Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Well guys, the Pats destroyed the Bills and, thanks to all of you, I destroyed my husband. (Did I really start my first post of 2012 with a football reference. Yes. Yes I did.)

Final Score:

Dan: 18
Lola: 51*

(*Score may not reflect the significant amount of cards which were sent to both of us. Eff that.)

You guys came through! You guys are funny! Thank you for playing with me! Some of you sent multiple cards. Some of you sent them from your children. Dan sent himself several. And ALL of you cracked me up. You filled up our beams.

Ignore the mess on the table. Just ignore it.

And you filled our December with such fun and joy. Every night Dan and I so loved going through all the new cards which came in. It really was an incredible feeling to have this little blog deliver such merriment to my mailbox this season. Truly. I feel such gratitude for all of you and I hope you know it. You have all given me so much---your cleverness and sense of humor, your time, support for my writing, support through my mom’s illness and death, two Dutch ovens (!), an invitation to a cookie swap, oodles of Christmas cards. This blog started off as such an experiment (back in May of 2009...can you believe it?) and it has brought so much to my life...specifically all of you. So thanks and thanks and thanks.

Now I’ve just got to share some of these cards.


As soon as they started coming in, we decided we would each get a pole. Dan stuck this in the middle and called it the 38th Parallel:

The fun started at the envelopes:

And then some of the cards just cracked us up:

Some of you were very much concerned with my winning (you're my favorites):

From Rob on sending this card: "...the first I've sent since X-mas '69 when I was in Viet Nam and thought it'd be kinda funny because they were locally made by VC with no concept of Santa other than what they'd seen on a Coke can..."

From my friend, Lynn ---one of my summer camp writing friends! (Another pal from my writing retreat, Tracey, addressed her card to Dan and His Two Wives because Trace met Laura on the island and then discovered this whole other Lola person afterwards...not that they're entirely different---they?---but I now get how it must be weird for people.)

And some of you were your gentle, diplomatic selves:

Jarvino and my sister Katie, two of the kindest souls I know, sent cards expressing the same sentiment. They are both dead to me now.



Some of you were concerned with Dan's self-esteem:

Can you believe it---Straight Up Stranger sent a card!



Dan was also concerned with his self-esteem. He sent the following:

Half the fun was seeing the array of characters who sent cards:

Thank Gawd Straight Up Stranger thought of me too!

As I mentioned, Buffster McDavey was taking Christmas cards that had been sent to her and throwing them back in the mail to me.

From Jordan Marsh of course.

This is a riot. Mr. Jordan is a character my mom invented. When she would give us baths as kids she would duck her head down and then reemerge talking in this funny deep and throaty voice as "Mr. Jordan" which would crack us up. I thought she created it for us but then my aunts told me that she used to do it when she would give them baths as kids too. It's just the sweetest thing to me.

I smell a bumper sticker.

Hysterical, right?

When this one came in, I had no idea who it was from.

And then let out a "Holy shit!" when I saw.

I first mentioned 2nd Grade Teacher But Not Yours---her Spew handle which I love so---in a post I put up shortly after my mom died . She and some other teachers from my elementary school showed up at my mom's wake and the kindess nearly knocked me down. Then I found out that she reads The Spew which is of course SO FUN! Getting a card from her, from Straight Up Stranger, from the Spew Crew just sums up everything that was so great about The Battle of The Christmas Cards. You're out there! You care! Let's have more fun together! (Or sometimes depressing rambling...) The fact that you guys played along with me is really so much more special than I can even say.

And then there's Dan.

Admit it, you all love Dan. Everyone does. I do. One of the most enjoyable things about my mom's wake---because to my great surprise and relief there were many enjoyable moments---was the amount of people who said that they felt like they knew and loved Dan because of The Spew. He loves his Spew persona. I paint a nice picture of him...and it happens to be entirely accurate. He's just not a dick. Sometimes he may have dick leanings, but I'm much more of a dick than he'll ever be. The point is that it's not always easy to have a wife documenting your life and who wages Christmas Card War on you, but he's just the best sport about all of this. (And I hope he remains this way because I feel like it's just going to get worse.)

So I'm thanking him now (in cyber versus BJ form) and I'm thanking all of you. What fun and joy you brought me! I am more grateful than I can say.


Finally, here is our Christmas card to all of you. (In GiG style, I am getting it out late.)

Kind of creepy how it looks like us, right? (Dan's doing of course.)

And Dan's yearly poem:

'Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the land,
the elves were all stirring---
they were taking a stand.

