morning deveria!

and all dawgs sitting at the lake by the fire, a wonderful time of year for that isn’t it?

Boy, oh boy…we are officially less than two weeks away from Christmas! Can we say I am not even close to being ready???

I have seen fewer christmas decorations and heard less holiday music then I can ever remember

Good morning! Really? I think I am just more into it this year…I even decorated here!

Morning, DeVeria, and happy Chanukkah. Got a fireplace? We were talking about pie irons and other good ways to cook over open fire, recently.

Hi Ruth. I do have a fireplace, but I’ve never used it. I’m a little scared. We actually have 2 here. Maybe I’ll get my friend to fire it up the next time we have a quiet evening. The most I’ve ever done is cook marshmallows…

Gifts for those who “have everything:”
Heifer International
Angel Tree
Spa
Feeding America (formerly Second Harvest)

Morning everyone. Just back from N’Awlins. It was wonderful.
I haven’t bought a single gift. Not one. Time to get busy.

all good suggestions…

True. Things are pretty subdued here in s. FL, too, tho this is the day most do decorations…. Haven’t been to any stores cept Radio Shack — I was outnumbered 3-1. There were more customers as I left 6pm.

Don’t feel bad. I’ve only bought one. I’ve never been there, but its on the list.

My family always puts up decorations around Thanksgiving. I waited until the first week in December. I couldn’t believe how many people were out in the middle of the day yesterday. Not looking forward to today at all.

btw

I play tennis with the son of one of the men who wrote “drummer boy”, even before I knew this “drummer boy” was probably my fav christmas song

nice guy, a bit eccentric but a nice guy

This may sound odd, but my entire family is looking for the bed sheets we remember from the 70′s. Crisp, cool, no-iron sheets. Now that we all have these over-sized mattresses, our old (wonderful) sheets don’t fit the beds and we HATE these new sheets that are out there. Well, I think I found them, or so say the ads, but there pricey. I’m planning to buy them for my mother.
Anyone else miss those sheets?

Great time to go there. Hope you had gumbo and jambalaya enough to last the rest of the year.

oh how interesting…that’s one of my favorites too

DeVeria, did you go to Atlantic City? Did you make it to Cape May?

Now I was still in my crib in the 70s, but I love a nice set of no-iron sheets. As I’ve gotten older, my entire night experience has had to change…good mattresses and sheets a must!

I think I’m going to put that on my list for 2010…I think I would have a ball there!

Good morning DeVeria and everyone.

I want a new congress for Christmas.

Yes, I did go to Atlantic City and it was wonderful! A much needed get away. I didn’t get to make it to Cape May…I checked and it was over an hour from where I was staying, but I WILL be going back, so I’m going to try to go there. Probably better when it is a little warmer…

Now I’m with you on that one…

At the risk of being a big grinch, my most fervent wish is to be spared from the annual family dysfunctionfest. I’ll send a few floral yule gifts to celebrate the winter solstice and the return of the light.
Other than that we are telling everyone we’re going to pretend to be Jewish and go to the movies and out for Chinese food.

Happy Saturday, All
We went out for dinner last night and were happily surprised at how many people have decorated their houses and yards. Since money’s so tight, I kind of expected there to be less.
I cleaned and decorated the living room yesterday. Not a lot of stuff, but the tree and lots of little white lights around the windows and sliding glass door. Grapes and pine cones on top of the mantle and atop the book case. Simple, yet festive.

I don’t think I could get out of going home if I wanted to…I wonder what they will do once I get married and have a family of my own. We won’t always be able to go there. Hmmm, how will I handle that one?

I’m totally with you on the family dealy. Why we went camping for Thanksgiving. Sometimes avoidance can be a good thing.

Morning! You did more than some did. We didn’t do a lot, but you can definitely tell its Christmas time here. I want to take a night and go ride around and look at all the lights.

Opposite here. I love the family get-togethers. My only problem is that we go all-out for Christmas Eve so I’d just as soon skip Christmas Day festivities but I have to drag myself out again (or host it myself). Christmas day is in-law day (that may be influencing my thinking).

