An unusual Monday night...or my heart goes pitter patter.

You can tell when the Christmas season is over, my son's retail hours get cut and he's home some evenings.  On Monday's I usually read, while waiting form Sasha to return from his job.  He has quite a walk, and it's usually 10:30 ish.  But tonight he's home so we are watching Chuck. Chuck is some kinda spy story, but never mind that, guess who the evil villain was?  None other than Dr. Kildare. My sister's had Dr. Kildare trading cards,(wonder if they'd be worth anything today?) he was big, my mom had a LP of his singing.  Didn't you love the way Drs. and Nurses looked cleaner, and you could tell them apart from the custodians in a hospital.  We think we've progressed but have we?  I'll never forget when Dr. Gilesppe gave one of the nurses a proper scolding for wearing stockings, yes stockings that were not white.  Well now they are traipsing around in those CROCS. When my niece had her baby the nurse that came in to remove her stitches had chipped nail polish and her hair hanging in her face and had I not suggested that she wash her hands I'm not sure she would have.  Oh I sound like  I like the good ole days don't I.  I'm leaving you with our heart throb.

I'm posting this song in honour of my mother's birthday, she loved this song, and a little brat came over, with her mom for a fitting and got into the stereo cabinet and trashed all our L.P. and this one in particular.  Our mother is 91 years old today.   Not a great picture of my sister's and I but our mother look Marvelous. P.S. we enjoyed those little triangles, with our Celeric and Pear soup, and Garlic Polenta with Roast Vegetables. Opps and Mango Mouse cake and tea.

The Gift of the Magi, Sto Lat?

I don't know why it is that we feel that the party is over when the Three Kings go home? Today, on the 6th of January we as children would still be having a "little Christmas". I don't remember the menu, but it was a celebration none the less.  We would have gone to mass and had "chalk" blessed, yes chalk, and then my mother would come home and make some kinda symbols over the entry ways.  I have all those blessed pieces of chalk, but I don't know the symbols, and I'm not sure the church celebrates today this same way.  The feast of the Three Kings, was called the Epiphany, if I remember.  My sister Alice always felt cheated, because you see, it's her birthday.  She wasn't born in a manger, but pretty close.  She was born at home, in my parents very small rental rooms.  They had no telephone, so my dad's friend ran all the way, in his pyjamas, to the hospital to get help.  By the time help arrived she was wailing.  So you see the celebration was not just for her, so when I had  begun  un -Christmasing on Tuesday the tree didn't come down .  You see when I un-Christmas, like many of the bloggers I read, I feel I need to reduce.  Not happening smoothly.  So far all that got done was a inventory of how many Christmas serving dishes I own.  They all got put away in "ONE" cupboard, instead of all over the place.  Last year 2009 I participated in the Christmas Theme  Reading Challenge, this is the book I read.  Magi, was an interesting look at the Trio. I'm now looking to buy The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry. just for my book shelf.   So I'm off to think of something wonderful to buy Alice for her big birthday.  Happy Birthday Alice. 

I have to add a little something here, it bothered me so I looked up the marks we are suppose to make on the doorframes. After some prayers from the head of the household this is what is suppose to follow.
[Using chalk (hence, "Chalking the Door"), people are invited to

inscribe the lintel of the

home (the horizontal frame above the door) with the inscription

shown below. The letters

C M B come from the traditional (9th century) names for the "three

kings" -- Caspar,

Melchior & Balthazar. Some also suggest "Christus Mansionem

Benedicat" which means

"May Christ bless this dwelling!"]

[Each person is afforded a turn to make one or more of the marks:]

19 + C + M + B + 98