It’s been something of a tradition in our house that our kids give my husband a game for Christmas.
Now my kids are 6 & 9, so I’m using the word tradition lightly, but every year for the past few years–as long as they’ve been old enough to be conscious of Christmas & their role as gift givers–they’ve wanted to give my husband a game. This is because Mr. Sey is a game guy. If there are cards, dice, or playing pieces involved, he’s there. He’s equal opportunity, too. It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. He’s as happy with Connect Four as with a fierce game of chess.
And he’s wonderful about playing games with the kids. Which is probably why they give him games & me pajamas. They have our personalities pegged.
We have this game store nearby –Flight of Fantasy–that’s always full of geeky white guys about my husband’s age. They’re inevitably engrossed in all kinds of games I’ve never heard of but they’re so stoked about gaming in general that they never seem to mind taking a break to talk to the clueless women folk invading their domain. ”What,” we ask them, “is the hot new game this year for dads & their girls?”
They drop their dice like hot potatoes & fall all over themselves to steer us in the right direction.
A few years ago they pointed us toward this game called Blokus. Have you seen it? Here’s a photo. It’s essentially a spatial reasoning strategy sort of game. But it’s utterly beautiful. Sometimes the girls take the board out & just put the pieces in at random because they’re so pretty. We risk game pieces attrition this way but I allow it because it’s just so darn fascinating to look at.
This year we were directed to this game called Ticket to Ride, in which the participants all compete to form railroad destinations all over the United States. Evidently there’s an Asian version as well as a European one. We played last night & tonight, & everybody from the 9 year old to the 70 year old played hard & was in the mix to win. (Grandma took home the victory tonight but it was a squeaker.)
Once again, the game guys came through for us.
What about you? Was there a game under the tree this year that rocked your world? Share! I’m always on the lookout for our next gift…
Photos courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Mouse over for artist attribution.
Hello Banditas and Bandita Buddies! Guess what day it is???
I’m betting you guessed from the picture….It’s my birthday. Grins.
Now, I don’t usually make a huge deal out of my birthday. In spirit, I am now, and probably will always be, an approximately 12-year-old juvenile delinquent. Ha! However, this is one of those OHHHHHHH!!!! Birthdays. You know, a decade birthday.
I was going to make people guess which one, but that can get downright embarassing. heehee. Also, I don’t look my age – thank you, darling mother, for those good skin genes! – and people invariably guess my age at at least a decade younger than it is. It helps too, that I have young children. (I was downright OLD for motherhood, or so my OB/GYN informed me at the time…grrrr!)
My aforementioned mother was also very young-looking for her age. She also had children at a much older age than most in her generation. Seriously. Now a-days, no one even blinks when you say you waited till your thirties to have kids. Back then, when my Mama was having kids, she refused to even tell US her age, as when someone found out her age the other mothers made terrible fun of her, in a mean-girl kind of way, for being so much older than most.
Oh, and did I mention I was the youngest of four? And the “Oh, my we cannot be pregnant AGAIN, can we?” baby. Hahahah!! So my Mama was heading for fifty when she had me. She was born in 1918. Yes, people, I’m serious. Not long before she passed away, at 72, someone asked her when she was going to turn fifty.
I love that, and so did she.
However, at some point, you have to admit to people that yes, you really are THAT age.
So, this year I decided to come clean and actually admit my real age. When people have asked in years past - frequently guessing a much lower number – I just nod and smile. Now, you, my darlings, get to know the big secret of the century….
Well, half a century. Today, I turn fifty. EEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!
This news has absolutely bamfoozled many of my friends. Again, it may be because I have the sensibilities, goofiness, and appetite of a pre-teen boy, but virtually no one has believed me when I’ve confessed the true number. The responses have been funny, and startling, and downright hilarious.
“You’re kidding, right? C’mon. You’re like, 37. You’re my age.” (Uh, no. You weren’t born when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. I watched it on TV.)
“Liar, how old are you REALLY?”
(I wanted to tell her that I was 888, but only looked 41, just to see what she said, but she was having a coronary just accepting 50. Also, I didn’t want to start any Nicholas Cage-type rumors. Grins.)
“But…but…but…I just went to your 40th birthday party, like, a couple of years ago!!” (Time Warp!! Look at your daughter, dear friend…she’s nearly 10….) heehee.
One friend, alas, has had such trouble accepting that I could have been her babysitter (I was 12 when she was born), that she’s telling everyone she knows that I’m turning 50 and she just can’t believe it.