Mr. Conniptionfit has been pestering me about what I want for Christmas, too. It’s all I could do not to growl at him “Go ‘way, can’t you see I’m busy trying to get everyone ELSE’S Christmas together…” The perfect Christmas gift for someone tempted to growl at her husband for asking her what SHE wants: a Cruise account! So he’s gonna put a small portion of his paycheck on auto deposit for however long it takes (years and years, probably) and when there’s enough we’ll go to Europe, or the Mediteranian, or the Carribean. (I’ll learn how to spell it before I go there!) This is the bestest present ever! 1) I NEED a vacation with just my hubby and me. 2) Somebody else (they tell me) will do the dishes on the cruise. 3) Now I never need to come up with an answer to what I want for Christmas, Birthdays, and Anniversaries!
(Plus the account’ll function as a rainy day fund if we get into trouble between now and then, don’t tell him I said that)

Oh hello. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you the other pup who goes to Curves?

I love the get togethers too. No inlaws to deal with yet. But I think I’ll be okay on that front. They don’t do a lot together on holidays and the only ones I would really have to deal with is a mother-in-law and a sister-in-law.

That sounds wonderful.

Yep, haven’t been in 2 weeks, tho. I’ve been going back to yoga ,’cause of my geezer joints, but I tried a new class “Yoga for Fitness”. Found out how unfit I am….

I would love a cruise! Guess I’ll save that for the honeymoon. They don’t get that we are trying to make sure that everything is done…all they know is that they wake up one day and it is.

Christmas Eve, for us, is a seafood fest. We have shrimp, calamari, snails, octopus….. It’s wonderful.

It all depends on who all is involved. It can get complicated, trying to figure out where and when to meet up, and of course, how flexible or inflexible other peoples plans are. It surely can add to the stress of the days.

I’m baking cookies for Christmas gifts. Gonna start with the fruit cake & pumpkin spice bread today, and leave the cookies for a little closer to the day.

I thought so. They hired me at the one I’ve been a member of. Been there three months now. And, here’s a funny. When we were camping for Thanksgiving, one of my son’s friends who joined us has a mother who works at a Curves, in Texas. Little tiny world sometimes.

Delicious…we have a lot of food, but never seafood…maybe I’ll suggest it.

And somehow the mark of a really GOOD organizer is that nobody ever knows…

True because sometimes I want to do something different, but don’t want to disappoint them.

Nice. I live for vacations. Don’t forget to check the discount sites before you book (priceline, orbitz etc). You may go sooner than you think.

Wish you could be part of the Cookie Exchange I’m arranging for the gym. It’ll be the first one and I have know idea how well it will go.

Good idea. Wish I was a baker…and on your list, LOL

Chinese take out sounds good. Hadn’t thought of that. Got a great Chinese restaurant in the area. Ever had Mandarin duck? Oh, man. Don’t eat it anymore, though. Strictly veggie and/or shrimp dishes now.

I got talked into hosting the annual Christmas cookie exchange this year. I have to make 8 dozen cookies before monday. And a lasagne.

And that is the truth. Last night I was trying to get him to help me with the gift list for his side and it was like pulling teeth!

I love Chinese and always wanted to try that. What does it taste like?

I can’t even imagine

Exactly. The vacation dependent economy is pretty desperate right now. Which is why I’m spending xmas on board.

Tastes like mandarin duck!

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

I get away with begging off from my mother in law’s misery fest on Christmas Eve ’cause we usually play music at church. (oh, I’m a little devil.) No way to avoid the next morning at my mom’s. I’ll live. *g*

Never had it…

Duck in a wonderful sauce. I don’t know if I can describe it now. It’s been years. The best I had was at the Golden Dragon in San Diego. Could have been sitting at the table with Angie Dickinson that made it so memorable.

That’s great! Where are you going? Or does it matter? We won’t go over the holidays, despite my growling, I LIKE ‘em.

I love my getaways…can’t wait to plan the next one

I just started this last year. Related to an earlier thread about gifts. I hate giving & receiving gifts. So I finally found something that should be acceptable to most recipients. It’s a family thing and most recipients are the next generation who hardly know how to boil an egg, so home made cookies are appreciated.

For myself, I find they are so much more satisfying than even the best store bought ones, that I eat less because they are better. Seems paradoxical, but there it is.

LOL

Ah, maybe so…

Wow. Sounds like you’ve got quite a couple of days ahead of you.

Jews in Chinese restaurants on Christmas. Quite the cliche.

