Thursday Thoughts - the room was togged out gorgeous with mistletoe and shawls

1. When I was little (for sure too little for caffeine) and it got cold, my Mom Mom would give me tea with two spoons of sugar, thaw some frozen fresh strawberries gotten at Styer Orchards that summer (back when strawberries were not regularly like frankenberries) and set out a little sugar for dipping and say we were having a little taste of summer. I will never move away from the foods of my childhood.

2. Hell is in Southern California. The fires are absolutely devastating. I know we are all tight this month. If you have anything to spare here’s how to help victims of the Southern California wildfires.

3. MFD was in DC Tuesday protesting this fucking Tax Scam (he was arrested in the same group as two of the women who organized the Women's March, Linda Sarsour and Bob Bland - I was fangirling via text, hello not appropriate). We are of the John Lewis school when it comes to civil disobedience. Seeing comments on facebook leads me to believe that people think being arrested on a charge for civil disobedience means you languish in a Washington DC jail cell for days until someone springs you and you have to go to court and be branded a thug criminal/drain on society for life. That's not how it works - Capitol police process you in and out. Just in case you need to know. With the way we're going, it seems like more of the electorate is going to have to put their bodies on the line before this is all said and done. Know the process and your rights. Do not resist arrest. Do continue to resist authoritarianism and bullshit from the government.

4. To do list for the next few days if you are of my political persuasion although I believe the tax bill and net neutrality should be making citizens on both sides of the line raise holy hell but I have actually seen people defend tax cuts to billionaires on their own backs...you can’t make this shit up, it’s a fucking crazy world right now: call your House reps about the tax scam - as this opEd states, it's not quite a done deal. Call everyone about passing a Clean Dream Act and saving net neutrality (we have until December 14). Email Time to thank them for making the silence breakers the People of the Year. Even if you do zero of the above, repeat out loud once a day every day that this shit is not normal. None of it is normal.

5. Mark and Sarah came to hang with the dogs Tuesday and I worked from home Wednesday since MFD had to go to the shore to do his part in closing up the house. The water gets turned off tomorrow. I'm not well. Anyhoo for a time it was just me and my dog squad and they made the most of it: Gus and Mae got baths on Wednesday which prompted Gus to rage shit on the floor. Bruce destroyed the window lights, two more picture frames, and continued work on his destruction of the tree. I also washed certain pieces of the couch twice. Just a regular day. Bruce's destruction of three of the five frames on the bottom of the entertainment center have prompted me to finally do something I've been meaning to do - change the photos. They're at least six years old, and since the glass frames are not puppy shatterproof I have some canvases of photos I've taken on vacations on the way to fill the spots. Merry household Christmas. Our gift is replacement of things our dogs have destroyed. ho ho ho mofos

6. You know I can't stand Elf on the Shelf, but I can get behind this use.  Even though picky me wants it to read You've got to and...leave it alone, grammar police. Do you guys follow the I Ain't Doin' It Lady? She's a fucking riot and she did an Elf on the Shelf video. I'm with her.

7. I tried a new Tea Tree Oil Shampoo from Maple Holistics that they sent me for free. The smell is good, my hair feels clean, and it lathers well which is not always the case with cruelty-free products. It's also safe for color treated hair which is a total must for me. I really need the corresponding conditioner to see if this is something I'll continue using when this bottle is done. Maybe Santa will leave a bottle of that in my stocking. Check out their free samples program.

8. Show Us Your Books is Tuesday! Spoiler alert: I finished Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi on Monday night and was just floored by it in the best possible reader way. Jana and I are also hosting a bonus Show Us Your Books on 12/26 about favorite reads of the year. I'm trying to prepare that now so I'm not scrambling at Christmas.

9. Reminder:

10. Ecard of the week: The past few Christmas Eves have been grossly warm and humid for Pennsylvania at the end of December.