I bet the story would have gone something like this: Mary and Martha invite Jesus over for a "thanks" giving meal a week earlier and Martha gets to work--going through all her "cook-scrolls" looking for some improved versions of her old stand-by recipes. She probably wasted a lot of time doing that, the week before (like me) when she could have been getting her house in order instead. She probably wound up running out of time, (like me) and feeling very frantic to get it all together, she became cranky,worn out and frustrated, way ahead of time, just thinking about what she'd planned to be done (also, like me). The day arrived and she was hustling all around the house, falling over the men who had gathered early to watch a goat-wrestling match, in the middle of the dirt floor of the gathering room. The children were running in and out the kitchen door, needing *this and that* (especially something to drink) and looking for things to occupy themselves with and asking lots of questions about what she was doing (sounds familiar)! Jesus arrives, early, and they all rush to get the best seats next to Him. Mary, Martha's sister, also rushes in and happily finds a seat on the floor at His feet! She's very content to just listen to Him talk and hear others ask Him questions! She forgets all about the work to be done, planned by her sister! She could have at least finished setting the table or the floor (the custom of the day was to eat reclining! There must have been a *floor-cloth* to be put in place, at the very least)! Martha is incensed! How dare Mary abandon her to all the work, (her plans) of preparing all the latest and greatest dishes for her very important guest and family! Sure she enjoyed the idea of making all those wonderful dishes, but she had miscaluculated the reality of being able to accomplish it all in one day, especially the new recipes she hadn't tried before, and couldn't rely on familiarity to make them easier to do! Martha pulls Jesus aside and says, "Jesus, can you please shake some sense and shame into Mary, and make her come help me?" Jesus says to Martha, very kindly, "Martha, Martha! You are worried about making too many different things! A turkey and some dressing, gravy and maybe some green beans, a jello-salad and a pie would have been enough! We don't need, in addition to all that, *special* mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, tossed salad, fruit salad, cranberries, home-made Parker House rolls (okay-whatever *special* bread they had then), spiced apple rings, green-bean casserole (onion rings and sauce made-from scratch) scalloped oysters AND marinated asparagus! (groan--that was A LOT--and that, also, DOES sound familiar!) Get real, Martha! Mary has it all figured out! It's more important to be with Me and those you love, than trying to prove how much you care, by how much and how fancy the food is you prepare! Make it easy on yourself, and have some of *you* left-over for those who love you!" Martha must have felt like she'd been hit with a brick-bat. All that work, all that fussing about what would be really impressive to set before Him and the crowd, and all He really wanted was for her to do just what was necessary to meet a need, and spend her time with Him. Blush! I hear it! This was also about me, and our Thanksgiving-Day celebration/not! Everyone else seemed to enjoy the day, (I must say) but I was left completely wrung out--and not much fun to be around--I'm sure! I hope the rest of you, learn from my experience yesterday! Please, take time to enjoy the day, by not putting so much on yourselves, doing more than is reasonable and expected. Your family wants to be WITH you! If they want a waitress and a chef, they could go out to a restaurant, instead of to your house! Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and please, take time to give *thanks*--I know you have much to be thankful for--I've seen the pictures! :o) Janice/'Martha' P.S. That 'Best Ever Green Bean Casserole', that I posted, above---wasn't--IMHO!

Ah, here it is. Later edition than I remembered. It is the fall 1997 edition of the Daylily Journal. Vol 52, No. 3. page 328. The article is titled "American Hemerocallis Society National Meeting 1996 Scientific Forum Part One An Inquiry into Hardiness" by James E. Henrich, Denver Botanic Gardens In the speaker notes it states "James E. Henrich is Director of Horticulture at Denver Botanic Gardens. He holds a bachelor's degree in Biology and a master's in Horticulture. He has collected plants in Mexico, Nicaragua and the Republic of Korea and has published papers on the Iris family." In the section titled "Front Range Climate" the entire quote is as follows: "The Colorado Front Range, extending form Ft. Collins on the north to Colorado Springs on the south, is a semi-arid climatic zone and possesses some interesting environmental conditions. We receive about 14-16 inches of annual precipitaion, 320 days of sunlight per year, have USDA hardiness Zones 6-4, and experience around 120 freeze-thaw cycles per year, compared with about 40 cycles in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In this low rainfall area, humidity is inherently lower and evaporation higher."

Yes, lol, and a maid, LOL! After the Bistro and then Papashon, he returned to being his own boss catering. Half Moon Bay "Red Ginger" (exceptionally beautiful space still available if you're interested) chef was a favorite and last I heard, he is now a private chef for a movie mogul traveling the world. Devils Slide closing Hwy 1 destroyed the perfection they had created, Huge loss for us, I still cry, but hope he's happier than ever. Crab Landing just opened with a two story view of Pillar Point Princeton in the Harbor Village Mall. I'm most eager to dine there, I'm hearing good reports so far. www.Oceanohalfmoonbay.com have a delightful chef in their lounge. Nothing quite like upscale room service, lol. Most people have no idea how hard the work is behind the scenes. Thank you so much for La Tienda, one taste of the white anchovies and I was addicted. Do you serve them? I first tried them showcased as a salad and I'm so glad I did! Haven't been in your neck of the woods for a long time and would love to stop down to explore next trip to Indiana.

My last shopping trip was to our small local market. Christmas Eve I didn’t go to any store. Parking is often a problem in my area when stores are crowded. Our mall is the worst for crowds. Some malls may be dying, but not ours. This morning Mr. Coffee is barely working, so I went to the garage to get vinegar, while I was there I saw something pink, dead looking in the garage. I tried to pick it up, thinking it was a leaf, but no. I came back in to wash my hand, and no hot water. Oh my goodness, and it’s only 6:30 AM. Glad I’m not having a group over for dinner! We’ll manage just fine. Best wishes to everyone for happy, pleasant day.