Sounds good to me

It’s this Wednesday…all day. Not going to stand over the tables and micro-manage, but since I work 3 – 8 pm, I’m planning on swinging by a few times to monitor…maybe sneak out some selections so that the evening, ie. after work gals who come in will have some variety.
Going over to the gym today to decorate the table and shop for coffee, tea, etc.
Has anyone seen apple spice in a tea type bag? Trying to figure that out.
We’re just having a big urn of hot water with instant stuff, ya know?

How do you even do all of that in a couple of days???

My wife was Jewish. We, along with MIL, would eat at various ethnic restaurants on Xmas but I don’t remember ever doing Chinese. Maybe cuz we ate at the Golden Dragon so often.

I deal with that by handing out the jam I made last summer. I always have too much for my family to eat. People are so pitifully happy to receive real food… this time of year is our anniversary for hosting the local chapter of Drinking Liberally, and the party is always well attended, in part because it’s my annual jam distribution!

Ask conniptionfit, not me. A couple dozen is the most I can do.

My mother used to make piles of Christmas cookies, especially the form cookies that get decorated with icing and colored sugar and cinnamon bits, etc. My niece has her grandmother’s cookie cutters, and frankly, I don’t want to get them back because that would be waaaay too much work for me.

eCAHN can do anything!

Dude (ette), you have no idea… And I better get started now. Ta all, thanks for the company.

That is exactly what I was getting to say…way way too much work for me.

My brother & I ate at a Chinese restaurant one Christmas because all his kids were spending the day at their in-laws and our family was getting together the next day. The restaurant was filled with Jewish families, so it really was true.

I guess so…I would come to!

Dragon, regarding the vegetarianism, didn’t you, um, “share” a tuna sandwitch with your tigers recently? *g*

I was gonna ask WTF you were doing here with all that work ahead of you. *g*

Found out that our local really good dim sum place is open, so I think we’ll go there. I was really surprised how many people supported our decision to seek relief from forced festivities. I am just so sick of the commercialization. Give more to the food bank instead.

Oh wow. I have never been to a restaurant on a holiday. Hmmm…might be something to try one day.

Or, was it turkey?

Hi Ms. DeVeria-

Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas to you and everyone in the beautiful house.
You know sweetheart, after seeing such immense pain at the Kansas City and Little Rock Free Health Clinics, the spirit of the holidays has kind of been extinguished in my soul.

So many Americans barely have the money for a Christmas dinner much less gifts. A gift for so many of them would be a dental cleaning or some prescription medication.

What a tragedy in the richest country on the planet.

But that said, have a lovely and blessed holiday, hope to see you again soon! xoxoEve

Hiding.

eCAHN, the artificial tree is working out very well. I spent all week decorating, poco a poco. Put the tinsel on last night. Another thing I haven’t done in years. You can’t even tell the thing is fake.

Angie Dickinson??? Is that when she was in that cop show or before?

I did a lovely Thanksgiving two years with just my son & me. One was a fancy restaurant in Queens, right on the river, with spectacular views of midtown Manhattan skyline & lights. Learning the first year, where it was almost impossible to get a reservation at the last minute, I started early with the reservations that year. So yes, a lot of people, even families, go to restaurants in NYC for holidays. And that year, the waitress played it up big by pretending I was my son’s sister instead of mother (36 years difference in age, so quite a stretch). And the tip was a standard 18% calculated into the bill. I must say, she flattered me into an extra $10 on the table.

The Caribbean, since a friend in FL invited me for a New Years party and the cruise leaves from near her place – all fitted in too well to resist. Especially since it’s reallly cheeeeap.

Tinsel was made out of lead in my youth iirc. Hung much better than the plastic stuff because it was heavier. I was a big tinsel fan until the change.

Lyn and I drove up to SF once, not Xmas, to visit with best friend from Nam and his fiance. One evening we were going to have dinner in Chinatown. We were wandering around, going into all the shops and comparing prices with Hong Kong. Only Helen hadn’t been to Hong Kong. We were having a great time and it was getting late so we wandered down to a restaurant that Rich liked, coincidentally named Golden Dragon. When we turned the corner there was crime scene tape all around the place. Seems our dallying had kept us from being involved in a gang war incident. Couple dudes walked in the restaurant and opened up with automatic weapons. IIRC we ate from Gag in the Bag (Jack in the Box). They had the best FF onion-rings.

I eat seafood. I’m not a vegan.

