Mother’s Got A Dot Com

Mo perhaps had Christmas in mind?

Have you heard of Putti Plutti Pott? He’s Santa’s grandson, and is only a small elf… Still, when Santa loses his beard (or maybe it’s stolen), he’s off to find it, together with Petter, Caroline and their uncle Per. They’re three quite ordinary humans like you and me, that Putti happened to meet, and who decided to help him get Santa’s beard back.

Everyone knows that Santa’s beard is magic, and without it, there’s just no way Santa can get out to all the children with presents on Christmas Eve.
Caroline, Petter and Uncle Per debark with Putti Plutti Pott on a wondrous journey through Santa Country, to rescue the magic beard…

This is how the story goes… and Hubby and I are taking # 5 Brat to see the play on Wednesday. I’m sure she’ll come out all starry-eyed…

There’ll be carols too…

Mo’s word this week is ornament, and somehow, Christmas popped up…

This is the only Christmas ornament we’ve got up yet – we don’t do any serious Christmas decorating until the 22nd or 23rd, which is when the tree comes up, the millions of Santa figurines are spread around the house, and I start thinking about how to decorate the dinner table Christmas Eve. Until then, it’s all preparations, like slaughtering the pig (check), cleaning the windows (check), baking a zillion cookies (pending), and making marzipan from scratch(starting tomorrow, when we’ll be shelling the almonds).

# 5 Brat made this wreathlike ornament at a Christmas workshop I took her to last week, and she was thrilled to bits with it. So am I, and it’s hanging outside, to welcome any pre-Christmas guests!

Mo has given us yet another word that can be interpreted in different ways, and since i do MM on two blogs, I get to strerch my brain in two directions!

I give you…

Dear Santa,…

The Finns seem to think that Santa lives in Finland. We don’t mind – everyone knows, of course, that Santa lives in Norway. That North Pole business is just to make him more difficult to find.

He has his own post office, in Drøbak, a small, idyllic town by the Oslo Fjord.

Santa doesn’t actually live there – that’s just where he collects his mail. I’m not going to tell you where he lives, just rest assured that your letters are shipped to him there, and that he reads every one! As long as you don’t write “Finland” on them, of course. He has elves over there who ship every letter they can get their hands on back to Norway, but they can’t get hold of them all. Make sure you get the country right! NORWAY!

Whether adressed to “Santa Claus”, “Santa”, “Père Noël”, “Julenissen”, “Nissen”, “Tomten”, or whatever he’s called around the world – the letters are shipped to the right place!

Mo is into rank today…

I must admit that the hosts of yesterday’s birthday party may have had a rather rank smell about them. Since every drop of hot water had been used for the pigs, we were left with what we call a “French shower” ( washcloth, deodorant & perfume) to make ourselves presentable for the party…

Which is why today’s MM word made me think of Versailles, the palace French King Louis XIV’s built outside Paris.

In the days of Louis XIV, the courtesans had no comforts within the palace, which meant they had to relieve themselves in more or less discreet nooks and crannies, leaving it to the valets to clean up the mess. (Crinoline dresses were immensely practical in that context…) Water and baths were considered dangerous and the spreader of illnesses, so the obviously rank body odors were concealed with herbs and scented oils (perfumes) and powders.

One can only imagine the stench in those beautiful rooms – rank probably doesn’t begin to describe it.

The king had a bathroom installed, eventually, and in Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette’s day, there were several bathrooms in the palace.

Still, they never washed their hair, and often had it combed and brushed for hours on end to degrease it… Thus the popularity of (and necessity for) those spectacular powdered wigs.

I live amongst pigs, sheep, cats, dogs & brats in nappies, but I don’t think anything I’ve smelled in my life would have prepared me for the rank stench of pre-plumbing Versailles…

I don’t relish the thought of being sensured. Certainly not by a megacompany that’s in the same business that I’m in – selling ads. The difference being that the ads (reviews) that I sell are done by me – i.e. I sell my time and effort along with the actual advertisment.
They don’t. They rake in millions by having others write their own ads, that are then placed on millions of sites like yours or mine, along with the megacompany’s logo. Advertisers pay per click, and the publicity value for the megacompany itself must be worth millions per second…

I’m talking, of course, about the Page Rank farce. You got that, right??

I once used the word “fart” on my other blog. I’ve also written an article about religious bigotry. That’s the extent of controversy that I’m guilty of. Still, I’m sensured, because I have the gall to earn between 200 and 300$ per month selling reviews.
Search engine relevance – bollocks… The linking I do to a site for free is more relevant than the linking I’m paid for? Bollocks. (There goes my general audience rating). I blog about all and nothing. That’s my choice, and it means that any link on my site is as relevant as any other. Who’s to say that a link to a food site from a gardening blog is irrelevant? Groogle? Bollocks.

And… PPP posties: PayPerPost is about to launch Real Rank. I hope we get a badge…

PS: I still have Adsense on. I don’t relish the thought of losing the $ I’ve earned placing ads for them because I haven’t reached the payout limit. Principle against principle… I can feel a decision coming on – there are others out there!

Mo’s Monday Gravy Train…

The First World Gravy-Wrestling Championships were held in Darwen, Lancashire, UK, on September 7th, 2007.
It was part of the Lancashire Food & Culture week, no less…

Read All About It!

Mo has peace in mind today, and anything else related to earth… Which makes for a big one!

He’s got the whole World…

If I were He, I’d have a mind to drop it…

Thing is… it’s in our hands.

Do unto others…

Judge not, lest you shall be judged

Thou shalt not kill…

I’m not a religeous person, although I try to live according to normal ethical rules, like the more secular of the 10 commandments. Great set of guidelines for anyone.

I think the largest universal religion today is called Bigotry, and I want no part of it. The irony is that it’s got fervant members from every creed.

Unless we create a new universal movement, based on Tolerance, and start practising it, we have no chance at Peace.

If He is out there, He may well be regretting the whole Creation deal. Who can blame Him?

Jannagraphics made this banner for Mo and MM!

My very first Manic Monday here - Congratulations to me…

 This little guy does come to mind… Frosty will be turning up sooner or later in these parts.

 When he does, we’ll probably wish we were somewhere warm, drinking something fruity out of a frosty glass…

This, though, will most likely be the only frosty glass we’ll see this winter. No good for fruity fluids, but beautiful to behold…

For more frost, see the other one!