Oh, Deer! And More

  Kookie Christmas Wearables

"Up, up and away!" called Santa. Off they flew into the dark sky, with Rudolph's shining nose guiding the way.

Wow! I asked, and you delivered. Here are precious contributions from a faithful reader on “Kookie Christmas Wearables.”

Left: I haven’t been naughty yet, but I’m about to be. 

Pretty puppy, 3 weeks old, selected to model annual Holiday Night gown, 2020 

Right: You say "no sticks inside" yet you drag a whole tree in the house?

"Noel" wrapping paper makes fashionable statement, 2023

Be more Rudolph! Two red-nosed reindeer, 2017 and 2018

Right: Oh, deer! I want more wine. 

(Lolo's unspoken mantra behind the red nose)

Christmas came early in 2009, blessing us with a little cutie.

Left: Baby boy in Santa bib, hat, and booties, crocheted with special care by G'amma, 2009

Right: Reindeer Boy at his school's Winter Assembly, 2015

Christmasy Favorite Granddaughters. Left: Youngest Fav enjoys zoo lights, 2020

Right: Young Fav models “Pretty Awesome” penguin outfit, 2019

There's no such thing as too much Grinch in your Christmas cheer.

Guapo son-in-law in Grinch shirt, 2023

Luv the outfits! 

May your presents be many and your troubles be few.

 Happy Holidays!

Oh, Deer!

Kookie Christmas Wearables

Life is too short to wear boring clothes. - Carly Cushnie

Aren’t we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas?

As Bart Simpson says, it’s the birth of Santa!

So, let’s feast. 

Set up luminarias. 

Light advent candles. 

Give and receive, and find the greatest gift in the hearts of family.

Celebrate the season with a Walmart-special red top with multi-striped sleeves and gold-embroidered Oh, Deer.

I bought it on sale, so I actually made money.

I dress to impress ME.

Now, how do you make a reindeer-theme outfit even cuter? Upgrade with accessories and a top from Home Goods' bargain bin.

Reindeer earrings with moveable head. Light-up reindeer ring from Oglebay Shop

 

All I want for Christmas

is to sit in front of a dead tree,

eat candy out of socks,

and wear a nerdy, on-clearance Christmas sweater!

Cozy Wooly

  Kookie Christmas Wearables

Don’t expect much for Christmas. Santa’s sleigh was repossessed. The North Pole is in foreclosure, and the elves had been laid off. 

But, not to worry. An ugly Christmas sweater or hat and accessories are all you’ll need to bring joy to the holidays. Guaranteed.

Featured in this series are some of mine that might inspire you.

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‘Tis the season to rock ugly sweaters. - Unknown

Sweater weather is my favorite excuse to stay cozy.

How’s this to spread Christmas cheer? 

A fabulous wooly green, embroidered top and Santa hat with lit deer antlers.

Life isn’t perfect but your outfit can be, especially when you’re snuggled with your Favorite Granddaughter.

You can never have too many cuddles.

So stay cozy with a touch of kookie wooly.

Let's cuddle and forget everything else!

Illusion Vs. Reality

 Optical Illusions 

Responses to last week's Do You Have Good Eyes:

AVH: Bad eyes!!

ITV: BAD EYES!

Congratulations, you two have GOOD EYES. I can’t say the same about this one.

He wasn't able to read anything.  Why don't you close your eyes about 90% and then read.

 

I’m pretending to know what you are talking about to get you to stop explaining.

You don't have such BAD EYES, do you?

Would you agree that there is an optical illusion about some things we see? 

Whaddya mean? My nose doesn't look like a cat's face.

Or that everything we see is a perspective, not the truth?

I'm so absolutely, incredibly, extraordinarily confused.

What then is real?

How do we disengage from the illusion and engage in truth?

I’m not confused, I’m just exploring the outer limits of my understanding.

Truth be told,

IDK. 

The only Spanish we know is, "Buenas Noches" which means "bonus nachos" - like finding forgotten tortilla chips in your cargo pants.