Get crackin’! *g*

Now it’s time to get going. Agree that some one else doing the cooking and cleaning up is my choice at holidays. Tho when my kids were little, the day before xmas was cookie day, cooked and iced, and decorated the tree. Made it go by really fast.

I understand how you feel, but you can’t let what is going on ruin your entire holiday. We are doing all we can to bring about change, but we still have to be fair to ourselves and our loved ones.

how nice…

OMG. Amazing story. Lucky to have missed the excitement.

BTW, Cahnstance is developing an affection for my slippers when my feet aren’t in them. Don’t think she’ll chew them up like a dog, as when she play fights, she bites very gently.

Put me in yur suitcase!

Oh, yes. And, it was wider too. This stuff is very thin. Like Angel Air Tinsel, I guess. Still, it adds an affect, reflecting all the lights in a shimmery way.
I found something else new this year. LED lights. I bought a strand that has about a dozen stars, four inches in diameter. Each star changes three colors. Also gives the tree a kind of dynamic, throbbing feel.

That’s a lot to do in one day!

After it started. This was in early 75. She had a horse ranch in the area. Place was packed and the owner asked if we’d mind sharing our table with her and her date. I was separated by then and I thought my date was gonna die. Sly was a WAVE and by Monday I think everybody at the naval station at San Diego knew about it. Too funny.

Heh. I haven’t done a tree in years. I got burned out when my son was young. I was working at a demanding job, and a single mom but I thought I had to do all the holiday trappings for him. Finally I realized if we went skiing that week, the lodge would do all the work. Then as time went on, the Christmas-New Years week got to be a family zoo in the lodge, and my son’s sophomore year in college, we went skiing the week before. It was heaven, as the lodge was only about half full.

As a result of not decorating a tree anymore, I have no knowledge of all the kewl new stuff that must be available.

What a story! Surprised you could eat at all after that. One of my most memorable times in SF was visiting our aunt and uncle at Christmas time when we were teenagers and walking around the city by ourselves (a huge deal when we were teenagers). In Chinatown we came across a huge funeral parade with white hearses, white flowers and Chinese band—a real cultural surprise for us at the time!

Going through the ornaments, I found the little lego church tree ornament my son had put together years ago. He reconstructed the roof and it looks more like a temple. He pulled the star off one of the new LED’s and put the pulsing, color changing light inside. He said, Look Mom, rave at the synagogue.

Niiice.

Off to start my baking. Have a great day everyone. I’ll check in to kibbitz from time to time.

Lyn and Helen didn’t eat. They were freaked out. Rich and I were hungry.

Off to daughter’s for the annual “bake mountain o’cookies” day with her and my littlest grand (who now is taller than I am). No time to say hello; goodbye; I’m late, I’m late, I’m late.

Too close a call there, my friend. Whether providence, accident or dumb luck, I’m glad it worked out that way.
Hmmm, this thread is making me hungry. Is there a rule against Jack In The Crack onion rings for breakfast?

We were lucky.

Gag in the Bag. Are they still in business? Still make delish onion rings?

Bet you’ll have a blast! See you later.

There’s plenty of Jack In The Box’s here. And, there’s one on the way to the grocery store. I’m going out as soon as it gets light here to get ingredients for the chili I’m going to make today and enter in a Chili Cookoff tomorrow.

Good morning from NW Indiana and happy holidays to all. The choir I sing in is invited to sing at the White House!

Hey, Molly. That’s interesting news. Can you tell us which choir that is and at what event you’ll be singing?

Holy moly. That’ll be quite the experience.

Gotta go see if I can get my new machine at work up and running. Windoze 7 has lotsa bugs and I’ve spent the last 2 weeks trying to get Gateway to help me resolve the problem. Windoze 7 is so new there are no recovery disks yet. Gateway finally told me how to get into the machine and run the internal recovery system. Dealin’ with Gateway was like pullin’ teeth with tweezers.

Be good to yourselves, and all other living things.

Namaste

“Mr. DeVeria?”

Last night when he wanted you to cook dinner he was “the man.”

;)

There is everything imaginable, but after a while it can be a bit much. I don’t have kids yet, so we’ll see what happens then.

Enjoy your baking!

He’s still the man…that’s our code name for him here. Never know when there may be ‘lurkers’….LOL

Have fun!

Hey, Eve — the spirit of the holidays for me is you going to Little Rock and Kansas City and New Haven to hear the story of people in need and tell it to the rest of us.

