<p>SBMom–how cold does it get on those SoCal crisp “winter” days? I envy you, here in SoOhio with a typical grey winter day, temp in the 30s. Not cold enough to snow, just drab. What you are having sounds like our September.</p>
<p>I remember it well…</p>
<p>How about ending “And fat letters in ev’ry mailbox!” I think that scans pretty well - it’s just got one extra syllable.</p>
<p>I like that, mathmom!</p>
<p>OK, I never hang out here, but I’m depressed. Work’s tough, I - literally - fell out of bed last night during a bad dream, so I’m all bunged up and sore and I don’t know what to get my friends for Christmas. Two couples, they’ve got everything, what to get?? Two years ago i got bacon (don’t ask), last year some pretty, jazzy dessert plates.</p>
<p>Just read back a few pages to where I’d last left Sinner’s Alley, dodging down a side drainpipe.</p>
<p>Upon return, it seems like we need our Ritalin because there’s a lot of ADD.</p>
<p>No problem; I love many random topics at once. The Christmas songs are hanging in the air, the weather outside frightful or delightful. I LOVEd those Bubbe Candle Light thingies, so glad to widen my horizons. </p>
<p>Since I can only remember back one topic, I’ll mention that I went into a pet store to buy something for what most closely resembles my grandchild, namely the cat belonging to my S and g.f. I can reassure you there are many unnecessary toys for cats and dogs, packaged and overpriced in both Christmas and Chanukah formats. </p>
<p>I bought 3 little toy mice with blue and silver trims, but the red and green ones were equally adorable. I wanted the bright shiny mice, not to be confused with others who might visit their NYC apartment. Merchandisers are truly missing a market by not packaging Christmas and Chanukah mice together, duly laminated. Do they think we’re STUPID and would buy two packages at $3.99 apiece?! </p>
<p>Wait, you wanted UNnecessary gifts. Never mind.</p>
<p>Several subjects ago, I noticed that “Match reach and safety” has the perfect rhythm if only there are no numbers attached to it. WOuld require advance set-up in the previous line, but I know this crowd can handle it.</p>
<p>Oh. Cangel. Darn. Do you want us to set up the IV drip? When it gets really bad we have Chardonnay piped directly into our veins as we sit in the virtual hot tub out back. Or martinis if you like the harder stuff. If that’s not your thing there is a game of virtual mah-jong going on, as well as a Texas something or other dreidl game. Others are singing odd Christmas carols about Italian soccer players and nerds and fat envelopes. But written behind the bar is a big hand lettered sign. It says:</p>
<p>If you are blue you know what to do.
Announce it loud and gather a crowd.</p>
<p>The rule is that then you get your drinks on the house. Jmmom can whip you up a custom cocktail - with a Southern Coastal flavor, do I have that right? </p>
<p>At least, I’m going to pretend it’s a rule and since it’s virtual it’s OK;).</p>
<p>You could get your friends some really beautiful handmade ornaments. Like from an art gallery or something. That’s the one gift-from-friend-but-not-best-friend I really liked.</p>
<p>my one parenting rule – of the reassuring sort – is “hey, at least I did it better than my parents!” Or, if that fails, “I did the best I could.” Will they appreciate that – ten years down the road – sitting on the psychiatrist’s couch? I’m seriously wondering tonight…</p>
<p>So far, I have done it better than my parents. Problem is, they didn’t set the bar very high . . .</p>
<p>So cal winter day: today was maybe a high of 70?</p>
<p>Did I mention about how the light was sharp?</p>
<p>Today was an average NC December day…high was 55; tomorrow’s high is 58, although it is cold at night. Not quite as good as SBmom’s but it beats the snowstorms!!!</p>
<p>Oh, I get it. “Winter” in SoCal is when the temp drops from 100 to 70 and the smog goes away. Sounds perfect!</p>
<p>Thats ok, we had some of those days in Sept./Oct. </p>
<p>Snow is forecast for tonight. Shoveling is forecast for tomorrow morning. I am starting to appreciate why retired people go to Florida for the winter.</p>
<p>Someone make sure the hot toddies are simmering on the back burner, ok? Or do we use a crock pot?</p>
<p>If we do use a crock pot, then I hope it’s one of those ones with the floral designs. That the barkeep brought in from home, that coordinated with his avocado green kitchen appliances. Because I think that will go well with our rust-colored naugahyde booth.</p>
<p>And we are all about designer color schemes here in the Alley.</p>
<p>Good point, jm. I could bring in my crock pot–29 year old wedding present, still works great. It’s not avocado green, but goldenrod yellow. Hope that’s ok. <em>worries</em></p>
<p>That reminds me! DH said we could get a new kitchen sink! The faucet leaks terribly and can’t be wrested out without destroying the sink (he sort of tried), so we’re getting a new one! Not on the same scale as a new kitchen, but nice all the same. :)</p>
<p>No problema, mommusic. We can have one of our craft-y chicas crochet up an afghan with the rust, avocado and goldenrod. Toss it over one of the Barcaloungers.</p>
<p>Voila. Pulls it all together.</p>
<p>I actually have an afghan in those colors (stuck in a closet somewhere) and will happily donate it to the cause. I’m still using my lovely 32 year old crockpot, so that stays with me.</p>
<p>Goldenrod yellow? Isn’t that really caca d’oie? (And doesn’t it sound better in French? - very popular color in 18th c. France.)</p>
<p>Winter in CA is where you worry about mudslides instead of fires.</p>
<p>Yes, those afghan throws are miracle workers, aren’t they? ;)</p>
<p>Harvest Gold and Avocado Green. Colors that greeted me in the kitchen in the first house of my life. Hmm. To date the only house I have ever owned. </p>
<p>I spent money to rip that s**t out. Replaced it with dark blue formica counters and brick red whatever we call what used to be linoleum flooring.</p>
<p>Six years later went whole hog. Kitchen is now part of the living room which is part of the dining room which is part of the hallway which is part of the study.</p>
<p>The counters are black granite.</p>
<p>I am sure that in 25 years, if no more remodels occur, some young just married woman will move into my house and say to herself, “What were they thinking? Black counters made of rocks?”</p>
<p>Let’s just hope she doesn’t take it back to caca d’oie.</p>
<p>caca d’oeil? That better-than-real stuff that was in all the high-class hovels? 
</p>
<p>Our first house the first thing we did was take up lavender wtw carpet in the DR and the matching purple flocked (fake Brocade) wallpaper. I wanted it to look like a dining room, not a brothel.</p>
<p>And the “chandelier” in there had all these plastic “glass” pendants hanging from it. Ugh.</p>