Monthly Archives: November 2025

Posted in Holiday observations

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING WHIPPED CREAM BATTLE

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By Suzanne Sparrow Watson

By Suzanne Sparrow Watson

So, here we are, the official beginning of the holiday season. This week a lot of you will be either cooking, traveling, or if you’re lucky like me, bringing a dish to a friend’s house. I have hosted a lot of Thanksgiving dinners over the years and I’m very happy to turn the reins over to others at this point. I even gave my turkey roaster away as a definitive gesture of my surrender. But I have held on to a lot of good memories and traditions associated with Turkey Day. One of my favorites is the year our family spent Thanksgiving in Tahoe City at Bob’s cabin. There was a lot of alcohol involved and by the time the pies were served Bob and I were well into our cups. Then someone made the fatal mistake of placing a heaping bowl of whipped cream in front of us and it was game on! We got into a whipped cream fight that almost sent our mother into apoplexy. We were a long way from our traditional Thanksgiving table filled with the best china and silver, finger bowls and sedated conversation. But boy, did we have fun and it created a memory that still makes me smile today.

I have been looking at Thanksgiving traditions and have found some fun and rather interesting facts to share.

First, in Indianapolis, people have started an annual tradition of dressing their turkey in a baby onesie, dousing it in lighter fluid, attaching it to a long chain, lighting it on fire, and throwing it across the length of a football field. This tradition was basically started by a bunch of dudes who wanted to see a flaming turkey streak through the night sky, and now, it’s an annual thing.

Continuing in that theme, at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the most popular Thanksgiving tradition is an event called Frozen Turkey Bowling, where people hurl frozen, oiled-up turkeys down a grocery store aisle at a set of large 7Up bottles posing as bowling pins. The event raises money to combat smoking, which is an awesome reason to throw a frozen bird at a bunch of bowling pins. Not that they really need a reason – in 2022 the Wall Street Journal rated Wisconsin as the drunkest state.

Something you may not know is that Thanksgiving inspired (if you can use that word) the first TV dinner. In 1953, the folks at Swanson didn’t sell as many Thanksgiving turkeys as expected. In fact, they had 260 tons of unsold turkey on hand. Inspired by the meals served in trays on airplanes, one of the Swanson employees used the turkeys to create the world’s first TV dinners. They sold for 98 cents each. These ready-made meals were an immediate hit. Who among us doesn’t remember those gummy mashed potatoes and rock-hard peas? We thought it was such a treat!

Most of us eschew TV dinners these days because they’re viewed as unhealthy. But before you get on your “clean eating” high horse, remember that even though our Thanksgiving meal may come from Sprouts or Whole Foods, it still contains a ton of calories. The average American can consume anywhere between 2,100 and 4,500 calories during their Thanksgiving celebration. Unless you throw the whipped cream at your sibling – that saves a few calories right there.

Black Friday isn’t technically a holiday, although it has become so entwined with Thanksgiving that it seems like it is. But can we all admit that Black Friday is the worst invention ever? It’s basically just an excuse for people to wrestle in a Macy’s parking lot over a discounted Keurig. Like Mother’s Day and Valentines Day, Black Friday wasn’t even a thing until we decided it was and started camping out in front of Target to buy TVs at a slight discount.

I’ll tell you who else doesn’t like Black Friday – plumbers! You will not find them at any stores on Black Friday because it turns out that enough people clog their sinks and garbage disposals on Thanksgiving to make it the busiest day of the year for them. Personally, I think it also has to do with all that high-calorie food clogging up the plumbing in the bathroom, if you get my drift.

No matter how you celebrate or what you eat, my brother and I wish you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving. Go out and make some fun memories!

Posted in Historical

November Brings the Holiday Spirit

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by Bob Sparrow

Few months offer the interest and complexity of November.  Most love the month as it unofficially opens the ‘holiday season’ as we come down from a sugar high from Halloween, then salute our veterans and finally devour some turkey. Additionally, there are lots of good football games to watch for those with a proclivity for such things. I’ll not mention the election days that kick off November as we try to avoid politics here at ‘From A Birdseye View’.

Spinster L.M. Alcot

First, some detractors of the month of November. Author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, was not a fan, saying, “November is the most disagreeable month in the whole year.” But one must consider that Ms. Alcott lived in the northeast where Novembers can be rather harsh and she had no one to cuddle with on those fridged winter evening, as she never married. Emily Dickinson wasn’t much a fan of November either, saying, “In November the noons are more laconic and the sunsets sterner. November always seemed to me the Norway of the year.” Having never left New England, I assume Ms. Dickinson imagined Norway as a cold and foreboding place. To her point, it can be – Northern Norway’s average high temperature in November is between 28-35 degrees Fahrenheit!       

