Pies

I've made two intersting pies in the last week. One is chocolate and the other is beef. They are both pretty easy.

In the past I used to buy Marie Calendar's frozen pie crust but I have discovered that I enjoy the work of making pie crust more than I enjoy a "perfect" pie crust. Also, my son Basil gave me a beautiful olive wood wolling pin a couple of years ago and I enjoy using it.


The crust for both is pretty standard:
-6 cups flour (I keep the flour in the refrigerator if I am going to make pie) -3 sticks of unsalted butter. (Yes, it bothers me that they got rid of Mia but Land o' Lakes still makes the best butter.)
-5 tablespoons of ice cold water
-1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
I know many people use a food processor to make their pie dough but I don't have one of those and if I did, I think, I would not want the hassle of cleaning it. It is more fun to just use a pastry blender to cut in the butter.

Once the butter, flour, water, and vinegar are mixed, I shape the dough into two disks, about 6 inches across, wrapt them in plastic food wrap, and put them in the freezer until the night before I want to use them. The night before I use them I move them to the refrigerator. They roll out easly. Oh, you can keep them in the freezer for weeks.

The Meat Pie
The day before you make the meat pie you need to prepare the meat.
1. Brown both sides of beef chuck roast. I salt and pepper boat sides, sprinkle with a little bit of garlic powder, and put it into a six quart pan with a little olive oil in the bottom over hight heat. I turn it over when the bottom side just starts to turn black. Then I do the same thing to the otther side.

2. Add flavor and cook. Once both sides have been browned I add to the pan 1/2 diced onion, 1 tablespoon beef base,
and 1 cup of water. Then I put the lid on the pan and put it in a 200 degree oven for 4 hours. When you take it out of the oven the meat will fall apart. Empty the contents of the pan into a tupperware container and put in the refrigerator.

3. The next day open the lid of the tupperware container and remove the fat that floated to the top. I throw it away but you might want to use it for something.

4. Then dump the meat and all the gelatin and liquid from the tupperware into a big mixing bowl. (My step daughter gave me some a couple of Christmases ago).

5. Pull the meat apart with a fork so all the chuncks are bite-sized.

6. Add 2 cups of mixed chopped vegetabels. Or do what I do and just add a can of Green Giant mixed vegetables.

7. Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and stir it all up.

8. Take one of your pie crusts and lay it in the pie pan.

9. Then you pour the meat and vegetable mixture into your readied bottom pie crust, smooth it out so that it evenly fills the crust.

10. Then you put on the top crust and crimp the crusts together around the edges of your pie pan. Then you poke lots of holes in the top crust. I just use the tip of a knife and make a spriral from the outside edge to the center of the top crust. It's easier than cutting fancy vents in the top crust.

11. Then bake at 400F for 30 minutes, reduce heat to 300 and bake another hour.

12. Then take it out of the oven and eat it.

The Chocolate Pie
Roll out one pie crust disk and lay it in your pie pan. Lay a sheet of parchment paper in it and then fill it with dry beans or pie weights. Your are going to blind bake it so it is nice and crispy and flakey when you fill it with chocolate custard.
The filling is a chocolate custard, and it is easy to make. (This is enough for 2 pies.)
-3 cups granulated sugar
-8 oz 70% cacao chocolate bar, chopped
-1 tablespoon Hershey's cocoa powder
- 10 egg yolks
- 5 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 corn starch
- 4 table spoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Add the corstarch, sugar, salt, cocoa powder together in a large pan and mix them all up completely.
2. In a mixing bowl whisk together completely the milk, cream, egg yolks, and vanilla extract.
3. pour the liquids into the pan of sugar etc and mix it all of together completely.
4. put the pan (I use a 6 quart all-clad) over medium heat and stir constantly.
5. once the custard starts to thicken remove from heat and add the butter and chopped chocolate, stir stir stir until it is completely mixed in.
5. pour into pie crust and chill in the fridge for 4 hours before serving. Most people seem to like whipped cream on top.

First Confession in a Long Time

You know Lot's wife? I have been a lot like her and until tonight hadn't gone to Confession because of it. (It seems wrong to me to go to Confession when you are miserably wishing you could go back to your sins.) Tonight I went to Confession and immediately was better. I didn't know I was better until afterward when I took my wife to dinner at Palermo, our new favorite Italian restaurant and blessed the food. For the first time in months I felt like God was listening to me.