Thanks for all you do.

Geez…you all need to live a little closer!

Good Morning, DeVeria.

Anyway, “Mr. DeVeria” asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I didn’t have a clue. I can truly say that I don’t “need” anything. Any suggestions?

I think someone already suggested it, but I would ask around and donate to a person/family that was having difficulties with food/rent/utilities and give them a gift in your name.

Additionally, you might want to buy a tree at a local nursery to be planted in the spring. I bought a young evergreen one Christmas and dug the hole before the ground froze, so I could put it in the ground after the holiday. We could only leave it inside for three days prior, so it was a hurry-up-and-decorate thing, and then un-decorate after the holiday was over. I planted it afterward. It did very well and grew over twenty feet in the eight years I was there. It was a living reminder of the first Christmas in that house. :)

I am sooo done with the commercialization of the holiday.

Glad you enjoyed the visit to Atlantic City.

Oh wow…when?

Hi DeVeria, this is first time de-lurking here, thanks for all you do.
Being single, can I commend a Christmas Pizza with pepperoni and all the fixings, there is little cleanup and even less leftovers (which are good for breakfast the day after (as the story goes)).
Happy Seasonal Greetings All.

I have never been there…and I live right here. Wonder what I gotta do to get an invite?

We normally do something for needy families at my church. I haven’t been in a while, so I gotta go and do my part. I love the tree idea. I will definitely do that at our first house! He’s going to love you for that one…

No thanks necessary. Pizza…maybe for the day after Christmas. :)

Monday, Dec 21st. – a bit over an hour in the State Room. Probably background music for a luncheon or something. Lots scrambling for 75 minutes – we’ve been chasing this since September and just got the word on Weds.

Have fun…be sure to tell us about it.

Missed it by that much. I just mailed my daughter’s Christmas Box to DC yesterday. I coulda hid a little jar of my soon to be prize winning chili to ya.

Hey, Girl, How are you all? Just getting here ’cause I slept in….too tired. What’s up?

Wow…next time!

Happy All Of That to you Jane. And, thanks for letting Deveria host this Saturday morning tea party. Probably a nice change from the number crunching.

I’m a little tired myself. I may take a nap before hitting the streets today.

Such a nice change from number crunching! I’ve been under the grind this week…end of the year. I couldn’t wait until this morning!

I’m glad you like the idea.

I’ve heard of others doing this at the birth of a baby.

Hi, honey. Glad you could sleep in. I’m about done here this am. Gots to get to the store and then get started on making chili for a cookoff tomorrow at church. Then, me and the mister will practice music all day. Playing background and leading carols during the luncheon.
Just waiting for a break in the rain before I go out.
What are your plans for the day?

Nice…but I’m going to do it at our first house. Can’t wait!

I just read about that in a book. The parents of the bride and groom chop down the trees that had planted at their births and make the hoopa (probably wrong word or spelling) that they get married under.

Hey, my plans were to go to an afternoon lecture at church I sometimes visit and shop at a sale and do my work for tomorrow….I may go back to bed.;)

Im glad you like your tree…a great idea.

‘morning, DeVee! Where’s the coffee? Thanks!

Oh, man…that kills me! Gah, couldn’t they just cut off a branch or something?

If you’re still here…what did you do/like in NO? The weather may not have been the best…not sure. I hope you had a great time.

Believe it or not, I haven’t done my chai tea yet today. Hmmm…I think its time.

Well, your story reminded me that I did that for many years at my old house. Was quite a large front yard and I had about 7 or 8 various types of pines. Canary Island Pine, Montery Pine and even a redwood, albeit a very small one. It was a wonderfully eclectic grove. Then, after I sold that house, the guy who bought it chopped down all my trees. !!! When I started gardening at my new house, I started planting Everything in pots so that I could take them with me if and when I move.

Good morning, pups.
May I share something sadder than Christmas? Actually, I started decorating early in the week – have stuff all over the dining table,still; got the electric “candles” in the bay windows.
Then my kitteh, oldest, favorite, special guy, got sick and sicker, and I haven’t got much done since.

Took him back to the vet yesterday, vet was “guarded.” Took him home, wrapped him up and sat with him in my lap. You know what’s coming; he died about 7:30 yesterday evening. The last hour was kind of tough, but he slept peacefully for about an hour before that.

