It's the last day of 2011! Surely next year will be better.

Yesterday was fun, though. Somehow, we never get much done in the morning. I started some bread and we had a good long walk. About noon, Amelia and I headed to Janna's. We took some of her Mom's vintage jewelry to Minx, where he bought quite a bit. Then we went to Aurum Studio and Janna had one of the jewelers look at some necklaces to make sure they weren't valuable before she gave them away. We had a lovely lunch at Etienne, although expensive. We sat next to Jane and Ted M. and chatted about baking and opening a bagel restaurant in Athens. Amelia was gung-ho about food trucks and thought we should sell from a truck or even a bicycle, starting a trend in Athens.

Then Janna and Amelia and I drove south toward Madison. We stopped at Reed's Odds and Ends,  a funny little junk shop south of town on 441. Amelia and Janna had a good time. I brought in the rest of the jewelry and she gave Janna $20 for the lot. She bought several things to decorate the tables for the rehearsal dinner and she said the $20 credit was Bertha's contribution. We went on down to Madison and looked at the two stores we had been in with Molli the week before. We saw lots of great things. Amelia and Janna were particularly looking for centerpieces for the tables that were the right colors. I was pretty much just tagging along. At the last store, we went upstairs and I bought Amelia a bedside table for the red room. And, there is a china cabinet that I think will work. I need to measure and we will have to go back with the truck to get it.

We dropped Janna off and picked up the rest of the jewelry and a load of clothes to try to sell at another consignment shop today. The rest of the stuff they will box up and take to Goodwill or Project Safe.

Amelia went to Kasey's birthday party and Ray and I made the soup he had made. Delicious! Watched some TV and went to bed. Unfortunately, forgot about the bread, which I will bake today, but it will taste yeasty, I fear.

Yesterday, we wrapped and shipped the last package to my sister in Santa Fe and her family. Ray and I began packing up some of the Christmas things--dishes and glasses and candles...Karen F. picked up some things for a family she knows that had a house fire. I gave them most of our mis-matched glasses and some mugs and 4 of our older pillows and a few sweaters and sweatshirts from the bag going to Goodwill. It didn't feel especially generous, but more like clearing out, something that I could do more of, especially between Christmas and New Year's.

Lunch was leftovers and sandwiches. Then Amelia and I drove to the post office and stood in line again. She went to Michael's and got some things for little Loretta and her Mom, Becky M. When I got home, I realized I had meant to stop and buy pork chops for dinner, since Amelia was going to the Grit with her friends. I called my Dad, who was planning to go to Kroger and then come to our house, and asked him to buy a few pork chops for us. He was happy to do that. But when he arrived, he had forgotten one of the bags of groceries, the one with the pork chops. He drove back to Kroger and then back to our house. Meanwhile, Ray and I fed the pigs and put the chickens up. The pig yard is still incredibly wet and muddy from the rain. You have to wear special clothes and boots to go there and make sure the pigs don't knock you down!

Amelia left with Kevin and Ray and I had a nice supper of pork chops, baked potatoes, and salad. At lunch, we finished the last of the chocolate torte, the pies the day before, so now all we have is about a million different homemade cookies. I also bought spumoni ice cream. It seemed like a holiday thing to have around. So dessert was spumoni ice cream and cookies.

We watched four TV shows, my personal limit, but I was a little restless. I couldn't get really excited about a new knitting project and I was still awake at 9 and even 10. But I did manage to sleep until almost 7 today. I wore my sleep mask, but not sure how long. The thought of so many dead and dying was on my mind, and the loved ones left behind.

I feel a New Year coming. May it be happy and productive.

Yesterday, we went first to Janna's for a little more sorting through Bertha's things. There were some really old handkerchiefs that were especially interesting to Amelia. I took another necklace. I'm not sure where I am going to wear all these amazing things.

We met with the florist and had a very successful time. The woman there was enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the prices seemed quite reasonable. So, I feel good about the flowers.

Then we drove downtown and looked at a vintage store next to Last Resort because it was a little early for lunch. By the time Captain and Ray got there and we put our names in for a table, we had to wait about half an hour. That was dumb on my part! We did have a great lunch, although I am missing my Mom a lot. We had lots of good meals there with her and it is hard to do these things now.

Ray and I drove to Violet Dawe's farm for a memorial service for her husband, Don. Terre, our old minister, was there to do the service. There was an oom-pah band to play polkas because Don liked to polka. We knew a lot of the people there. They had cookies and drinks (good German beer, hot apple cider) and we all took home a couple bulbs to plant.

We stopped and fed the pigs on our way home at dusk. Amelia and Captain were at our house when we got there. She had spent the afternoon cleaning his living room as a Christmas gift and he had brought her home. We made Potage Bonne Femme, a soup of leeks (from our garden), potatoes and cabbage, with cream. It was delicious, something my mother used to make, especially for Amelia, since it is meatless. Then we played the rest of our Oh Hell game. My Dad won. He was very lucky and had a great time.

He left about 9 and we didn't do much. I went to bed pretty soon after that, since I was falling asleep on the couch in front of the Christmas tree (and the woodstove). These days have been sunny during the day and cold at night, so a fire in the evening can carry us through the night until it starts warming up again. No electric heat for us!

Yesterday morning's goal was to get eveything ready for mailing Polly's package. This involved making tassels for Lidet's special poncho and sewing them on and wrapping it up. Amelia had a few things to finish and wrap in her signature brown paper with trees staamped on it. Ray packed them all in a giant box with a lot of newspaper and sealed it up. We threw in a few cookies, since we still have a million or so. I also gathered some things for a family that was burned out a couple days ago, trying to strike a balance between getting rid of things we don't need and not giving them junk, but not following my impulse to give them everything and buy new for us!

After lunch, we drove it to the post office and stood in line to mail it. It will take over a week to get to Seattle, unfortunately. Not sure how good those cookies will be.

Then we went to Janna's house. She had been talking about doing this: spreading out all her mother's things and inviting people to choose what they wanted. A few housewares and linens, a giant table of jewelry, purses and shoes in another room. Her mother had incredibly good taste and the things she bought were of outstanding quality. Amelia and I each took a shopping bag and started putting things in it: a couple watches, a few necklaces, some aprons...Then Janna interrupted us. They were taking things out of the closets and wanted me to try some on, for me and Molli. Janna's sister Dani is still here to help with this process, and Francesca. None of them can wear any of them, and in fact, Molli and I are too small too. Some are 2X and size 20 or 22. The older things are smaller, in fact, too small for me, but they are too dated. Amelia and Janna advised me as I tried them on. Coats made from incredible fabrics by famous makers---one in red leather.  Ron and Francesca took more than 20 coats to Suska and they picked out 9 of them. Janna was annoyed, but I am sure they don't want to be overwhelmed with plus-size items, even if they are gorgeous. They are a small store. I called Airee, who owns a vintage store, a step up from a flea market. She is supposed to call Janna today and come by and buy some of them. I hope it works out.

I began to be concerned about my Dad and getting home at a reasonable time to eat something. I took a suitcase full of gorgeous things, that were big on me but still look amazing. It's enough to motivate me to gain weight to be able to wear her clothes. She was also a few inches taller than me, so some of the skirts and dresses are the wrong length--no way to grow a few inches, but I could get someone to alter them.

We stopped by the grocery store and grabbed a few things--milk, juice, dog food. The checkout lines were long, so Amelia had time to run to the pet store and get Leia some food while I was waiting. We got home about 6:30. My Dad was there. Ray had taken care of all the animals for me. All we had to do was heat up some food for ourselves: fish, pasta, roast beef. Amelia cooked the broccoli we had cut up on Chrismtas eve, but not cooked. My Dad sliced the meat--and cut himself with the knife he had sharpened a week or so ago. Minor crisis with cold water and band-aid. No emergency room trip, thank God. It all tasted really good. Then we played some cards--Oh, Hell for the first time since my Mom died, I think. It was okay, but I was pretty tired. We played down, but not back up. It was almost 9:30 when my Dad left.

Steady hard rain on the roof for at least the last 3 hours. Nice. But it will be cold in the house today, must keep the fire burning and maybe bake something, not sure what.

Yesterday was another fun and busy day, although we were sad to see Molli and Adrian go. Although I got up very early, I was sleepy and lay back down when Ray got up. So I started out a little behind. When I came downstairs, Ray was trying to get frozen bacon off the block to cook, so we could make bacon and eggs for Molli and Adrian one more time. Toast with butter and jam, banana bread, babka...Amelia asked if I was making oatmeal. I said, "no, but I can." I made enough for two or three of us. With brown sugar, half&half, and banana---mmm. What a breakfast! Molli and Adrian had been up packing after I went to bed, with Amelia sitting there in a chair, falling asleep. She was really tired all day.

