Well, dear readers, the Do is Done, and it was quite a Do in the Do scheme of things. We ended up with a nice crowd of folks – a few less than last year, but you wouldn’t know that by the amount of food eaten. But let’s start at the beginning, a very good place to start.
I got up at eleven after seven hours of sleep. Once up, I answered e-mails and got coherent. Then I sautéed the garlic, onions, and mushrooms in butter, and then I concocted the spaghetti sauce, which all took about an hour. I then put it on simmer. This stove has a specific burner for simmer and it worked great. Usually when I’m simmering all day the sauce at the bottom of the pot gets burned, but not on this stove. I futzed with the sauce as the day went along, as I always do. It had a bit more kick than usual, thanks to the newly-designed thing of cayenne pepper I’d bought. In the past, you’d unscrew the top and there was a thing with holes and you’d shake out what you needed. So, I did that and didn’t realize that it was a new kind of cap, with a flip-top top – so I accidentally dumped in more cayenne than I’d normally do. I caught it in time so it wasn’t terrible and it actually made the sauce a little more addictive than it usually is.
While it was simmering, I went and picked up two teeny-tiny packages and came right back home. Once here, I freshened up the tuna pasta salad, so that was done. Then I did stuff on the computer, listened to music, and the afternoon went by very quickly, whilst I stirred the sauce every ten minutes or so. Then I got ready – shaved and showered.
The first folks, Kay Cole and her ever-lovin’ Michael, showed up thirty minutes early, but everything was ready so that was fine. I’d just finished boiling the water for the pasta in my huge pot, then cooked the pasta, then drained it and put it back in the pot. With that, everything was ready to go. At six, we ate some food, the three of us, but soon thereafter the other guests came at regular intervals – they included Shelly Markham, Sami and her mom, dear readers Amy and Mark and Meg (singingnymph here at haineshisway.com), the Haverty clan – Doug, Dorathy, Hartley, and Hartley’s hubby Bill. Then came Alexa with mom Leslie, Alby Potts, then Jimmy Mulligan arrived with Richard and Elizabeth Sherman. Adryan Russ and her ever-lovin’ Dale – and let me just say that just about everyone brought some sort of dessert so there was and still is an obscene amount of sweet things – danger. Friend Joanna Erdos came, and later we had Richard Allen, Henry Stanny and his ever-lovin’ Nancy, Marshall Harvey, and Robert Yacko. I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone.
We managed to go through four POUNDS of pasta and most of the sauce, which was amazing, but everyone professed it to be the best sauce ever. I mostly ate the tuna pasta salad, with a small helping of the spaghetti. I had two rolls with butter, too. I stayed away from all the desserts. There was much merriment and mirth and laughter and legs, sparkling conversation, it was nice to see Sami, who’s been gone for four months in New York, going to college. And it’s always great to have Richard and Elizabeth with us – they haven’t missed one of these in many years, but this was the first year that Richard didn’t play – that was a request of Elizabeth and I honored it, of course. I thought at some point maybe Richard Allen might play and someone might sing something, but the moment never sort of presented itself.
The Do broke up a little after ten. I was surprised to find it was raining quite hard. Who knew? I spent the next forty-five minutes cleaning up. I had a little more tuna pasta salad and another small bit of spaghetti, then I put the little sauce left in a bowl and then I finally sat down at the computer. I had about a third of a chocolate peanut butter donut from K’s – mom Staitman brought the donuts from K’s and they got eaten up quite quickly. Joanna also brought her famous chicken wings – those went quickly, too. And so much tuna pasta salad was consumed that I had to use half the second batch, too. While it wasn’t a grand night for singing, it was a grand, grand night and I love doing the Do. Here is a photograph – four jolly boys – left to right: Richard Allen, Richard Sherman, li’l ol’ me, and Jimmy Mulligan.
Today, the Darling Daughter says she’s coming between eleven and twelve, which probably means closer to twelve, but I’ll be up by ten, just in case. We’ll hang out, open whatever presents there are, and I’m sure she’ll have some spaghetti and tuna pasta salad. We may take our usual drive, which is always fun, and then she’ll be on her merry way and I’ll just zone out and watch something.
Tomorrow, I don’t have a clew as to what might be happening. Thursday, if all goes according to Hoyle, I’ll lunch with dear reader Jeanne. Friday we resume performances of A Carol Christmas, our final three. This is a show I’ll truly miss. There’s a cast party at Doug’s house after our final show, so that will be fun. Then we have our Annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve right here at haineshisway.com, the safest and best way to spend your New Year’s Eve, where we watch our various and sundried balls drop and welcome in the New Year.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a visit with the Darling Daughter, eat, take a drive, and then relax and watch something. Today’s topic of discussion: Let’s hear all about your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy the Do is Done and that it was so much fun.