Chili Verde at My Sister's House and Other Stuff

Today was difficult day. I suffered from insomnia Friday night and only got 4 hours of sleep. And the arthritis in my feet was bad today. And the lock on the front door broke and we can't get the door open. But I went to Home Depot and bought a higher quality door lock set, a Schlage to replace what is on the door now. I'll install it tomorrow after church. Right now we are going in and out of the house through the garage door.

I made chile verde today. (It was fun taking Kathleen to my little Mexican market to buy tomatillos and chilis. She had never been there and thought it looked dangerous from the outside.) I used, mostly, my mom's recipe.... Remove the fat cap from a pork shoulder roast and cut it into cubes of 2" to 3" in size. Salt them with not more than a table spoon of salt. Brown them in a big pan or dutch oven, 6 to 8 quarts will work. You can melt a little pork fat in the bottom of the pan or use a couple of teaspoons of oil. While the pork is browning wash and cut in half 2 poblanos and 3 jalapenos. (If you don't like the burning sensation remove the seeds from the jalapenos.) Put the chilis on a cookie sheet and put them under a broiler until the skin blisters and starts to burn black. Then turn them over and broil a few more minutes. When the pork is brown turn off the fire under the pan and let it sit there while you finish the sauce. Next remove the husks from a couple of quarts of tomatillos, wash them and halve them. Peel and halve 2 white onions. Then put the onions, chilis, and tomatillos in a blender. Add two tablespoons of granulated garlic. Then blend until it is smooth. Pour it over the the pork in the pan. (At this point I modifed my mother's recipe by adding 1/2 a quart of chopped cactus leaves to the pan.) Bring to a boil, cover, turn the heat down low, and simmer for 3-4 hours. Serve with lime wedges and chopped cilatro as condiments.

My sister made a really good and easy to make Mexican rice dish to go with the chili. I think she said all she does is cook Minute Rice in chicken broth (If you aren't making your own chicken broth, you should use Swanson. I think it is the best store-bought chicken broth there is.)and add a bottle of any salsa and stir it in before serving.

It was good talking with my sister and her husband for three hours, and hearing updates on all their children, grandchildren and great-grandgrandchildren. I'm not sure but I think it was the first time since my brother's funeral.

Oh, I almost died a couple of weeks ago. My blood pressure was so high that I had to go to the emergency room . They gave me an IV of some drug that brought it down to non-deadly levels, and my regular physician adjusted my prescription. No serious heart or brain damage.

This is the last semester of Kathleen's masters degree in counseling. After two years, it is nice to see the light at the endo of the tunnel.

The Navy moved my son Anselm Samuel and his family back to San Diego. I don't know exactly what he is doing (everything related to submarines is an official secret) but I know it has something to do with electronic warfare. The plan is for him to be there for four years. Also, the Navy is sending him to ILDC so they can promote him to Petty Officer 1st Class.

This is Basil's last semester at Cal Maritime. Like Kathleen, he'll have his degree just before Christmas. After that he will go to China where he will work in logistics for Panda Games.

In sad news, my friend of 24 years Reader John Simmons died about two weeks ago. He was the choir director at our little parish. His departure is very much felt by us all. Please, pray for him and St. Nicholas Orthodox Church.

Busy day and books

I woke up at 5 this morning and tried to go back to sleep but sleep did not return, so I prayed. Then Kathleen woke up, went down stairs, and discovered that the Christmas tree had fallen over less than 24 hours after we put it up. (Basil and I had brought it down from the Christmas tree farm in the Santa Cruz mountains on Thursday.) Many broken ornaments. She had a migraine (She's been getting them pretty often for the last couple of years.) and stayed home from the Divine Liturgy. After church I came home and worked on the fruitcakes. Basil came over to help me (He goes to church at St. Lawrence in Felton.) and take five of them to give to his friends. Then Kathleen stir fried some soba noodles and shrimp. Then I helped her grade her econ essays from last semester. Then I went to the jewler to have Kathleens cross chain repaired. Then I went to my work Christmas party. I only stayed for an hour. Then I went grocery shopping to buy ingredients for Christmas dinner. And now I am home.