It was almost 9 before we got everybody (showered and dressed) in the car, with all the luggage. I was frantically knitting a blue-and-green-striped hat for Adrian (which I didn't finish before he left). It was smooth sailing and we got to the airport in plenty of time, thanks, in part, to Ray's speeding, which I didn't even notice, thanks to the new car, and maybe being in the back with Amelia dozing, me knitting, and Molli talking...We worked some on the wording of the invitations, which need to be bilingual among other things. Wish my mother were here... We all sat in the coffee shop after they checked their luggage, drinking hot chocolate and sharing a danish. Molli bought some little things for Tamara in the aquarium store. I liked a little key ring/flashlight with a solar charger, so she bought it for me! They went through security and we headed to the car, trying to decide what we wanted to do, or if we would rather just go home. Amelia was interested in the exhibit at the High, Picasso to Warhol, but iPhone soon advised us the art museum was closed on Mondays.

We decided to check out Stone Mountain, which includes several old houses moved from elsewhere and reconstructed and furnished more or less authentically. But first, to find a place for lunch on the way. Iphone again helped out. We decided on Ethiopian and enjoyed it very much. It was almost scarily authentic, with no white faces other than ours, and no one speaking English except to us. There were a couple men in dresses, one with a head cloth and one with a yarmulke-like hat. There was one party of four women. All the rest were men. Most were gathered around a television that was carrying international news. They were very interested in the terrorism in Nigeria. The host was very pleasant and the food delicious (and cheap, $25 for the three of us).

We had two passes for Stone Mountain from the Project Safe benefit auction, whlch expired 12/31, so we wanted to use them. We still had to pay $10 for parking and buy a third ticket, $9 per "attraction." The plantation, with all the houses, is one attraction, and we enjoyed them very much. It was quite cold, but not raining and we walked from one to the other and even admired the farm animals. There were a few other people. There were some Christmas decorations in some of the houses and a display of old Christmas cards. Many things had been made in Athens; it's a little sad that nothing is made there now.

Then we drove a ways and walked around the grist mill and to the covered bridge, which was moved there from Athens. It's a good one and of course Amelia did not grow up with covered bridges like I did. Then we drove to the main part of the park, where there were lots of cars and people. They have something called Snow Mountain, where they make snow and people pay lots of money to slide down it. We didn't do that. There is also some sort of Christmas festivities, but we were not interested in that either.

We did decide to ride the gondola to the top of the mountain. We figured it would be about sunset and a really nice view. We didn't realize that there would be lots of other people wanting to do that too. We waited about half an hour. Ray had to pay another $9. Most of the people in line with us seemed to be from India or other faraway places. There was one athletic young Mom, with water bottles and heart monitor who was pushing a young boy, maybe her nephew, in a wheelchair. He had been injured at wrestling practice. He seemed young to be practicing wrestling...She was planning to go running later. Another man near us was taking his granddaughter, who was about 7. He seemed more excited than she was. He and Ray and Amelia were discussing how the gondola worked and marveling at the thick cables. It was a fun and scenic, if short, ride, with about 70 other people packed in with us. There are two gondolas. One is unloading and loading at the top, while the other is at the bottom. It was much colder and windier at the top, but there was a lovely view, light enough to see, but with lights coming on in the cities. Of course, the highlight of Stone Mountain is the bas-relief carving of Confederate leaders, which always makes me a little resistant to its charms. The gondola attendant told us there was once a banquet for twelve on Robert E. Lee's shoulder. The scale is about like Mount Rushmore and it is impressive. It reminds me of the poem which I can't quite remember... "two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert...look on my works ye mighty, and despair...nothing beside remains." We had to wait another half hour or so to come down again, since we didn't particularly want to walk. Among other things, we weren't really dressed for hiking, not having planned on doing this. I was glad we did, though, and glad to use the passes. We all enjoyed it in a low-key way.

I called Karen F. and asked her to feed the pigs for me, so we didn't have to go out in the dark and take care of them when we got home. It was about 7. We had so much good food to eat--still some fish and pasta, two pieces of quiche, green beans, and OMG the desserts. We finished some cake Molli and Amelia had brought back from Gloria's--coconut and chocolate that were amazingly good. I managed to choke down another small piece of pecan pie as well. Hmm, I don't understand why I am gaining weight... We were able to finally get everything that was left into the fridge--two half pies and a quarter of a chocolate torte...two more servings of fish, 3 of pasta, etc.

Ray and I played with our new machine that streams the internet to our TV. I am so excited! Unfortunately, Netflix recently split their streaming plan from their DVD plan, so we can't actually access anything yet. I changed it on the iPad with the wireless keyboard, but it won't take effect for three weeks! (I wonder why they do that, it surely doesn't take them any human labor?) We can get TV shows with commercials free from something called Crackle, and we can listen to Pandora on the TV...anyway, it will be really cool. It is called Roku and cost $50 and was recommended by David Pogue...so I bought it. I think it will mean we don't record shows any more, or most shows. We'll see.

I am a little achy this morning and probably still behind on sleep, but glad to have no obligations--except get Polly's package in the mail and a few other "ordinary" "minor" things.

Ah, Christmas! Today Molli and Adrian go back to their home south of the border. This means all 5 of us will drive to Atlanta and say goodbye. I am tired and sore from trying to keep everybody well fed and  happy. But I feel proud and happy that I did a pretty good job.

Yesterday morning I was awake for awhile before anyone else got up. Ray was first, then my Dad showed up. Amelia got up about then (8 o'clock?) and Molli and Adrian followed. I had started getting ready to make scrambled eggs, the traditional Christmas breakfast for us. Amelia claims she has magically received the ability to make good scrambled eggs since my Mom died. As it happened, we didn't have any milk, so had to make them with half and half. And our eggs are cage free, with big yellow yolks. I cut the banana bread Molli made Friday and the babka Amelia had bought us in Durham and started setting the table. My Dad brought some coffee for himself from his house. He had checked, but the coffee shop Molli and Adrian like was closed. This entailed Amelia making coffee with boiling water, a paper towel and a strainer--and coffee Molli gave her grandfather from Mexico.

We sat around the tree and took down our stockings and unpacked them. Some were pretty slim, in spite of my sisters' and our efforts. One of the many things my Mom did was buy stocking stuffers. But also we are mostly trying to be healthier--no chocolates in any stockings. Ray seemed to have plenty of fun and interesting things, perhaps mostly cleaning tools from Green Actioin.

Because of our late night and late start, we had to postpone unwrapping the rest of the presents. After stockings and breakfast, Ray had to shower and go to the Fellowship. Because Christmast fell on a Sunday, there was a regular service at 11:00 and he was scheduled to run the sound system for it--fourth Sunday. The rest of us  gradually started working on pies for Christmas dinner, getting ourselves bathed and dressed, and picking up a small part of the mess. Slowly, through the day, I peeled and cut up 2 pounds of butternut squash, 2 medium ones and 3 small ones we had grown ourselves. Molli worked on the potatoes and mixed up the Yorkshire pudding batter.


It was a cold and rainy day; if it had been much colder, it would have snowed. Except for a brief walk out to the mailbox in the morning with Molli, I didn't venture out at all. My Dad made a great fire in the wood stove while Ray was at church and then the oven began to warm the house as well.

Kevin came over and Ray came back and we unwrapped our presents, quite satisfactorily but a little sadly. We had not wanted to be profligate and consumerist and it was hard not to have my Mom there. She enjoyed unwrapping things slowly and always had some left when everyone else was done.

Amelia went with Kevin to his house for dinner and gifts. Molli and I continued our work, with Ray in there doing dishes from time to time. We ate wonderful leftovers--fish and pasta and green beans. My Dad eventually disappeared into Molli and Adrian's room, taking his nap, I guess.

Molli peeled and cut up and cooked turnips for me and we got the roast beef in. The potatoes were boiled and then added to the oven. I mixed butter and brown sugar into the squash and mashed it, eschewing the food processor to save Ray from having to wash it. We set the table. Amelia came back and we started ont the finishing touches--the Yorkshire pudding, reheating turnips and squash, slicing the meat, which was rare enough for those who like it that way (Captain, Adrian, and me). The squash texture could have benefited from processing--I remembered, too late, the immersion blender I have. That would have been perfect. The Yorshire puddings were amazingly wonderful. I'm still not a fan of turnips. The wine was delicous--a St-Emilion that was a present from me to Captain, which I got to enjoy as well. The meal was very good, but it seemed something was lacking--my mother's presence of course, but something else, maybe a dish we forgot to make? I decided I preferred the variety and interest of the Christmas Eve menu, so this was somewhat anti-climactic.

Sometime during the day I tried out my favorite present--from Ray, a wirelelss keyboard for my iPad. I got it to work, but am not sure how much I will use it. I would need to sit somewhere with a good chair and table--and where would I put the screen? However, I am excited to try and figure out if it can help me write more frequently.

