“Well. it’s Friday, Little one.”
“Yes, it is, and a beautiful day too.”
“Did you stop and smell the flowers.”
“I did. Now I’m ready for whatever that thing is making the noise.”
Here we are on another Friday. My goodness, how the time gets away.
Not much is going on. I am busy collecting the photos for the next two Views of the Neighborhood. All is going well except for some technical problems with the subjects themselves. If they are not solved, I’ll just run the photos with the problems included.
Been waiting on word from the FDA on the Pfizer Vaccine for Rona. Looks like approval might be next week. After approval, there will only be about 5 million doses available (In two shipments) for front line workers. The vaccine from Moderna is the one that is expected to be used for up to 50 million people by the spring. It would be nice to get a large number of folks inoculated so we could start living a more normal life.
I have all my holiday shopping done. Like a stand-in for Howard Hughes, I did it all online. Didn’t have to get near anyone. Good for the Rona avoidance. Not so good for the spirit of the holiday.
This week’s JohnKu talks about this year’s holidays. I hope you all have a great weekend.
Holidays by John W. Howell © 2020
Happy holidays,
Without the shopping hustle . . .
Doesn’t seem the same.
Fiction Favorites 
Love the sentiments this week. Have a lovely weekend, John 🙂
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Thank you, Harmony. You as well. 😁
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Glad that you stayed safe with the shopping, John. I, too, let ‘my fingers do the walking,’ and while it got the job done, I am also sadly lacking in seasonal spirit. Here’s to the New Year…in so many ways….🥂
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Yes, Lori. We need to stay up to make sure 2020 is really gone. 😂
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Truth!!
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😁
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I’m so relieved to know our frontline workers will be first in line for the vaccine. I’ll stay hunkered as long as necessary for that to come to fruitition. I love the photo this morning, John. So sweet!
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My sentiments exactly, Jill!
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Thanks, Liz.
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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Thank you, Jill. Yes, stay safe.
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You do the same!
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Perfect haiku, John. I never could have imagined missing the hustle of Christmas shopping, but how sweet it would be to freely walk into stories and pick and choose among the masses. Thank you for reminding us of Christmases past. 😊
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Thaks for the comment, Gwen. Yes, it is something that I hope will return and this time with fewer complaints about the stress. 😊
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Wonderful sentiments for the state of affairs right now, John.
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Thank you, GP.
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I actually braved a mall for some shopping. Did it at the start of the month though. Wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected.
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Sounds like you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing.
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I know what you mean… there is something annoying/special about the stores and the Christmas hustle and bustle. I won’t be doing much out there, either. I have yet to begin shopping!
Have a fabulous Friday, John.
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It seems to me like an approach/avoidence kind of situation. One you love to hate. Thank you, Dale.
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Yes, indeed!
See ya tomorrow 😉
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Good ole Twiggy – the Queen of Alertness. …. Cheers to online shopping. Can imagine dealing with the pandemic without our current technology. I could be going bonkers!
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Yes, it would be a nightmare for sure. The economy is being bolstered by the internet.
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Let us not forget one more thing about the pandemic ….. It’s Obama’s fault
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I totally forgot about that, Frank. It makes all the difference in the world. I’m so releaved we found the cause. Now, on to the cure.
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Congratulations on getting the hustle done. Now you can wrap and have a Texas size margarita.
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What a great idea, Audrey. I need to find some key limes. 😁
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Congratulations on finishing your shopping. I still have some to do. And I haven’t baked a single cookie yet!
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The Producer is in charge of the baking and I still don’t have an olfactory cue that. it has begun. Thanks, Staci.
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I bet the dogs will know before you do!
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I’ll bet they will.
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I’m getting closer to finishing my shopping list. I normally do everything I can online because I hate to shop, but this year I’ve been fortunate to get out and buy local when I can, and I’ve discovered some wonderful places. Have a great weekend, John!
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Thank you, Teri. Have a super weekend as well.
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Yup. We’re doing everything online, too. Today is the last day of my quarantine, so I haven’t even seen a tree lot or any lights that aren’t across the street.
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You’ll be like the first human to see Christmas.
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Online shopping takes a lot of the work from Christmas shopping plus freedom from catching bacterial infections. Have a great weekend, John. 🙂 — Suzanne
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Thank you, Suzanne. Still I miss the chaos.
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Shopping online is not the same, John. I understand, and I’m being a good boy, but it’s not the same. Gift certificates seem to be the order of the day.
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It is always the thought that matters. I’ll take a Bentley Turbo. 😂
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I know what you’re saying. I did mine online too, but I won’t call you Howard!
