There was a family member in the emergency room for seven hours. One son called to say that he and his friends weren’t going anywhere until the roads at Truckee were open again. The other son had headed to Tahoe with a couple of friends at 5:00 a.m. this morning, and had not been heard from since last night.

I was worried, to say the least.

But all is well. Tests for the family member were clear. One son is probably happily killing Babylonians in his latest new game, along with seven or eight friends, all safely in a hotel room. The other son called to say his cell battery died in the car where they had been stuck ever since turning back at Truckee where hail convinced them to turn back.

The Babylonian son left with a tin of Christmas cookies. I had offered the huge bag of leftover Halloween candy and similar Christmas cookies to the other son, who now sincerely regrets turning down both. He also said it was ’stupid’ of them to leave in such horrendous weather.

I’m surprised we have both, although I did lose the connection for a few hours today. And there’s another storm heading in soon.

Both kids are trying to get to ski areas, but so far, they’re stopped due to road and ski resort closures, rain where there should be snow, flooding where there are roads open, and whiteout conditions in some snow areas. Not to mention the occasional mishap involving a big rig full of cows, then the freeway full of same.

And into a very stormy night.

In extremely blustery, imminently hideous weather. Almost Category 1 winds out there today. Why torture myself with malls when I could be lashing myself to a tree in order to plant the many tulip bulbs before it’s too late?

Because there’s a family birthday in early January, and I’m never organized enough to buy extra presents during Christmas shopping.

There is a footprint. Tufts of odiferous brown fur. Is it him?

Malaysian wildlife officials are checking out sightings of what might actually be sun bears.

It is only fair to mention that the country is keen on increasing its ecotourism numbers.

Art therapy for the overworked programmers in the house.

Car makers have noticed that bottoms are bigger than they used to be. This article assumes it’s only American butts, but globally, derrieres have been spreading for some time. A new term, ‘globesity’ is part of today’s vocabulary.

Tales of parcooking risotto, freezing precut cookies, peeled garlic, and canned tomatoes.

Sandisk’s folding memory card, Audiovox’s modular DVD screen, Casio’s three-consecutive shots function when the self-timer is used on their digital cameras (to eliminate the chance of someone blinking).

After a long workday, I was tired. Three of us had KFC and one chose Subway. The movie left me confused and depressed. My kids were seeing it for the third time.

The soundtrack to House of Flying Daggers is excellent.

Completely reworking the idea of a personal vehicle with respect to ease-of-use in congested cities, freedom from pollution, and an impact-resistant cabin.

GM will be building the prototype soon.

Perhaps this has happened to you. A recipient rips open a gift - your gift - and then, the disappointment is impossible to hide. If it’s a child, there may be tears. If the child is really young, a tantrum might surface.

However, in someone old enough to know better, there is no excuse for a lack of graciousness in accepting a present. For many Christmases, I watched as a young relative made a face at efforts to please her. As she got older, she made a poor effort to mask her feelings, then dumped the gift onto her younger sister.

Don’t mess with the pilots or crews of Monarch Airlines.

For many this year, the holiday season is long indeed.

By the time I thought of them, the icing/edible ink pens were sold out at local stores.

Next year, if I don’t get a cold, I can make the dough ahead of time. I’ll use the Silpat (need a bigger one) when cutting out the shapes. There will always be a huge mess, even before mixing up the colored icings. The boys will say the rabbit has a rash.

No one knows for certain why there are more heart attacks in early winter, but many factors come into play. It’s cold. People get out and shovel snow, which can be dangerous if they’ve been inactive all year. Sitting by the fire means inhaling wood particulates that can be bad for heart and lung alike.

Then there are the get-togethers that aren’t so much heart-warming as they are anger-inducing. And don’t forget the rich foods everywhere.

Parts of it are edible, and its leaves and roots used for medicine. When it is hollowed out, it can be used as a shelter, or in times past, as a prison.

First, there’s more risk of heart disease. Then a weaker immune system. Mental slowness. And so on.

We cooked each element separately, keeping the potatoes warm in the oven till it was all ready.

Roast beef hash, from the Christmas leftovers. A couple of us are John Houseman fans.

