Good days during Dana-Farber-free week

With the crew at Kate's Kitchen on Christmas

I hope I didn't sound too dramatic in my last post when I wrote that I fell. I healed pretty quickly and was back to normal after a day.

With no trips to Dana-Farber this week (woo-hoo), the days have been good.

Not in order:

On Christmas, I volunteered at Providence Ministry's Kate's Kitchen in Holyoke again. This was my fourth year serving Christmas dinner there. It was snowing and not the best morning to be out. When I got thereat 9:30 a.m., I learned that four families had canceled. The lot wasn't plowed yet, but my Subaru got me in. My first job was to take down the chairs from the tables and put table cloths on. It looked to be a bit much and felt overwhelming but then I reminded myself how much I had compared to the people who would be coming in two and a half hours later to eat. I didn't want to hurt my back, so I made a system where I turned the chair over and rested the seat on the table, lowering it in two motions instead of one.

Lotta tables, chairs Kate's Kitchen

About half-way through, two other volunteers arrived. They helped take the chairs down, put on table cloths, and put out place settings. It went well, and it turned out that some of us had a lot in common. As we sat waiting for more people to come in, we realized that a little corner of us were all from New York. It was good to meet the effervescent new director of Providence Ministries, Shannon Rudder.

Christmas Eve, Maddie and I went down to my friend JoAnn's for fondue with her family and neighbors. I was happy to see the two nice young men in the photo. (Said the elderly woman.) They used to be little kids! As I stood, looking confused, at the set up with beef, chicken, shrimp, bread and vegetables, plus cheese and other dipping sauces, someone asked where I was during the fondue craze.

I said we had small kitchens and therefore small fondue offerings!

The best part was probably the chocolate dipping sauce with Jo's father's homemade biscuits.

With Marc and Ryan Instrum

Today it was 1 degree when I woke up. Not a good day for a dog walk, but turned out to be a good day for a dog. I needed to exchange A Visit From the Goon Squad at The Odyssey Bookshop. Not because I didn't want it – it's next up for book club so I will be reading it – but because after I came home with the paperback, I sat down in the den next to the bookshelf and saw that the hardcover had been sitting there. Maybe I even read it, but I'm sorry to say I don't remember.

I would have tied Maddie up outside, but it was so cold that I brought her in. She was welcomed with big smiles. Everyone wanted to pet her. I took her around to get some other books and told someone that I usually leave her out. They said they'd rather she came in. We took a little walk but it was really cold. Then we went into the bank. She lay down, possibly thinking that it was an interesting day. Then it was back to the bookstore to pick up what I had left there to get wrapped. She sniffed around and then just plopped down, comfortable and warm. Now she is lying in the pool of sunlight on the dining room rug. The simple things.