A few days ago I mailed all the childrens Christmas books to my grandson. I kept all the books I read to his dad when he was a little boy. Many were destroyed in the flood of a few years ago but my sister had some of the same books and gave them to me when I told her what happened. Altogether they weighed but 51 pounds . I love the U.S. Postal Service's book rate. It is an amazing deal.

Getting ready for Christmas.

Kathleen and I have been reading aloud one chapter of the Gospel of Luke each day since first December. During this fast I have been making lots of soups. (Vegetable stock is very versatile.) All the presents have been bought if not yet wrapped. I'll get them wrapped and into the mail on Monday. I baked 12 more fruitcakes this morning. Athanasia and Basil will be here for Christmas dinner. I'm planning to make a crown pork roast.

I did something to my knee.

For the past couple of months my left knee has been killing me. Last Sunday my knee started collapsing under me. I've been taking huge doses of ibuprofen and using lidocane patches. I've had two sets of X-rays and have seen three doctors but they don't know what's wrong with my knee. This week I have not been at work and have been walking with a cane and a knee-brace. An MRI is scheduled for 6 on Sunday morning. It is troublesome. About 12 years ago I realized I was no longer young and strong but, until this week, I never thought of myself as old and weak. And it is duck season but I am unable to go out to the blinds.

In other news, today Kathleen and her son, Maximo helped me with the first weekly "watering" of the fruitcakes.

A Fun Night

We don't usually make them this early but we made the fruitcakes tonight. My friend Jeff, with whom I started this blog more than 20 years ago and my son Basil helped me. We told jokes and stories. Drank mulled cider (no, it is not really cold enough), choped fruit, and baked the cakes. They just left. Now I have to do the laundry.

A Pilgrimage

Kathleen and I went on the pilgrimage to Fort Ross last Saturday. We rented a Chevy Silverado 2500 Heavy Duty 4x4 to pull our Yakima tent trailer. WOW! What a truck! It is the only vehicle I want to drive ever. The only complaint I have is that it has too many electronics. I prefer round analog dials, like an airplane or a old Mercedes-Benz, but this is 2025 and all vehicles come with lots of unnecessary electronics. But the truck drove like a dream. And it was great on the winding roads on the way to Fort Ross and back.

We spent Friday night at Stillwater Cove Regional Park and were at the Fort Ross for the Divine Liturgy on Saturday morning.

There were at least 6, maybe more, bishops present, including the metropolitans of ROCOR and the OCA. I got to see my old friend Fr. David Lowell and Kathleen and I had a chance to speak with our much loved retired Archbishop Benjamin (he baptised my youngest son). And I managed to get a picture of my Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Vasily of San Francisco and the West. I have never met him but I have been told he is very strict and full of love, exactly what a bishop should be.

After the Divine Liturgy (WOW! WOW! WOW! The two choirs were amazing!!! Someone told me that one came from an OCA parish in Sacramento and the other came from the ROCOR cathedral in San Francisco.) and lunch Kathleen and I went back to the campground at Stillwater Cove and took a nap. We woke up just before sunset and made dinner, and after dinner we made s'mores. That was fun. I hadn't made them since I was a Cub Scout leader more than a decade ago.

We came home Sunday afternoon and were at work this morning.

Another Year, Another Christmas List.

1. You know the hours he has spent looking at Swiss watches on Chrono24 but you also know he is way too practical for those. He just admires the workmanship, engineering, and artistry of automatic watches. Also, he is a hunter. When he's running from a wild pig because he's missed every shot and only annoyed the pig, or when he's running through brush chasing a pheasant that refuses to fly, well, he just doesn't want to worry about damaging his watch in situations like that. He needs something that can "take a licking and keep on ticking". He needs a Timex field watch.

2. Ever since he was a little boy watching KBHK TV-44 out of San Francisco on a Saturday afternoon and saw the three stooges he has wanted one of these. He bought one on eBay for his two youngest boys the first Christmas after the divorce but it was from eBay and didn't work. And a few years ago he bought one for his friend. But here he is 50 years after he first saw Moe, Larry, and Curly playing with them in old movies, and he still doesn't have one. He would, don't you think, love finding a seltzer bottle under the Christmas tree.