Now, this is kinda like saying the baby’s ugly. I can do it – tell my age – but don’t YOU go ’round blathering it to everyone. :> Leave them their illusions about my relative youth or age, please. Snork!!!
Also, for some reason, everyone has decided that this milestone deserves cake. Lots, and lots, and lots of cake. The chocolate cake up above was presented, with singing, at Thanksgiving. This one on the right, was presented to me at a committee meeting today.
Oh, by the way we interrupt this GORGEOUS cake, with it’s beautiful copy of the cover of my next book, (Thank you Lyndsay Llewellyn!) for a news bulletin I’ve been meaning to tell ya’ll….
Thanks to that damn hurricane ’round about Halloween, (you know, that wee breeze named SANDY), Deadly Charms is delayed until January or February. My editor is in New York. Yeah. No power for three weeks puts things in a holding pattern. (“I’m sorry, Ghostrider, the pattern is full…”)
Back to the cake…it’s red velvet cake. It’s about 10 inches HIGH. That is one BIG cake. HUGE. The edges are deckled like a book. I was so moved by this. These ladies are on a committee with me. We’d never met until September of this year. This had to be one of the sweetest things ever.
And I’m a sucker for my name on a cake, and on a book cover. I got ‘em ALL on one cake! WOOT!!
That said, my husband is throwing me a party tonight. I had to discourage him from getting a giant sheet cake. (What IS it about cake this year?) Beloved that he is, he bowed to my wishes and got me pumpkin pie. YES!!!
He, thankfully did not attempt to make this a surprise. Bless his heart, he also discovered the true irritant about a December birthday as he tried to make this a big occasion for me: December birthdays take second fiddle to holiday parties, concerts and plays.
It may be a small group, but that’s okay, more pie for me!! Bwahahahah!
Pie notwithstanding, I’ve done a LOT of thinking about this birthday. What have I accomplished in my first half-century?
I’ve gotten a LOT of things on that bucket list checked off. Gone to France. Walked on fire. Rode bareback. Won a Best in Show with one of my Dalmatians. Found and married the love of my life. Had two beautiful sons. Wrote books. Got them published. Sang a capella in a choral group not affiliated with school. Sang Messiah with a 300-voice chior (see Thursday’s blog!) Nearly got my black belt in Tae Kwon Do. Drove a race car. Shot skeet. Saw wild dolphins. Tried various weird foods. Read LOTS of books including the Bible, Koran, Torah, and Tao Te Ching. (I’m still confused. SNORK!!!) I’ve also accepted that I’ll never be a size 4 (my bone structure alone is bigger than a size 4!) even when I’m in the best of shape. I’ve accepted who and what I am, and that if others don’t like it, they can lump it. Grins.
There’s a lot more, of course, big and small. However, more importantly, what do I want to do in the second half-century? OH SO MUCH!!
SCOTLAND. That trip has to be soon. :> Learn to speak Gaelic. Remember French. Get to Black Belt. Go running again. See the rest of the 50 States (I’ve seen 39 and counting.) Visit Anna and Christine, Helen and Barb in Oz. Go visit Anna S in England and KJ in Toronto. Oh, and little things like “Hit the NY Times list” and “Have my book be turned into a movie” and “ACTION FIGURES!!” Grins.
I have gotten a start on this, by the way.
I’m back in Tae Kwon Do class and moving back up the ranks. I’ll have that black belt before my NEXT birthday. :> Watch out, Demetrius!!
I also run my first road race next weekend. I’ll be stretching myself, for sure. I’d gotten this App you see…(yes, there IS an App for that! It’s called Couch to 5K and I recommend it!) I got up to that “running a 5K” point. Yeah! My pals talked me into entering a road race. We all thought it was a 5K.
Nope. It’s 5 MILES. Uphill. Both ways. Possibly with snow as it’s on Dec. 15. *hyperventilating*
Okay, trying for calm here…I picked up my race packet tonight. The Celtic Solstice Run. My number’s 2880. All those 8′s. Love that. Eight’s my lucky number. Maybe I’ll survive this road race thing after all. And hey, there’s a Celtic Sheep on my premium running shirt, and while it would have been more fun for it to be one of those long-horned Scottish cows I want to see in Scotland’s fields, this works for me. More luck. Grins.
There’s a lot more on that list of things “For the Next Bit” including the fact that I plan to be healthy and hearty up to 130, but I won’t bore you with the deets.