Amelia had made me a red flannel nightgown with piped trim--and pj pants for my Dad and Molli of the same material. For Ray, pj shorts with dinosaurs! Red shorts for Adrian, too. I put mine on over my clothes for a while, until it got too warm and I was in full cooking mode. She had also given my Dad a certificate for 2 hours of cleaning at his house. Esepcially considering how much she dislikes cleaning, it was a very generous gift.

We evenutally got things cleared  enough that we could play a couple hands of cancellation hearts, something of a challenge with Adrian. Six people isn't quite enough for cancellation, but too many for regular hearts...we had a lot of cards to keep up wtih.

Kevin arrived and we all had pie and whipped cream. Molli started putting Frangelico in the whipped cream Christmas Eve and it was really good. Amelia had bought it to put in hot chocolate for Kevin, which they also had. The pumpkin pie was good, but I loved the pecan pie. Out of this world. I think the fresh pecans make a lot of difference. I could eat that all day. No wonder I have ganed more than 5 pounds this last week!

We played Buzzerwizzer, a trivia game Kevin had given us. We had played it with him at Thanksgiving. In addition to knowing the answers to a lot of questions, there is a strategy to swapping categories with other players and "buzzing in" to answer someone else's question when they miss it.
It was pretty fun. Molli had to translate the questions for Adrian. What is the name of the city once known as Byzantium? Their answer: Constantinople, which is what I would have said. But it's now called Istanbul, of course.

Since before dinner, I had been so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. The pile of squash seemed endless and I could hardly make the peeler work. I am sure everything took me longer to do. Amelia had even less sleep than I did, due to making red flannel pjs for everyone all night. She was afraid I would get up before she went to bed! My Dad went home to his house and Kevin gradually left. Molli and I threatened to watch a movie, but I fell asleep waiting for her, so we gave up and I went to bed. I didn't even wear my mask--too complicated for my brain...

And then I woke up at 4:30--go figure. A perfect time to get some sleep, but no...I was having an ominous dream and woke up feeling keyed up. Responsibilities coming up.

Darn! I still woke up at 5:45, even though I didn't go to bed  until almost 2! Adrenaline, I suppose. Not that I am expecting any exciting wonderful presents. I don't know that the few small things I got people will be that exciting to watch them open, either. But I did have a lot of fun cooking and entertaining yesterday, and we will be cooking some more tomorrow. Also, 98 days until Molli & Adrian's wedding!

I got up early yesterday. I knew I would need all day to prepare Christmas Eve dinner for 12. And if I did have any time, I would wrap a few presents. Molli had totally cleaned the kitchen. The granite counter was cleaner than it had been in a long time. It was a clean slate, ready for me to start cooking again. I had a banana to fortify myself.

I started by cooking some sausage patties Molli had taken out of the freezer a few days before. I had bought them at the Farmers' Market, from a local farm: Greendale Farms. (they were delicious). I mixed up some more of my yummy multi-grain pancakes, with 2 cups of sour milk. Sadly, that did not use up any of my containers, because I needed the space in the fridge. I had been resisting, but I finally combined two different batches of sour milk to get rid of one gallon jug. Amelia was first to get up, so I made her some pancakes in a different pan--no sausage contamination for her. She prefers hers without blueberries as well. I ate some with her too. Her plan for the day involved shutting herself in with her sewing machine to carry out all the craft gifts she had lined up.

I started some of my recipes while waiting for people to get up and eat breakfast. This is my favorite part of the day, calmly and happily preparing foods, anticipating the day. I mixed the ingredients for the shrimp boil, but did not cook them, since the smell of shrimp before breakfast might be undesireable to some. 

When Molli got up, she went and found some blueberries in the freezer, so the rest of the pancakes had blueberries. Plus she ate about a half cup of frozen blueberries straight. We usually have them with maple syrup--so good! A pot of tea and a small glass of milk to go with.

After breakfast, we all got outside for a bit. It was a pleasant morning--mostly sunny all day. Amelia and Molli went running. Ray and Adrian and I started walking, but they went further than I did. I started the preparations for the fish dish, grating some bread crumbs and mixing them with oil and seasonings. Adrian helped with the grating. I keep stale bread and frozen bits of bread for this purpose. I cut a lot of grape tomatoes in half and mixed them with white wine. I needed some thyme, but I figured I would wait and let my Dad pick it when he came. Several people helped me cut the ends off the green beans, which we cooked and drained. The sauce for them had walnuts, garlic, dill, parsley, oil and vinegar. Oops--not enough olive oil and cider vinegar, but I filled in with other kinds.

Unfortunately, I overcooked the shrimp by not running them under cold water the minute they were done and letting them sit and get tough. Still tasty, but the biggest disappointment of the meal. 

Molli made a chocolate cake while I did a little wrapping. We ate leftover chicken and rice and a few other things for lunch. My Dad arrived just as Molli, Adrian and Amelia were heading to Gloria's. I ran the vacuum and finished up the fish dish. Ray and I managed to squeeze 3 9 x 13 dishes of it into the fridge--one without the crumb topping in case the wheat- and gluten-avoiding people wanted it that way. It's a lovely dish, with tomatoes around the fish and crumbs on top.

I peeled the eggplants and sliced them into strips. I took my bath. The young people got back and Amelia returned to her sewing machine. Molli was a stalwart and happy helper the rest of the day and we sometimes engaged my Dad and Adrian too. She agonized over frosting and decorating the cake. I did have to beg Amelia to broil the eggplants for me, since she had done it the last time we made the pasta dish. By this time, the beans were chilling as well. Ray prepared broccoli and carrots for me and I chopped onions and garlic. Molli and I made the sauce for the pasta--onions, garlic, red peppers, tomatoes in puree, heavy cream, rosemary (OMG!). She cooked the penne and put it all together with grated Fontina and Parmesan and other cheese. Adrian was again the grater.

Suddenly it was after 6 o'clock and we needed to set the tables and get dressed. The two soups went by the wayside. It was too hot for soup anyway. Sadly, my Dad had pulled the leeks from the garden, but we will make the Potage Bonne Femme soon. Amelia was again called into action to set out cheese and crackers. Ray and Adrian arranged the two tables and we frantically searched for chairs--hmm, chairs for 12? I hadn't thought of that problem. Plenty of dishes and glasses, napkins, a little tight on the silverware. She also cut up cucumber and red pepper and stuck them in short glasses. I was frantically making the sweet potato koftas when Janna's family arrived. Everyone was cheerful and talking to each other.

I had peeled, cut up and cooked a couple of sweet potatoes. I opened two cans of chick peas. I dumped it all in the blender, but it didn't work. The poor thing is on its last legs anyway, and that was too much too heavy for it. I dumped it into a bowl and dug out the potato masher. I dumped some back into the blender and pureed with garlic and lemon juice. I dumped it back in the bowl and mixed it up pretty well. At this point, the phone rang. The noise level was pretty high in the room. It was my old friend, Natasha, who is going to cater the wedding for us! Molli talked to her in the other room for quite a while. I said hi briefly and look forward to talking to her again soon and working with her on this wedding.

People were getting restless and eating all the appetizers. Some had bourbon on the rocks or wine. I mixed in flour and green peas and started frying the koftas. I had lots of offers of help and Amelia actually did most of the frying. Ray set out yogurt on the two tables and Molli started putting fish and pasta dishes into the oven. I put the green beans on the counter and the rest of the shrimp. Only rule of seating? You had to sit next to someone from the other family, so both tables were half and half.

When all the koftas were done, I cooked the broccoli and carrots with onions and garlic powder, a favorite simple veggie preparation. The fish and the pasta were both amazingly good and people raved about the beans and veggies too. Kevin came in time for cake, but there was nothing else he wanted to taste. The cake was wonderful and I even got out the milk for those who wanted some. I never even thought to apologize for not having coffee. Amelia was willing to make hot chocolate with Frangelico (which was also in the whipped cream Molli made for the cake).

I was tired and just enjoyed the food and conversation. Other people cleared and served dessert. We sang several of our favorite carols. Kevin's choice? O, Holy Night--a real challenge, but Molli and I could hit those hight notes.

They left about 10 and some of us got down to wrapping. Amelia went back to her sewing machine. Molli went to work on clearing the devastation and having my kitchen ready for me again this morning. Ray helped with some of the wrapping and then went to bed. Adrian and I shared the tape and other supplies. His packages are neater and more interesting than mine. When Molli finished the kitchen, it was 1:30. She and I distributed some stocking stuffers and she fetched a couple things from the car to leave unwrapped under the tree, including a new drying rack, as the old one is only fit for kindling at this point. I had a big box of scrub brushes and other cleaning and environmental products that I distibuted, mainly into stockings. Also, everyone got a big box of eco-approved plastic wrap.

So, now the fun begins again. I'm hungry...

