1) Well, the big event of the day was the wonderful reaction on ye Fycebykke to Mother’s photo in front of the Christmas wreath: over 150 likes and loves, and several lovely comments! In the morning I went through almost the whole list of people to explain who everyone was. And in fact, people from all over my life just loved that photo: family, colleagues, friends from Interochen, Boston, Flickr, the Gibson House, everyplace.
2) An “early start” to run an errand across town ended up being 9:30 AM - which I don’t really consider “early.” The errand turned out ot be brief, and I ended up drifing into the nearby Craft Supply Store That Is Not ye Homophobic Hybby Lybby. Two chatty Ladies Older Than I were ahead of me in the checkout line and ignored the call from the next cashier. I had to interpose very sweetly “Which of you two ladies is next?” The remaining lady asked me to go ahead of her, since she had to make a return. Wasn’t that nice?
3) Tomato soup and egg salad.
4) Sixteen pieces of mail, of which only three were Christmas cards. Most was junk mail from conservative organizations whose lists we’re trying to get Mother removed.
5) Mother’s housekeeper gave her a box of ye Ryssell Styver milk chocolates for Christmas, and you have no idea what happy memories a box of Ryssell Styver can bring. Although the principal one had to do with a gigantic box of ye Schryfft’s chocolates. When I was very little some old and distant friend of my gramma gave her a huge square gold box of of ye Schryfft’s, both milk and dark and with two bright Jordan almonds in that mosaic of chocolate. And there were TWO layers! Gosh, just to bite into that coconut cluster was such a happy feeling.
6) Chikhirtma! Mother was interested in trying chikhirtma having heard me talk about it, so I cooked up a pot with her help. This was the first time I’d gotten to use the cinnamon in the recipe, and it is a bit involved. In the end it could have used more lemon juice.
7) Taking the garbage out I saw the glorious moon shrouded by swiftly moving clouds. Just as mysteriously beautiful somehow as it was last night with not clouds at all.
8) Mother headed off to bed just before 9 PM “too pooped to pop,” and I washed up all the dishes. I am now “too pooped to pop” myself. Tomorrow is Sunday, the gifts are not wrapped, the tree is not up, the dining room table is not cleared or set, and I haven’t sent even ONE Christmas card, but I’m done for the night.
9) We have to have a for real early start tomorrow for church.