Grandad..... no..... though I answer to Grandma to a couple of sprogs. Frieda, you are very partly right in that'Dido' is from classical legend of course - Queen of Carthage - and I love references like that; also poetry, yes, and I particularly love Purcell's opera 'Dido and Aeneas' with her dying lament, 'When I am laid in earth' before she climbs her funeral pyre as her lover sails away to found 'another Troy on Italian soil'. The opera also has a very beautiful viola solo - I used to be a viola player and have played it in several productions, up and down and here and there. But also, in another life I was a Diana.... let's not go into that, shall we..... but when I had to change, I realised I can't seem to let go of my name totally - it's me. So 'Dido' was one of the closest I could manage: even so, simply Dido was already taken so I had to put a 1 after it. Reallly, I should have registered as Dido Jones which I now consider to be my alter ego, though at first it seemed strange. For a while I felt like a different person, having a different name. Now I've just reverted to my old, grumpy, usual self. And, to cut a long story short, I suppose I look fairly Welsh (what I am - hence the adopted surname 'Jones'), being smallish (5'2", 56lbs), with dark-brown eyes, ex-dark hair (now white) and of an 'excitable' nature (have been known to throw things like ashtrays, in the olden days when there were such things lying around in any old places) Dido

OHHhhhh, this is sounding better all the time....but yes, Chris, you'd better fill us in on this character!! Count me in for the dark chocolate...(altho' when it get up to about 70-75% cocoa, it's a little bitter for me...) I tasted some lovely ports this past week that would be heavenly with dark chocolate... (an aside -- we tease DS about being a foundling, because he's the only one in the family who really just doesn't like chocolate...) this is a far better celebration that what I'll get at home! take care litlbit

I feel guilty that I"ve actually been having a mostly relaxing day while dh is slaving in the kitchen ALL day. He went to the grocery store early and while he was gone, I made marinara sauce for the ravioli mentioned above. I failed to mention that *his* tradition every year is to make chocolate chip pumpkin bread (old Ghirardelli recipe) for all our friends/neighbors/coworkers. He sometimes makes 40 loaves. Well, I thought he was done but nope, got home from the store and made two more batches. Then he started in on the filling for the ravioli. He made the meat ravioli first, finally took a break for dinner, and is now working on the cheese ravioli. Our 13 y/o has been a great helper. The other day, he decided that he wanted to bring pumpkin cheesecake to my parents' house for Christmas. My mom is already making dessert but he decided he wanted this as well so she didn't have to make an additional dessert. I warned him the cheesecake needs to be made ahead. He said he was going to make it tonight. Well, he's already said he will do it tomorrow. Yet I just realized now, at 9:30pm, that he still hasn't made the tiramisu for Christmas Eve dessert. His response - "I got it, I didn't forget. I'm making both tomorrow." Every year he does this. He takes on too much and then complains after the fact about how exhausted he is. I happily would have bought the tiramisu in Little Italy where it is fabulous. Nope, he needs to make it from scratch. I wouldn't care but he makes a disaster out of the kitchen for days on end b/c he doesn't clean up until the very end. I cannot STAND clutter so it makes me nuts that my kitchen is a mess with no end in sight. I couldn't even make dinner tonight b/c there was no room! We had to get take out. I suppose I shouldn't complain - it is nice that he loves to cook. I do as well, but I am much better at planning and timing (and cleaning up and starting fresh each day). I mentioned next year doing a sort of buffet spread of heavy appetizers instead of Christmas dinner (someone else here mentioned doing that this year, and since my mom has decided this is her last year of hosting, I thought that idea sounded good for next year). Of course, he made a face. But we host a sit-down dinner on Christmas Eve! And seriously, I'd like to actually enjoy Christmas not spend two days in a row feeding a formal sit down dinner to my family when HE is the only one who cares. My kids would happily graze all day.

Although I do lIve alone, this turned out to be an extra special Christmas season. The 22nd, all of my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren were here to join me at noon, we played the fun Saran Wrap game, shared gifts, sent the grandkids on a “pretend errand” while my DDs set up a surprised baby shower for my first great-grand baby, who is scheduled to arrive the end of March. Christmas Eve, I joined some other ladies for a beautiful service at church then took a drive around the town looking at Christmas lights. One of my daughters did not want me to spend Christmas Day alone, so she asked me to come to KC to spend the day with her family. Man, can my grandsons cook! They are 20 and 27 and they prepared the absolute best Chicken Cordon Bleu I have ever eaten, several other side dishes and Cannoli for dessert...even making their own ricotta cheese to use in it! In the afternoon, we all decorated sugar cookies...before I drove back home facing the eye-blinding sun! Today, I found out that my home-bound brother’s daughter did not bring them a meal yesterday that she had promised and they ate a TV dinner. To me this was heart-breaking...she only lives 2 blocks away, so I make them a home cooked meal and took it to them....they were so appreciative. But I am tired tonight and will just stay in and relax for the evening.