     That’s hard to imagine as we here in Orange County had high 80s, even low 90s in the first week of November this year. I’m sure Louisa May Alcott would have found it most disagreeably hot. The name November itself is a bit of a novelty as it takes its name from the Latin word novem, which means nine, as it was the ninth month in the Roman calendar. But then those pesky Gregorians came along with their own calendar and added two more months, January and February, making November the eleventh month. I understand that none of the above is probably going to help you get into the ‘Holiday Spirit’, although living in someplace other than northern Norway during this time of year, may help.

King Tutankhamun

If you haven’t gotten into the ‘holiday spirit’ yet, here are some alternative events that perhaps you could celebrate.

  • For those into ‘boy kings’, King Tutankhamun’s tomb was discovered in November of 1922. King Tut assumed the throne as a nine-year-old and died when he was 19, only a couple years sort of drinking age, but we can raise some spirits to him. Those who like Egyptians, boys or kings can now celebrate this.
Stray dog, Laika – last photo alive
  • For those pet fans, you can celebrate ‘Laika’ (which means ‘barker’ in Russian), a stray dog, who became the first animal in space as she was launched by Russia in November 1957. Unfortunately, she died just hours into the launch as insulation in the capsule tore and she overheated. If you’re surprised at hearing she died during the mission, it’s because the Russians claimed that she survived the entire trip. Celebrate your pet, or a pet near you, this month.
  • Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes first meets with Aztec emperor Montezuma II in November of 1519. Cortes kept the meeting friendly, but several days later he took Montezuma hostage. Celebrate famous explorer and conqueror, Cortes, or Montezuma’s Revenge.  
  • Sadie Hawkins Day. While it technically was last week (November 13) not too many people know that so you can still celebrate this ‘holiday’. It was created in the Li’l Abner comic strip in 1937, where unmarried women would chase bachelor men and if they caught him, they would get married. Today, if the lady catches the man, she asks him to do the laundry.

Yeah, this is the kind of stuff you get from me when I’m not traveling. Hopefully it will give you more things to celebrate this month, or tell us what you celebrate in this ‘Norway of the year’.

Posted in opinion

HOME FOR A HERO

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By Suzanne Sparrow Watson

It’s not often that we get to witness the sacrifice of our wounded veterans up close. But two weeks ago, I was honored to attend a ceremony where the Gary Sinise Foundation turned over a custom-built home to a local veteran, Brad Ivanchan. Brad is a 37-year-old Marine who lost both legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. His journey through injury, multiple surgeries and recovery exemplifies the courage and resilience we honor this week on Veteran’s Day.

A little about Brad: he was deployed to Iraq in 2009, serving as a turret gunner and providing escort security for an explosive ordinance disposal team. He went on to become a machine gun team leader in Southeast Asia before earning the rank of Corporal in 2012. He became a squad leader serving in Afghanistan, carrying out combat foot patrols across Helmand Province, one of the most dangerous regions. On the night of June 13, 2012, Brad’s squad of 10 men and an interpreter were conducting a night patrol when Brad stepped on an IED. The explosion amputated Brad’s right leg below the knee and shredded his left leg to his lower thigh. His left arm and hand were also mangled. After his immediate care in Germany, he was flown to Balboa Naval Hospital in San Diego for further surgery and recovery. Brad endured six surgeries to rebuild his left hand and treat multiple bacterial infections in both legs. And that is also where fate stepped in, in the form of Gary Sinise.

Brad was in the section of the hospital reserved for servicemen injured in the Afghanistan/Iraq wars. It was a crowded ward back in 2012. One day as Brad was recuperating, Gary Sinise walked into his room and said, “I’m just here to see how you’re doing.” When Brad related that story, he noted how sincere Gary was and how much time he spent with him learning about his injury, recovery plans and what his interests were. Brad took comfort from Gary and from the other wounded veterans who had forged a new life, despite devastating injuries. He started walking just three months after he stepped on that IED. Five months after that he became the first double amputee in history to summit the highest mountain in South America, Mount Aconcagua—at over 22,800 feet. That astonishing accomplishment meant one very important thing to Brad – it proved that his life would not be defined by his injuries.

Still, his everyday existence was filled with challenges. Three years after his initial operation, Brad had to go undergo another surgery that further amputated his right leg, this time above the knee. By then, the war had wound down, and Brad found himself to be the only veteran at the Naval Hospital who had served in the Afghanistan/Iraq wars. And yet, even though he was the singular inhabitant of the ward, Gary Sinise arrived at the hospital to visit him again. He had heard that Brad was undergoing more treatment and wanted to check on him and provide support.

