the lameness continues

so here i am once again, several weeks out from having posted.  blogs are kind of like work at times.  it can be challenging to think about what might engage one- including myself- what is worthy of taking the time to place it in black & white?

we visited my mom & dad on the way back from the outer banks after thanksgiving &  i was telling her i was doing a blog.  she wondered what a blog was.  my mom has nothing to do with the computer- she does not even do email.  my favorite technology story about mom is when we were riding back from washington, d.c.  i have often given my parents "experience" gifts- they certainly don't need any more things.  we had gone to washington to see an exhibit at the phillips, i think.  anyway, it was raining quite hard & i pulled off at a rest area to call danny & my dad (back when cell phones were the size of a brick!).  he didn't answer & i left a message.  he called me back about 10 minutes later (we were still sitting at the rest area waiting out the worst of the downpour) & i answered & we talked.  gigi (my mom's nickname) was quiet for a few minutes & then she said "how did he know where we were?  how did he know where to call?"  

anyway, i was having a hard time trying to explain it, so i decided to look it up.  many sites described it as a personal journal.  there are, of course, different kinds of blogs.  corporate or company blogs are getting very popular.  they estimate there are about 112 million blogs published now- some of these are very dormant. that's alot of personal journals, doncha think?  (my sarah palin imitation)  one site said many people find the doing of one therapeutic, even if no one reads it.  i would agree with that.  i would like people to read my blog, though (people i know- i can't imagine why anyone else would be interested), so then comes the challenge of making it interesting & engaging.  also of finding a topic.  & then writing about it.  on a daily or so basis.  it seems so simple....  when i told a friend about the blog, she made a comment about needing a venue for self-absorption, or something like that.  i suppose that's true, though i don't like to think about myself like that.  

anyway, we're getting ready for christmas here.  & i mean christmas at my house- not the holidays...  here is a shot of one of my favorite ornaments- i just love homer!!!!

& i've been really getting into vintage ornaments lately.  here is one of my favorite vintage ornaments that i have.  i have a lot of the plain ones, but this one is really cool & in fairly good shape as well.

i was inspired to get the trees up because i hosted the holiday dinner for my investment club, HERS.  HERS stands for Her Early Retirement System & i've been a member about 10 years now.  we are losing right now, just like everyone, but we have also made some wise buys & i have learned a great deal about the stock market. plus, i've met some great women.  my neighbor, michele, is a personal chef & caters the meal for us.  we never know what we are having until that night.  it is an i

ncredible meal.  here is the entree- you are looking at shrimp with black mission figs in a rosemary shallot cider sauce,

parmesan polenta & sweet & sour red cabbage.  this was followed a dessert to die for-  dark chocolate cherry torte with ganache glaze & eggnog mousse.those are just two of the courses.  that's the chef in my kitchen there- behind her stands our server for the evening- what a nice guy, huh?  i confess i find myself feeling a bit like oprah these days-  i had lost about 12 pounds & was feeling okay-  it's all come back on since thanksgiving.  not good....  & christmas to come yet...