?`s and ANNEswers

Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Collaboration

Posted on January 3, 2025

I’ve wondered about the compatibility of buttons and buttonholes, given one must be big enough to accommodate the other. As someone who sewed for years, I simply followed the instructions on the pattern. It told me what size button to purchase and what size buttonhole to make.

However, there is actually a formula for making these two things work together. And I assume every designer of ready-made clothing must know it, because I’ve only found one pair of jeans where the buttonhole was too small for the button. It didn’t make it home with me.

I’ve also wondered about the same compatibility between every automobile manufacturer and all those sizes of plastic or paper or cardboard cups one gets at Starbucks, Seven-Eleven, soda fountains and the like. Count cola cans in there too. And those trendy thermos-like, reusable car cups.

It doesn’t matter what brand car or what brand beverage. Extra large van or small coffee. The latter almost always fits in the cup holder between the two front seats. How did this happen?

I did a quick Google® search and concluded that drive-up windows in fast food chains could have been the catalyst for the standardized design that car makers use for their car cups. After all, the food usually comes in some sort of container or bag that can sit on the passenger’s lap or the empty passenger seat. But beverages were problematic, which is why the cup holder was born. Fast food restaurants were happy, car manufacturers were happy, and hungry people were very happy.

Now, if women’s clothing designers could only agree on sizing for blouses, slacks, and dresses, the world would really be a better place.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | 1 Comment

In Case You’re Curious

Posted on January 2, 2025

I don’t have a gigantic readership for my blog, and I don’t stand on street corners shouting about its relevance. Still, when people learn I’ve blogged 16 of the past 20 years, they’re curious and ask questions about the process. Here are the answers.

Answer #1 – I started blogging as a way to keep my writing skills sharp. It was 2004, and I’d decided not to freelance for a while. Blogs were a popular way to write without constraints, although the hourly rate for such writing back then was a big zero.

Answer #2 – Some days I wake up with the topic for the blog already in my mind; some days it’s a slog. But as ideas come to me I write them on a list. For instance, current items include the story of Doris Miller who survived Pearl Harbor only to perish in another attack, buttons vs. buttonholes and their implications, and sources for accurate information in today’s world.

Answer #3 – In 2024, I wrote 64,980 words. That’s the equivalent of The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, or Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf.  Multiplied by 16 years, that’s 1,039,680 words.

And, no, I have no idea what tomorrow’s blog will be, although writing this one has reminded me of buttons.

See more 10 Minutes in category | Leave a comment

No Resolutions

Posted on January 1, 2025

It’s the first day of the new year, and I’m moving away from a holiday of rest and relaxation toward a more structured routine for the weeks to come. That includes a return to regular blogging, as well as regular piano practice and regular exercise. These are not to be considered New Year’s resolutions; rather the word ‘regular’ means they are all things I try to do most days but took a vacation from for Christmas. Now it’s back to work.

My son Kevin sent me a poem yesterday that conveys exactly my thoughts on making resolutions. The author, Erica Reid, was new to me; but an online search revealed she is a “Colorado poet, editor, educator, and critic,” according to her bio on the Western Colorado University website.

IT’S ME AGAIN

 What if a new year dawns & I don’t change?

Each January finds me as I was:

still moribund, still sensitive & strange.

I buy blank planners, scrub my house because

 

I crave the start a bright new year can bring—

but as I drain my last flute of champagne

I wait for change, & don’t feel anything.

Whatever I have been, I shall remain.

 

Somehow, the magic misses me. My friends

sign up for 5ks, vow to watch their weight,

or learn to knit. I’ll drink & overspend,

I’ll scarf the untouched French fries off their plate.

 

The world will count from ten, then kiss & cheer.

It’s me again. It’s yet another year.

Thanks to Kevin for sharing and to Erica for writing.

Tomorrow: Answers to questions readers have never asked.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

All Is Calm

Posted on December 24, 2024

It’s Christmas Eve Day, and the last thing I have to do is bake potatoes. It’s a simple activity, one I’ve done many times this year. This time it’s for the twice baked potatoes I’m serving with our filet tomorrow. (If you read the December 17 blog, you know that serving steak was questionable.)