3. You and he have been shooting pheasants for a few years but have nothing to show for it. Yes, they were good eating and, yes, it is fun to make pate from their livers and share it at church, but the one time he tried to have a pheasant taxidermied, well, it was a very expensive horror. Wouldn't it be nice to just have a bronze statue of a pheasant to commemorate all the pheasants you and he have downed?

4. It was September of 2020 when he was last at the Indian Colony Tobacco Store. Well, guess what. That's right his can of Captain Black (the original blend with the white label) is empty. You know you love the smell so this would, really, be a present for both of you.

5. You know how he loves to make fancy food and take it to church to share at the meal after Agape Vespers on Pascha? Well, you might not know this, but he has always thought he could do better. The only problem is that he has never had all the right equpment. Yes, you gave him a KitchenAid mixer and All-Clad pans but just think of all the yummy salmon mouse the people of your parish could be eating at Pascha if only he had a fish-shaped tin(or nickel)-lined mouse mold. If you get it for him for Christmas he will, probably, use it to make you yummy good food on Twelfth Night. Oh! And when it's not being used to make food it can hang on the wall and be beautiful.

6. About 40 years ago his mother had an old black and white photo of his grandfather hand tinted and framed. She gave it to her husband on his birthday. He kept it on his desk in his office until he retired and no longer had a desk. His mother and father are dead now. But it might be the case that his oldest brother's widow or one of her children, or his sister, or his yet living brother has the photo. Maybe, if one of them does have it, they will loan it to you long enough to have a copy made.

7. The years his kids were Scouts were the happiest years of his life. He would be very happy to wear the Eagle Scout and Arrow of Light lapel pins if he had them. They commemorate the highst awards his sons earned.

8. He likes Italian tuna . He eats several cans a month. He appreciates gifts of food. You can't go wrong getting him this.

9. Since 1996 when he was living in San Francisco flop houses he has been eating Molinari Salami. He would love get one for Christmas so he can slice it up and put it on this year's Astro Weenie Christmas Tree.

10. When he goes hunting for big game he doesn't want to tote around a whole box of cartridges with him. Nor does he want to carry loose ammo in his pockets. What to do? What to do? It seems a Tourbon leather ammo wallet is ideal for situations such as this.

11. He doesn't understand it. Where do they go? Regardless of the answer, the need is real. Black socks from Gold Toe.

12. He has bought them for his kids. He had one when he was a soldier (They sold them in the uniform store and its inside was the only thing in the barraks that wasn't inspected every morning.) but he hasn't had one in many many years. And the last few voyages he was on; to the deserts of Nevada and Arizona, to Alaska and Cape Cod he really wished he'd had a leather dopp bag.

13. He wears Aramis. Not the Aramis 900 Herbal his dad switched to in 1981 but the original Aramis, the first designer fragrance for men. Maybe, delight him with a whole gift set!

14. He's had that leather club chair for a while now, and he knows you think it looks worn out. An easy way to get him to part with it would be to give him one of these for Christmas.


15. He would love to make more holodets (the old ladies at church love them) but he doesn't have enough little ramekins to ensure everyone can get some. Just imagine the glory as he walks into the hall at church bearing a platter of little holodets! (Shredded chicken breast with spicy mustard is his favorite but he knows some people who like minced ham with carrots and black pepper.)

16. Many times he has thought to himself, "Gosh, that's an amputation waiting to happen." And he is, genuinely, worried about it. That blade needs to be covered. So get him this razor head cover and ease his mind.

17. Sometimes, he has the feeling that too much of his shirt is exposed, and that his tie is having to do too much work. He really needs a vest.

18. Have you ever seen his tie fly away? He needs a tie tack. Or a tie bar. Maybe one in a duck or pheasant theme would be nice.

19. Because of that listeria problem that killed 9 people last year it has been hard to find liverwurst in stores. Thankfully, braunschweiger is still available. Imagine the joy when he makes everyone braunschweiger and red onion sandwiches with dark mustard on dense rye bread! Yummm!

20. When he was a little boy his mother and grandmother made pickles; sweet never dill. He loved those homemade sweet pickles but never really liked other pickles; not dill nor sweet. They always tasted chemically to him. But then, one day he tasted Bubbies, and WOW! That's all. Just WOW! They are the best pickles he has ever tasted and he would be thrilled to find a jar under the tree this year.

