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I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 52 years. I subscribe to Dr. PM Forni's concept of Civility. I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, and San Diego. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy, and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader and photographer.

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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Weather Outside is Frightful!

Actually, "frightful" doesn't quite cover it; it's bitter.  The heat has been on so much that  we're becoming dessicated and so we've got vaporizers running on both floors.  They really help with general comfort and now we're not being shocked every time we touch something.  The steamer we put on top of the wood burning stove has rusted and the enamel flaked off.  I've been looking for another, but don't want to spend a fortune and don't want another rusty mess.  Meanwhile, a regular pot filled with water suffices.

We're coming along with all things Christmas.  The shopping is almost finished and I enjoy Santa and his elves (aka US Postal Service and UPS) arriving with our purchases.  The Christmas cards are almost completed; I'm doing them all by hand this year as I couldn't get the address labels to print.  I find joy in listening to the Christmas music of Andrea Bocelli, Handel, Manheim Steamroller, Celtic Woman, and Maggie Sansone and while singing along, go through our list.  I should be able to get them all in the mail by the end of this week.  I like keeping in touch with people and sending them Christmas wishes -- even if they don't send cards -- it's my way of letting them know they are in our hearts.

We'll be having the kids (I hope all four (includes wonderful DIL)), both grand daughters, and Richard's parents here for Christmas Eve when we celebrate a truncated version of the Feast of the Seven Fishes (festa dei sette pesci).  We'll probably do only four:  a hot crab dip; linguini with shrimp and mussels piccata; and fried calamari.  If anything in my life brings back childhood memories, it's this feast -- fodder for another post.

11 comments:

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

My boss and another woman in our office do the 7 fishes each year. I've gotten some incredible recipes from them. I'm going to post one of them tomorrow or Friday...really yummy! I'm so glad they continue with their tradition; I've really benefited! hehehehe
Sounds like you are going to have a terrific holiday.; I love it when we have a big crowd on Christmas Eve. Sadly, since my mom and dad are gone, our crowds have changed. I will, though, always have my traditional dinner...even if I'm the only one sitting at the dining room table with my good china!

"Professor" M. said...

I have never heard of the Feast of 7 Fishes, but what a wonderful tradition! It sounds wonderful. By the way, you have great taste in Christmas music, no doubt about it! Stay warm and happy!

Mage said...

That sounds simply glorious. They had a special about this on the food channel the other day. Delightful.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Kathy, We're frightful here also---with some freezing rain outside right now... Hope it is light --and doesn't break any limbs, power lines, etc... I despise ICE.

Love your music selections.. I love Christmas music and listen to it almost constantly between Thanksgiving and New Years.

Your Feast of the FOUR Fishes sounds yummy.... My Daddy used to fix fried oysters on Christmas Eve every year when I was young. I like friend oysters--but nobody else in my immediate family like them. SO--I didn't follow that tradition after getting married. BUT--I love ordering fried oysters when we go to the beach and eat at our favorite seafood places. Yum!!!!

Merry Christmas.
Hugs,
Betsy

Jay said...

Your Feast of Seven, uh, Four Dishes sounds yummy!

It's pretty cold here too and we're having the same static electricity problem. It drives me crazy. Hope I don't go up in flames when I get gas this week. haha

Kimberly said...

I have been quite shocking lately, so I will try your trick of putting some water out for some humidity. Your feast sounds wonderful!

Purple Flowers said...

It seems as though you are staying warm and cozy.
We like our USPS lady carrier. I give her a bag of homemade fudge for Christmas. She is forever carrying stacks of catalogs to our mailbox. The UPS man gets cookies. I like calling him our Elf!

Tracy said...

Oh my goodness Kathy, I've not heard of many people who have heard of and like Celtic Women..Andrea Bocelli a little more, but love those two groups. I have seen Celtic Women twice in concert and I beleive I've heard angels sing...
I don't send too many Christmas cards anymore but I do still try to get some to people; just a nice tradition.

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

Sounds like you've been busy with preparations. My Mom always fixed fried oysters on Christmas Eve and I've continued the tradition. I think food can bring back so many memories and good feelings.

George said...

It sounds as if you are just about ready for Christmas. I really like your selection of Christmas music.

Linda Reeder said...

Yes, I would like to know more about the feast of the seven fishes. I love to learn about old customs and traditions.