Oh, look honey; it snowed...(again)

Schools closed, cars slid down the expressway and the kids cheered again- more snow! The warm beckoning open spaces of the grocery store and the mall now hide shyly behind huge snow fortresses. Time to curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book and a friend or two and wile away the evening. And that's just what goes on at Penguin Hall- Chris, Colleen and Ian bask in the glow of an old-fashioned easy-log from the supermarket in the family room. Meanwhile, Syracuse leads the pack in the race for the Golden Snowball (http://www.goldensnowball.com/) and Marcellus does its part by pulling in another 15" just this weekend. As they say at Merriam-Webster, (in the vernacular of the new word-of-the-year) "w00t!"
Christmas is a festive time; the cocktail party at the crematorium, the parties at the Knights of Columbus and the Masons, and this Friday, the highlight of the week: the customer appreciation bash at John's Auto and Body in Solvay, NY. Southern Comfort and buffalo wings mulled in the perfume of motor oil and axle grease- it brings to mind a picture out of Dickens to be sure. John himself will be waiting for us under the mistletoe and the El Camino up on the hoist. A Merry Christmas, indeed!

Mr. and Mrs. H. enjoyed lunch at that famous central NY eatery, Doc's "Little Gem" Diner today, and were happily surprised to find out that Doc is offering a Christmas dinner of his own. Doc suffered a setback recently; the 24 hour diner had been open for over 40 years without cessation. A fire just after Labor Day forced Doc to shut down for repairs- but it had been so long without closing no keys could be found to lock the doors! Syracuse insomniacs rejoice now, however, because Doc is up and running again, albeit on a reduced schedule. He closes briefly Sunday nights, one supposes just to check the locks and make sure the lights can actually shut off, if necessary. Happy Holidays to Doc and all his crew at the Little Gem, where it's always 68 degrees and fluorescent.