Check out THIS ARTICLE from TV Insider. It has all the information you need if you are contemplating pay streaming platforms.
I always suggest you make a list of what you want to watch and then see who will be showing it. You could be quite surprised. Or shocked.
I also always suggest that you routinely review your Watchlists to see what you have actually watched and what you haven’t. It could help you decide what service to cancel and what to add.
This is the time of year when I find myself looking for ways to be quiet and disconnect from the holiday hustle and bustle.
I find myself looking for quiet music. Holiday music runs the gamut from loud and boisterous to quiet and serene. There is a wide variety of options out there and if I am inclined I experiment a bit just to see what I can find.
This time of year RadioOnceMore’s holiday programming can be pure pleasure to listen to. For those of us who have listened to these shows for a long time, revisiting them is a touch of comfort programming. From Jack Benny, Red Skelton, Fibber McGee & Molly to The Lone Ranger and Dragnet, the celebration of the holidays reminds us of what used to be.
How does this extricate me from the hustle and bustle?
There comes a time when, like taking a vacation, changing what I am listening to or watching is as good as a vacation. Like baking treats that we don’t bake most of the year. While we might enjoy banana bread all year round, how often do we bake pumpkin bread? Popcorn might be a regular on movie nights but when was the last time you made popcorn balls?
So, I am looking for quiet changes to allow me to ease into the holidays and enjoy the experience without stressing over a list of Things I Need To Do By Christmas (and probably won’t accomplish on time…).
The neat thing is that I can do that holiday baking while listening to the music or radio shows… 😀
Enjoy!
I won’t lie, I miss the good old days when there was an actual, reliable viewing schedule of the shows available on TV. I like the rhythm of knowing what I will be settling in to watch during the week. <sigh>
Don’t get me wrong, bingeing is an interesting alternative providing, of course, I can find something I actually want to binge. Not always easy.
I just spent some time catching up with Frasier (2023) on Paramount+ and had to check to see how many episodes I have yet to see. More than I thought… And I like this show! In some odd way, it could be said that I am hoarding those episodes…
There are some shows that I watch on the night they drop without fail. And those are few and far in between.
There are shows I used to watch on the night they were scheduled but this year, for all the reasons we all know about, that schedule has been shattered. I am looking forward to the return of many come February, but in the meantime…
December has always been a difficult time for scheduled TV because of all the extra programming. Holiday specials used to fill up the calendar but many of those have gone by the wayside. You can find them, of course, if you take the time to browse through your streaming platforms or delve into On Demand. Some networks have scheduled blocks of specials to break up the monotony of reruns.
Why is it the reruns we want to see are not the reruns we are able to see?
RadioOnceMore has already begun their December Holiday Special Programming. 24/7 old time radio shows. Check out their website for the schedule and where to listen.
The Kennedy Center Honors will air on December 3, 2023. I look forward to this every year and this year the winners list is awesome.
Off to add this to my calendar!
I’ve washed dishes by hand for most of my 6 plus decades. I did have a dishwasher for a few of those years, and I did enjoy it, but the truth is that washing dishes can be quite cathartic. The following article reminded me of this:
There is something powerful about taking the task of cleaning up the kitchen in hand and leaving behind clean dishes, counters, sink. It literally provides a clean slate for the next day.
And, to be honest, unless you, or someone in your house who cooks, is a person who uses every pot, pan, utensil, and dish every single day, it really does not take that much time.
Here is a great article explaining how to wash dishes by hand: Dishwashing Made Easy
While it may not sound as amazing as it is, doing the dishes by hand provides time to just be.
We have entered that time of the year when things get a bit (?) hectic…stressful…chaotic.
Yep, The Holidays have arrived.
If you find yourself needing a bit of a stress relief or some time away from the hustle and bustle, I invite you to join me as I embark on a journey to find some zen quiet. For as long as you like. 😉
Bob Ross has been a staple for decades. Even for those of us who don’t paint, sitting back and enjoying the process can be quite relaxing. You can find an entire channel (!!!!) of his shows on PlutoTV.
Katie Scott (Salvaged by K Scott) has a YouTube channel packed with videos of her work. She is an excellent teacher but more important to me, watching her process is very relaxing.
For the ultimate in relaxation, try Girl With The Dogs over on YouTube. Vanessa has two channels filled with grooming videos of dogs and cats. I have found her videos not only relaxing but educational as I had no idea what was involved in grooming a dog. Some of her clients may not enjoy the process while others truly enjoy the experience. Check her out for yourself.
