Potpourri

I like oatmeal and I save it for cold mornings.

It is an oatmeal day!

*

Christmas is just around the corner. 

Time to share a reproduction vintage postcard.
The artist on the original card was Margaret Evans Price
 and it was published around 1922.

"I'd like to share with you the joys of Christmas day,

so I send this little card on its

Merry Christmas way."

Thank you to the lovely Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday.

**

We girls (Cassie and Mina and moi) got an early Christmas present

and you might say that Teddy got one too.

It was time for Teddy's six month ultrasound on his heart.

He has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and is on medication.

He passed with flying colors yesterday.

His wonderful vet said there was very little if any change.

The medication is working.

Yippee! 

***

I haven't decided if I'm finished decorating. 

While I'm deciding, 

Cassie burrows under the tree skirt and moves the non-breakable ornaments

on the bottom of the tree onto the floor.

"Just helping, Mummy!"

****

The Rice University Owl football team is playing for the conference championship

tomorrow. I'm going. I'll probably freeze my fanny and other parts of my anatomy off,

but this doesn't happen often and I want to be there to see these scholar-athletes

get the job done. The football program here has the third highest graduation rate

for college football programs in the country.

Go OWLS.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

My World: St. Arnold Brewery

The last city on the Rice Football Caravan this year was Houston

and the get-together was held at St. Arnold Brewery.

St. Arnold was founded by Rice University graduates and they often hold special events for Rice.

Here's just a little snippet from the St. Arnold web site.

You can read more about St. Arnold here.

"Our first keg of beer was shipped on June 9, 1994. Founded by Brock Wagner and Kevin Bartol, we chose Houston because, other than living here, this was the largest city in the country that did not have a microbrewery. Brock was a longtime homebrewer and had considered opening a brewery as far back as college, although that was quickly dismissed as a silly idea. Seven years after graduating, Brock revisited the idea, enlisted Kevin's help and the brewery was off and running. Kevin has since left the business after a bitter battle. (Just kidding - but don't you wish people wrote that when it was the truth?).

Our small crew does everything at the brewery: brew the beer, filter the beer, keg the beer, bottle the beer, sell the beer and drink the beer. For us, this is a passion, not a job. We believe that this comes through in the beers we make. Our beers have soul."

Why the name St. Arnold?

You can read the complete story here.

The Legend of the Beer Mug

It was July 642 and very hot when the parishioners of Metz went to Remiremont to recover the remains of their former bishop. They had little to drink and the terrain was inhospitable.

At the point when the exhausted procession was about to leave Champigneulles, one of the parishioners, Duc Notto, prayed “By his powerful intercession the Blessed Arnold will bring us what we lack.” Immediately the small remnant of beer at the bottom of a pot multiplied in such amounts that the pilgrims thirst was quenched and they had enough to enjoy the next evening when they arrived in Metz.

And, a fun time was had by all!

(They make a great root beer, too.)

Many thanks to the hosts of Our World.

Wishing YOU well and much joy!

My World

Visit My World to see more of our world or to participate yourself.

Last weekend was Homecoming at Rice University.

Lots of barbecue and fun for the kids.

It was soon time for the football game.
The Owls did really well last year.
Had a 10 - 3 season and played in a bowl game that they won.
This year hasn't been near as exciting.
This is the Marching Owl Band.
Better known as the MOB.

As you can see,
the MOB is a little different from most college bands.
No uniforms.
How many marching bands have string instruments
and musicians in long dresses.
I'd hoped we got a photo of the girl with the bubble machine
on her hat, but missed it.
The sound they provide the crowd with is sensational.

Most importantly,
The Owls won their Homecoming Game
defeating Tulane 28 - 20.

Texas Bowl

We are big college baseball fans. We've had season tickets to Rice baseball for 9 years now. This is the first year that we bought football season tickets and, my guess is, we'll be season ticket holders for another! The Rice Owl football team (members of Conference USA) went 9-3 in the regular season. They were invited to the Texas Bowl. Convenient as it is the hometown bowl. The game was held December 30 at Reliant Stadium home of the Houston Texans. Yep, we were there.

Reliant Stadium -- a really big place!

Bronze bull "dressed" for the season.

Rice Owls meet the Western Michigan Broncos (also 9-3).

This is a picture after the game. They've spent the week together at lunches, dinners and press conferences. They got to know each other. I really like both teams
getting together to congratulate each other
on a game well played.

I'm happy to report that the Owls won the game 38-14
for their 10th win of the season. It's been a
very long time since the Owls have seen such a
successful season. It's the Owls' first bowl win
since the 1954 Cotton Bowl game. 10-3 matched
the school single season record of 59 years ago.

Fireworks after the game.

As Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle wrote:
"Rice wants to be a winning program that challenges
its kids academically and athletically."

That's why we are fans.

Go Owls!