Digi and I Dished!

Yes, and we com-
pared notes We pro-
bably even talked about you. We even like most of you. ;-D

Digi, along with daughter Drusilla, son Octavian, and Octavian's bestest friend Marcellus came down for Mass at 5:15 in Old Town and got to see me in action and hear and meet the Sainted Fr. S. I made the mistake of asking Fr. S. to take the picture. 30+ years I know the guy, and now I find out he can't take pictures!

The S.F.S. gave a pretty good sermon too. Only one of the kids fell asleep. [I wish the toddler 7 rows behind them had!] Fr. didn't give the ladies grief by going on and on about how women should submit to their husbands, thereby sparing a lot nasty wisecracks and allowing the men to sleep in their beds with their wives, rather than on the couch with the dog thinking "if I had just kept my big fat mouth shut I could be having some nookie right now."

Instead, Fr. focused on how the Holy Family was essentially created by the Holy Spirit. "The power of the Holy Spirit overcame Mary" so that Jesus could take on human flesh. Joseph was told by an angel to fear not taking Mary as his wife. Angels don't act on their own, as Father said, but under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit also guided Joseph with the right decisions for the safety of the family, etc.

Father also mentioned the story of the finding in the temple, that they did have their worries too - and mentioned the verse how "Mary treasured these things in her heart." [I've often wondered what JOSEPH thought about that -- if it was ME that did that it would have been "Don't EVER do anything like that again!"] Father said often times it is common for families to have their arguments and squabbles, and you wonder if there was ever the perfect family. He pointed out that there was: The Holy Family, living in perfect love guided by the Holy Spirit.

Afterwards, they came back and met Fr. S. and he blessed them. They also got to see the chasuble that would be used if you were going to sacrifice a pig - Digi exclaimed that even the Samoans in her parish might beg off. We went out for dinner in Old Town. We were very sympatico and are REALLY in a conundrum as to what to do with the 4,000 pounds of frozen Moose that Digi has in her fridge for the wedding feast that hasn't come off yet. Peterkins better get his act together, or we're going to hold a big barbeque, and only God knows what effigies will burn in the bonfire afterwards!
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Ladies: Great Anglo-American Tag Team Co-operation

Are the guys reading this?





It said "ladies" so let's let them think it's "girl talk."

Guys, it is. Really.

Are we alone now? Let's give them a moment to leave. Are they gone? Okay. Yeah, they're gone.

**WE CUT ANOTHER ONE FROM THE HERD!!!**

Jackie, great way to start the ball rolling on Operation Pyotr - you and my mom were right. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Stephanie, Mac, and newhousenewjob - you all contributed to keeping the ball in play by rachetting up the food angle. We all know how successful the recent newhousenewjobnewman operation was. We even got a man to unwittingly add to the cover by chiming in. Swissmiss your timing was PERFECT coming in like that. Talk about the hit by the safety to keep the prey from getting away. The Minnesota Vikings could take lessons. [For you UK gals in US football the safety is the last defensive man, in this case gal, on the field that can stop the opposition from running away downfield.]

Okay, you ladies stay to the edges of the field and keep him on the field while I go in for the tie down. I think I have enough rope, but I may need a little help with the pigging string.

You're all invited. It will be a compromise Mass. TLM said FACING the people. The groom and I will be asking Fr. Ray Blake, Fr. Stephanos and my own priest, Msgr. S., to be the troika for same. People who want to turn around away from the priests can so they don't have to look at the priests during the Nuptial Mass - but those who want to look, can. The groom has to face me at the vows part though, otherwise you guys will take bets at the reception as to how long it will last. And the hor d'oeuvres will be those whiskey ball thingies that were used as bait to cut the groom from the herd in the first place.

And "they" said the Anglo-Alliance was dead. FDR and Churchill couldn't have done better.

**
Clarification:

Oh, and for those of you who came late to the party, the relevant threads are:

(In rough order)
#1 My post re: the Whiskey Holiday Balls , also now known as "Operation Pyotr"
#2 Fr. Blake's celibacy post
#3 Fr. Tim's post about TLM and focus.

So far the object of my cyber affection is co-operating very nicely. I don't think he quite knows what hit him yet. He's still in that bemused state. They're so cute when they're like that.

And don't miss this movie clip referenced in post #1. It's a dilly. (Those of you with dial-up will want to use keepvid.com on that one.)

