my dad and Christmas

My dad always brought home a beautiful, fresh balsam fir Christmas tree for us each year when I was growing up, and it was one of the most magical times of the year for me - such fun, decorating the tree and then sitting by it on winter nights, smelling the fresh pine, and then opening gifts by it on xmas day - Dad passed away 6 years ago today, during the holiday season, and I feel very fortunate to have home movies of him and my mom with me on xmas day, that I can watch year after year, to remember the great times we had.

My dad was a great man - here's to you, dad - Merry Christmas from your daughter Mary.

Ostrich steaks!

So Peter cooked ostrich for his dinner last night, for the first time ever, and when I got in the car next to him around midnight, when he picked me up from a late concert in NYC, I could smell a strong, cheeselike aroma, kind of like old socks - well, when I got in the house, that smell was in the kitchen and living rooms, too - we're just not used to the smell of cooked ostrich. Yikes!