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😁
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I totally agree about online shopping dampening the Christmas spirit. I hope the new vaccine brings some relief, but with over 7 billion people in the world, 50 million vaccines don’t sound like much. Still, I am hopeful!
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It really doesn’t. We have over 300 million in the US alone. Thanks, Jan
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I wasn’t sure the vaccine would come this early, so it’ll be really good to get the front-line workers vaccinated. What is a normal life? I think I’ve forgotten. 🙂 And like you, we’ve done our shopping online for obvious reasons. Mostly welcome to the U.S. of Amazon. :O
Cute girls, as always, and wishing you a wonderful weekend, John.
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Thank you, Lauren.
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I do miss driving to Pt. Reyes or Petaluma and walking around downtown during Christmas. Hopefully, next year will be normal. 🙂 We just found out that our daughter and SIL have covid. 😦 Their cases are mild, but it’s still scary and they’re in TN, so talk about helpless. And they’ve been so cautious. Anyway, positive thinking abounds! And prayers. Stay safe, John. It’s not over ’till it’s over.
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I pray they are okay, Lauren. Youth has an advantage for sure.
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Well done on getting the Christmas shopping done, John. Hopefully this time next year you’ll be enjoying shopping for real.
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Yeah. This was a mite too easy though.
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I do miss strolling through the mall and town enjoying the decorations.
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I can understand that for sure. Thanks, Denise.
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Indeed, dear John! The holiday shopping of this year is rather dull & sad…I have suggested to my friends that we must buy some bottles of cognac 2020 to keep it as a memory of this odd year. Nevertheless, Twiggy & Lucy welcoming Friday look rather radiant & carefree. 😁😁😁
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I have to admit I had a glass of Louis XIV cognac several years ago and it was delicious.
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Splendid, dear John! The best choice ever!😋😊😉
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It was.
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😁😁😏🥂
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Love the shot of the girls! I have done a lot of online shopping too. It is just not the same at La Palmera Mall with everyone wearing masks and Santa behind plexiglass. I’ll stay home. TGIF to you!
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Thanks for the TGIF wish, Jo. 😁
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See, as a natural introvert, the shopping online thing Covid has brought me is a true Christmas miracle 🙂 I’ll never be the same again, never shop in stores again…and for me, that’s a great thing!
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What a testimony to making omelets out of broken eggs, Jessica. 😁
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In the words of a great comedy ensemble, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life 😉
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I think I’m going to break into song and dance.
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😁
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I went shopping yesterday. All rather surreal, though it was to an outdoor market – Borough Market one of Londons best – that is normally rammed and was comfortably distanced. Good to chat to the traders too. Quite enjoyed it really
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I love the outdoormarkets. So many interesting things. 😁
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I agree always diverse and always local. None of your nationals elbowing out the little guys and girls
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Earlier in the week, the New York Times had an article about the vaccine and a tool to find your place in line for the vaccine. There are 268 million people ahead of me in the line. I will wait patiently for my turn. By then hopefully, there will be enough people who have had it and now are immune and many who receive the vaccine making them immune so those of us still waiting have a bit more protection from herd immunity.
I have been doing my Christmas shopping online for years now. I just couldn’t stand the parking lot issues in Silicon Valley anymore, now it’s too far for me to go to get to a “mall”, and I’m over malls, so online shopping it is! It’s funny how much of a Mall Rat I was for most of my life and now…not. at. all!
I hope you get the issues ironed out for your Views of Neighborhood post. I look forward to those.
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Thank you, Deborah. All taken care of on the Views post.
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Thank Bezos for online commerce in this, the year of COVID-19. So rather than bustle in all that hustle, we can toss back a friendly one and book purchase with the click of a button.
Santa would approve, I like to think.
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Yes he would. Makes the pack so much lighter. 😊
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It really does.
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Happy Holidays, John. It doesn’t feel the same, but if we’re patient, we have a lot of in person shopping and celebrating to look forward to. 😀
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That is so true. Then we can get back to complaining about it too. 😁
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LOL. Hopefully we’ll have learned a little something.
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Me too
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Yes, it doesn’t feel the same. This too shall pass when the vaccine arrives.
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Looking forward to it.
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Me, too!
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I’ll just be happy when it’s over, but in truth, I didn’t mind doing 95% of my shopping online. I ventured out yesterday to do some stocking shopping, but it was not a fun experience, gasping for air beneath a mask. No, not much Christmas spirit this year, but many people are about to lose their homes, or worse, their lives, so I can’t complain.
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Maybe next will be better with Biden in office.
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Fingers crossed.
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Though I’m not pleased with COVID, I don’t miss the shopping bustle.
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I’m with you.
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