Of course in all this reflection and planning, there are also things I won’t ever do again: Settle for less than my best, or less than I deserve. Lie to myself about whether I’m happy doing what I’m doing. Pull my own chain link fencing. Jump out of perfectly good airplanes. Re-insulate the attic. Hang wallpaper myself.
I’ve been-there-done-that (except for the plane – I won’t even GO there!), and I’m old enough and wise enough to pay someone for the chores, and not delude myself about my mental state. Grins.
So what about you, darling Banditas and Buddies?
What’s on your Bucket List?
What do you want do accomplish by the time you’re 50?
Or if you’re beyond that milestone, you gorgeous thing you, what do you want to do before the next OHHHH! Birthday?
What daring thing are you going to challenge yourself to in this next wonderful year? Finish the book? Jump out of a perfectly good airplane (and if so, WHY, for heaven’s sake!?!)
What kind of cake do you love on YOUR birthday….or do you like PIE better? (Yes, I know we talked about this during a pie/cake fight a year or so ago, but hey, I’m 888, I forget these things.)
I’ve decided that I’m going to run a road race IN Scotland. Somehow. Before I’m 60. Grins. I’ll report back…
BTW, this is my new Author Photo…what do you think? (Cassondra made me post this and ask. Grins.)
Now…tell me about YOUR Bucket List!!
ALSO…Be sure to come back to the Lair on December 13when we kick off the annual 12 BANDITA DAYS OF CHRISTMAS! Prizes and recipes every day!! Roosters. Starbucks goodies. Books. Dragons. Books. Cookies. Godiva. Books!! (By Banditas and friends like Sabrina Jeffries, Liz Carlyle, JD Tyler, Deb Marlowe, Addison Fox and many more!) You know you want the cookies, for sure, so come home to the Lair for the Holidays! Who knows, you might win something, and you’ll be guaranteed to have fun!!
I’m here with Jeanne, my evil twin, and Nancy, the third Boom Bandit. For any new readers, I should explain. We have been so named because we like suspense, mayhem, and of course, blowing up stuff.
Blowing up stuff in our books. Mostly. Ahem…
Anyway, here we are, and we’re talking about our top five Christmas albums, and some of our favorite Christmas songs.
Tis the season, yaknow?
Yes, I get it. Some people don’t like Christmas music, don’t like being reminded that it IS Christmas, and would prefer not to hear about it. In truth I went through a spell where I felt that way. I was sick to death of the crowds and the money mongering, all to the same melancholy musical backdrop that takes over radio frequencies from November until New Year’s Eve.
Then I watched the film Elf, and something shifted. Partly because in that film, for the first time ever, I heard the song, Baby It’s Cold Outside.
I hear you asking the question. “How could this be, Cassondra? How is it that you could live this long without hearing that song?”
I. Don’t. Know.
I started playing gigs all around the state (singing and playing guitar), when I was fifteen. I started playing piano for money(all over the southeastern United States) when I was seventeen. But that was mostly gospel and country. I grew up in a fundamentalist church. My whole childhood was swallowed whole by gospel, country, classical (checked out from the library) and folk music (albums sneaked out of the attic upstairs, when my mom wasn’t looking). Almost no jazz, or jazz-influenced music at all. I got a hint of Big Band from the Lawrence Welk Show, but that was it. That could be the reason I missed out on the jazzier side of Christmas. The only Christmas music played around our home–or actually, around our town, that I remember–was the kind that centered on the religious. Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie…
Santa Clause was comin’ to town, but only in a church-approved sleigh, yaknow?
Granted, Christmas is a religious holiday, for many. But still…where were all of these songs I missed? Merry Christmas Baby, you sure did treat me right…
I have this one memory. I think it was from fourth grade. Each of us had to bring a Clorox bleach jug from home. (For those of you who don’t know, these jugs are opaque white plastic, like the one on the right. We cut the top off of the jug, just at the top of the label, where that ridge is in the picture. We removed said label, turned the bottom half of the jug upside down, then cut holly leaves and berries out of construction paper and glued them onto the front of the upside-down jug, to make a marching-band-style “hat”. Then we had to wear these godawful abominations and stand on a stage, on risers in front of family and friends, while we sang really bad, really depressing carols at the Christmas program.
It. Was. Awful.
Maybe that’s what turned me against Christmas carols to begin with.
Honestly though, when you think about that Baby It’s Cold Outside song, and its real meaning, there’s no mistake. It’s a romance novel in the making. A really steamy one. Our intrepid hero is working his butt off to get our heroine to stay for the night. She’s resisting in a rather ridiculous must-play-hard-to-get fashion. He’s hoping for wild monkey sex, right?
