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Holiday travels in review
Dec. 28th, 2004 08:48 amWe didn't leave for Mom's and Xmas until Friday, which was nice...an extra night to rest well, in our own bed. Mom, as usual, had enough food for a football team, if not a small army. Ham, stuff made from leftover ham, munchie food to eat while playing cards, and stuff to take to my sister's. We spent Friday afternoon and evening cards, which was quite nice once Mom finally turned the tv off. Mom let us sleep in on Saturday, then we bumbled around for a while before opening presents. Mom liked the books we chose, and snickered at the box of Gladware bozes, "to replace all the ones we've taken home over the years." Grandma like the groceries, and didn't squawk about what we spent on her.
Mom made us a quilt. A lovely, double Irish chain, old-fashioned fabrics quilt. (She did one for my sister, too.) It will look fantastic on the antique bedstead from the farm.
By liked the proto-socks, and the cat cross stitch pattern, and the folding ladder from Mom. He was a sneak, and bought me a teapot and jar of Olive Jasmine tea from Black Bamboo. They're lovely, and terribly indulgent.
On Sunday, we went to my sister's. It's a tiny little house, in Arlington, KS (out in the boonies, in central KS). And it's an assult on the senses--4 Yankee candles buring, all at once, tv on loud enough to drown out the neighbor's stereo and the motorcycles revving up and down the street, noisy 5-yr-old and his toys.....it's no wonder my sister is half crazy. Her husband is even worse at his own house than he is at Mom's, all redneck swagger and that nasty Midwest beer commercial machismo. The five-yr-old pestered all the adults, counting his presents and trying to badger someone into letting him open them. Whent he time finally came (after another ham dinner, have I mentioned I don't eat ham?), he had all of them open in five minutes, and a huge heap of paper and wrappings in the only open space in the room. It took more time to convince him to pick up the trash and get it out of the way. We stayed at Sis's as long as politeness required, then left. Left, and drove quite a ways without radio or cd's, because the quiet was so nice.
We consoled ourselves with trips through Half Price Books and Hastings in Lawrence. Among other things, By found a book called "Working Alone", on remodelling and doing construction by yourself, and I found some reproductions of little Beatrix Potter children's books cheap, for Donna. And we came home with the extended edition of Return of the King.
Mom made us a quilt. A lovely, double Irish chain, old-fashioned fabrics quilt. (She did one for my sister, too.) It will look fantastic on the antique bedstead from the farm.
By liked the proto-socks, and the cat cross stitch pattern, and the folding ladder from Mom. He was a sneak, and bought me a teapot and jar of Olive Jasmine tea from Black Bamboo. They're lovely, and terribly indulgent.
On Sunday, we went to my sister's. It's a tiny little house, in Arlington, KS (out in the boonies, in central KS). And it's an assult on the senses--4 Yankee candles buring, all at once, tv on loud enough to drown out the neighbor's stereo and the motorcycles revving up and down the street, noisy 5-yr-old and his toys.....it's no wonder my sister is half crazy. Her husband is even worse at his own house than he is at Mom's, all redneck swagger and that nasty Midwest beer commercial machismo. The five-yr-old pestered all the adults, counting his presents and trying to badger someone into letting him open them. Whent he time finally came (after another ham dinner, have I mentioned I don't eat ham?), he had all of them open in five minutes, and a huge heap of paper and wrappings in the only open space in the room. It took more time to convince him to pick up the trash and get it out of the way. We stayed at Sis's as long as politeness required, then left. Left, and drove quite a ways without radio or cd's, because the quiet was so nice.
We consoled ourselves with trips through Half Price Books and Hastings in Lawrence. Among other things, By found a book called "Working Alone", on remodelling and doing construction by yourself, and I found some reproductions of little Beatrix Potter children's books cheap, for Donna. And we came home with the extended edition of Return of the King.
