December 8

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I have been SUPER busy, getting ready for our annual Holiday Boutique at McGroarty Arts Center.  I "run" the bakesale.  This means that from about 8:30 until after 6, yesterday I was up at the Center , dealing baked goods.  This year, I had a feeling we were going to be a little light in the baked goods, so the NIGHT before and the morning of, I was a baking demon.  I made TWO kinds of cupcakes, some brownies, some fudgies, and some cute little hot chocolate dippers.  We sold out to the walls!   I had one tray of random cupcakes and banana bread bites, which our vendors and volunteers dove on at the end of the day.  By my count, the bakesale raised about 500 bucks.  Pure profit, as all the goods are donated.  The chili-bowl sale went great guns as well.   We sold almost every bit of chili- also donated.  I made my famous California BBQ chili.  Chris says it needs a more tantalizing name.  Any suggestions?  I guess I will have to make a pot and have people come over to give it a new name! I had to fight my way into the kitchen with the line of people waiting to pay for their purchases from the vendors.   Everyone seemed to have a good time and after an initial downpour in the morning the weather even cooperated. It was colder than a well-diggers butt on the porch though.  After about two hours I couldn't feel my feet.  It took me several hours until I was warm enough and that's when the pain hit. My body CONSTANTLY reminds me I am not twenty or even thirty anymore.  Thank goodness for Bushmill's and pain meds!  I fell into bed around 8 and woke up around 7 this morning.  It was a good day and I am looking forward to seeing the financial report from this event.  I talked to a lot of people who had never been to the Center before, gave out more than a few class schedules and talked to people about getting on our mailing list.

Yesterday marked the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attacks that jump-started  the U. S. involvement in World War II .  It is important to remember this day, no matter what the truth is- sneak attack or conspiracy theory that Roosevelt KNEW and wanted us in the war so badly that he let the attack go forward.  In any case, lives were lost and forever changed by this day.  By honoring the dead, we celebrate the lives they made possible for us.

We got a message from Julian Lennon ( well, not me personally, but in a global way on Facebook).  He is asking us NOT to dredge up the fact that today marks the anniversary of his father's murder.  I have to agree with him.  It can't be easy for him and Sean. They must both miss him terribly in a way that all those who light candles and sing "Give peace a chance" on this day never ever can.  Their loss is one we can never understand.  I posted this on a friend's page:

"At the end of the movie "Brian's song" , the voice-over reminds us NOT to remember how Brian died, but "that he lived. OH How he LIVED!" I think of John that way. His murder was tragic, but NOT the sum of his life. His impact, his life force, is still felt."

I think it would be more appropriate to celebrate on October 9th than to mourn on December 8.