I’ve noticed that several ‘fireplaces’ have appeared across several streaming platforms. In addition, YouTube has some very comfortable jazz based videos (think coffee houses or bookstores) that you can click on to not only add some nice background music but a rather nice view, too.
Sometimes you just need to find a few minutes to relax. I hope these options are helpful.
The Olympian Affair by Jim Butcher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Every once in a while I come across an audio book that I can’t stop listening to. This is one. I have spent the better part of the last few days listening while I occupied my hands with a project.
Jim Butcher has once again created a world that is interesting and engaging with characters that I want to spend time with and learn more about. Before purchasing this book I took the time to revisit the first book in the series, The Aeronaut’s Windlass. If you are new to the series, do yourself a favor and read that first.
Butcher takes his time with a series and each entry is carefully crafted to build upon the prior book and to add a new layer of the story.
This new addition has expanded some back story, added characters, grown characters, created a bigger world and, as if that weren’t enough, upped the ante. Just when I thought I knew where we might be going, I discovered I really hadn’t a clue.
The ending was a twist I did not expect … actually more than one twist. I don’t know how many books Mr. Butcher is planning for this series but he has definitely created some captivating story lines.
My only hope is that he doesn’t take as long to write the next one as he did to write this one.
Oh, and the cats are probably the best of the bunch, which is saying a lot because I like a lot of these characters.
View all my reviews
The daily newspaper contains a lot of things but the biggest draw for me is the comics section. Granted there are a few papers who have given up on this old standard, but the one I enjoy has kept its’ comics section going strong.
I haven’t taken the time to count the number of entries there, but I can usually find a wide variety of offerings that cover a lot of topics.
The thing about comic strips is that you can usually find something to please pretty much every mood. Some are very cute, others on point, and even a few make you stop and laugh – the best ones make you laugh out loud unexpectedly.
Personally, I prefer to browse my favorites, groan about the one or two where the kids have yet to plug in their brains, ponder the messages in others, and think back to when the oldies were actually new. And, yes, I remember when those particular rerun strips were first run. It is almost like watching MeTV at times…
My favorite thing about the comics is their ability to bring life to the reader in ways that capture imagination and interest where there might not have been any before. Sort of like taking a walk around the neighborhood and being able to peek inside the houses at the people inside.
When I want a bigger hit of the good stuff, I head over to gocomics.com and do a deep dive. Pure bliss!
Yes the daily newspapers have lots of information but I think their best offering is in the comics section. It is where connections are made.
The title of today’s post could be a question or a process. Thankfully, Kaleb over on WyseGuide provides solutions.
I discovered WyseGuide a couple of years ago and was captivated. Here is a young farmer from the Midwest who shares not only his love of gardening but of cooking and baking, too. He makes things easy to understand and easy to do while providing that touch of ‘You can do this!’ encouragement that folks need.
One of the things that caught my attention was his cookie recipe collection. If you are thinking about baking for the holidays and are looking for doable recipes, check out his website. There are loads of options that would make wonderful additions to a cookie tray or box.
If you are looking for recipes for the holiday table, check out his Thanksgiving collection.
Don’t forget to check out his YouTube channel. He covers a wide variety of topics in addition to cooking and baking.
Enjoy!
I caught a bit of Mornings With Granny the other day and while I did not sit through the entire video, her point was pretty clear: Learn to adapt.
It has been clear for a while now that many folks seem to be terrified / paralyzed at the thought that they would have to use their own initiative to complete a task or a recipe if they did not have exactly what was required by the instructions. How can you be ‘Perfect’ if you went off script?
Here’s a thought: Everything we are told to do via instructions or recipe came about because someone went off script.
You might want to read that again.
That recipe you love came about because someone somewhere did not have all ingredients called for or forgot to change the oven temperature or … … …
That process you are trying came about because the original instructions did not work for someone for whatever reason, so they changed the way they did it and look what happened.
Adaptability is one of those things that can make your life easier with a lot less stress.
Do you have allergies to certain foods? Leave them out. Try substituting foods you do like. Do you not like certain colors or patterns? Don’t use them. Instead, use what you like. Worried about what others will think if you do? Realize that many of them are looking to find ways (or excuses) to not be caught up in doing exactly what others are doing, too.
While you might be thinking that following the crowd is the best way even though you really are not happy with the results, here is your permission – should you need it – to do what you really want to do.
Who knows? You might be the next trend setter!