It Been A While Since I've Posted Anything, And Things Have Changed.

I have a grandson. His name is Oliver (of Ancona) Augustine (of Hippo). Kathleen and I flew to Boston and then drove to Kittery, Maine to meet him. He is beautiful.

While we were in New England we stayed at one of our time shares, The Breakers Resort on Cape Cod. We ate at three good restaurants: Red River BBQ (the best fish I had on the whole trip), The Union Oyster House (freshest and best tasting oysters I've ever had), and Parker's Restaurant in the Omni Parker House Hotel (The perfect early morning breakfast after getting off a red-eye flight from San Jose). We also took a boat out to Nantucket where we had fun, but it was not very much like what I was expecting. Everything I knew about Nantucket I learned from Moby Dick. It's not like that now. We learned that there are now 32 billionaires who have houses on the Island. Among other things we saw there, were Daniel Webster's house, Rowland Macy's house, and the whaling museum. When we first got to the island it was very early in the morning so we played chess outside the Athenaeum. Kathleen won. She played a perfect game.

We attended services at two churches while we were traveling: St. Nicholas in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Holy Trinity in Boston (WOW What a choir! You should hear them.).

I took and passed California's Water Treatment Plant Operator test and got my T-1 licesnse in the mail. I have started applying for water treatment jobs.

I quit my job 5 days ago. I really liked it and the people I was working with but sales really dried up starting in May, and no money coupled with 60 hour work weeks just wasn't cutting it. I don't know what I'll do next but I have some good prospects.

Yesterday, Basil and I went to the county rifle range and he zeroed the .30-'06. Then last night, Kathleen and I made two peanut butter pies. One we took over to Cyndi and Basil last night. Kathleen took the other to her Dad this morning. Right now I am applying for a job with CBP.

Max's Diner

Back in the 1990s and 2000s, when I worked in the advertising industry, I used to eat pretty often, maybe twice a week, at Max's Diner on Folsom Street in San Francisco. I always had what they called the "mini-Reuben" and a Martini. The "mini-Reuben" is just a Reuben sandwich cut into 8 bite-sizes pieces and held together with toothpicks. It was perfect: A bite of of sandwich, a sip of Martini.

Max's Diner did not survive the stupidity of our government's response to the Wuhan disease, but some of Max's resuraunts did survive. Among them Max's Opera Cafe. The mini-Reuben is not on their menu but, if you ask nicely, they will make one for you. A fun thing about Max's Opera Cafe is the singing. They have a grand piano and all the waiters and waitresses can sing. One tme, many years ago, a waitress there let me join her in a duet of The Way You Look Tonight. Neither of us was as good as Faith Hill or Tony Bennet, we were more like Ethel Merman and Buddy Hackett, but it was fun.

Meatfare

I made something new for Meatfare a couple of days ago. The week after Christmas, when all the hams were on sale for a reduced price, I bought a big spiral cut ham, and stuck it in the freezer. A couple of days before Meatfare I took it out of the freezer to thaw. The day before meatfare, Kathleen gathered some rosemary and lemons from outside our front door, and brought them too me in the kitchen. I sliced the lemons while she used a Braun cofee mill to mince the rosemary. Then, between the spiral slices of the ham I stuffed feta chese, lemon slices, rosemary, oregeno, and thyme. Then I put it in the refrigerator until morning. When I woke up early on Sunday morning I put the ham in the oven and cooked it until it was done. Then we loaded it into the car and went to church. When we got to church we put it in the oven in the church kithen to keep it warm. It turned out pretty good. I think I'll do this again next year.

Christ is Born!