It had been a long year.
The economy was rotten.
And in all the upheaval,
the elves were forgotten.

Elf unemployment was rising
while prices skyrocketed,
and with all the new taxes,
less income they pocketed.

While back in his castle,
Santa lived high on the hog.
He took puffs on his pipe
and stoked his Yule log.

The Elves had been pushed,
they had had quite enough.
They filed into the streets
and sat down on their duffs.

“My dear tiny friends,”
cried out one Elven gent,
“We are being repressed
by the rich one percent!”

“We do all the work.
We carve all the toys.
We pile the sleigh high
for all girls and boys!”

“But, alas, in the end,
who gets all the fame?
That fat, bearded baron,
Santa Claus is his name!”’

“It’s time to stand up,
leave behind not a soul.
We must all band together
and Occupy North Pole!”

So they gathered in masses.
They would not leave; not ever.
They stood united for justice.
Solidarity forever.

Santa was worried
about all the bad press,
so he called up his cronies
to share his distress.

He had Rush on the line,
who said every elf was a commie.
He tried to get help
From Newt and Mitt Romney.

He thought he could turn
to his pal Herman Cain,
who was gettin’ down with the ladies
out on Santa Claus Lane.

To the bankers and tycoons
he went for advices,
but all that they cared about
were stocks and their prices.

He turned to the Easter Bunny
with hope for support.
But in the spoils of riches,
the bunny preferred to cavort.

He asked everyone for guidance,
from Charlie Sheen to the Pope.
But with no help being offered,
Santa began to lose hope.

But then on his sleigh ride
in the skies over Topeka,
the answer, it came,
and exclaimed he, “Eureka!”

“My dear Elven friends,
I understand what you’re saying.
You just want a chance
for good jobs that are paying.”

“You don’t want a Bentley,
You don’t want a mansion.
All you want is a world
that you might have a chance in.”

“No oppression from the rich,
towards justice you’re driven!
Affordable health care -
why can’t that be a given?”

“This is an outrage.
I hear all your hollerin’.
Let’s fix this inequity
and share all that dollarin’.

And with Santa’s revelation,
the elves cheered in delight.
They stepped up their efforts
and readied Santa for flight.

Santa upped the elves’ paychecks.
On himself, he laid the onus.
And though it meant no new yacht,
he forewent his Christmas bonus.

Santa saw the truth
about the plight of the masses.
They were looking for fairness,
not hoping for passes.

So to all my friends,
the rich and to the poor---
may the new year bring wisdom,
good fortune and more.

May the holidays bring hope,
and an end to your wearies.
My one wish for the New Year?
That the Yanks win the series.

What a guy.

What a you all.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Merry Christmas, Mama

If I should ever leave you whom I love
To go along the Silent Way, grieve not,
Nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk
Of me as if I were beside you there...

And when you hear a song or see a bird
I loved, please do not let the thought of me
Be sad...For I am loving you just as
I always have...You were good to me!

There are so many things I wanted still
To do---so many things to say to you...
Remember that I did not fear---it was
Just leaving you that was so hard to face...

We cannot see beyond...But this I know:
I loved you so---'twas heaven here with you!

-Isla Paschal Richardson

Mattie is coming to visit today!

So I had to quickly clean up. I can't believe I got everything in there; all those years of playing Tetris finally paid off. The Spoffice closet doors will likely remain closed long after his departure.


Also, on a totally unrelated note, I made something in my Dutch ovens (I used both!) and wanted to share. Corie (the babysitter), I made your recipe the very next night!

Except I used too much wine so we ended up making a creamy white wine sauce to serve with it. (Read: Dan ended up making a white wine sauce while I flipped out about fucking the whole thing up.)

Looks good though, right?




And of course Dan had to have his fun along the way.

Tonight's dinner

Fuh real.

Dan made up this little plate for me to enjoy while wrapping (which apparently became blogging). I bet you're wondering, "Hey, Lola, what's in the bowl?" And I shall tell you---it's cookie cereal. Or cookie soup. Whichever name you prefer. We took a bag of all our treats from the cookie swap last week to the Cape to enjoy in our room (because what's a romantic getaway without cookies to gorge on?) and they got crushed amidst our purchases on the ride home. "Don't throw them away," I said calmly (or maybe screamed), "We can add milk and eat it with a spoon. It will be fun!" And fun it was. And tasty. And I feel pretty brilliant. Win, win, win.