Earl has returned from the supermarket with the news that there is no more eggnog. He bought chocolate milk instead, and we’ll make do. It’s not worth getting upset about.

In a couple hours I’ll visit a neighbor and deliver the gifts Santa left at our home for her. We’ll talk about the jigsaw puzzles we’re working on, what we’re doing for dinner, and maybe a gossipy tidbit or two about other neighbors. Just like we always do.

The weather is mild to the point that the snow we had has melted. I don’t plan to check with the weather people to see if there will be white Christmas. There wasn’t one in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago, so if there isn’t one in 2024, it will be all right.

Earl and I shall go to the early service at his church, which will follow the same format as in past years. There will be songs of the season, a brief sermon, something for the children, and an ending where the lights are turned off and all the congregants hold lit candles for the last song. It’s very sweet.

“All is calm” is one way to approach whatever you are doing tomorrow. For us, it will be a time of reflection and relaxation, and my hope is that they are part of your celebration, regardless of whether you have a house full or are on your own.

See more 10 Minutes in category | Leave a comment

Eggnog

Posted on December 23, 2024

Eggnog has a long history in Earl’s family. He has what is billed as the best eggnog on the planet, and for years we made it faithfully. The youngest attendee at our holiday gatherings had to create some kind of design on the top of the punch bowl full of the stuff before we served it.  My son Buddy and Kevin’s partner Lonna were among the lucky ones over the years..

Times have changed. We no longer make this recipe, partially because it makes a ton and partially because it turned out Earl and I are really the only ones who like eggnog. The others were just being agreeable.

So I went today to find the store-bought version for our Christmas dinner. We’d bought a quart a few days ago, and I assumed it would be no problem to get another. I went to five local supermarkets and/or liquor stores, all to no avail. One store said it would be getting new dairy items tomorrow, and perhaps – just perhaps – there would be eggnog. But no guarantees.

Why is there such a run on eggnog this season? It’s never been this way before. Perhaps some health guru has revealed that it’s the cure for whatever ails you. Perhaps people are not drinking as much, and eggnog is just as good without rum or whiskey or brandy. Or perhaps those companies that make it are rationing their inventory to charge a higher price.

All I know, is that either Earl or I will be at Roger’s, the store getting more dairy products, tomorrow in the final quest for our favorite Christmas beverage.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

A Different Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2024

It’s an unusual Christmas this year. Yes, it’s cold; there is snow; restaurants are busy; holiday music is everywhere. And at our home, a Christmas tree is still involved. As is eggnog.

But this season, my family in Fargo and my family in upstate New York, as well as Earl and I, are all staying put and cutting back. There are fewer gifts.  No out-of-town guests. No vegetarian soups to prepare. No gooey pastries to have on hand. There is only one gift left to wrap and one final trip to the supermarket with three days left to accomplish both.

This past week was filled with special holiday events, but they are winding down; and the next three days are stretching into a quiet zone where I hope to appreciate the difference between this Christmas and our usual more lively one.

We all live in places that are difficult to get to, especially in winter. No matter what transportation we use – car, train, plane – it’s still subject to weather’s whims. Besides it’s been a hard year for everyone, and maybe we all just want to chill out.

Still, I’m thinking of floating the idea that we recreate the 2024 Christmas in June when the days are long and warm. And snow is just a four-letter word instead of a reality. I’m willing to leave the tree up until then if the others sign on.

See more 10 Minutes in category , , | Leave a comment

Misnamed

Posted on December 21, 2024

Today is December 21, traditionally called the shortest day in the year. But that’s a misnomer. Technically, all days of the year are approximately the same length: 24 hours divided into sixty minutes segments that are further divided into sixty second segments.

What the shortest day of the year really means is that December 21 or thereabout (because sometimes it falls on the day before or the day after) is the day with the least amount of sun. Where I live that means we have about nine hours and six minutes of daylight out of twenty-four. That’s approximately a one third to a two third ratio.

