miscellany

Several people have actually emailed me asking why the **** they haven't gotten a Christmas/holiday letter from me...HELLO...I had NO IDEA anybody actually read those things, much less cared what I said... maybe (MAYBE!) I'll revise the letter I've already written and actually send it out.

For some obscure reason, Kentucky is actually LOSING to Alabama. HELP!

Martin claimed the JC French Onion Soup was "too rich"! HELP again...the kid is seriously spoiled...

Weather bad...cold, rainy, very English, bad on the joints, and NO cathedrals to ameliorate the distress...

Have spent too much (e.g., more than I can stand) of the last couple of days filing crap i should have dealt with weeks and weeks ago. May goal (!) is to actually file taxes on time this year (e.g., for 2010). We'll see...

On other fronts, I LOVE "As Always, Julia", the book of the letters between Julia Child and Avis Devoto from the late '50s and early '60s. It's a serious book, and slow reading, given that there is perpetually something wrong with my current glasses, but it's great. Hence the Onion Soup (hey, I actually FOLLOWED the recipe, folks!) I fed the boys today.

Doing well with the personal trainer at the Y; much, MUCH better than physical therapy at the Lexington Clinic, not to mention so much more convenient, cheaper, and more fun. Plus it's doing a great deal more good. So there....

I think I shall resign from following politics...so there...(I keep saying that, don't I?)

Cheers, Lillie

my ignorance exposed

So evidently the term "blood libel" is widely known to be anti-Semitic. This was explained this evening on MSNBC; I didn't have a clue. Sarah Palin has struck again. Wonder how many non-Jews know this fact? I have only heard the explanation once so far, and was trying to cook dinner at the time, so can't explain, but understood enough to be appalled.

stay tuned.

I cooked all afternoon, made a dent in cleaning up the kitchen. Not sure anything I made was actually edible...

stay tuned...

Random Thoughts on 2011

Several books for me were under the Christmas tree, ALL interesting, and all of which I've started, and I don't wan to do anything other than read. Especially the book of Julia Child/Avis DeVoto letters, which I can't seem to put down. And it looks like there's going to actually be some useful stuff in it, like a discussion of which American fish to substitute for the usual French fish in Bouillabaisse. I don't want to do anything else. Especially nothing I'm supposed to be doing.

Christmas tree is, incidentally, still decorated and standing in the living room. It's been so cold, Ive just shut the doors and ignored it. Maybe this week...

Some woman from St. Anthony's Messenger (I'd never before heard of it) phoned the other day and we had a very interesting conversation. She wanted to talk to Phil but was happy to talk to me instead. Started in describing the activities of the organization, and telling me that they'd been "blessed" this past year with 14 young men in Kentucky deciding to become priests. Wanted a contribution, of course. I finally interrupted her and asked why she was calling us. Wellll, she said they were contacting all the Catholics in Kentucky. So I (very nicely) said that, yes, it is true that my husband used to be a Catholic, but that he is no longer, and sorry, we won't be giving you any money. She (very politely) thanked me and told me she would "correct" their database. I thanked her. That phone call made my day.

Otherwise, I'm such a slob; it's too cold; I don't want to do anything constructive (and have mostly been succeeding at not doing anything constructive...the highlight of my day today was a long-overdue pedicure...)

The fountain pen I have that was in Daddy's desk, which he had used to write Mother while he was overseas in Korea and Japan and, I suppose, before that in Europe in WWI, STILL WORKS. I decided to try it out and it WORKS. I WILL NOT remove it from the house. Won't put it in my purse, anything...

What on earth does "blood libel" mean?!?

Cheers,

New Year's Day 2011

Am sick and tired of all football, all the time. Also sick and tired of the Lexington Herald-Leader (the local rag); why do I keep subscribing to that thing? Nothing but basketball on the front page. I don't mean the front page of the sports section (that's all basketball, too, of course); I mean the front page of the NEWSPAPER. Virtually every day.

Weather has been ghastly. Snow and ice; temp in the teens for days on end; warm up to 25 or so; more snow; yesterday in the 50's; snow melts; today rain; tomorrow back freezing. aargh. At least I will be able to drive my new (old) car; it has rear wheel drive. Need to sell some of the aging fleet out there. Need to find somebody or somebodies suitable to stay out here next summer.

Still haven't sent Xmas cards and letter; may not. I do feel a bit bad about that.

Need to go on diet. Eat less and bertter; drink a lot less. I am working out, and bought a new 20-session personal trainer package yesterday, before the prices rose today.

Made Indian food for the small crowd last night: naan, chicken tikka, shrimp sorta tikka, gujerati green beans, rice, some sort of Indian black eyed peas, raita which I forgot to put out, various pickles and chutneys. The cranberry chutney was a hit; it's Paul Ode's mother-in-law's recipe. I guess I'll make more as I have the stuff, provided the cranberries are still good; they've been in the fridge for two weeks or so. Am tired of cooking all the time. Actually, what I'm tired of is cleaning up, as I get zero help with that. Martin has been asking me all day what's for dinner, and I've been saying I don't know. Might cook up some slices of pork tenderloin (was going to make pork vindaloo, but ran out of steam yesterday) and serve them with yet more Indian leftovers, and call it a meal.

Happy New Year; may 2011 be uneventful, with lots of calm and no disasters.

Cheers, Lillie