Yesterday morning, we had to meet with Janna about the rehearsal dinner. It was about 11 before we got going. I made the orange cookies and the chocolate topping, but left it to Amelia to put it on artistically. I had a walk out to the mailbox by myself, because Ray got up, but went back to bed. I put some ginger muffins in the oven. Then finally everyone was ready to go, but I couldn't leave them. Fortunately, Ray was awake and I could tell him to get them out for me.

Molli and Amelia and Adrian and I drove to Janna's house. It was fun to see Mark and Francesca and Dani. Janna and Francesca are duly excited about the rings and planning the events. She is hosting the rehearsal dinner--for 50 people! It will have a Mexican theme, including decorations.

I took the rings and the marriage license to the safety deposit box and came back. We dropped off my library books and went to the florist. Oddly enough, although it is right there on Baxter Street, I don't think I have ever been in that store before, Always Always Flowers. I have a gift certificate for flowers that I am planning to use for the wedding. They were quite busy and couldn't discuss it until next week, when Molli will be gone. She and Adrian were able to see some of the flowers close up, though, and she and Amelia discussed what she would like. Then we went to a shop nearby (the Healthy Gourmet) and were able to get the kind of cocoa Amelia wanted (Ghirardelli). So we didn't have to go to EarthFare.

I had been planning to do all the grocery shopping for Christmas Eve dinner, but also wanted to get home and eat lunch and prepare for the party last night. As a further complication, I had left the list at home. I was able to recreate most of it from memory as we drove and Amelia wrote it down. We rushed into Kroger with a mission and a plan and bought another $150 worth of food, sending Molli to get 2 or three things at a time, leaving Amelia to choose the perfect produce, and buying way more fish than we need, of course.

We got home about 1:30, ate quiche and Amelia got busy on her plan. She baked two or three more kinds of cookies and assembled everything on trays and platters. In addition to cookies (and ginger muffins), she made Parmesan crisps, shaped into little funnels and filled them with a sort of corn-guacamole salsa. Yum! and they looked gorgeous. There were carrot sticks and cucumber rounds with hummus piped onto them beautifully. There were macarons, two kinds, with two kinds of filling, and lemon curd between two heart-shaped coriander sugar cookies. Perfect chocolate crinkle cookies rolled in powdered sugar. I would love to be that talented, but I don't have the patience she has.

I hovered around the edges, doing some picking up and waiting until she was done so I could run the vacuum. I had taken a chicken and rice casserole out of the freezer, but it wasn't quite thawed yet and had to cook--as soon as she was done with the oven! My Dad had picked up ice for the drinks and was ready to start making Scarlett O'Haras, as soon as we wanted him to. We had to take the dirty tablecloth off when we finished eating and set the table for the party, but we couldn't do that until we ate supper. I wrapped a couple presents and cleared away my cookbooks (the study is a mess!). Finally, I even washed some of the windows. It was a beautiful sunny day--cool but not cold. It was hot in the house from the sun and the cooking. (I wonder what my electric bill will be like!)

Molli and Adrian zipped to the mall--he had to buy Dockers, the kind of khakis he likes, which they sell at Macy's. He also got a beautiful Ralph Lauren coat, on sale for $100. They were back by 6. Molli chipped some casserole out and stuck it in the microwave so we could eat something. I went upstairs and changed into my party clothes--a short tight green dress that I have had for a while. The last time I put it on, my Mom said she didn't like it, so I changed out of it. I have lost some weight since then and it seemed appropriate for the event.

The first guests came pretty close to 7, bringing cookies to share and gifts for Molli and Adrian. Molli's friend Adam from Atlanta who we all adore, her friend Chloe we haven't seen in years, Suzanne and Rick, Andy and Jack and Sam, Mary Jean and Ruthanne, Deb and John, Kevin and Kasey, and finally Janna and Ron, Francesca and Mark and Dani. My Dad cranked out the Scarlett O'Haras; they were a big hit. I know he and I missed my Mom, probably we all did.

Almost everyone brought cookies as instructed; they admired everything Amelia had made. I missed Becky and Kent too. Very few people took cookies when they left, as they were supposed to.      

Sorry, I wrote this yesterday, but never posted it, apparently.           

Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Ah, Kurt Vonnegut. I love his wierd books. This one is perhaps less strange than some. No aliens or mutated animals. Very political.



View all my reviews

 It was overcast and drizzly in the morning, but not cold. I did some work in the kitchen, making the crust for the quiches and mixing the dough for the orange cookies. Eventually, Molli and Adrian and I drove to the outlet mall and shopped for a while. They usually stock up on clothes when they are here. They are cheaper and more available than in Xalapa. At first, I found it soul-killing, but then I bought some things that were too inexpensive to pass up: Jeans and underwear and socks for my husband and my father, bras and Jocky underpants for me, a few additional Christmas items. It was raining pretty hard some of the time and we got wet going to the car.







It was almost 2:30 when we got home. I had arranged to watch Soli and Adah, but their Mom didn't answer the phone when I called. I guess she gave up when I was more than an hour late...leftovers for lunch. After a bit, Molli and Amelia and I went out, first to the hardware store, which is a great place to find Christmas presents and stocking stuffers. Then to the grocery store. We were looking for a certain kind of cocoa she wanted for baking (Ghirardelli), but they didn't have it at Kroger. Somehow we managed to buy more than $150 of other groceries, inclulding a beef roast. My Dad was also at the store and he offered to pay for it. There were green tomatoes too, so we can make the green tomato mincemeat that my Mom used to make. There have been times every day when I stop and cry about her being gone. Taking out the stockings to hang on the mantel is one thing that was hard. Just looking at the tree reminds me of her too. And all the cooking without her advice and help.

wrapping Nate's present

We got home about 5:30 and I got the quiches in the oven. Molli and Adrian were rushing around becuase their rings were ready to pick up downtown at the jewelry store and it closed at 6. Then they picked up my Dad and had dinner with him at Porterhouse. Adrian was wearing jeans and Molli made him change, so that slowed them down. She called Aurum and they let her come get them, even though they were closed. They were having their staff Christmas party and let her in.

The quiche was wonderful. We also had a salad. Amelia went out and picked the lettuce in the pouring rain. We were even under a tornado watch. We had scarcely finished eating before I was falling asleep. Trying to read email, trying to knit, trying to watch Wheel...I just had to go to bed--it wasn't even 8 o'clock yet...

It's a good thing this cold is going away soon, because I am not strong enough to have it much longer. Cough medicine, water, vitamin C, tea...I still have moments when the coughing takes over and I can't even get a cough drop in my mouth. One such time was during the first two songs of the solstice concert last night. Not ideal. But the rest was good. I even hit my high notes in the Magnificat.

Yesterday morning it took hours for everyone to get ready to leave. We had originally planned to drive up to Commerce to the Tanger outlet malls, but it was too late. We did some things downtown instead. So once everyone was ready, Molli was still working on her marriage license application, which she completed on her laptop and then e-mailed to me to print out. That cost another 20 minutes or so, so it was nearly 11:30, instead of 8:30, when we left. Meanwhile, I baked some chocolate-oat-nut squares and some ginger cookies that I had ready to bake in the freezer. I got some other things out of the freezer and packaged all of them up for the choir bake sale.

Molli and Adrian went to the court house and got their marriage license! It is good for 6 months. She wanted to do it now because she was afraid there might be some problem, since Adrian is not American, but it went smoothly. They met us at Helix, where Amelia bought something for Kasey. Then Molli and Adrian went to Aurum, where they ordered wedding rings from Trisha Ruppersburg, who knew Molli in pre-school. She had boys at Montessori when our girls were there, so that was kind of fun. Also, I trust her totally on jewelry questions. They will engrave them for free, if Molli and Adrian want them to. Next door, we looked at shoes, but there was nothing they wanted.

We drove out Pulaski to the Leathers Building, where Divine Event, a caterer, has an office. Their main branch is in Atlanta. It is gorgeously renovated and simply decorated and furnished. They sometimes hold events there. The tables was set for us, with a menu printed. Chris is the salesperson, but there was a chef there as well to cook samples for us. They were all beautiful and delicious and Chris will send us proposals next month. We tasted four appetizers: brie tartlets, beef on endive, catfish bites and some outstanding cauliflower soup. It was great fun.

We drove to Ray's office, so he could pick up some checks. Then we went to Earth Fare. We decided we needed to supplement our tastes, so we ate lunch at Add Drugs--burgers, fries, milkshakes. Adrian helped me at Earth Fare and we had checked out when Molli and Amelia came back from buying some things at the liquor store. Everywhere, we saw people we knew. I popped over to Homeplace, averting my eyes for the most part (they have lovely gifts) to buy the candles I need for the angel advent wreath--and the reindeer on the mantel. Amelia went through EarthFare, buying things for the shower tomorrow night. I took Molli and Adrian to Suska. One of the things she wants is a new winter coat (since the old one is way too big). Nothing there, though, and it was raining harder now. We got Amelia and her groceries in the car and drove home. We had other things on our list, but it was getting late.