And at this time of year, our minds are full of mush.

It is warm with no gusty winds. I planted about 100 tulips, some in pots, some among the daffodils. The cuttings from my mom’s pink jasmine have rooted, so I planted those next to the back fence. Moved some ranunculus and naked lady bulbs around, tossed out delphinium and lupine seeds, plus a package of forget-me-not seeds from many years back.

They will hook up your iPod to the stereo speakers, when they are not taking all the glassware back to their rooms. They will bring friends home unexpectedly, late at night when you are downloading music in their room in your pajamas.

After they hook up the speakers however, they will then plug in their music of German origins, and then it sounds like a rogue beast is grumbling contentedly on the sofa after a large meal.

The soundtrack from Genghis Blues, because there are a couple of would-be throat singers here.

Environmental watchdogs say that 90 percent of the water supply for cities is polluted.

Am I a little late on Christmas cookies? How did this happen? Did I spend too much time by the door waiting on deliveries that never came? Time at holidays moves twice as fast as time at other times, except for children, in which case the opposite is true.

As long as there are Christmas cookies before New Year’s. Note that I’m not using as many seasonal shapes.

For the little guy, it can be a money-making venture.

Note that the level of difficulty is rated Hard.

But if going from 0 - 60 mph in five seconds is your cup of tea, then by all means, go for it.

Because a leopard is not a passive creature, especially when cornered by dogs.

As if the days aren’t short enough, now we have three big storms moving through, meaning very little light. But it’s typical winter weather for us as we slog through yet another gloomy, gray, sodden morning.

Their entree of choice is another snail.

The entire bag of Costco garlic sprouted while I was sick in November. I tossed the contents onto one of the raised beds, thinking I would space them apart properly when I had the time.

Time is at a premium the last two months of the year. And so they sprouted more, and sent down roots. Now there is a giant clump of impressive green shoots, which I clip from time to time when I need some spark in a dish.

I never really considered that garlic seeds have been infertile. Now that has been changed.

To keep foreign countries from patenting products based on native information, the Traditional Knowledge Data Library, or TKDL, has been created. Health officials hope that the database will keep legal fees incurred during patent battles at a minimum.

Attempts to patent the use of turmeric as a drug, for example, have been prevented.

Their online sales went through the roof, which is nice.

Where is my stuff? Which I ordered Dec. 9? Which I have not got? According to my account information, the order will not ship until Jan. 6 - Jan. 21. Is the one import CD holding things up?

Whereas my Barnes & Noble orders all got here well before Christmas.

Across the pond, they’re saying we’ve given up on it. For what, the burrito? Really?

Or even a miracle or two? Things happen.

I got Amarantine as a gift. (thanks, Chris!) In this article, the author examines the secret of Enya’s grip on her audience.

In a case with other items. I wish I could have isolated it for a better shot.

In the Biodiversity Room at the aquarium, visitors got a glimpse of objects not often displayed.

A view from the side.

A household sponge bought at Morrison’s, a UK supermarket, proves effective against MRSA. Researchers have no idea why, but say the sponge produced antibiotics that attacked and killed the superbug.

Was actually very good for you. And the lounging around watching movies on the sofa - that was good too. Really.

I have to get up at 6:00 a.m. for work tomorrow, but a Farscape episode awaits before I can think about sleep. My son is reciting endless dialogue from the More Cowbell SNL, which is forcing me to stop cropping pictures, and watch the show with him.

We ate at Park Chow tonight, and he will be reviewing it as a guest blogger. My other son will be a future guest blogger when he will reveal how he made the transition from heavy metal to Frank Sinatra.

Near the entrance.

We spent part of the afternoon at Steinhart Aquarium.

It did not rain after all.

The good stuff was gone, but I managed to get some Christmas cards and gift wrap. Most everyone was in good spirits, lots of smiles.

Now to wade into the SF traffic.

It is soggy out, but these bulbs need to get in the ground. Meanwhile, previous years’ bulbs are poking through, and the California poppies planted a couple of weeks ago are also up.

But I’m going to SF today, and maybe duck in a store or two around here to pick up some after-holiday items for next year.

Well, it’s complicated.