It was a joy to visit St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in San Jose on the early morning of Christmas eve. I hadn't been there in more than a couple of years, but they were the only parish between my house and San Francisco that was serving Royal Hours. I guess, most parishes were not serving it because it followed so close on the heels of Sunday and most priests take Monday off and they were going to be super busy doing all the services later the night of the 24th. But it was beautiful being with the Greeks that morning. Excpt for the Our Father, and 1/3 of the Lord Have Mercies, every word was in Greek. It was okay. I don't understand why they use so much Greek when everyone in that parish speaks English, but after being Orthodox for 20 years I petty much know most of the services, and recognize enough Greek to know where we are in the services. So while the two priests, the two readers, and four old widows in the congregation were praying in Greek I was praying silently in English. (I love he smell of incense in the morning. It smells like victory!) Then, later that night Kathleen, her kids, and I went to the Vesperal Litrugy of St. Basil at St. Lawrence Orthodox Church in Felton. Wow, what a gorgeous choir! Every parish in America should have such a choir! They sing like they used to be Protestants.

Between services on Christmas Eve, Kathleen and I made a bunch loaves of cranberry orange bread. And After Divine Liturgy today at St. Nicholas in Saratoga we were able to give a loaf to every family in the parish and to the handful visitor who were with us. And of course all the clergy got their fruicakes. And we have one fruit cake and one orange cranberry bread left over!

When we got home Basil was waiting for us. He had been to church at another parish this moring, I think Felton or, maybe, it was St. Stephen in Campbell. I don't remember what he said. And then we opened presnts while I cooked the Christmas sausage and Kathleen cooked eggs and bacon. You know, it's funny, but ever since i was ten or eleven years old and felt ingrattitude one Christmas I have not relished the presents on Christmas. Now it seems every Christmas is haunted by the memory of that sinful thought of 45 years ago; fear that I might do it again. Bit I like watching Kathleen, Basil, Maximo, and Sophia open their presents. And it was fun seeing their happiness when I opened mine from them.

So after breakfast and presents Kathleen and her kids went to visit Kathleen's dad (I might have mentioned on this blog that is was a paratrooper and is a real knight. Seriosly, he is a knight.) while Basil and I watched A Christmas Story Christmas. It was the first Christmas movie I watched this year. At first I thought it was kind of silly, but by the end I was in tears.

I really have to thank the clergy and the faithful at all of the parishes I mentioned in this post. All of them; their love, devotion, faithfulness, and voices made the last two days beautiful.

Christ is born! Glorify him!

The Christmas List

My wife reminded me that I haven't published this years Christmas list. I told her I have everything I want or need but she didn't belive me. So, here it is.




1. Ladies, do your man's shirt collars look sloppy, curling up or down at the points? Then get him some of these nifty collar stays. They say they are magnetic, but I am not sure why anyone needs magetic collar stays.

2. And since we are on the topic of collars maybe your man has a job that causes him to sit at a table and talk with students all day, and he never exercises and his neck has grown an inch in circumference. If that is the case, and he doesn't want to just go out and buy a bunch of new shirts, these button expanders are an excellent thing to geive him.

3. Is your man a duck hunter but hampered by lack of a dog? Then a Started Labrador Retreiver Puppy might just be the thing he needs!

4. Does he have a beautul Smith and Wesson .357 magnum but no holster to put in in? Look no farther! There is a holster for his gun!

5. He understands why you didn't give him the cow horn chair he asked for a few years ago, but how about cow hide?

6. He really needs ball point pens in black and red.

7. You know, he really likes kippers.

8. Yes it's true, he almost never smokes his pipe anymore, but when he does wouldn't it be nice to see him earing one of these smoking hats?

I love the holidays.

Thanksgiving I met my son's in-laws. On the way down to Oceanside, where they live, we passed several things I had never seen before and some things I hadn't seen since I was 8 years old. I saw Biola University, my teenage dream school. We passed by Mission San Juan Capistrano, Which I read about when I was in the fourth grade, but remember mostly from watching this cartoon. At one point I saw an exit from the freemay that said Basilone Dr. I was like, No Way! so I googled it to see if I was right. Yes, it was named for John Basilone. Almost as exciting was a few minutes later when I saw Camp Pendleton off to my left; the place where Gomer Pyle lived.

When we got to our destination I immediately loved my son's in-laws. My daughter-in-law's grandmother lives there. She is a widow and has an intese prayer rule. She prays the Caplet of Divine Mercy (Which I learned many years ago from watching Mother Angelica's TV network, 50 rosaries and a bunch of other prayers every day. Her daughter, my son's mother-in-law is Mexican so the food was out of this world: Tamales, birria, chocolate mole served over shredded chicken, plus the ham, turkey, tortilla, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pies (including my cranberry walnut pie and pecan pie), cheese cake, and so much other stuff I didn't even taste it all. They had me pray at so many meals I was starting to feel like a priest!