My Dad was there, wrapping presents, doing pretty well. I felt exhausted and overwhelmed with things that needed doing. I had meant to make quiche for us to eat before the solstice service, but there wasn't time. I got a couple things to wrap, but couldn't seem to get the energy to do it. Instead I put a little more of the fringe on L's poncho...

We were late to the warmup for the choir concert, missing the one piece I really wanted to rehearse, but the service went really well and the place was packed. It was fun to sing and to see everyone. We bought a few baked goods. All my things sold, so I couldn't bring them home again.

At home, we scrounged around and ate bits of leftovers. Then "the kids" went to O'Rileys to play trivia. I went to bed--it was 10:30 and my stomach had started hurting. It's okay this morning, probably needs fruits and vegetables.

I hear steady moderate rain out there; I've been up for about an hour and it has gotten stronger. Yesterday was gray and drizzly, but not much rain. I enjoyed being up and about with a house full of sleepers, getting food ready for them and anticipating the day's activities.

Four of us (not Adrian) went for a walk, first moving the tree onto the porch so it wouldn't get as wet. I didn't walk very much, still recovering from my cold. I was puttering around in the kitchen, when Molli and Amelia arrived back at the house, running. It was 10:35 and Molli and Adrian were due to meet with the minister at 11. She had to wake him up for starters, and not much time to eat anything.

Amelia spent some time crafting, Ray with his computer, and I was back in the kitchen. I wanted to make cookies, but need to get some more things at the grocery store. I started some beans for chili that night, and sauteed onions and garlic and peppers. I worked off and on most of the day on some spiced nuts, but I needed to use the candy thermometer to make sure they were the right temperature. Since I didn't, the coating of sugar, spices, and milk didn't coat the nuts, but rather made a puddle on the wax paper. We'll see what we've got this morning.

My Dad arrived and ate lunch with us and participated in the amusement of setting up the giant tree. I try not to give my opinion, just following orders, since there are already 5 generals! But the tree was up when I went to bed last night and I didn't hear any crash. It is tied to the upstairs railing in two places with strong twine...hope my knots are good! Amelia did the lights and hung some of the ornaments, but there's lots more tree and lots more to put on it.

After my Dad left, Ray went to feed the pigs, Amelia put the chickens up, the girls made me a hot toddy (Molli) and took over the supper. They divided the chili into two batches, one with ground beef, and added more beans and tomatoes to stretch it further. Molli made cornbread and when it was done, warm from the oven, we ate.

Amelia took Adrian to get Kevin and then they picked up the Captain and all went to the men's basketball game, courtesy of Gloria. Molli went with Ray and me to the Fellowship for the Solstice service dress rehearsal, with the musicians and the readings. It went quite well and I managed to sing most of the songs. I would rather be a little better by now, but can't really complain. I've had the cold a week and it is in the coughing your guts out stage, when I indulge in cough medicine extensively, augmented with tea and cough drops.

We drove to the coliseum to leave Molli and pick up Captain, negotiating with policemen who didn't want us driving there. We took him home; they went out. Ray and I watched a little TV (very little, I couldn't keep my eyes open, once I finished dessert--more chocolate eclipse with vanilla ice cream).

I was falling asleep nicely with my mask on, when I started choking and coughing and woke up. I decided last night I would have enough trouble sleeping without it. Woke up several times for the bathroom, more water, more cough medicine...

Amelia's cat, Leia, enjoying the preparations

I wake up. It's dark out. I look at my watch, pushing the little button to light it up and putting on my glasses (missing one bow) to do it. Almost 5:30, pretty good. I have slept well. I wore my CPAP until 2 am, I recall. I had Nyquil before I went to bed, but don't think I had anything else at 2. Now I am very thirsty. I get up and fill my little stainless steel water cup again and lie down to try to sleep. No way, for one thing, this cold has reached the stage of incredible body-wracking coughing. Nothing will help but strong medicine. I am so glad to have this available to me. I am generally a person who resists medication, but there have been times that I have been out of cough syrup or for some reason (pregnancy?) not been able to do anything but cough and cough. I think of our forebears, on the prairie or even in the caves, with nothing to do but cough helplessly.

My Dad would help us with hiccups by saying, "Don't think of a white bear," and then he would ask, "are you thinking of a white bear?" And I would be, no matter how hard I treid not to. Now the thought comes that a week from today Molli and Adrian will be leaving again. I try to bury it. "Don't be ungrateful," I say. I give in and get up, filling the little cup with Dayquil and drinking it a sip at a time, appreciatively.

Yesterday morning I would have liked to do some baking or cooking, but didn't feel quite good enough. I made myself breakfast and worked on my knitting a bit and read my e-mail. After a while, Ray got up, then Amelia. We debated when we needed to wake Molli up. Four of us finally got in the car and we arrived at our destination about 10 minutes late. Ray stayed home. It was a caterer in Madison, Georgia: Hallie Jane's. It was a funny building, clearly a working caterer, with examples of china and other supplies everywhere. The office was upstairs, open to below, also crowded with resources, as well as desks and computers. Bethany was expecting us. She wore Tina Fey glasses and was quite competent. We talked about style and menu for almost two hours. Adrain said very little. I mostly let Molli speak, but did throw in my opinion sometimes. She will mail us two proposals, one for a sit-down dinner and one for heavy hors d'oeuvres. Then we will begin to take things away and try to get it to a price we can live with. Of course, we are meeting with one other caterer as well. Before we left, we asked her for the best restaurant in Madison. She was not enthusiastic and the place she would have recommended was closed on Mondays.

We wandered through an excellent antique mall in the same building before we left the caterer. I bought some silvery napkin rings, something Adrian had requested for a wedding present. Amelia was very slow. Molli was the least interested. There was a lot of great stuff.

We ate at the Chop House. We made fun of the menu and the waitress and the clientele. The food was okay--Amelia had some frozen reheated vegetables with cheese. Molli and Adrian really enjoyed their meat and my fish was quite good. The Caesar salad had too much cheesy dressing on it and I only took a couple bites. Now I am becoming one of those people who asks, "can I have the dressing on the side?" Molli and Adrian treated us. We talked about the caterer and the wedding and whether we really want to assign peopel to tables and have them sit there. Molli is taken with the elegance of beng waited on. I do not want people to feel like they are trapped in their assigned seats and waiting for the next course or activity. Someone points out that if you have assigned seats, you can introduce your friends to people that they didn't know; otherwise they will only hang out with the same people. Amelia advocates for something none of us had thought of until the caterer mentioned it: famly style. You assign tables but not seats and serve food in bowls and platters so people can take what they like. A little friendlier?

We wander down the street in Madison and go itno another antique store. Adrian finds some Masonic cuff links and admires them. Amelia and Molli buy them for him--a wedding present from Molli, while I attempt to distract him, clumsily. Although he doesn't speak English and is not familiar with our customs, I suspect this practice is not specific to us and he knows perfectly well what is going on. There are many things in this store as well, but I manage not to buy anything! I am intrigued by the idea of having a store where I buy up things and resell them. I would go to Madison and other small towns around and bring them back to Athens to sell at a profit. Surely other people have thought of this and are doing it. I could start with a few yard sales or a booth at a flea market. First to clean out my house of my own junk...

As we start home, we debate buying a Christmas tree. Since we bought this property in Kenney Ridge, we have always cut a tree from the land, but this year I am not finding any that seem good enough and I have been toying with this thought and trying it on with various people. We came by the sign for Jack's Creek Christmas trees on our way here and will go back by it. This is where we used to cut them years ago. We call my Dad and Ray and ask us to drive down in the truck and meet us (with the saws). We get there before them and walk through the rows of trees: pine, cedar, some other odd varieties. The pines are small and misshapen, a cedar might do. I don't care a lot, but allow Amelia and Molli to decide. Amelia has the strongest opinions.

We wander back toward the entrance, to meet the truck. A puppy comes up to me and I pick it up. The owner is tall and thin. He has a cap on and a strong country accent that we enjoy hearing. There are a couple of fir trees in a barn, already in holders. They are very tall and one is $100. The other is $75, but the owner says he would go $40. When the men arrive, we show them a cedar and the fir. My father is horrified to spend that much money on a tree, but he loves getting a bargain. The fir smells like Christmas and, for me and my Dad, is a "real" Christmas tree in a way that a cedar is not. The owner shows us a few more, even taller, in another barn. They have been kept in water and Amelia says they are still fresh. They were cut in North Carolina; they don't grow around here. He says he will let us have one of them for $40. We can fit a very tall tree in our house. Of course, it is late in the season and he will likely not be able to sell these big ones to anyone else. An assistant materializes who is Mexican. He and Adrian chat briefly and he bales our tree in netting. Ray and Adrian put bungie cords on it and tie it into the back of the truck, the top hanging out. The price tag says $175. I am giddy. It is an incredible tree. Will people believe we cut it from our property? They are going to be amazed to see it at our house, knowing that we usually cut our own.