And let's just leave it at that... maybe tackle it in a future blog.

On seeing glowworms in New Zealand cave: We don't always whoop,but when we do, there it is.

For now, I hope that this series had been a fun distraction for you.

Tadaaa!

I'm not weird. I'm just limited edition.

Ivy With Heartsong And Friends

Benefit Concert for Kaleidoscope Youth Center

Sunday, November 23, 2025 - King Avenue UMC

Good music, good friends, good vibes. - Anonymous

Just a few highlights... 

You don't always have to go to the symphony to hear beautiful music.

Out Under the Sky: Pam Springer, flute. Iris Velasco, piano

Left: A Caribbean Christmas: Handbell Choir and Percussion

Right: You Make It Feel Like Christmas: Brett Gambill, Linda Guyton

Why does music sound better late at night?

Left: I Wish You Christmas: Emily Moore, soloist. Iris Velasco, piano

Right: Christmas Time Is Here: Andy Burns, Trumpet. Iris Velasco, piano

Heartsong And Friends

It wasn't just a concert, it was an experience.

Do You Have Good Eyes?

Optical Illusions 

Here are reader responses and my comments on last week’s Elephant And Lamb Legs:

AVH: 4 elephant legs

Absolutely correct! Logic dictates elephants have four legs, even if it appears  in the drawing that the elephant has more than four… which made ITV wonder.

ITV: Do elephants have eight legs? 

On lamb legs:

AVH: 40 lamb legs if you count the ones that can barely be seen 

I see 36 legs, more or less, either attached to still-headless lambs or loose. But AVH’s response is acceptable because the illusion- foto wasn't great.

This was actually part of a 32-item order from a writer who is promoting her upcoming, book, The Christmas Lamb Mystery, about a "lost lamb" with an accompanying lamb toy.

That feeling when you've

finally finished your work...

The premise is that the story will be read by/read to the child. In the morning, the latter will see the lamb outside the door. It is lost no more.

Delivery of lamb goodies to book author Annetta Dellinger. November 16, 2025

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For this week, try this optical illusion.

Can you read this at first attempt?

Please email your answer (send to me only).

Comment on responses in the next blog.

Elephant And Lamb Legs

 Optical Illusions 

Comments on last week's blog, What Do You Read Here?

Thank you, faithful readers. Some people will read, EVIL, but some will see, GOOD. VEV was discerning enough to see both.

VEV: Good is black. Evil is white. Should be the other way around.

ITV saw GOOD plus something else that I didn't expect. She saw COOL, maybe because she's a cool person.

ITV: Looks like GOOD and COOL. 

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Now, for this week's optical illusion.

This has to be one of the most famously mind-boggling illusions that appears in lots of brain teaser books. How many legs can you see in this picture?

Here’s another teaser for you.

How many lamb legs do you see?

Please email your answers (send to me only).

Comment on responses in the next blog.

What Do You Read Here?

Optical Illusions 

Comments on last week's blog Now You See It, Now You Don't:

ITV: Wooden vs. upholstery? Is the yellow chair new? 

Thanks for responding. You’re right. 

That was my old, ten-year-old something Goodwill wooden, rocking chair buy. The spokes that were coming off had been super-glued. The hardwood seat had been softened by throw pillows. Despite all that, my antique rocker had served me well, giving me a reliable spot for viewing a wondrous backyard vista.

But now, time for something new. An upholstered Wayfair buy, using part of my Bubbly Hall craft sale monies. I love its vibrant yellow color and how my Cinnamoroll throw pillow from Five Below and Keroppi, inherited from Frat Boy, keep me company.

Continuing on to this week’s Optical Illusion…

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Read not only between the lines, but also what is not written. - Vijay Kedia

What do you read here?

Please email your answer (send to me only).

Comment on responses in the next blog.

Now You See It, Now You Don't

 Optical Illusions

Everyone has two eyes but no one has the same view. - Anonymous

Someone said that life is all about how we see things.

Interesting... and intriguing.

