More Chanukah and more ice

I got a lead on where I might be able to find Chanukah candles--apparently, one of the Asian food markets usually sells them. Ordinarily, I would dismiss this as unlikely, however, the Asian foods stores around here also tend to sell Mexican and Indian food, beer or whatever. Saturday we went to all the Asian food stores, but no luck.
Friday I did a presentation for Joseph's school about Chanukah. I read "It's a Miracle," which is a reasonably secular book about one family's miracles (the little girl who wanted a pony then grew up to have a horse; the class clown who made his sad parents smile; the dentist who taught his parrot to help around the office, etc). Joseph brought in his Little People Chanukah set to show the class. This set was a present from Grandpa Joe and Grammy many years ago, but every year the kids get it out and give it a workout. It has a little Jewish family sitting around the table with a menorah, which lights up and plays Chanukah songs.


We had another ice storm this weekend, and we were iced in. Everything was closed because both the streets and sidewalks were repeatedly coated in ice. But, HA! not me--I still have my strap-on crampons from when I lived in Pullman, WA, and I was able to easily hike it to campus while all of the undergrads were clinging to trees in their UGGs.


The dog is deeply confused by the snow and ice. For a while, he kept coming inside, bugging me and then asking to go back out. Perhaps he wanted me to turn it off? This morning he was very enthusiastically retrieving iceballs, so I guess that he has accepted the weather.


Some menorah lightings. Note the attempt with birthday candles--they ended up wilting sideways.


Since we got our new digital video camera, we have had so many problems that we have pretty much stopped making videos. So, I figured that a bad quality video from the regular camera was better than nothing. Apparently, the school district has the kids learn a Chanukah song. I had never heard this song before. Sam doesn't know the song either and is trying to copy Joseph to keep from being left out of a photo opp. I also like the part of the video where the dog gets yoinked out of the way.


For whatever reason, after seeing this sign I had a dream that I gave everybody beer nuts for their Chanukah/Christmas present.