I ride with my father back to town. He tells me of his adventures earlier in the day, attending a holiday luncheon with the exercise group my mother attended. One of the men, Dr. John, has introduced Daddy to a woman whose husband just died. "I know you're not ready," he says, "but..." Daddy is annoyed. Why would anyone think that was appropriate? I know Dr. John. He is very kind. I can't really decide whether to laugh or be sad or angry. Now I am sad, but yesterday it was mostly funny to me. We stop in town at the Porterhouse Grill, where they have saved some food scraps for us. The bucket is heavier this time.

At Karen's house, Ray is waiting for us. He carries the bucket to the pigs and dumps it out for them. I get the pocessed food for them from the giant garbage can. The food from Porterhouse overflows their "dish." It includes grits (from Sunday brunch) and cheese, as well as lots of vegetables. The pigs are in hog heaven...it is fun to watch them. Karen sells me some cheese (queso blanco) she has made and some cultured vegetables a raw food cook she knows is selling. I ride in the back fo the truck with the tree from Karen's house. Ray's back is hurting and he rides up front. We seem to go very fast; the wind is cold, so I duck down behind the cab with the empty food bucket and the smell of fir tree. Life is good.

At home, the girls are preparing food and drink. Molli is working on a hot toddy for me. Amelia is peeling potatoes for latkes. It is the first night of Hanukkah and it is just past sundown. I quickly light the candles, the shamus and the first candle. My Dad stays just long enough for that. Molli looks up the right words on her computer...baruch adonai elohenu...blessed art thou, the Lord our God...then some of us sing a song we know about the Maccabees. Captain leaves. Adrian reads the Godfather in Spanshi. Molli has bought it for him because he loves the movie, the idea of respect. Amelia doesn't want any help; she won't even use my recipe, but has found one on her iPhone, on Smitten Kitchen. Molli makes chicken for herself and Adrian. She doesn't really like potato pancakes and Adrian would always eat meat at every meal. There is leftover pork roast, but Amelia has put her foot down, no pork with the latkes. I try to wait for a good time to finish up the dessert and put it in the oven--chocolate eclipse. The kitchen is a mess, but after we eat, Ray loads the dishwasher and starts it. We talk some about the next day and then Amelia goes up to the sewing machiine. Ray and Molli and I watch the first episode of Big Bang Theory. She is a fan and our excuse for saving every one of them, which is crowding out everything else and using up our DVR space.

My phone ran out of battery in the middle of the day, so I have no pictures. Amelia has taken some of the great tree hunt; probably they are on Facebook. It is almost 10 when I fall asleep.

Yesterday morning Amelia left a little after 7 (in Kevin's car) to go to a job she found on line. For one day, she was an Art Production Assistant ($200) for a commercial. It was one of those Got Milk? commercials (or series of commercials) featuring members of the Olympic swim team and they shot it at the UGA pool. We were all thrilled, of course, but it meant she was not involved in most of the day's adventures. I made bacon and pancakes and Ray and I tried not to eat them. My Dad came, but Molli still wasn't up. Finally, Ray woke her up sometime after 9. He and I took a quick walk and came back. We all had to shower and dress.

Then we left in two cars, because my Dad was planning to go home directly from the church. Molli and Adrian rode with him and left a little before us. They stopped to get coffees on the way. Ray and I got there 2 minutes late and saved 5 seats together. It was a special Hanukkah service with a klezmer band (one of the reasons Captain wanted to come), and it was pretty full. We kept watching who came in and telling them they couldn't sit there. At quarter after 11, Ray went out to call them and look for them. He came back with Molli and Adrian and Captain were behind them. Turns out, after they got the coffee, when they were already late, he announced he needed to stop by his house to leave some lettuce he had picked (so it would stay fresh). Ray and I tried not to let it get to us, but really...

It was a fun service and there were lots of people there that Molli knew (Meredith and Le'Ann, George K...). We chatted until we were about the last ones there. My Dad took off in his car and we went to Publix to get a few things...milk is apparently something Adrian drinks a lot of and there was none at my house (that wasn't sour).

At home, Molli went to work making a "rub" for the roast pork that I had thawed and planned to eat. It was going to be more than two hours, so I ate some leftover eggplant casserole and some fruit and yogurt. She also prepared the sweet potatoes. Then the three of them went for a walk. Meanwhile, Amelia had called. They were looking for a certain glass for their shoot and she hadn't been able to find it. Straight sides, unadorned... She was pretty sure the glasses we had would be perfect. Technology fail! I took a photo of the glass with my phone and emailed it to her...15 minutes...20 minutes. She didn't get it. Ray took one with his phone, right before he left. She called; the director would like a picture of it with a hand. I struggled with Ray's phone and could not get it to take a picture. He's out in the woods. I can't call him, because he left his phone for just this purpose... Amelia calls. Fortunately, she's not freaking out. She suggests I send the photo on my phone via instant message instead of e-mail. So complicated. That works! The director likes my glasses. He asks for her ETA (which means we want them right now). She drives here, comes in and gets 4 of them and drives off again. The people out walking never see her. Someday, we will all see an ad and it will star my glass. I can't even remember where I got them--a yard sale or vintage store, probably.

The walkers come back. We eat our delicious meal and get ready to rush off. We stop to feed the pigs. Ray wears my Dad's overalls over his good pants and his rubber boots. I watch from afar so I don't get  dirty.

We drive to Town & Gown. It is about 10 after 5. Other people have set up the concessions for me. Ray and I running the box office for Hedwig and the Angry Inch. This is a show Molli and Amelia introduced us to 5 or 6 years ago. Our friend Nathan is playing Hedwig and we are excited. Amelia texts me. She is done and will meet us at the show. One of the glasses got broken, so she has two cases of new glasses to replace it. One was too short and squat, one was too tall. The show is well attended, but not sold out. It is a Sunday night. We are a little disappointed, although the music still rocks. Hard for amateur theater to compete with a movie we have seen.

We want to go to the Grit. We drive there in two cars, park and walk to the restaurant, to find it is closing at 8 for a private party. We go next door to Graze, but it is not the same. In fact, we think Amelia's black bean burgers are fermented. They give us coupons for a free dessert (next time) in apology. We drive home. I have a nice hot toddy and some dessert and watch Wheel and Jeopardy. It is after 10:30 before we go to bed. Molli has done all the dishes. Amelia is going to bed too after her long day. She has brought us two cartons of glasses, about a dozen each, that were rejected by the shoot. They broke one of mine, so gave me all the rejects...the next day I clear out some cupboards to make room for all the glasses.

I am still stuffy and sneezing, and woke up a lot during the night. The medicine helps me sleep, but makes me really thirsty. I feel this morning, though, that I am not getting any sicker, but have crossed some imaginary line and am now getting better.

Yesterday was the day we picked up Molli and Adrian in Atlanta! Ray and Amelia slept pretty late, so there was time for breakfast and a quick walk (for me), a bath and getting dressed before we left the house. 10:30 was the target, but it was closer to 11. As we got underway, Amelia realized she needed to return Kevin's car to his house, so we turned around and went back to get it. Traffic was pretty heavy, but we were waiting at the top of the escalator when they arrived (even though they landed about 10 minutes early). Molli appears to have the incredibly good travel luck that some people have. This was a Delta flight. She also has the ability to sleep on planes, amazingly.

Profiteroles

Flourless chocolate cake

We had reserved for a meal at Bistro Niko, now a tradition for us. I had been hesitant, hating to spend the money when I was too sick to enjoy it. I even contemplated staying home while Ray and Amelia went to pick them up. But, I really loved it, as did everyone else. I had a sidecar, a yummy cocktail that was good for my cold. I ordered French onion soup, something I used to love, but haven't had in years because it has been known to disagree with me. This one did not. Incredible gobs of cheese atop luscious beef broth teeming with onions and flavor. It was worth taking a chance on. Others had the butternut squash soup that we have loved before. I had scallops that were excellent, a little crusty edge from sauteeing, on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes, with little bits of leek. Adrian ate three of them; he said he had never had them before. He had the duck--two legs--and love it too. Amelia  had a ratatouille sandwich that was amazing as well. And desserts--creme brulee for me, ice cream for Ray, chocolate cake (out of this world) for Adrian, and profiteroles for Molli and Amelia. A flawless meal. My idea of heaven would be to eat there once a week. Is it possib;e I would ever get blase? The service is excellent, needless to say.

The plan was to go to the High Museum of Art of the Fernbank Museum of Natural Hitory, or Stone Mountain Park. But Molli and Adrian both fell asleep almost instantly when they got in the car, and slept all the way home, in spite of some traffic delays, so the only place we  stopped was at Karen's, to feed the pigs, just about sunset (5;30). We were home about 5 minutes before my Dad arrived (alerted by phone). He was feeling a little sad and was glad to see everyone. We pulled out pictures from my wedding, but he didn't want to look at them much. We were particularly looking at the dress I wore and then Bonney wore, since Amelia has started working on Molli's dress. Adrian is not allowed to see it, of course, but if it's still in pieces, does that count? We talked some about menu as well.

