Merry Christmas to All

christmas-tree

Last night the family went out for dinner on Christmas Eve.  Our first indication of trouble should have been the line of  cars overflowing the entrances to the Walgreens drug store.  Last minute shoppers, trying to buy those last minute gifts.  We had agreed on Blueberry Hill and so headed over to U City.  Motoring into The Loop, the city’s holiday decorations looked gorgeous.  Our second indication of trouble should have been how empty the parking lot was.  We walked over to Blueberry Hill, only to find it closed.  Fitz’s was closed too.  We decided to get back into the car and drive until we found a restaurant that was open.  Eventually we found a Thai restaurant that was open on Christmas Eve.

After dinner we went home and watched A Christmas Story.  A lovely tale of  Christmas, childhood and the past.  A film I might add that the family portrayed, ends up eating Christmas dinner in a Chinese restaurant.  We then watched the ending to Its a Wonderful Life and then this blogger settled down for a long winters nap.  I am writing this post while not a creature is stirring.  I’ll go to the living room and stuff the stockings now and hang them with care, in hopes that my family soon will be there.

Two New Products

two-new-products

This post’s picture shows two new hats off of Anne’s knitting assembly line.  She has been really productive this year.  I think that she has found her medium in knitting.

The rain finally stopped this afternoon and I got in a bike ride.  Parts of the bike trail were still submerged from all the rain.  It was also very windy and the Park seemed kind of empty.  I guess everyone else was out shopping.  I got 25 miles today.

Anne and I finally got around to doing the Christmas dinner shopping today.  No movie was made of the process this time.  Waiting until the last minute lent enough excitement to the process.  The store was very crowded. 

This year’s Christmas menu will not feature a central menu item such as a turkey or a ham.  That is not to say that there will not be turkey or ham, because there will be both.  Just not a big turkey or a big ham.  What we are shooting for is something similar to what we had at Big Sky last Sunday.  We had a flight of plates, that is many smaller dishes when combined makes a meal with much variety. 

That being said and with a refrigerator full of food the boys have talked us into going out for dinner tonight.

Time to go do some last minute rapping, I mean wrapping.

Dan’s Big Day

Yesterday, was a big day for Dan.  First off he signed a lease for an apartment.  The pictures in this post are from the landlord’s website.  With wood floors and French doors it looks nice.  His lease starts in January, but he hopes to pick up the key before that.  His apartment is located on Maple Ave in Maplewood.  Most of his friends now live in Maplewood.  Starting a new household makes Christmas shopping for Dan pretty easy.  The other half of Dan’s big day occurred when he met Annie up at the airport.  She returned from a semester of studying abroad in Wein, Austria.

This Wonderful Life

left-side-of-the-menu

Sunday night we went to see This Wonderful Life, the Saint Louis Repertory Theater’s Christmas show.  The play is a one man adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life.  The play pokes fun at the movie, but in a kind way.  The play remains true to the spirit of the movie and to George Bailey.

A joke that I remember includes the actor’s extemperaneous remark questioning what kind of New York bank examiner would be working on Christmas Eve.  There was a lot of additional ad lib about the recent financial crisis.  I’m sure Steve (Rep’s Art Boss) is relishing his scheduling foresight of this play.  I just hope he was just as savvy with his own 401K.

Most of the plays humor comes from the actor’s over the top, read twenty-first century interpretation, of the movie’s 40’s characters and morals.  Googling reviews of the play, I have found them to be less then complementary.  Anne and I enjoyed the play.  So did the audience.  Maybe it was just the conjunction of this holiday season and our country’s financial problems.  After all, banking crisis’s resonates from the movie to today.  I think we need more of George Bailey on Wall Street and less of Mr. Potter.

As a side note, the New York Times this last week ran a somewhat similar, somewhat sardonic piece, as a review of It’s a Wonderful Life.

At Big Sky, I skipped my usual pot roast and Anne and I shared a flight of their small plates.  We had salad, surf and turf or crab cakes and beef kabobs, all for $20.  We had room for desert, blackberry pear crisp with ginger ice cream. Yum Yum!  I must confess though, that I was seriously tempted by their new to me menu item, sliders.  I think I’ll have to go back for lunch. 

This post’s picture shows Anne holding up the dessert menu.  When asked what looked good to her, she said, “the left side of the menu”.  I pointed out that the menu items run down the center of the menu.  She then turned it sideways.  I know she is pointing to her right side, she says it is some sort of teacher thing.

Dave made it home late last night, but not his checked bags.  Dave barely made his connection in Atlanta.  When asked if he had any clothes in his backpack, he said, “No these are the only clean clothes I have.”  Hmmm, two suitcases full of dirty clothes.  Maybe I should contact Homeland Security?  Hopefully they will show up today.

No I Didn’t Ride Today

bird-at-the-feeder

This post’s picture shows a female downy woodpecker at our suet feeder.  This morning the temperature was six degrees out, with a minus six wind chill.  Even colder then the Soo.  So as this post’s title says, I didn’t ride today.  We did some house cleaning this morning.  I did some Christmas decorating.  Anne did some knitting.  I did some Christmas shopping in the afternoon. 

Tonight we have theater tickets to see This Wonderful Life.  This is a one-man-play adaptation of Frank Capra’s timeless film.  Before theater we”ll go out to dinner to the Big Sky Cafe.  To pot roast or not to pot roast.  After theater we plan on going to the airport to pick up Dave.