So, I'm thinking, why don't we explore this thought in this series?

For starters, can you spot the difference in these two sets of pictures?

Photo (bottom right): V.E.V. Columbus: October 31, 2025

Please email your answer (send to me only).

 Comment on responses in the next blog.

Halloween All Things

October To-Do List

 And finally, time to Halloween all things.

Neighbor's Garage Door Decor.
Photo: V.E.V., Columbus, OH: 2025

The dead rise again.

Bats fly.

Terror strikes and screams echo, for tonight, it's Halloween.

Ghosts and goblins come out to play.

It's a night full of frights and a bag full of delights.

Door decor of  skeletons and lit pumpkin. Columbus, Ohio: September 15, 2023

Too cute to spook!

Left: Halloweens Past: First Grandson's Toothy Smile. Right: Guess Who This Is? Honolulu, Hawaii: 2017, 2022

Black cats growl and pumpkins gleam.

Left: First Granddaughter: "Put the treats in the bowl and nobody gets hurt." Honolulu, Hawaii: 2024

Right: Second Granddaughter and friend: "Smell our feet. Gimme some catnip treats or we'll pee on your feet." Columbus, Ohio: 2021

You know what they say...

You're never too old to trick or treat.

We don't need no body! Honolulu, Hawaii: 2023

Dino Trick-or-Treater: "Rawr! I've come for your soul. There is nothing you can... ooh, is that chocolate?"  Columbus, Ohio: 2022

Sticky fingers

Tired feet

One last house

Trick or Treat!

Have a spooktacular Halloween!

Go Leaf Peeping!

 October To-Do List

I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift. – Dodinsky

How best to do that?

By taking the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad excursion.

The restored vintage railcar is an operating diesel-electric and steam-powered excursion train between Akron, Ohio and the greater Cleveland area.

The air had a cool crispness to it as we drove toward the old Rockside Road.

But first, lunch.

Chimichangas, “lobster” taco, and to-go churros. Cozumel Mexican Restaurant, Independence, Ohio

A slight shower had started when we arrived at the Rockside depot which was our primary starting point for the trip.

Autumn rain, autumn wind.

Forty degrees outside. There was no gap in the clouds for the light to shine, but we stayed cozy inside.

Latrobe Inn

Time to savor the sight up close and personal.

The view didn't disappoint. Right off the bat, every leaf spoke bliss, fluttering from the autumn tree.

Japanese maples with stunning red, gold, bright green, orange, and yellow foliage dotted the landscape. Photo: V.E.V.

Leftmost: Profuse red, orange, and yellow trumpet-shaped flowers of the Esperanza vine lent a tropical ambience.

Left: Basswood yellow leaves contrasted with black branches.

Attractive bright green leaves and showy pink-purple berries of coralberry bush bordered the landscape.

I would love to live like a river flows,

carried by the surprise of its own unfolding. 

– John O’Donohue

 

The Cuyahoga River, whose name is believed to mean crooked river, wove through constantly refreshing and changing scenery.

Then, it all came to an end.

How best  to conclude a trip, but with homestyle comfort food.

Grilled tilapia and trout, apple streusel pie a la mode. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Sunbury

The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail.

But now, to our favorite destination at the end of every trip – home.

Celebrate Aflak's VB End-Of-Season

 October To-Do List

Volleyball is life. Everything else is just details. – Anonymous

Aflak’s Gahanna East Lions Volleyball Team hustled.

Hit.

Never quit.

Together, they stood and made it into the Gold Bracket with a record of 12-3.

Then, made it to end of season. And that’s worth celebrating.

Girls just wanna have fun. Flanagan’s Pub. Blacklick, Ohio: October 21, 2025

Do I want BEER?

a) Yes

b) a 

c) b

Pizza is better eaten with friends.

Congrats, Aflak, on your hard work and dedication!

Thanks for believing in us, Coach!

Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork: 7th Grade Gahanna Lions East Volleyball Team 

Today was good.

Today was fun.

Tomorrow is another one. - Dr. Seuss