Mr. B is feeling awkward between the holidays

We are in that awkward period between Christmas and New Year's Day when many of us have trouble remembering what day of the week it is, who we are and what in the world we're suppose to be doing with ourselves. At least that's the way I feel.

I am not complaining. I enjoy having some extra time away from the office. But the problem is so many others are enjoying time away from their offices that it's difficult to get much done, particularly the items I really wanted to complete during the time between the holidays.

I had hoped to schedule a visit with my primary physician, but she's out of the office until sometime in January. I had hoped to have some maintenance work done on my car, but my auto mechanic is out of his service bay until sometime in January. You get the idea. And those delays are adding to my discomfort, such as it is this year.

A friend who frequently travels to Europe tells me it is like this in many countries throughout the year, not only during the holiday season. It's only here in the United States that people have trouble being idle, he tells me.  And he's correct. Search Google for information related to why Americans don't or can't relax, and you'll find a variety of articles similar to this Atlantic piece.

But my friend also tells me he notices a growing number of Americans becoming more comfortable with doing nothing, or at least more of less. He says it is a reflection of a decline in the American work ethic. He might be correct. I'm not sure.

I am feeling like I'm ready to return to work. Perhaps I should relax and give that some more thought. 

- Thank you for reading. Please email comments to kbotterman@gmail.com.

Mr. B enjoys a mug and awaits the winter solstice

Where is Altria headed?

The Associated Press reports Altria, one the world’s biggest tobacco companies, purchased
a $12.8 billion stake in Juul, an e-vaping business. I’ll be interested in
seeing where this goes. Earlier in the week, Altria announced the
company is looking at entering the legal marijuana industry.
Juul will remain an independent company but will have access
to Altria’s distribution network, according to the AP. With cigarettes
sales on a steady decline, it's not difficult to imagine what might
be in the works at Altria.

Check out that moon

If you venture outside Dec. 21 be sure to take a few minutes to look
up and view the full moon that will mark the Winter Solstice. The full
moon will be at its height Dec. 22, according to the Farmers' Almanac, so you will have a second opportunity.

Some food for thought

The Farmers' Almanac also offers some advice about the foods we might offer to birds during
the winter months. There are some interesting suggestions on the list,
and I might try a few, including the fruit. I typically offer a mix I purchase
at a local grocer. It is reasonably priced and attracts a variety of birds during
winter. I most frequently see finches at the feeder, but have observed cardinals
and a one or two blue jays. Of course, squirrels and rabbits also visit the
area beneath the feeder, but I enjoy watching those critters as well.

Keep an eye on the polar vortex

Northern Illinois has enjoyed a calm December, at least as far as the weather
is concerned, with daytime temperatures (low 40s) above normal this week and
nighttime lows ranging from the upper 20s to mid-30s. But Ag Week reminds us to pay attention to the polar vortex, particularly in late January
and early February, when a shift in the polar vortex could push temperatures to
zero or below. I have resided in the Midwest most of my life and expect
cold conditions during the winter months, not that I enjoy them. I prefer cold
to snow and have learned a few tricks that help me endure deep freezes.
The local weather crews tell us we can expect in a dry, unseasonably warm
Christmas Day, but to look for changing conditions, including snow, next week.
I always enjoy talking weather, so feel free to send an email with details about
conditions near you.

--Thank you for reading. Email comments to kbotterman@gmail.com.

A few Bottservations before Christmas

I always enjoy reading the reports and features in the Illinois Farm Partners magazine, and the winter 2018 edition provides a variety of interesting reading. You can find it all here.

Highlights include a report on organic produce, a feature about agriculture art, tips for managing your budget, suggestions for growing houseplants, and (my favorite) several recipes for comfort food with a healthy twist. You can't go wrong with that kind of reading.

Christmas Shopping nearly done

I am ahead of schedule on my Christmas shopping this season, and it
looks as though I will have my list completed by Dec. 19, which is
pretty for good me. I spend most holiday shopping seasons at the stores
right up to Christmas Eve. It’s not laziness or procrastination.
Instead, it is a combination of tradition and hunt for gifts that are
sure to please. Old habits are hard to break, but my shopping
routine has improved in recent years, so I am nearly done with
the process for this holiday.

During my high school and college years, my two younger brothers,
Patrick and Mike, and I would visit Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg as
close to Christmas Day as possible, usually on the afternoon of
Christmas Eve. It was more out of a sense of adventure than necessity.
We typically had our most important gift shopping completed by that
time. Last-minute items for the stockings usually were all that was
needed, and those were easy to find. The late outings to the mall were
more for the fun of watching stressed out shoppers, mostly men,
scramble for gifts.

There was a real sense of desperation, fear and even panic in the air.
It was great fun to watch and sometimes join in.
I'm a little too old for that kind of fun now, and visiting the malls
doesn't appeal to me much anymore. But I do enjoy the memories,
and I am grateful to be nearly done with this holiday's purchases.

A seasonal visit to the flicks

One of our favorite traditions during the holiday season is a visit or two to our local movie theater to watch a new release. We always try to go during the days between Christmas and New Year's Day.

One year, when my daughter was in middle school, she and I managed to see three different movies, mostly matinees. It was a real treat for us both. My daughter is an adult now and spends her free time with friends, so I most often visit the movie house with my wife. We usually have our holiday movie picks made in advance, but this year, we don't have much enthusiasm for what Hollywood is offering. I am sure we'll make a selection and take in at least one screening, but I have a sense we will be settling on something we are not particularly keen to see. I will update you in good time.

-Thank you for reading. Please email questions and comments to kbotterman@gmail.com.