In other news:

I'm posting the following picture because the whole scenario made me laugh. The other day after enjoying a breakfast of steak fajitas (yup) (and, no, I'm not pregnant---I just eat like this), Dan alerted me to the fact that I had food in my teeth. (We all know I'm a sexpot.) I handled it as best I could without having to go to all the trouble of flossing and used my tongue to work it out. Then I got in the shower. When I stepped out (and wrapped myself in a towel, so we're clear) this is what was on the bathroom mirror.

He does this kind of shit every day:

I fell to the floor laughing. I so look forward to Dan making me laugh like this when we're cute old people.

Until then---we're still at war.

The Battle of the Christmas Cards score is as follows:

Dan: 10

Lola: 31

I almost feel bad now. Except I love it. Except I feel bad. Except I don't.

We've decided the contest will go until January 1st to give people plenty of time to get their cards out (and send me oodles). I'll give you the highlights then (or sooner if I feel like it) but I'm psyched to report that some people---Spew Crewer Sassy and good friend and "Punkin Chunkin" champion Buffster McDavey--- have sent multiple (four apiece!) cards. Sassy sent a leftover card from 2007 featuring a picture of only two of her daughters because the third hadn't been born yet! And two of Buffster's cards were ones that she received and then slapped my name on so I now have season's greetings from "The Flemings" and "Ken" (which also made me hit the floor laughing).

This has brought much joy to the season. Despite getting trounched (and let's hope for no Hail Marys), even Dan is enjoying it.

Which makes me feel bad.

Except it doesn't.

I'm sure it's just another thing we'll laugh about when we're cute old people.

Round Yon Virgin Mother and Child

They really do remind me of mother and daughter.


I'm in red heaven.

Can you stand it?

This time it was my Aunt Gail who made a Christmas dream come true.  I am awash with gratitude.

She gave me the Dutch oven from her own kitchen...which was given to her by a woman who made luscious tomato sauces in it for 30 years before gifting it to Gail.  It is browned and marked by meals past and this gives me such joy.

I love that one of these ovens comes with its own story and personality and the other is for me to create.  And there will be feasts.  Oh there will be feasts.  I feel a strong need to use these vessels to pass on the generosity and love and sacred human connection with which they were sent to me.

So stay tuned for pictures.

And, my dear, dear G.Bird, my heart is swollen with you.

I just can't take it.

Right this minute---All is calm, all is bright.

I don't mean to rub it in but we even got snow...

...and room service because it was just too cozy to go traipsing about in the cold.  I'm just not sure it gets much better than this.

Here's a fun e-mail to get on a Friday afternoon

From: Danny Boy
To: Lola
Subject: Crazy Idea

When I get home, let’s take off for the Cape. We will stay tonight and Saturday---Christmas shop, get cozy, do Christmas Cards and relax. No plan – let’s just go. What do you think?


What do I think?

What do I think?

Well, I'll be honest. Because I sometimes tend to have an Aspergian reaction to change, I was taken aback for a minute. I had already planned some of our weekend---the Farmers' Market, pork chops, a movie.  But I "recalculated," set my brain to its spontaneity setting and off we went, arriving in Chatham last night at 10pm.

It's gorgeous here---beaches everywhere, pink roses still in bloom, white lights adorning some of the most beautiful homes I've ever seen. Our room overlooks a big sandy beach, ocean and then long sandbars further out. It's a great big room so we're not on top of each other and there's a fireplace which of course ups the coziness factor. When we got in last night we poured a couple of glasses of wine (oh, you know it) and I read my book under a blanket by the fire while Dan worked on Christmas cards.  Because life is sometimes perfect, I even saw a shooting star when I went to take in the night sky from the deck.  This morning I got up extra early and went and had my coffee at the main inn, alone in this stately room decked out with Christmas trees, red and white Poinsettias and a whole gingerbread village. My favorite part was the deck railings made out of white chocolate covered pretzels.

Now we're readying to head out for a little shopping in downtown Chatham, an adorable little town. I've been to Chatham one time before and fell in love with the place. I have little desire for a life more complicated than that which Dan and I are currently living but if a windfall were to hit, this is where I'd land---in a sweet little cottage with a boat.

My mom always said that if she was going to live anywhere besides Rhode Island that it would be on the Cape and I feel her all over this place; it was where she came for her last weekend getaway just two months before she died.  I'm glad she got to experience this one last time. I keep looking around and feel so fortunate to be around such beauty. My mom would love the whole idea of this Dan and Lola Christmas weekend and I keep hearing her telling me to relax and enjoy it.

And so we will.

And so will you.