Update:

It also looks like Fr. Erik is on board. He'll be arranging the perimeter security at the reception so the gate crashers don't make off with the booze. He also has the mission of riding shotgun in the limo afterwards. The latter is a somewhat covert dual mission, as it's best the bridegroom not be unduly alarmed. As you can see by his post here, he has an excellent sense of what sort of rock and roll pieces should be played at the reception.
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Mulier Fortis: Healthy Living

Mulier Fortis: Healthy Living

Don't miss Mac's very funny post regards tips on staying healthy. I think she might have missed a few notes regards keeping track of food intake:

1. BROKEN cookies (biscuits to you nice British folk) have NO calories. They escape in the process of breaking.

2. Ethnic food has NO calories. This especially applies to Italian food, homemade bread, pierogies and halupkies.

3. ANYTHING eaten in a dark kitchen past 1 a.m. - WHILE standing up -- has NO Calories.

4. Sara Lee Cheesecake? NO CALORIES. Particularly not if not yet thawed out.

5. Popcorn? NO CALORIES ...

6. Anything eaten on Thanksgiving Day? NO CALORIES! It's on the 22nd this year - you Brits are invited to partake in this "gimme" as it was your pilgrims who originally discovered this phenomenon. And because I'm such a nice person (usually) I'm designating that anyone who reads this post, even the French, although God knows they shoot people over size 2, also get a "gimme." How they eat all that fois gras, cheese and beef whatever and remain rail thin is one of God's mysteries - not unlike Zulu warriors with perfect teeth who never have gone near a dentist.

7. Don't have your glasses on or your contact lenses in? You can't see the calories, means you don't eat them.

8. Cold pizza? NO CALORIES.....especially if it has mushrooms, pepperonies and anchovies - followed by a beer chaser. Doubly true if finishing a pizza from the night before.

9. Holiday Rum balls? ABSOLUTELY NO CALORIES. Fattening as hell, but you burn off the equivalent of calories just making the damn things - so it's a virtual wash. In the holiday spirit, I share the recipe for "Hard Liquor balls" put out by the nice people who compiled George Washington's Mount Vernon Cookbook. Basic. Simple. Addictive as all get out.

Important: IT IS VITAL TO KEEP ONE HAND ABSOLUTELY DRY ONCE YOU'VE ADDED THE DARK CORN SYRUP. Otherwise you will make one unGodly mess. You need the "dry hand" to handle adding the whiskey, etc. I promise. No foolin'. It's early to be consuming Whiskey balls, but the hell with it. It's dark early...these are MEDICINAL. And because it was from the source it's from: NO CALORIES.

Ingredients:

1 box Vanilla wafers. CRUSHED. Leave them in the bag and pound 'em with a rolling pin or your hand or whatever's handy, then put in mixing bowl. I use Nabisco. Do I LOOK like I know the size? It's that standard size box. Do I LOOK like Betty Crocker ? Don't use cheap house brand vanilla wafers. They taste like hell. TRUST me.
3 tablespoons cocoa.
3 tablespoons dark corn syrup. I use Karo, or Caro, or however the heck it's spelled.
If you're one of those "nut people" add about 1.5 cups of chopped pecans. Otherwise SKIP it. I SKIP it.
Now, mix the heck out of this stuff, USING ONLY ONE HAND. Once you are SURE you have made a mess, and this stuff will NEVER come off your hand. Start adding liquor. I far and away prefer whiskey, whiskey being "the real deal" and rum fit for such drinks as chi-chis and things that have an umbrella. It's for a HOLIDAY, so keep it traditional. How much? UNTIL IT "FEELS" right. i.e. not too watery at all. But enough to hold this admixture together. Now with one hand, make a roundish ball, somewhat smaller than a ping-pong ball. Next, on a plate that you have already laid out with powdered sugar, roll this sucker in the powdered sugar. Miraculously, the powdered sugar makes this mess behave in your hand and you may put on a plate. Add your liquor gradually. If you guess, guess "light" you can always add more if needed, but you can't extract it. Duh. The beauty of these things are, that if your guests get ANY they can consider themselves lucky. IF you and a friend make them, I guarantee you they will be lucky to see any laid out on the table. As a matter of fact, plan on making TWO batches. One a private stash for you and your helper, if any...the other for the guests. They are best chilled for a bit.

Digihairshirt reminds me of something important:
"You forgot my own scientific finding that ANYTHING EATEN FOR CHARITY HAS NO CALORIES.

Church pot luck dinners? Zip. Girl Scout cookies? Nada. School candy sales? Nichevo. [Let's not forget the Yiddish: BUPKIS" - kh]

I believe it was St. Bedworth the Chunky who wrote in the 6th century:

"Verily I say unto you, o brethren, that Our Lord in His Divine Mercy doth eraseth all Matter and Vapors from such food when eaten in Charity and Love, or with a Prepared Sauce of pigeon breasts. Now, please pass the Confits . . ."

Update 2:

"Newhousenewjob:

As long as you drink a diet soda with it, you can eat whatever you like calorie-free.

Mac McLernon:

Any food eaten off someone else's plate has no calories... the calories stick to the plate."

Update 3:

Swissmiss:

"any food eaten on vacation (holiday) has no calories. Or any food you graciously choke down to not offend your mother-in-law has no calories :)"