Toad in the Hole

1 | By: kathy a on December 25, 2009 at 07:27 PM

oh, that’s a wonderful collection!

2 | By: kathy a on December 25, 2009 at 07:29 PM

hope you had a good one!

3 | By: Ron Sullivan on December 26, 2009 at 10:17 AM

We did, we did. Went over to Gail the Divine Mechanic’s party and met a longtime Chron copyeditor we’ve emailed and maybe even spoken with for years, but never met in the flesh. Great fun, and great food.

Mostly, we’d promised each other a low-impact Xmas and that’s just what we had. Felt so good we may make it a custom.

4 | By: kathy a on December 26, 2009 at 05:34 PM

you know a gail who is a divine mechanic?  and met someone in person you’ve known for about ever?  those two things are fabulous, and the good food and fun even more so!

5 | By: VS on December 27, 2009 at 01:26 PM

Your drier ate the other half of all these pairs of socks????

6 | By: Ron Sullivan on December 27, 2009 at 02:50 PM

Yeah, V, and boy is Bigfoot pissed off.

7 | By: Sally Mack on December 27, 2009 at 02:58 PM

Hey, I didn’t mean it literally when I said my new bicycle light would knock your socks off!

8 | By: Ron Sullivan on December 28, 2009 at 08:58 AM

Well, they didn’t go far.

I still covet that string of lights tho’.

9 | By: Narya on December 30, 2009 at 08:34 PM

Wow! That’s incredible! I had no idea.

But now I have another idea. Somewhere I have the Christmas stocking that my mother knit for my sister, nearly a half-century ago—complete with her name on it, no less—and I’m wondering if maybe it might belong with your collection, somehow. It might be the wine talking, but . . . maybe not. If you would like to add it to the collection, I’d love to send it to you.

10 | By: Narya on December 30, 2009 at 08:35 PM

And, of course, if it doesn’t Feel Right to you, then no problem, i.e., please do not feel Obliged to say yes.

11 | By: Ron Sullivan on December 30, 2009 at 09:42 PM

Narya, I would be thrilled to accept that. Several of those stockings are souvenirs and sentimental faves—somewhere we have Joe’s stocking from when he was a kid, name and all. The Hawai’ian quilt stocking, I bought in Honolulu. Even the stuff I got at thrift stores, well, look at the white felt boot job at the top of the door: Someone put thought, humor, and heart into that and I really like it.

I promise to take a pic of your gift and all its neighbors every year; how’s that? Next year I might have the heart and energy to put more than an afternoon’s-worth into Christmas. Everything would be visible and shown-off then.

I just got off the phone with my sister Julie. We’ve taken a vow, and I hope the rest of the surviving bunch will join is, to Not Fucking DIE next year, OK?? That should make everything much easier.

Yes, please send your sister’s stocking. Do you have my mailing address?

And I’d be pleased if you’d come visit it yourself sometime. Our accommodations are humble but freely offered. I think you’d enjoy Berkeley.

12 | By: Narya on December 31, 2009 at 07:26 AM

Yay!!

Despite the amount of wine consumed last night, I rummaged around in my (grandmother’s) cedar chest, and . . . found only my stocking. That means that my sister’s is either Somewhere Else in my stuff (and I’ll find it when I organize and sort for a move) or at my parents’ house, in which case I’ll retrieve it for you. Even in the cold (and getting colder) light of day, it’s clear that her stocking belongs in that collection. I’ll find a good picture of her to include, too. I don’t have your mailing address, but I’ll retrieve it when I actually have the stocking in hand.

Also? Good resolution on the part of you and your siblings; see that you stick to it.

13 | By: kathy a on December 31, 2009 at 12:49 PM

would you like my goldfish stocking?  it is embellished with large gold sequins [the kind reminiscent of fish scales, or gold coins].  we haven’t had goldfish since i stopped letting the kids play that game at the 4th of july fair, over a decade ago.

14 | By: Ron Sullivan on December 31, 2009 at 01:35 PM

Wow, I’d love it!

We even have goldfish. You should come over before we take down the tree, have a nice cuppa. Bring your DH, bring your daughter if she wants and is hanging around for a while. Or come yourself for some peace & quiet. Or meet us for a drink somewhere.

15 | By: kathy a on January 2, 2010 at 07:58 PM

my baby girl is leaving again on tuesday—i already miss her again.  we aren’t taking the tree down while she’s here.  fortunately, it is not a fire hazard yet.
tomorrow, my sisters and clan are coming over.  but i’ll take you up on meeting soon, and bring the goldfish stocking!

16 | By: VS on January 3, 2010 at 10:37 AM

If you want my grandmother’s menorah, just start saving jar lids in November until you have nine!  ;-)

Someone clueless in the paper actually offered that as a brand-new idea in a misguided attempt to include Jews in the new Green Xmas movement.  [rolls eyes]  That’s what was done after WWII when it didn’t feel safe or wasn’t affordable to have a menorah in the house year-round.  I think I was ten before my parents actually bought a real menorah instead of using random candle-holders.  My grandmother never did.

17 | By: Ron Sullivan on January 3, 2010 at 09:05 PM

Damn. You can know someone for decades and still there are new stories.

Jar lids? What kind of jars?

kathy, let’s make arrangements for after the foofaraw dies down. Happy rest of the holidays!

18 | By: VS on January 4, 2010 at 11:36 AM

Any type of jar lid will do—even the tops from tin cans, if you don’t use that many jars.  It’s just something to keep the wax off the table.  [shrug]  It isn’t that big a holiday.  The media pushes it to include us in the secular Xmas greedfest.  Lucky for them the Day of Atonement isn’t the holy day nearest Xmas.  There’s just not a lot you can sell for a day of fasting and prayer.  :-)

19 | By: VS on January 18, 2010 at 10:19 AM

Say, Ron, are stockings the new shotglasses?