulated." I'm not asking you to shoehorn it in to every conversation, just consider using it more frequently.

Sugar Britches' recipe is pretty uniform. The secret is to knowing just how much mustard and salt to go with the number of eggs being prepared. Many a good deviled egg has been ruined by people overdoing it on the mustard and salt. Sugar Britches knows the formula. It is strictly a matter of preference, but she also uses dill relish rather than sweet relish. I've had both and prefer dill relish. It's not a proper deviled egg until they have been sprinkled with paprika. Some folks get cute and try other toppings...but they always come back around to paprika.

Good job Intoxicated Yoda. Congratulations.

Congratulations Katgirl. He's a handsome little fella.

Always room for one more Doreen. We'll leave a light on for you. I have an uncle that tried to deep fry a turkey one Thanksgiving before giving it time to thaw out. Fortunately, everybody lived to tell about it and the property damage was minimal.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas folks.

Three traditional classics from Nat King Cole...

About time to fire up the smoker. I'm smoking a turkey tonight and a ham first thing in the morning. Finally decided on apple wood pellets for the turkey. Keeping it simple with the ham, maple wood pellets and a brown sugar glaze. Sugar Britches laughs at me for how much internal debate I have with myself over choosing the right wood flavors. Speaking of the better-half, she will be making deviled eggs tonight....that woman makes a damn good deviled egg. Merry Christmas folks.

55 degrees and sunny here. Temperatures are forecasted to reach 70 degrees on Christmas day. Nice weather, but any semblance of a white Christmas is going to require a trip to the hardware store.

Welcome aboard Sal. Good call on giving up the smokes. You get past the cravings by going through the cravings. There's no other way. Cravings are temporary. With the right commitment you can ride out any craving. Buckle up, knuckle down, and drive on.

The right reverend introduces us to psychobilly Santa...

I've come around on this song. In my younger days I vowed I would never listen to it again. It was part of a Christmas program at school that I didn't even volunteer for, I was drafted. The music teacher was wound tight and fond of the saying: "NO! We'll take it from the top!" In hindsight, that lady was in charge of the Christmas show and managing to get about fifty middle school kids on the same page...she had a lot on her. Anyways...back to the music.

This post has me speechless...and that rarely happens. I can't really take much credit here, I just post songs I like. However, I am glad that something I posted here brought you some joy. Music is the universal language. Best wishes to you and yours this Christmas Kris.

Christmas shout out to the guys I work with. Our company takes part in the Toys for Tots program every December. We had a record haul this year, filled up an entire box truck. All donations were greatly appreciated. Bear, one of our fabricators, reworked four old bicycles. Did some welding on a couple. Primed, sanded, and painted them. Chromed them out. Put new wheels and seats on them...four lucky kids in the Chattanooga area are getting a sweet bike for Christmas this year. The true spirit of Christmas isn't always found where you thought it would be.

Great job Kenzie. The weight gain comes and goes, but the freedom from cigarettes lasts forever.

Runfree, aka Daisy, aka Bigfoot...A cool chick by any name. Top-shelf quit.

Nice work Kris. Congratulations.

Welcome aboard Tony. Good call on giving up the smokes. You already have two weeks under your belt so you know how to quit. Just keep going. Quitting is simple. Challenging, but simple.