Our first anticipated event was for the arrival of the Davies. Samantha Davies would be Kathryn & Jeff's eldest daughter and her husband Zed and their daughter Mia, 10 months old. Sam and Zed are both USAF officers stationed in Columbus, MS. To see them for real and not on Face Time would be a great treat. They arrived late in the afternoon on Sunday the 22'nd of December. To celebrate their arrival we all, Berthiaumes, Palmers & Fiddlers went to the Yacht Club for dinner. It was like old times for Sam. Samantha worked at the yacht club all through high school. Kathryn went up to one couple who knew Sam well to introduce them to Mia. They thought Kathryn was Sam. It was a nice feeling for Kathryn to have 23 years chopped off her age.
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| L-R, Pappy Jeff, Mia, Aunt Abby, G (Kathryn), Samantha and Zed. |
Christmas eve saw the family head off to church to give thanks and celebrate the birth of Christ. After church it was off to the Fiddler/Berthiaume house in Allen for a festive gathering of friends around a bountiful table of specially prepared foods. The center piece was of meats, that were superbly marinated Lamb Chops and Petite Tenderloins prepared by our world traveler, Chef Jeff. Our friends the Wojciehowski's, formally of Cleveland, Ohio brought their world famous Brussels Sprouts. We had Meat Balls, Salad, Mac & Cheese, too many condiments to name and a desert table that would rival any Jewish Bar Mitzvah you have ever attended.
Abby had the usual United Nations female beauties from high school. Beside friends and neighbors we were constantly being entertained by our great friend from Ireland, Edmond O'Leary. Edmond had just returned from a trip to Kilkenny to visit his " Ma". If ever your worried that your gathering could be dull, invite Edmond to add some spice to the gathering. It was a "you had to be there" moment over and over again .Its a pity his lovely wife and daughter's have to reside under the same roof with the likes of him. Just a foot note, Mary Agnes loves the man like a second son. Due to a family rating of "G" for this edition of the Crow, we shall not delve into the substance of entertainment.
In the background, about 11:00 PM we heard an announcement on the TV that Saint Nick himself had been observed by NORAD in Cuba and was heading north. Not wanting to be away when he arrived, the Mrs. and I departed for home after saying our goodbyes. After a brief respite outside for Maggie we opened our Christmas Socks from Matt, Beth and kids who were in CT. Matt was down a few weeks ago and we waited in anticipation for just this occasion to open our gifts. After experiencing an evening with many conversations going at the same time, it was nice to be alone with our thoughts and in the warmth of our own home. It was not long before we were both asleep.
Around 6:00 AM I heard what I knew was a "kids are awake" text to be opened. Almost simultaneously a second text buzzed from my phone, both the Berthiaume and Palmer house were up and awaiting the Seniors, "us", to get up and get going. By prearranged plans we were soon off to Salisbury and the Condo on the River to see, Sarah, Rachael and Tommy open their gifts. I'm sure you'll all be amazed that a celebratory Mimosa would be concocted for those who desired one, prior to the unwrapping of gifts. It was not long before a Drone Helicopter, a gift to Tommy, was flying about the room taking covert pictures from the Dron'es two cameras.
Once the gifts were unwrapped it was back to Allen for the next stop on the gift trail. This time the Mrs. Clause of the Berthiaume homestead in Allen was the Presiding Distributor of gifts. But prior to opening the gifts it was necessary to sample leftovers from the Christmas Eve Feast. Ah, now we can open gifts. How Santa ever got down that chimney with his satchel full of gifts makes one wonder. It was close to noon before the the unwrapping of gifts was complete.
Saturday, at least I think it was Saturday. With Christmas falling on Wednesday this year I,m not sure what day is what. At any rat,e Christmas was once again celebrated on Saturday, this time at my home. The celebration would begin in late afternoon with a Chicken and Dumpling (Slicks) dinner. In true Southern Style the were served over mashed potatoes and peas. The potatoes were Ree Drummond's.
Ree is an interesting wife of an Oklahoma Cattle Rancher and has a great Blog and TV show.
After dinner we opened Socks and gifts once again, drew names for next year's gifts and said good night to all. Granny and I settled down to the TV, a Hallmark movie of course and put our feet up and relaxed. It had been a busy week for all.
While at the house Mia got to meet the chickens, The boys got their picture taken in similar hats. And Dee Lataille took a snapshot of all of us together. Yes. Dee is on her way back to NC after spending a week with her family in CT. Love ya Dee!
Jeff sent me an email today which I'll share. Jeff of course was at work in DC, obviously on his lunch break when he sent this. He thought it was cute and told me I should share it with the readership. So, here goes.
Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu. A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.
However, during the detailed analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.
MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.
The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause: When crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.
They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout "Cah!" Not a single one could shout "Truck!"
So, here it is Monday, one more day left to 2013 and we start a New Year. Today I spent 44 minutes speaking with an old friend, Dan McGarigle.
My phone just happens to time phone calls. Dan and I go back a long ways, 19 fifty and 9 I believe is when we first crossed paths. A long time ago back in Willingboro, NJ we went to school together. Dan went into the Navy after High School, I in the USMC, The Few, The Proud. Mary Agnes went to Nursing School with Dan's girlfriend at the time and in 19 sixty and five the four of us went off to Fall River, MA and got married. Dan had two children, eventually separated and divorced and Dan moved around the country working in modern day Computer Technology. Fifty four years later we still keep up a dialog. Happy New year out there in California Dan. Now there's a state where they march to a beat of a different drummer. The Left Coast, yep, that's what they call it!
So, to all of the readership, a very Happy New Year.
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