You know he is. I mean, he’s a guy.
In case you haven’t heard the song, here’s one of my favorite versions, from one of the favorite albums I list, below.
My suspicion is that this song was considered inappropriate by a lot of people when I was growing up. Maybe there just weren’t a lot of recorded versions out there. I dunno. It certainly would have been inappropriate in MY house. You know…because of the whole “potential for wild monkey sex” thing. Nothing sexual about Silent Night. Well, maybe the “round yon virgin” thing. But I digress.
Flash forward to adulthood, and to the movie Elf and Christmas music came alive for me again. I started buying albums full of Christmas music from Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and their ilk.
Jeanne grew up in a church-going area too. She sang in the church choir when she was old enough, and of course, carols were the order of the day. But mostly, her favorite thing about the season is that it’s COLD. Baby, it’s cold outside, dear Lord LET IT SNOW in this winter wonderland. This is where our twin thing diverges. I’ll go to a nice warm beach, thanks.
Nancy had her share of carols and Christmas music. About this formative experience, she said, “I sang in Junior Choir. Considering I can’t carry a tune in the proverbial bucket, this was probably more fun for me than for my more gifted choir-mates. Enthusiasm counted for a lot, though, and I was enthusiastic. In high school, I went caroling with friends a couple of times, again hoping enthusiasm made up for being pitch-challenged.”
So for the three of us, carols were the order of the day.
But back to my (relatively) recent discovery of the NON-carol Christmas song…
Many of these songs have nothing to do with Christmas itself. They’ve just become standards of the season. And yet, the newer music is, mostly, my favorite. I still do love the traditional carols though, and I’ve figured out that for me to like them, they have to be upbeat and maybe even a bit jazzy.
So to that end, we give you the Boom Bandits’ Top Five Christmas albums, which will end up being fifteen, since there are three of us. Then again, Jeanne and I are the evil twins of the lair, so we may have some duplicates. Still…although we have a number of evil twin crossovers, we do not always tow the evil twin line.
#5:
Cassondra: Anything Manheim Steamroller because they just rock. It’s feel-good music.
Jeanne: Windham Hill’s Winter Solstice. Because of the sheer musicality of it, and this amazing, ancient-sounding stuff you don’t hear on common playlists.
Nancy: The Roches~~We Three Kings. This is a capella, beautiful harmony.
#4:
Cassondra: Amy Grant’s Home For Christmas. Just a really warm, easygoing, family-at-home, glass-of-cider album.
Jeanne: Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas–It’s jazzy and fun and it’s got my absolute favorite, O Holy Night, with someone who can hit all the notes crisp and clear.
Nancy: Joan Baez~~Noel. Lovely voice. Folk music delivery of various carols.
#3:
Cassondra: James Taylor’s At Christmas. This is from 2006. There is not a bad track on this cd. If I started naming my favorites, I’d name almost every one. I’d never heard In the Bleak Midwinter until this album.
Jeanne: Anything Manheim Steamroller. They just rock. (Cassondra: I see the evil twin thing starting)
Nancy: The Homecoming Orchestra~~Christmas Baroque. This is brass renditions of traditional carols. This was one of those bargain bin purchases.
#2:
Cassondra: Amy Grant~~A Christmas Album (her first one). I love most of the songs, but the top ones are Tender Tennessee Christmas, Breath of Heaven, Grown Up Christmas List, and Emmanuel.
Jeanne: Amy Grant~~ A Christmas Album–Ahem…Notice the exact repeat of my evil twin’s opinion…verbatim….I love most of the songs, but the top ones are Tender Tennessee Christmas, Breath of Heaven, Grown Up Christmas List, and Emmanuel. And yes, I am serious. We scare each other at times.
Nancy: Manheim Steamroller~~Christmas Extraordinaire. Fabulous Orchestral renditions of holiday favorites. Heavy on brass. (Cassondra: I’m getting the idea that Nancy likes brass. Hmmm..and we all like Manheim Steamroller. Which is kind of cool.)
#1:
Cassondra: Rod Stewart’s new Christmas album~~Merry Christmas Baby. The songs We Three Kings and Auld Lang Syne are worth buying the album for, but you’ll like the others too. Stewart is an icon for a reason. And he has some wonderful duets on here.
Jeanne: Handel’s The Messiah–You just can’t beat the sheer magnificence of this choral performance. My father loved opera, so he had Handel’s The Messiah on the stereo a lot, and I grew up singing it. It’s still one of my favorites.