Captain left, Ray went to bed, the young people went to the O'Rileys', and I went to bed. It might have been 9 o'clock. Thanks, Nyquil. I was awake a few times, but finally got up a little before 5, not surprisingly.

Sorry, I guess I didn't post yesterday. Between the cold and Amelia arriving...

I invited people to come help me bake. Sky and her Mom are the only ones who took me up on it. They got there a little after 10. I had vacuumed and bathed and gotten out some ingredients and equipment. It was quite fun. They did most of the work under my direction, but they said it didn't seem like a lot of work. And they talked the whole time. We made muffins (with blueberries); their request. We made banana bread. I had two bananas that needed to be turned into bread. We made ginger cookies that you can freeze as balls and bake when you need them. I wasn't feeling very sick and I didn't get super close to them. They are not usually the huggy kind. Or maybe our relationship is not hte huggy kind. I would love to do more cooking like that.

After lunch, I went to get my Dad (in my new car) and took him to Avid Bookshop. He enjoyed it. Janet helped us pick out books for most of the people on his list. It was a successful trip and I took him home again.

Back at the house, it was time to put the chickens up and feed the pigs. We ate some chicken curry Ray got from the freezer and heated up with rice. It was great. When I know Amelia is coming, I often plan a meal with some meat in it for us to eat since we won't be eating much in the time she's here. We don't really miss it; I just try to get in lots of protein to keep me from becoming diabetic.

We watched a little TV and I went to bed. There was no chance I would be able to stay awake until Amelia got there (which turned out to be about 11), so I tried to get some sleep. I did wear the mask for a little while, but it occurred to me that I was supposed to wash it some and it might not be good for me to keep breathing through the same germy mask. I woke up at 3 or so and went in the other room to read for a while, but eventually got back to sleep and woke up at 6:30.

Definitely have a full-fledged cold--coughing, sneezing, stuffy head, sore throat...Amelia spent most of the time sewing. She wants to be able to do things when Molli and Adrian are here (other than sewing). The question is where can she do it. Plenty of room yesterday in the downstairs bedroom, but we will move her out this morning before Adrian and Molli get here. She would like to sleep in there and leave the sewing spread out, but the cat's litter box has to go somewhere--I don't think Molli and Adrian should have to share a bathroom with the cat, as well as Amelia. And don't want the litter box in the downstairs bathroom, for when company comes. However, I may relent and let her sleep there. I am certainly not the one to tell someone they have to stop in the middle of a project. Stay tuned.

I was able to function pretty well in the morning, although mostly by hanging around on the couch, not cooking and baking. Ray and I took a walk (with Cameron, of course). It was warm and sunny, almost hot. He split some wood. I tried not to keep Amelia from working on her sewing. My Dad called. He wanted to come tell us all about his peformance as Father Christmas the night before. I said I would feed him, but didn't have much to offer. He stopped and got pizza and potato soup for us from Transmetropolitan. My Mom loved that soup! It is all full of heavy cream, I'm sure. So good. It was a pretty late lunch and I was feeling pretty sick by the time he left. Couldn't quite figure out what to make for Amelia for supper, but got started on something while Ray fed the pigs. He did most of the cooking for me and Amelia worked on her sewing. The cat has the run of the house, so we don't let poor Cameron in like we have done sometimes.

Supper was delicious and then it was late enough for me to have another hot toddy. MMM. It sure is good for a cold. Watched some TV. Went to bed and read. Sipped on Robitussin all day and took a Tylenol cold tablet at night. Woke up at some point coughing and took some Nyquil. That knocked me out thoroughly until about 6:30 this morning, a prefectly reasonable time to get up in my book.

Darn! I knew it! I have the cold. Is it Ray's or the Captain's? Maybe they have the same one. In spite of taking extra vitamin C and sleeping in a different room the last three nights, I have a stuffy nose and scratchy throat this morning. The excitement of the last few days and the lack of sleep may be factors.

Yesterday's excitement was minimal. It involved making cookie bars to take to potluck and cookies to take to Ray's departmental holiday luncheon. This meant driving to the closest convenience store/gas station about 5 miles away to buy eggs: $2 is not bad, but it was for 8 eggs! I never saw an 8-egg carton before! We made the famous oatmeal-raisin cookies and got dressed and drove to my Dad's house to leave the car. We took the bus to the department and got there a little late. There was ham and turkey and bread and lots of dessert, but nothing green to be seen. There was also moonshine that a former office manager's husband brought. He doesn't make it, he buys it--$140/case. If you like powerful, clear alcohol, it was pretty good. Looks like water in the jar.

We took the bus back to the car and Ray drove me to the Athens Land Trust, where I went with Heather to see two houses under construction. They were designed by her uncle for housing in the 50s--very simple, with back-to-back plumbing, but still nice--wood floors. One is bright blue, a color picked by the homeowner. Very exciting to see in progress. The IKEA cabinets were giving the installer fits. The contractor suggested that for the same amount of money, you could get better quality custom cabinets, made of solid wood. It was fun; I have always enjoyed Heather's company and I think the feeling is mutual. But, no talk of future employment...

Ray got his hair cut and picked me up again and we went home. He went to bed. I wasn't happy with the cookie bars I made, they didn't cut into squares, but broke into uneven chunks and are hard. Maybe over-cooked, but also possibly a crappy recipe. My Dad was there for a bit. He is slowly recovering and looking forward to being Father Christmas tonight and tomorrow. He keeps wanting to know if I'll be there and I keep saying no. It's a $50 donation to charity to go, even if there were still seats. We talked some about Christmas shopping and I am supposed to take him this afternoon. He had some good ideas, so it shouldn't be too unpleasant, if he's up to it. He dropped me off at the pigs and I walked back after feeding them. An incredibly lovely warm day.

Ray was still in bed, so I decided not to go to potluck. This was supported by the realization that I had forgotten to go to EarthFare while I was in town and had promised organic eggs for a baking party today. Then I quickly found I had lost my phone in my Dad's car, between here and the pigs. A call to him confirmed it. As I was getting ready to eat something and go, Ray got up. He made himself something and I ate leftover pasta with cauliflower. I think now we are out of leftovers and I am not going to feel much like cooking...darn! Except that there are plenty of sweet treats around...

I was excited about driving the new car, but actually quite nervous once I got going, to drive for the first time in the dark. It was pretty fun. I drove to my Dad's and then Earth Fare. I was about 10 minutes late to choir...and I got lost--I ended up in Oconee County somehow, and had to turn around. No GPS! OK, 15 minutes late...we have a solstice service in a week and were going over some of the complicated arrangements Amber has made for singing some of the songs in the back of the sanctuary, holding lit candles. The choir generally groans and is resistant, but everything always turns out well. I am part of a small group singing a different part on one of the songs. It went pretty well.

When I got home, Ray was again asleep in bed. I watched a couple shows and went to my little room with my book, but I didn't even open it. I put on my mask and soon fell asleep. It was after 10. Around midnight, I woke up suddenly and couldn't breathe and tore the mask off and went back to sleep. Perhaps it was because of this cold. I don't know how I can use the machine with a stuffed-up nose...I should call them, but I will probably muddle along or not use it for awhile.

What's happening at the "farm?"

The Prius is dead! Long live the Prius! Faithful Betty, a big part of our lives for almost 10 years, is gone. Our new Prius is white (not my favorite choice) and has a bluetooth connection, which is very exciting, as soon as I figure out how to make it work. We spent a lot of time yesterday at the dealership, but it is still amazing to me that we can walk away with a "new" car, no money actually having changed hands.

Daisy thinks the camera might be good to eat.

Ray was still pretty sick, but excited about looking at cars. I took a quick walk out to the mailbox with Cameron. (no eggs) We were at the dealership by 10:30 or so. There were three 2010 Priuses for sale (red, white, silver). There were all about the same price and all looked the same with the same features. One had leather seats and this was the only one that integrates with your phone. We got them to go down a little on the price and then started the slow process. Poor Ray cleaned out the old car.

baby goat Shanny

I had an OLLI Lunch and Learn to go to. I didn't know anyone at my table and ate a perfectly acceptable lunch, followed by a one-hour talk by Lief Carter about re-writing the constiation and why our system isn't working and what we can do about it. Clearly, it isn't going to change itself. Something has to be done from outside. How is a big question. I was thinking "revolution," but didn't say it. Everything will keep getting worse until it's really bad and then what? A dictator? Interesting stuff, but the timing was bad. I wanted to be at the car dealership.

There are the beauties! They're getting bigger!

I don't know why Brodie likes being on top of this new dirt pile.