Mr. B shares a Christmas memory

My parents house did not have a fireplace to enjoy during the winter months, but we had a cardboard Christmas decoration that served as a pleasant substitute and gave me some favorite childhood memories.

My parents purchased the sizable cardboard fireplace in the early 1970s, when I was still in elementary school. The decorative item looked like a real fireplace and included a mantle and a vertical section that resembled a chimney. The firebox contained a display of cardboard logs and a small light fixture and bulb that was set behind the logs. The fixture was topped by a thin, perforated piece of sheet metal that rotated over the light bulb, casting alternating shadows on the walls of the firebox, which were suppose to simulate dancing flames.

My parents displayed the fireplace diagonally in the corner of the small room where we also displayed our Christmas tree, a fresh-cut natural one, not the artificial variety. The artificial fireplace sat opposite the real tree. 

I discovered late one Sunday afternoon when I was in the fourth grade that I could easily step behind and fireplace and comfortably sit behind the firebox. I was raised in a house with two adults, seven siblings, a few cats and a dog. There was little in the way of privacy at any time with so many people in the immediate area, so the cozy little space was special to me. 

The fireplace was part of our seasonal decorations and was stored in the attic in January, along with Christmas lights, extension cords, artificial wreaths and decorations for the tree. But from early December until the first full weekend in January it was on display, and I spent many early evenings behind the firebox. I often took a flashlight with me and read books in the small space. Mostly I just sat and watched the room.

I was sitting behind the fireplace one evening when my mom entered the room. She adjusted a few of the ornaments on the Christmas tree and then turned and stood staring at the fireplace, watching the light in the firebox throw shadows. Mom stood motionless for several minutes, not shifting her gaze. I remember feeling bad for not alerting her to my presence. 

It was a rare moment. I understood that much. It is one I remember with perfect clarity. I remember wondering what was she thinking about in that quiet moment. What was on her mind? 

I have thought about that moment a lot over the years. I have never asked mom about that moment. In all likelihood she doesn't remember it and would probably respond with something along the lines of, "I was asking God for patience and self control so that I would not harm one of my children." That's the sort of humor she has. 

I can only imagine what she pondered in the silence of the moment, and over the years have considered the many possibilities. Was she thinking of a far off place? Was she wondering what her life might have been like if she had not married my father and started a family? Was she thinking a simple prayer of thanks for life as it was? Or was she simply enjoying a quiet moment?

A few short years later, much would change for my family. My brother Tim was killed in a car accident in 1973 and our lives, and our Christmas celebrations were forever different. 

The cardboard fireplace reached the end of its useful life in the late 1970s and was unceremoniously discarded. 

It remains in my memories, a reminder of a quiet place during the Christmas season.

- Thank you for reading. Please email comments to kbotterman@gmail.com. 

Mr. B Remembers Pearl Harbor Day

We recently observed the 77th commemoration of the Japanese air raid against U.S. military forces at Pearl Harbor on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941.

The observances are smaller in recent years and receive less media attention than when I was a boy, about 50 years ago. The passing of time is one reason for that. The event becomes less significant to modern life with each passing year, just as key events from the War of Independence and the Civil War slipped from the national conscience. 

But the Pearl Harbor attack was still fresh in the minds of many Americans in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when I was first learning about World War II. Many of those who served in the war and those who were alive during it have died. The direct connection to that period in time will cease to exist in just a few years. My dad was a freshman at Arlington High School in 1941 and was attending a charity basketball game featuring the Harlem Globe Trotters at the school when officials shared news of the Japanese attack and urged everyone to return home. 

Dad passed away in 1995. Mom is still with us, but is now in her early 90s. My parents served as my connection to the war. Dad sparked my interest in the conflict when I was in the third grade and it remains a favorite subject of study for me.  Dad taught me and my siblings about the Pearl Harbor attack and World War II history.  And he made certain we took at least a few minutes each December 7 to pause and remember those killed in the attack. 

In the mid-1970s, WGN-TV in  Chicago started a new tradition on December 7 of airing "Tora, Tora, Tora," Hollywood's 1970 movie about the events leading up to Pearl Harbor raid. For those not familiar with the movie, it includes a dramatic depiction of the air raid. Dad made sure we watched the movie at each presentation, and shared stories of the date President Franklin D. Roosevelt said would live in "infamy".  And that was fine with me. I never tired of watching the movie, or of discussing the air raid. WGN stopped airing the movie several years ago.

I imagine our formal observations of Pearl Harbor Day will fade and eventually end. Many young Americans today are not familiar with the event and don't much care that it propelled the U.S. into World War II. But I will do all that I can to observe Pearl Harbor Day and remind others of the event's significance. I think it's the least I can do to show my gratitude to those who did the same for me. 

-Thank you for reading. Please email your comments to kbotterman@hotmail.com. 

Mr. B offers a quick hit

Of the many remembrances being shared this week about former President George H.W. Bush, I think my favorite is the one members of his Secret Service detail shared from 2013 and published in this Daily Herald report. The item features a photo of Bush sitting with a young toddler on his lap. Both had recently had their heads shaved of hair; the boy because he was undergoing cancer treatment, the former president as a show of support for the boy. 

The child in the photograph is the son of a member of Bush's Secret Service protection detail. When Bush learned the boy was required to shave his head as part of his treatment program, Bush and the members of the Secret Service shaved their heads, too. 

I think the story and photo show Bush's finest qualities. He was a caring man who put others first and routinely set aside his ego while serving others. These are rare qualities for and rarer still in political figures. 

-Thank you for reading. Please send comments to kbotterman@gmail.com.