The European Union Cookie Catch-22

For at least two and a half years now, my every visit to the blogger control panel is greeted with this ominous message (bold added):

European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent.

As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies.

You are responsible for confirming this notice actually works for your blog, and that it displays. If you employ other cookies, for example by adding third party features, this notice may not work for you. Learn more about this notice and your responsibilities.

If I click the link to learn more, I get an even more stern warning:

If you have edited your blog in a way that hides this notice, it will be your responsibility to notify your visitors about cookies used on your blog and if necessary, obtain consent. Also, if you have added other blog features that set cookies, including third-party analytics or advertising services, you’ll need to provide additional or a different notice.

It is your responsibility to determine, based on your cookie use, what else would be appropriate. If you choose to use a different notice, be sure you still comply with Google’s EU user consent policy. Learn more on generating cookie notices.

Then there is this parting fine print:

To see the notice if you’re outside of the EU, view your blog and change the country code, for example blogspot.fr or blogspot.co.uk. If you use a custom domain, you won't see the notice outside of the EU.

Since leftbankofthecharles.com is a custom domain, that means I would have to travel to the European Union in order to determine if the cookie notice is appearing correctly.

Christmas Day by Kasey Chambers

My favorite new Christmas song:

The 2017 Thanksgiving Week of Food

Here are some of the midwestern culinary treats over the week of Thanksgiving 2017 in Michigan and Iowa.


Cupcake at a cousin's birthday party. Forget dipping your Oreo in a glass of milk.


Breakfast at the Dearborn Inn.


Godfather's Pizza at the Bedford Country Store.


Ham balls!


Grilled tenderloin steak is the poor man's turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.


Thanksgiving dinner.


Cranberry marshmallow salad.


Pumpkin pie with cranberry juice.


Brownie and Diet D. Pepper at the Massena Sale Barn Cafe.


Lunch at the Massena Sale Barn Cafe.


Pizza to go on the ATV at the Bedford Casey's General Store.


Pork dinner.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Norman Rockwell

I came across this roadside pumpkin farmstand in Hadley, Massachusetts. Or maybe it was South Hadley.


The $1.00 pumpkin pile needs some love.


The Great Pumpkin was to be found in Norman Rockwell’s hometown, Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Smooshin’ It Old School

At Herrell’s Ice Cream in Northampton. I stood in line for 45 minutes at the original in Davis Square some 35 years or so ago. The wait this night was only 30 minutes. The guy behind me insisted on repeatedly singing the Bare Naked Ladies song “If I Had a Million Dollars”. I wanted to put him in a real green dress and send him home with Kraft dinner. Nonetheless, it was worth the wait.

Orange Zamboni Mop & Glow at the MFA

Seen at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Future Site of Garage B, Former Site of Lanes and Games

There is reported to be residential housing development coming too.