After the solstice party, we had a lot of leftover roast beef [so I won’t bother with it next year; I’ll find something else for the party] but almost no leftover cassoulet. A huge pot with just a few beans left in the bottom. A few tiny portion of gravlax left, etc. The next night – the 5^th night of Hannukah –we were sitting at the table eating leftovers and salad. Both Xena and Puck were on the table begging for roast beef. Suddenly we both smelled something burning. Puck had grabbed a piece and backed away with it == right into the Hannukah candles at the far end of the diningroom table. I grabbed him and blew out the red candle. His fur at the end of his tail was singed but he was not burnt. Greed got the best of him. Or should I say, gluttony. On the 25^th we had friends over. Dan, who is Canadian, very Canadian, brought what he called crackers. They weren’t the edible kind. The six of us exchanged gifts and we had lot of hors d’oeuvres, turkey, stuffing with sausages in it, a green bean-pecan-cranberry dish and for dessert Dale brought a fancy chocolate cake from the French bakery, P & B’s. I wanted to brine the turkey this time. Woody went along reluctantly, but then he agreed the next day after the dinner that it was the best turkey we ever served. We are still eating on it. Tonight, turkey salad.I make it curried. We have a ritual of getting up very early [5 a.m. at the latest] on the 26^th and driving into Boston for the post Christmas sales. We couldn’t do it last year as it was shortly after my operation, so I couldn’t cross the room without pain and had no way to climb into the truck. But now we could resume. I had a list. I resisted everything not on it including a Cephalon pot I desired. Sweaters. The moths destroyed half my sweaters this year. Sweaters have as many as 11 holes in one of them. Tights. I can finally wear them again. Swelling gone. Can bear light pressure on my knees. Some Lindt chocolates – staff of life. And the conditioner I like to use & can’t get around here. Everything but the conditioner was vastly on sale. We got home in time to take the trash to the dump and for Woody to drive to Orleans to his gym and work out while I finished the clean-up. I unpacked the bags from the city and put away the clothes; put away the gifts from the day before. When we got up this morning, bits of tissue paper in which the sweaters I bought had been wrapped were all over the livingroom and the Lord & Taylor bag was zapped. Cats had fun and also revenge on us for daring to leave them alone from 6:15 to 3:15. Today we are on a Spartan schedule – walk around the pier, eat lightly, get back to work. I have the 2^nd pass for MADE IN DETROIT on my desk, due back next week, more mss. that have come in for my juried intensive poetry workshop and the package of poems for the two contests I’m to judge. I haven’t even broken the seal. Also Dan brought over a sampling of his poems for me to read. Woody just can’t discard clothes that no longer fit [perhaps he will gain or lose thirty pounds], are faded, out of fashion [wait! bell bottoms could return next year] or just plain ugly [but X gave me that].His closet is getting crowded with items he will never wear. So this afternoon I am sitting down with him and we are going to go through everything in his closet and drawers. EVERYTHING. Periodically I discard clothes I will never again wear but he has stuff from highschool. Let me at it!