I called Ray and met him there. He had driven the new car home and had some lunch. He had arranged for financing through the dealer, but I called Robins and they confirmed what we had to do. The financial guy at the dealership was not happy. "Do you want to save money?" he said. "Or give them your business?" "I want to give them my business," I said. "I am active in the Occupy Movement and I want the credit union to have my money." He turned away, I guess to change all his paperwork. Maria was our salesman, a somewhat strange woman who drives here from northeast Georgia every day, 45 minutes or so, but is one of the top sellers in Georgia. She's not much younger than me and somewhat hard to understand. But she knows her stuff and seems trustworthy, so I guess that is how she sells cars. Thanks to Robins, we do not have to start paying until March--and then it will be less than $300 a  month--for 6 years. Hopefully, the car will last that long. And maybe we can pay it off earlier, if I can get work. Ray had to go to get the title for the old car. They gave us $1600 for it, a lot less than we  might have gotten before the battery was going probably, but a lot better than nothing for a car with 183,000 miles on it.

Back at our house, our chickens

The new car is the kind you don't actually put the key in the ignition. If you have it in your pocket, you can push a button to start it. It has a hatchback, good for Cameron to ride in for one thing. The back seats fold down for really big items. And the mileage will be lots better.

I went by Publix and got some fish for our supper, not wanting to take the time to go back to town. I got some more flour and butter too, but I couldn't bring myself to buy eggs. Unfortunately, Ray promised cookies for his department's holiday lunch today.

My Dad was at the house and duly admired the new car. It was a beautfiul day, warm and sunny, although I was not home much to appreciate it. I made supper, fed the pigs, put the chickens up (no eggs), and we closed the shades down for the night. We resisted the tempation to go for a drive after supper, just for fun. Ray was starting to fade and we watched a few shows before he went to bed.

I was sure I was getting "the cold," although I feel pretty good this morning. I slept again in the little room (avoiding Ray's germs?), reading until I was sleepy and then putting my mask on for part of the night. I guess eventually I will stop taking it off and sleep with it all night. Hard to say if I slept better, but I am happy and excited this morning. Could be the new car, could be the holiday and the company coming.

I have heard that there is a Chinese curse, "may you live in interesting times," which we certainly do. Yesterday, I am sorry to say, was interesting. Not all bad, not boring, but definitely interesting. Ray was still feeling pretty sick, but had to go in and meet with a student who had questions. I also had plans. We had a brief walk and I managed to come up with a recipe for supper. I was feeling cheerful in the morning and in the Christmas mood, wearing my red turtleneck dress and green hat and light green pea coat. My children are coming, it is time to plan holiday (and wedding) events.

I took him to his office (when I say this, what I usually mean is, he drove himself to his office and then I took the car). Then I headed to Siri Thai, for lunch with my friend Michael, Executive Director of The Stable Foundation. He is a lot of years younger than I am and has a master's in public administration, but I don't think I am wrong to call us friends. TSF used to rent space from ALT and I have been in various meetings with him over the last few years. I knew that he wanted to talk to me some about fund-raising for TSF, which I had talked to him about once before and I thought he wanted me to do volunteer case management. I wasn't sure what I was going to say. But he actually suggested he might hire me sometime in the next month for a part-time temporary case management position, connected to a grant they received some time ago but are only now receiving and must use up before July 1. I must say I was very excited and enthusiastic to imagine working again. It has been so long, and I have tried so hard to make my accommodation to not working, that I wonder if I will find it difficult. I don't know how much it will pay and suspect my hours will be less than ideal (evenings and weekends?). Not to mention that it has been several years since I did case management (at IHN, while also being director). However, it made me kind of giddy.

My next stop was to pick up Jean at 1:15 for her appointment at the oncologist. This is when the day began to get really "interesting." The light on my dashboard--the Prius has lots of electronic symbols--with the red exclamation point came on and I felt some hesitation in the way it drove. I called Ray, I called Mary Jean and got her to pick up Jean, not wanting her to be in the car when it died. I drove to the dealership and left the car with them. I had their shuttle take me to the doctor's appointment. Meanwhile, my Dad picked Ray up and brought him to our house to get the truck and he met me there.

The doctor was the sleep doctor, Dr. Das, who introduced me to my new CPAP machine (actually his staff did most of the work). He told me I stopped breathing 79 times per minute! This is sort of ridiculous, because I am sure I don't breathe that many times a minute. Either I misunderstood him or he misspoke. In any case, it is a lot of times. I have been rather leery of this whole process. I feel like this might be questionable medicine, one of those fads that come and go. However, our Blue Cross HMO is paying for it--I only have to pay $15 every time I go to the doctor. I began using it last night--more later. As we left there, I called the dealership and left a message--$79 diagnostic fee regardless, but they were to call with the details of what needed repairing and how much it would cost.

Back home, gray and in the 40s. No eggs. I proceeded with supper. The Toyota dealer finally called. The hybrid battery was going; it would be $2963 to replace it...plus $1300 for a new catalytic converter. No telling how long it would hold up. After driving it that day, I didn't feel like we could even bring it home. It might go at any moment. I asked if it could be driven as a gasoline-powered car. "No, I'm afraid it doesn't work that way." Of course not. I had known this was a possibility. The car has over 180,000 miles on it and is almost 10 years old, one of the best and least expensive to maintain we've ever had. But now, really, when we were just scraping by with my not working? It seemed terribly unfair and I am actually grieving for our car that has been so much a part of our lives.

However, we went right to the website to look at used Priuses (Prii?). There are three at our dealership, all 2010s, all around $20,000. A lot for a used car, but I can't really imagine buying anything else. Thank goodness for the glimmer of hope that I might actually become employed within a month. There are also two jobs worth applying for in Sunday's paper. One, I applied for on line immediately, and the other I will do so today. Although the odds are long. I also called the credit union I recently joined, Robins, and applied for a car loan over the phone. She talked to Ray, as well, and we are pre-approved for up to $25,000! Our credit scores are both A+ and they will give us a fairly low interest rate, less than 3.5%. In addition, we can opt to defer repayment for 90 days. If we stretch payments out over 6 years, it will be less than $400 a month. Surely I can find something that will pay me that much in the next 3 months! So, an interesting day for sure. We have an appointment to test drive at 10 this morning.

Ray tried not to go to bed, but let me feed the pigs by myself. I had no scraps or leftovers for them, but the walk there and back mostly restored my good mood. He was somewhat better than the day before.  We finished preparing and ate our supper, the last featuring peppers until next year. I have four smallish old green peppers left and will use them as the need arises, but I will no longer search out recipes that use vast quantities of them. And, in fact, there is nothing in the garden now I feel obliged to plan around. There is a lot of dill, but it volunteered, so I don't feel like I have to use it unless I come across something that calls for it.

Ray managed to stay awake through Wheel and Jeopardy. (He is always hoping we will somehow catch up on our backlog of recorded shows--I refuse to watch more than one episode on the same day, so it hasn't worked yet). Now the day got even more interesting. Perhaps from all that had happened, I was pretty charged up and not ready to sleep. I watched two more shows and puttered around a bit before going to bed and starting a new book. It turned out to be quite engrossing and the light was bothering Ray, so I moved into the other room.

hooks up to a machine that blows air into my nose

This is perhaps more information than you want, but this is how things work sometimes. I would normally sleep in the red room in this situation, but I had stripped the bed when Amelia left after Thanksgiving and had not yet made it up. But I didn't want to put fresh sheets on and then sleep in them right before Molli and Adrian arrive on Saturday. So I slept in the little "bamboo" room, or sewing room. It was piled with stuff, including quilts and blankets on the single bed, but I eventually made myself a kind of comfortable nest in there. I liked this room, and I could see out the door and big windows, where the moon was shining. I brought my book and my glasses and my drinking water--and my CPAP machine. I have slept without it all this time and it seemed sort of silly to feel like I had to start now, this very night, but it didn't seem to make sense to put it off, just because I was in a different room and already having trouble sleeping. I read a while and began to doze. I got up and turned off the light and managed to get the thing on, but was no longer at all sleepy. What with the car and the job possibility, and the different bed and the interesting book, I gave up and took off the mask and turned on the light and read some more. I went through the same process again an hour or so later, including an attempt to fall asleep without the machine as well. Eventually, I gave up and finished the d**n book, slept some with the machine on and some with it off. I really don't know how much. It was 7 when the brightening sky woke me. I love my open house with all the windows, but not a good place for me to sleep in.

One of the strange things about the machine is that they ask me over and over if I am tired and fall asleep during the day, or wake up feeling like I have slept badly. I always say no. I usually sleep a good bit less than most people I know and don't feel tired or sleepy until I sit down in front of the TV at night. So, the promise of a better night's sleep is intriguing to me. At this point, I don't know how much I slept or how much of it was with the machine and I can't say I am better rested than usual. But we will see. Perhaps I will start sleeping only 4 hours a night or so!