Thursday, Dec. 12

Up around 7:30, so I could make a fruit salad for the Master Gardener Christmas party at 11:30. I really should have made it last night to let the flavors meld. And I really should have checked my mandarin orange supply, because when I found some in the storeroom, I saw that they were out of date, and looked discolored. So Hubbie made a run to the nearest grocery store to buy a few cans of them.

Once the salad was made and in the fridge, I put together a couple of gifts...one with wine jelly, a tub of cream cheese, and a sleeve of snack crackers to give to the ladies at the beauty shop...and a "First Day of Christmas" gift for Mother (a pint jar of homemade peach jam).

After that, I went upstairs to shower and dress for the party. Meanwhile, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and then he got ready.

Before we left, I fixed Mother a lunch of Ramen noodle soup, with crackers and pimento cheese.

We arrived at the party venue...the fellowship hall of a downtown church...around 11:20. A couple of folks were already there attempting to clear away ice from in front of the entrance. They mentioned that they had poured hot water on the ice, which immediately froze and made the entrance even more slick. I thought everyone knew that on a frigid day hot water freezes faster than cold water. Anyway, they resorted to Plan B and threw a rug over the ice.

About 30 people attended the party, far fewer than usual. There was enough food to feed an army, and when we'd eaten and then filled plates to bring home, the remainder of the catered turkey and dressing was donated to the local family violence prevention center.

Everyone brought side dishes, too, so there was a great variety of food, including desserts. We brought home turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and several varieties of salad, as well as rolls and three kinds of dessert.

Following the meal, the members held a Dirty Santa gift exchange. Hubbie got a wall clock that features a winter scene with birds. I think he was hoping someone would steal it from him, so he could steal another person's gift of two wooden birds.

But no one stole the clock. The lady seated next to me stole the birds. At the end of the game, there was one gift remaining, and the MG president urged me to participate in the game. I protested, since I'm not a member of the group. But she insisted.

Here was my chance to get those birds. I stalled and hesitated, and felt guilty, but finally I stole the birds. So the lady I stole the birds from had to get another gift, and she stole one from someone else. That lady, then, came and got the birds. I protested, since I knew that I was the third person to get them, and the rule was that the third person gets to keep the gift.

However, the president said that I was only the second person. But someone else pointed out to her that the birds had been selected by one lady, then were stolen by the lady seated next to me, so when I got them, I was the third person, and should be able to keep them. The president agreed.

But I feel guilty on two counts...the fact that by rights I should not have participated in the game at all, and that I stole the silly birds from someone who obviously really wanted them. Maybe I should offer them back to her, even though she got a nice gift...a pack of educational playing cards from our local museum that feature facts about the occupancy of our town by the Confederacy during the Civil War, and a gift certificate to the museum gift shop.

After the party, we ran a couple of errands....to the newspaper office to leave this week's word search puzzle contest, and to the greeting card shop to find out what kind of discount I had on a card I received in the mail. Customers were not supposed to scratch off the the card to reveal the discount...it was supposed to be done by a store clerk. Since the offer expired December 15, I thought I'd better go ahead and do it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find I had gotten a 40% discount. So I browsed the stores jigsaw puzzles, and found a Christmas-themed one for Mother. Besides that, I bought this year's children's book in a series I've been buying each year for several years. So the clerk applied the 40% off coupon to the puzzle (it had to be applied to a single item), and then I used an about-to-expire $2 coupon on the book. I'm so glad I decided to stop by and use those coupons today. I love bargains.

We came back home after that. Mother was busy working her jigsaw puzzle, so Hubbie and I relaxed with the newspapers, and watching TV, until it was time for me to prepare supper for Mother. I heated cornbread dressing, turkey, sweet potatoes, and part of a roll for her, and then put a container of salads on the table for her to choose from.

Hubbie and I weren't hungry at 5 p.m, but later, around 7 p.m., Hubbie had a ham sandwich, and I opted for a bowl of chili.

Mother stayed here to watch a Christmas show from the Family Channel, and then Hubbie accompanied her to her house. We continued watching TV, including our favorite college basketball team, as they played to a win.