The Russian Santa is also known as Grandfather Frost. He was banished after the Russian Revolution, and brought back by none other than Josef Stalin.

A 14-pounder. Cornbread/bread/sausage stuffing. Roasted asparagus. Fresh cranberry sauce.

Not being the smartest of animals, they must rely on the elves to make sure they are not eating something that is forbidden to reindeer.

He doesn’t look a day over - well, he doesn’t appeared to have aged at all!

If only we are so well preserved when we get to 80.

Today is the day of turkey, tomorrow the roast beef. Trimmings to be prepped. Much to do. Like almost everyone today. Not enough time.

But then again. Plenty of time. It will all get done eventually. Those gifts that didn’t arrive will get here next week, and will seem like bonus presents.

Is there one in China? A California entrepreneur hopes to capitalize on the jolly old elf’s popularity. He wants to start sending Santas-for-Hire, but the bureaucracy and political paths are tough to navigate.

Who knows. There is a legend that Santa lives in China, hence all the ‘made in China’ stickers on toys. Things will come full circle.

Meanwhile, Christmas is very popular with Chinese surveyed, who say it’s their second most important holiday.

Flamingoes, parrots, koalas, a pronghorn, a lion cub, and of course the baby penguin recently. Why are they taken? For private collectors who’ll pay top dollar. For religious rituals. And in some cases, to be set free.

Tampering with Rudolph’s nose (parasitic infection with no record of bioluminescence), the Bethlehem star, and some lyrics a bit more modern.

And other gnome information that certain small persons in a household should know.

Tomorrow, not tonight. I refuse to go shopping again tonight. People are coughing and hacking out there. Sneezing as well.

But tomorrow, there is one more thing. Then I’ll lean back, sip some cocoa maybe, have a little candy, and admire the tree decorated by a son and his girlfriend, who have fixed all the gaps. They even hung a star on top, in place of the little bear, which deserves a post of his own.

All the things I ordered very recently from Barnes & Noble are here, free shipping. Several items from Amazon, ordered some time ago are not here, free shipping.

Swiss researchers reveal that snorers (and their bed partners) get relief from sleep-disturbances when they take up the didgeridoo. They snored less, and suffered fewer incidences of daytime sleepiness caused by sleep apnea.

Participants were trained on the didge, which requires circular breathing techniques.

Now you have valuable information on what to get that really-hard-to-shop-for, nocturnally-noisy person. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find a didgeridoo in say, the U.S. heartland.

That’s why there’s online shopping.

The government receives the drugs at no cost, and had expected patients to pay. But withint two weeks, the drugs will be available free.

Imposed on me by the sons, one of whom still hopes I will watch The Machinist in addition to Donnie. The other plans to show me all the Farscape episodes during winter break.

The arrival of one son coincided with the appearance of a giant Costco chocolate cake, which may ease the unease with which I approach the next few days’ entertainment.

People who know about these things advise that there be a few ‘extra’ gifts on hand. Just in case you get something from someone that you didn’t expect. Like I got yesterday. But I was fresh out of ‘extra’ gifts.

So off to the crowds, who generally looked tense this morning.

After lunch, there will be further shopping at Macy’s.

No one knows why. The Dutch like to disguise their presents, and write poems to go with them.

No minions answering, but Santa himself. He has a cell, but only for emergencies.

Where, exactly, does he live? Nations may argue, but I suspect the reindeer know for certain, or else the sleigh is equipped with a GPS system.

If he can be everywhere at once, his residence may be somewhat flexible.

The Trek Madone SSLx will set you back about $10,400. But it will make you or your recipient quite happy.

First thing in the morning, a unique Silent Night.

Filled with pastry cream.

It looks like I shattered Jupiter. Well, kind of.

Melting the white chocolate in a bowl over simmering water worked, except for a few spots here and there. Now to chill it for an hour or so before breaking it up into pieces.

The weather is not going to improve for optimum candy-making conditions, but Christmas is coming! Gotta have candy on hand!

German neuroscientists report that joggers improve their visual memory by running. It is thought that the hippocampus benefits from the activity, and manufactures new cells in addition to protecting the old ones.