I find it strange that no matter how many sit-ups I do at the gym, my stomach remains problematical.  However, I believe it is quite likely the result of an overabundance of calories.  Mom and Gerry just returned from a trip to Germany where they toured the Ritter Sport chocolate factory.  Mom just couldn’t resist buying one or two of each kind they make, and believe me, they make a lot of kinds.  She dropped off a zippered plastic bag of them for me, and I’m working my way through the varieties.  The rum truffle is one of my fav’s, for sure.

Not that I am the only living creature who was ever addicted to chocolate.  We had a cat who was originally named Mimi, then called Stripe by me and Maugel (which means whiner in German) by my dad.  She used to jump on the kitchen table where my dad fed her a large tin of almond roca.  Not all at once, of course, but over several weeks that cat had eaten the whole tin.

Fruitcake orders are now coming in daily, and that’s a good thing.  As the stores are now fully decked out in Christmas plumage, people are starting to think about it.  A nice woman in Vancouver ordered 20 from my site!  I was also heartened to see that Sunshine Market is moving them nicely.  This is due to return customers, so that’s wonderful, too.

What’s not so great is Nicky’s newly-found penchant for entrepreneurship.  He isn’t one himself, but hangs at work with the guys who contract to Telus, so thinks he’s a wealth of knowledge.  The other night I was sitting in the living room, alternately cutting parchment paper for the tins and snipping dried apples.  He came in, and said that he was happy to see that I was actually getting with the progran and perhaps there was a chance I would be able to meet my orders.

I’ve learned that keeping my mouth shut at times like this is best.  There’s little to be gained from getting into a verbal battle with Nicky as it just ends badly.  So, I just practice mentally and emotionally absenting myself from the situation.  Kind of the way I had to cope with math while in school.

After weeks of baking every weekend with Marilyn, I had last weekend entirely off.  Denis’ brother Kevin and his wife Denise visited, so it was a chance to cook like a crazy person.  We had a lovely dinner of chicken souvlaki, homemade tsaziki and pita, roasted potatoes and Greek salad on Friday.  On Saturday I made a pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy and a Caesar salad.  Actually, both dinners involved a couple of bulbs of garlic, which is just so healthy.

But now I have to get ready for the big Christmas craft event, which means going to the bank for change, buying muffing cups and bags, and cutting up a dozen fruitcakes for samples.  More importantly, I have to choose my wardrobe, and this will be tough as I want to wear shoes that are halfways comfy.  You know what that means – the entire outfit will be ruined!