Despite Brad’s incredible resiliency, his life at home was a constant battle. He lived in a small house not suited to his needs. To make matters worse, not only was the home inaccessible to his wheelchair, but it was also built on an uneven lot, so it was filled with many stairs. He fell several times, and during periods when he could not use his prosthetics, he was not able to leave the house. And that is when Gary Sinise stepped in again. Through his foundation’s R.I.S.E. (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment) program, Brad was selected to receive a custom-built, mortgage-free home designed to meet his specific needs.

Brad’s home was built near me and as a long-time supporter of the Gary Sinise Foundation, I was asked to attend the dedication ceremony. The event was one of the most uplifting moments I’ve ever experienced. Brad was escorted to his new home by a squadron of police and fire personnel. When he stepped out of the van with his dog, Roscoe, he began the walk down his new driveway, which was lined by American flags and vociferous supporters. A few leaders from the Gary Sinise Foundation spoke and not only praised Brad for his perseverance and fortitude but cited the dozens of companies and contractors who donated their time and materials to make that home possible. I sat next to the young owner of the cabinet company that made all of the custom-built cabinets for the house. He was so proud to have donated to the creation of the home and welled up when he saw Brad’s reaction to them. The director of the R.I.S.E. program said this home was the 98th they have completed and noted how heart-warming it is to see so many people anxiously contribute to their efforts. He said in conclusion, “All who help build these homes, and do so with open hearts, are the real America. Don’t listen to the news – there are a lot of good people out there.”

I think everyone left the ceremony that day feeling inspired and optimistic. Many years ago, my husband and I decided to consolidate our gift-giving and chose the Gary Sinise Foundation. In all of those years I have never felt that my money was wasted or spent on frivolous junkets. Meeting some of the foundation’s executives in person, hearing them speak, and seeing the work they do first-hand confirmed that they are good people doing good work for the military and first responders who do so much for us. As Gary says, “while we can never do enough for our nation’s heroes, we can always do a little more.”

That is a good sentiment to keep in mind tomorrow as we commemorate Veteran’s Day.

Posted in Blog Info / Up-dates • Historical

Is China Watching You? We Know They’re Watching Us!

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By Bob Sparrow

Several months ago, we started seeing a significant spike in the hits to our blog. We thought, Yippee!! More people are finally starting to follow us. As a reference we usually get between 50 and 100 hits on Monday, the day each new blog posts. The count typically decreases as we get further into the week.  Recently we started to see hits in the hundreds, which, of course, we attributed to our spectacular writing. But then the hit numbers jumped to the thousands; our biggest one-day hit was over 4,000. We finally realized, we’re not THAT good of writers! So, I Googled what causes a spike like this and of course, Google had the answer, several of them in fact:

In terms of possible ‘positive’ reasons it said:

  1. You may be doing some successful marketing.  No
  2.  An influencer or news source may have mentioned or linked to your blog. No way
  3. Your blog may contain content of specific interest to those who go to the effort of using a Virtual Private Network. Huh?  No
  4. You have a growing audience in a foreign country. Hell No

Since none of those answers seemed reasonable, I asked Google what some of the ‘negative’ reasons might be for this increase in hits. The short answer was:

The most likely cause of an unprompted and large influx of traffic from a specific country is bot activity. In recent years, China has been a significant source of malicious web bots. This bot traffic is often not from genuine users and could be a sign of security threats. 

So, what is a bot? A computer program that performs automatic tasks.

As I was learning about bots, I looked further into Google Analytics that support our blog to see where in the world these hits to our blog were coming from. Past analytics for this data would show that the majority of our hits come from the U.S., followed by the some from the United Kingdom and then a few scattered around the globe from places like Brazil, Australia, South Africa and other countries. Currently our analytics showed two things, 1) China by far had the most hits – in the thousands, and 2) the hits were mostly on one particular blog, Suzanne’s Loyalist or Patriot? that she wrote in July 2023. Why that particular blog? Interestingly enough, is about Ben Franklin’s son, William, who, while his father was busy helping the U.S. break away from England, William remained a loyalist to the crown and ultimately moved to England to live out his life and never spoke to his father again. If you’re interested in reading or re-reading, her entire blog, go to our Archives on the right and click on July 2023.

So, what is the Chinese’s fascination with this story that shows an iconic American family divided over which country to support? Of all the blogs we’ve written over the past 13 years, this one about divided patriotism is the one they’re hitting. They could just as easily have landed on her blog about Dash the Wonder Dog. OK, maybe not, but it’s just a little spooky that the Chinese have a particular interest in that blog. And why does the bot keep hitting it?

So, I’ve done a little research into ‘bot protection’ and while there are some good programs out there that would hopefully eliminate the bots, I’m a little hesitant as I don’t want to lose thousands of our readers. But I will caution you that if you ever comment on our blog, make sure you’re not saying anything that will jeopardize our national security.