The festivities of Christmas are over. The spouse and I have returned from our sojourn to the deep and dirty south. We have shed our faux accents, although the phrase "Ah'm a gonna give ya'll a fist full of shut up if'n you don' cut it out!" will stay with me for a very, very long time. Another Christmas memory to cherish.
I obtained a very healthy Xanax prescription before we left for North Carolina. It just seemed prudent in light of the many circumstances we were apt to encounter whilst visiting. Happily I did not need them and even more happily, I took them anyway...well I had paid for them after all. So I spent the first couple daze in a haze and enjoyed myself. We had a yummy luncheon with the spouses offspring at a (what else) BBQ place on our way to Asheville one day. Picture this: Pulled pork plate with sides of cole slaw (just slaw if you're from there) and hush puppies and two kinds of BBQ sauce. Bliss. I have some roots as a daughter of the south, but we just won't go in to that right now. At any rate I luuuuuuve hush puppies and BBQ and Slaw so the visit was starting out to be just fine. We then visited a truly depressing and worn out used book store in the hinky part of Asheville. I really like old bookstores, but for what ever reason this one just made me want to hang myself. Before you sit up too alertly, be it known that I did not hang myself, rather I played Dominoes on my phone, quietly...in the corner...alone in a Xanax enhanced euphoria. Not soon enough we left and went to an arty gallery in a better (read expensive) part of town. So I got better.
Another day we drove back up to Asheville to go shopping with mother of spouse, or M.I.L. (mother-in-law) I wonder if Mike Tindall refers to P.A. as MIL. Kinda like that idea. I digress. So we had another yummy lunch, this time at a place our current "Leader of the Free World" has been known to frequent. He was not there on the occasion of our visit, but we were made aware that there is a plaque some where in the restaurant that proclaims this to be true. So there. Anyway, after another scrumptious meal we headed off to the gallery we had visited before, indeed had visited the time before this on another visit. But whatever. We shopped and had a grand old time before we headed off to the Biltmore Estate for a tour of the manse built by some Vanderbilt. It was really big. And really cool. I could easily have lived there because there were so many bathrooms. And there are quarters for the domestics downstairs near the bowling alley. Not sure if that was on purpose or not. It goes on my list of neat things I've seen, but for pure opulence and over-doing it, Hearst Castle wins by a fair margin. The castles and what not in Europe etc. still win hands down for building homes that are just enormous for what ever reason.
We had a couple dinners with the good friends of my MIL during our stay. I feel fairly confident announcing that we have had quite enough of the "churching up talk" to last a good long time. But we also had great meals and we are grateful that they were Episcopalians so we could drink heavily.
The long dreaded Christmas eve at the starter wife's house came to pass without a hitch that I remember. I do know that Steve was given a mostly unbroken horse of some suspect lineage by his former spouse. The beast stands over 17 hands (5'8" at the wither, we've been through this so I shan't go further) is pretty dark haired and has the amusing propensity to run you over. The ex-spouse recommended "Natural Horsemanship" to cure him of this habit. I wait breathlessly for this to arrive to our home and hearth. Oh right, his name (currently) is Biggie Small. Lucky Stevie. We think we should send it to Derek (you awake there sport?) for some "joining up". Spread the joy as it were. Happy Holidays!
So we got through Christmas day by visiting Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is indeed spartan and the tallest building there says "Denny's" right on the very top. We assume it means that that is the world famous world headquarters of the national (international?) chain of the same name. We didn't go to Spartanburg to see that, though it would have been worthy of the visit in any case. No, we went to Spartanburg to go to the movies. War Horse if you must. I think it falls on the "yeah, go see it" list, but at times it was pretty much "Black Beauty goes to War" if you know what I mean. The horse was spectacular to look at, though he had a nasty stop in him. (if you don't ride, go ask someone what this means, I'm busy right now.)
And now we are home. Sick with some vileness we procured on our travels. Why even as I patiently type this missive to y'all, the spouse is moaning pitifully from his bed demanding I rush out, in to the cold no less, to gather up more sick room supplies. Specifically 1.) Aloe Puffs 2.) Air Borne 3.) the fixins' for meatloaf and also for macaroni and cheese. what.ever.Steve.
I saw two of my delightful children yesterday at Fairy Tale Town. I also saw my Auntie, my cousins wife, my cousins daughter and two of her offspring and my own grandchildren. And we had a grand old time watching the urchins scamper about the nursery rhymed theme park that I remember scampering about on when, a long, long, long time ago I too was a child. In any case there were four generations of my family there and they varied in ages from one year to ninety years old. I think that is pretty remarkable. So cheers to us all. pip pip
Since we are sick, we have no plans for New Year's Eve. Since we are lazy we also have no New Year's resolutions to proclaim. And with that, I sign off for the last time in 2011! Raise a glass and what not and a prosperous, happy New Year 2012 to all y'all.
Cheers,
Squidgy
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