The funeral of my sister's father-in-law was two days ago. He was a sailor; a tail-gunner who flew off of the U.S.S. Hornet at the Battle of Miday and several other battles. After the war he became a pastor and a Christian school administrator. Even in his 90s he was active in helping organize Christian colleges. He is an amazing man. Sadly, I could not be at the funeral so I could only send flowers, But, maybe, you can jon me in praying for Charles.

I think I might have mentinoed that I have about 20 different Christmas theme ties. I wear a different one every day and kids who aren,t even in my classes come in to see the tie of the day. One of my favorite things is that I play a Christmas Carol at the start of each period. So far they have heard O Tannenbaum (One of my Vietnamese students asked "Mr. Karnes, what do Christmas Trees Mean" Wow! What an opening! In 3 minutes I told them about St. Bonifice, an ancient Icon depicting Mary, Jesus, and a pine tree decorated with litte loaves of bread, and martin luther using a pine tree to represent the tree of life in plays he staged at Christmas.), The Holly and the Ivy (Not the sermon but only the music starting at about 5:30), Today they heard Il est ne, le divin Enfant. A student of mine from Romania asked me to play a Romanian Cristmas song tomorrow, so we'll all hear Open the Door, Christian. Also, I bought a Christmas tree for my classroom today and invited all the students to bring an ornament to hang on it.

Tonight I drove the chocolate coins and a fruit cake to my godchildren in San Francisco; tomorrow is St. Nicholas day. On the way to their hous I saw a woman step into traffic and get run over by a pick up truck. The driver of the pick up truck leaped out of his truck and went to the womans aid. Her leg was bent in the wrong direction and she was screaming. I pulled over and called 911, told them what I saw, and waited for the paramdeics and police. When the police got there I told them what happened, then went on to deliver the chocolate and the fruitcake. The woman was taken away in an ambulance. It has been an eventful day. Good night.

Pies and Poker

After work tonight My step-son and I made four pies: a pair of the cranberry walnut and a pair of pecan. While they were baking, Katleen and I taught her son how to play poker. It was fun. Also, while they were baking, I charged the fruitcakes. I'm trying Tennessee sour mash whiskey this yesr. It probably isn't too different from Bourbon whiskey. I get off work early tomorrow and will head south to somewhere near San Dieago to meet my son's parent's in law. They invited us for Thanksgiving. Taking pies and fruitcakes with me.

First Good Rain

I was going to go coyote hunting today but it's raining too hard. That's okay. We need the rain.

Basil was here last night. We made fruitcakes. It was a lot of fun.

I lost my election by about 900 votes, but I came in ahead of a known communist who is part of the local democratic party machine. So I'm happy I was able to keep her off the board, at least.

Transfiguration

Transfiguration was yesterday. It's the day we take fruit to church to be blessed. I have a lemon tree and two grapevines, niether of which has ripe fruit on them. But I went to church anyway and and gained much from the service. I used to not see the big deal about the Transfiguration of Jesus when I was younger but about 20 years ago I watched these four lectures by Bishop Kallistos. They are worth your time.

Preparing the Food For Pascha

Yesterday we made the paskha. One to take to church. One for Kathleen's son. One for my son, Basil (#4), two for Basil's pagan friends he is bringing to church Saturday night.

Tonight we made four pounds of liver pate (I use a lot more congac and add butter to the pate in the blender) to take take to church for the feast.

Tomorrow we shall dye the eggs and make the kulich.

Baking for Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving but Anselm is at sea and Basil is out of town visiting some of his Mom's relatives. So my step-children, Maximo and Sophia are helping me make the cranberry walnut pies and fruited molassas balls. (Of course, I forgot to get molassas and powdered sugar so Kathleen is at the store right now buying those ingredirents.) Earlier today I baked chocolate chip cookies for Maximo and Sophia and a berry pie for Kathleen. Before I go to sleep tonight I'll start brining the turkey and make the cranberry relish. It has been years since I've watched Macy's Thanksgiving parade. I think I'll get up early tomorrow and watch it.