Saturday, Dec. 19

Slept late this morning, until nearly 8:30. I skipped my exercises today. Mother came over mid-morning and started a pot of chicken stewing, while I put together gift bags for Hubbie's family, who are scheduled to visit the day after Christmas, as well as a food gift pack for our neighbors.

Naturally, this didn't go off without a hitch. When I went to the spare bedroom to get the supplies I needed for the project, I found the door locked. In our house, you can't unlock the doors from the outside without using an ice pick, which is what Hubbie did.

Once I finished getting the gifts together, and did some household chores, we sat down to watch Christmas at Concordia College, and a Boston Pops concert I taped several years ago that features a reading of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas," accompanied by a choir and orchestra. We also saw a cute animation I recorded on DVR called, "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus."

After a lunch of the stewed chicken, with homemade noodles that I bought in Branson while we were there in November, and English peas, we watched "Mrs. Santa Claus," a musical starring Angela Landsbury.

Later, we enjoyed slices of rum soaked chocolate date nut cake, with dollops of whipped topping, and cups of chai tea. Then around 4 p.m., I called Niece in New York, hoping to talk with my brother. But he was napping. So I suggested they call back when he woke up. Well, Mother hung around for over an hour, but Niece never called back, so Mother gave it up and went home.

Finally, around 7 p.m., she called back, and I spoke a few minutes with my brother. But I could tell he was having a difficult time making conversation...he's still in deep mourning for his wife, of course, who died after a stroke in November. The Christmas season will be very hard for him this year, though Niece and nephews are doing their best to keep his spirits up.

This evening, Hubbie and I watched the Hallmark Channel presentation of "Battle of the Bulbs," a comedy about two guys who live across the street from one another, who compete with each other adding more and more lighted displays to their houses and yards. Of course, they finally see the error of their ways, when a neighbor gets into financial difficulty.

Then we watched "Santa Claus 2, " starring Tim Allen.

Sweet: as I was making a rum cake for Hubbie last night, the tortoise shell cat with one blind eye came into the kitchen carrying a lightweight softball (a spongy ball meant for little children). She laid it at the feet of the white cat that is nearly blind. Then she laid down and watched the white cat bat the ball around the kitchen floor. Presently, the black cat, called Romeo, came into the kitchen and started for the ball. I called out "no, no" to him, and he joined the tortoise shell cat in watching the white cat play. And they say that animals can't experience empathy.