I’m still getting used to the idea he isn’t here to meow for breakfast, to race me to the bed at bedtime, etc., etc. Charlie was a good cat, which is not to say he wasn’t a pain in the butt sometimes, but a formerly feral kitten who took up my invitation to come inside, bringing his brother along, and learned to be a lapcat, too.
I’m gonna miss this guy.
Going up to the vet clinic shortly so the pet crematory can pick up his body. That’s going to be hard.
And yes, it’s kind of extravagant, but I can’t bear the alternatives, and my ex, who loved Charlie, too, is going to help with the vet and cremation bills.

Oh wow. I am so sorry for your loss. I know it is hard. We just went throught it with Kobe. Remember the good times.

Ha. Yeah. I dug up several perennials that I had at my house before I lost it. I have one sedum ‘autumn joy’ that is from a plant I bought when my oldest was little. Plus tiger lilies, hostas, and mums. I truly enjoyed my yard.

Know what you mean by the new owner–the new owner chopped the bottoms off a row of pines that were about five years old. I can’t figure that one out for the life of me. They were gorgeous and full and offered that woody feel of serenity.

Thanks. I know they were “just a cat,” “just a dog,” but for those who love them, they’re so much more, aren’t they?
I’m just glad I brought him home, so I could keep stroking his head and telling him how much he was loved.
He did have a good life, and much longer than if he hadn’t come in. His brother, who followed his lead into the house in their kittenhood, died last summer, but his mother (who we got inside later than the boys) is doing fine-she’s iwth my ex.

I am so sorry, tejanarusa.

Well I pray that you will find comfort during this time. It will get easier as time goes on.

Deepest condolences. For some reason, loss sometimes is harder at this time of year.

You might consider sharing your guys story tomorrow on Southern Dragon’s Caturday at Seminal.

Oh, I will, demi, thanks. I’m grateful for Dragon setting up Caturday; it’s a place one knows no one will give you that, “but it’s just a cat!” kind of response.
I was already setting up a Picasa account, so will probably have that done just so I can put up Charlie’s picture.

Sorry to harsh the Christmas mellow – just needed to share. I usually read PUAC, but mostly sleep too late to get here live. Thanks for the kind words.

Don’t you worry. You’re not harshin’ nothin’.
Sorrows shared are halved. Joys shared are doubled.

So sorry for your loss. We have 5 cats and our golden retriever Jazz who loves everyone. Am sending some of the excess love to help ease your pain.

“What’s on your Christmas List this year?”

I will be celebrating my first Buy Nothing X-Mas. Looking forward to it.

http://www.buynothingchristmas.org/

Thanks, dakine. I was thinking along the same vein. The Free Clinics could always use a hand as well.

We have a very small family: husband, two college age kids, that’s it. Thus there aren’t tons of nieces, nephews, aunts to buy for.

We enjoy “buying for kids” off the “Christmas trees” that are set up at various department stores or support organizations: where you get a name + age of a needy child and perhaps a list of desired items, usually clothes. We’re also REALLY into books for them, which can be found, in very good condition, at library book sales.

For ourselves, everyone is old enough, and has enough “crap,” to appreciate a donation to one or two good causes in their name. We enjoy the note that each of us writes describing the organization donated to. Each donor takes pride in discovering an organization that “fits” with the donee’s interest and providing info about it.

Among our favorites are those which benefit animals, like Days End Farm Horse Rescue (MD)and the Maui Humane Society. The ACLU’s gonna be getting some love this year as well. And, although I haven’t peeked inside the wrappings, I’d bet my husband will be donating to the Marcy Fund for me.

Wonder what I gotta do to get an invite?

Well…you could become a new “member” of Ms.Molly’s choir, eh?

Sorry to be in and out – running crazy today. The choir is the South Bend Symphonic Choir, a community choir that is “choir in residence” at Indiana University South Bend. Our director is the Dean of the Raclin School of the Arts at IUSB and a composer of note. He composed a piece that was sung at Clinton’s first inaugural. He is African American, the choir motly white

Awww, man. I’m so sorry. At least he was at home with you. How old was he?

Send me a pic of Charlie sometime today.

deberryr1 at verizon dot net make sure to get all the “r’s” in.

Thinking about it, I may have over-guesstimated how tall the tree grew–it grew about two feet a year, so that would probably make it closer to 16 feet tall. My bad.