So if you live in the Midwest like I do and are feeling depressed, there is good cause. It isn’t only because there is so little daylight, it’s also because the sun itself is usually blanketed by a dreary cloud cover that makes for the grayest days. In fact, it’s so gray throughout December and January that I actually look forward to the early nighttime so as not to see it.

Tomorrow the days start getting longer by about 45 seconds in the morning and another 45 at night. But it will still be at least a month or two before you can notice the difference. And six months to get to the longest day of the year.

Which is also misnamed.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Snow People

Posted on December 20, 2024

Of all the various collectibles related to the Christmas season – ornaments, Santas, creches, angels – my favorite has always been snow people. Granted they are usually called snowmen, but why should they be? Do we even know what gender snow people are in the first place?

Political correctness aside, I love the idea that snow people represent something temporary and transient. The real ones are a labor of love that stick around for a while and then vanish while the memory remains.

My indoor collection is more durable, but just as transient as they don’t stick around beyond the middle of January. In fact, this year I considered not even displaying what remains of my former collection. Only yesterday did I bring out my favorites: the snow person in boots who carries a sign that says, “Some of my best friends are flakes,” the glass snow couple on ice skates, and the wooden snow person with a couple birds on its stick-like arms. There’s also the pillow with the charcoal eyes, nose, and buttons and the saying, “I’ll be back again someday.”

And then there’s my beloved aunt’s runner that has graced our dining table since she sent it to me a couple decades ago. It features the cutest snow person as well as other hand-quilted souvenirs of Christmas. She passed away on June 3, so this is the first year without her in my life. I cannot display this snow person this year; but it’s here in my memory.

It will never be transient.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Deadlines

Posted on December 19, 2024

When I was a freelance writer, my clients always had deadlines for me. Given that the writing comes at the beginning of a project my deadlines were usually tight so that there was wiggle room for the delays that occurred later.

I never missed a deadline, even when the interviewee was reclusive or there was a winter storm that prevented an interview in person. It’s a personal record that still makes me proud, although I stopped freelancing a long time ago.

It’s the same with various appointments. My hair stylist, my family practice physician, and my dermatologist all send reminders, but it’s unnecessary. If I’ve made an appointment with some service provider, you can be sure I’ll be there on time. Same goes for Pilates, my personal trainer, and my friends. None of them send me reminders, and I always show up.

Unfortunately, this trait does not extend to my self-imposed deadlines. For example, I’d hoped to finish my book in November; it’s still languishing at the holiday season. I’d hoped to put up my daily blog at noon each day; you can see how that’s going. I also hoped to make time each day for piano practice. But all these good intentions are paving the way to you-know-where.

I’m not sure what to do. At my age, it could be an old dog/new trick sort of thing. But I would really like to treat my commitments to myself with the same respect as I treat my commitments to others.

Please send suggestions to anne@annebrandt.com. I’ll be eternally grateful, especially if something you suggest works.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment

Not My Imagination

Posted on December 18, 2024

A couple weeks ago I went to buy Christmas cards for my family. We’re a small family, and I wanted a meaningful card for each person. It was harder than I’d imagined.

Store #1 had no holiday cards at all. Store #2 had a meager supply, mostly the kind where you include a check or cash. I wish I could say, like Goldilocks, that Store #3 was “just right,” but that wasn’t the case. Store #3 had half an aisle devoted to Christmas cards, most of which were somewhat offensive and all of which were expensive. Some lit up when opened, others burst into song. And, if you were sending one of these, the envelope told you extra postage was needed.

Given that a first class card of standard size now costs $.73 to send on a good day, sending cards is becoming a pricey proposition as costly as some stocking stuffers.

Out of curiosity, I went online to see what’s happening in the greeting card industry and learned that sales of all kinds of cards have declined since 1990. Southern Living asked its readership if Christmas cards were a dying art, and 63 percent of the respondents said “Yes.”

I didn’t research further; but it seems obvious that the emergence of social networks, email cards, and other ways to keep in touch have had an impact on the card industry. In the end, I found two great cards and three so-so cards for my family.

With these results, this could be the last year I even try.

See more 10 Minutes in category , | Leave a comment