14 Comments
Dec 24, 2023Liked by Amy Cowen

The clock ticks softly,

Marking time relentlessly.

I pause to listen.

Sugar cookies with thick frosting

Gin Rummy

Roofline.

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What a beautiful image of pausing. Your cookies and cards sound wonderful. I hope you have/had a peaceful holiday and enjoy the final week of the year.

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Dec 24, 2023Liked by Amy Cowen

“Party Mix” (if by that we’re talking about salty savory Chex Mix!)

Fluxx-- the rules are constantly changing

and Bananagrams--I love both of those

Lights on the Courthouse Square

(my hometown has a historic square. Every year they light up the buildings and string lights from the tip top of the courthouse to the corners of the square. Long forward to seeing this when we visit next week.)

Lights on the courthouse

Rules are constantly changing

Slowing down for rest

Have a great week!

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Yes, Chex :) I grew up with that called Party Mix and the white chocolate version called Christmas Trash. We played Fluxx in the day. I love seeing everyone’s comments and that the courthouse square lights are what came to mind for you. That’s beautiful. I hope you had a wonderful and warm holiday -- and a good visit home.

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Butter and sugar

Melt on my tongue. Hey look!

I sneak another.

I think party mix is the same as what we call Texas trash, and I love it homemade! But I also love cookies..

We don’t play a lot of games in my house, but I loved paying cards when I was around more people.

I love the trees with their trunks wrapped in lights.

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Tree trunks wrapped in lights are awesome, I agree. I like the haiku! If Texas trash is savory (as Jen noted), then that’s probably it.... the cereal and pretzel mix. Love learning other local names for things like that. I think my downfall this year may be those Trader Joe’s iced dunkers. I’m not a sweets person, but something about those is proving beyond my ability to limit myself. I hope you had a good holiday - and that you had time to sit and appreciate the lights you hung this year while sipping something or drawing. Wishing you a good day and a good week ahead.

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I will eat it all.

Cookies, brownies, party mix.

Chow down holiday.

I have fond childhood memories of playing the Mad Magazine board game with a favorite great aunt. She was the oldest person we knew at the time - 88 or 89. She would stay with us our entire Christmas break. My sister and I loved sitting with her in front of the fireplace while she told and retold stories of her childhood, her marriage and everything. We would play the Mad board game with her on New Year’s Eve while sipping milk from champagne flutes. Honestly, I think she loved the goofy chaos of that game more than us. I miss her every NYE.

Have a great holiday week Amy 😊🎄

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What a wonderful memory, Rebecca, one that pulls in both your great aunt and your sister.... it’s warm and fun and story-filled. I love that. I don’t know that game though, and I think that’s cool, too! I hope you enjoyed a beautiful holiday with your family - and had plenty of snacks and treats, too!

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We had a copy of the Mad Magazine game! It was like Monopoly but a little wonky!

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Amy, thanks to you a long synchronicity stretches from my writing last week about these special moments of supreme clarity, to your post, to the podcast you recommended, which contained a quotation from the Rev Sue Ann Yarbrough that describes what I was trying to say. I had written that I didn’t know if others shared these moments, although I am sure many do. And now I have confirmation.

About snow globe movies, I ran into one this week. Rotten direction, obvious and odious product placements but, hey, snow globes. A Clüsterfünke Christmas, from 2021, on Paramount+

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Sounds like a good stretch of connectedness! Thank you for reading and listening. I haven’t heard of that movie. I’ll have to take a look! Thank you. Have a really good week, Fran. I saw your other comment about your birthday coming up. I hope you have a peaceful lead into it.

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I am more of a salty than sweets person...so party mix, but I have do have a thing for holiday trash too! Mmmmm.

I remember when the kids were young we spent hours playing Uno and Monopoly Deal at the kitchen counter. We used to just keep them out all the time so we could start a game. Maybe I should get them out again… what a great tradition of playing games over the holidays!

Your drawings of your mother are really lovely and special. I love the quiet and intimate feel of those captured moments.

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I am glad you have "game" memories. I bet your family would enjoy them again, too. Thank you for commenting on the drawings. I really appreciate it. I hope you have a good final few days and into a happy new year.

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Snowflakes in a globe

Shake to let them dance around

Are there flamingos?

We like the board game Santorini and the game Exploding Kittens made me laugh.

I had never heard of the Velveteen Rabbit before I heard about it in your podcast. It is a wonderful story. It is always great to listen to your podcast, read your substack and the comments as there is always something new that I learn or am introduced to by you or someone from your community.

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