Nancy: Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra~~Christmas at the Pops. I mean, come on. It’s Arthur Fiedler. It doesn’t get better than that. (Cassondra admits that she has to agree, and likes this album too.)
Okay, okay…we can’t do this without some honorable mentions:
Jeanne’s new current favorite is Blake Shelton’s brand new Chrismas CD. In particular Oklahoma Christmas. (Cassondra: Just the name makes me want to buy it.) A second honorable mention goes to BoyzIIMen’s Christmas Interpretations, and in particular, their version of Mary Did You Know. The bass on that song is so deep and resonant. You just wouldn’t know they were that good until you hear this song. Third is Take Six’s He Is Christmas–I love this a capella group and their incredible sound.
For Cassondra: Anything from the Rankin Bass Claymation Christmas shows like Rudolph The Rednosed Reindeer, Silver and Gold–anything by Burl Ives. The soundtrack from The Muppet Christmas Carol. Martha Stewart’s Christmas collection. This is a compilation, of course, but it’s an easygoing grouping of jazzy favorites, and is perfect for fixing dinner with a glass of wine, or eating dinner with friends and wine, or relaxing by the fire with wine…ahem…
Nancy: There’s this album my parents got as a gas station giveaway, back when gas stations had to care whether you bought your gas from them or someone else, but it’s on vinyl, so I never get to play it anymore. :-/ It’s called This is Chrismas. I really like the various artists and styles.
Cassondra: OH…A favorite song I MUST mention is Trisha Yearwood’s version of Mary Did You Know. It’s haunting, and like Amy Grant’s Breath of Heaven, makes you think about what that time must have been like for Mary and Joseph, outside of the idealized manger scene. A pregnant young virgin, trekking cross-country and the man who was taking care of her, who must have had some serious “are you freaking kidding me?” moments when he was taking the whole thing on faith, based on the word of some shimmery dude who poofed into his room out of thin air. Bandits and buddies, now that’s a romance novel, complete with conflict, and if we tried to sell that story to editors, they’d say, “No way. That would never happen.”
So, Bandits and Buddies,
Tell us YOUR favorites.
Do you have a favorite Christmas Album?
A favorite Christmas song?
Do you like traditional carols, or the newer, jazzier, FUN Christmas songs?
Or do you put on the dark shades and stick in the earplugs and listen to classic rock for six weeks, waiting for the whole thing to be over and done with?
Do you celebrate Christmas at all? Or do you celebrate Hanukkah? Or perhaps another holiday? If so, is there special music attached to the midwinter celebration or holy day that you love?
And as long as we’re mentioning the movie Elf, what’s your favorite Christmas movie?
Be sure to come back to the Lair on December 13 when we kick off the annual 12 BANDITA DAYS OF CHRISTMAS!Prizes and recipes every day!! Roosters. Starbucks goodies. Books. Dragons. Books. Cookies. Godiva. Books!! (By Banditas and friends like Dianne Love, Sabrina Jeffries, Marquita Valentine, Liz Carlyle, JD Tyler, Lydia Dare, Deb Marlowe, Addison Fox and many more!) You know you want the cookies, for sure, so come home to the Lair for the Holidays!Who knows, you might win something, and you’ll be guaranteed to have fun!!
It’s December, so of course the holidays are on our minds. The Lair is decked in flickering candles and pine-scented garland, with a chorus of deep-voiced cabana boys softly caroling in three-part harmony. Wearing strategically placed mistletoe. Kick back and enjoy this holiday-themed Q&A!
Egg nog or hot chocolate?
Hot chocolate, for sure, the nectar of the gods. I’ll pick chocolate every time! The only time I want warm eggs is when they’re in omelet form. My hot chocolate will be served to me by Daniel Craig, of course.
What’s your favorite holiday movie?
For me, the best holiday movies have romance. I mean, I love The Grinch and A Christmas Story, but the ones I go back to time and time again are the ones that satisfy me down to the core are those with a happily-ever-after “I do” sort of ending. It’s a Wonderful Life is an all-time favorite. Brings me to tears every time.
What’s a favorite holiday memory?
I come from a big, raucous family, and whenever possible, we all get together for the holidays. One year, one of my nephews was about 18 months old, and several of us chipped in on a huge present for him – a car he could sit in and drive himself, with pedals and cool steering wheel, a horn and all the accessories. This was the deluxe version and if I could’ve fit in the little seat, I would’ve driven it myself. We were so excited to see his reaction! He couldn’t have cared less about the car, but he played with that big box for hours. He loved it! We could’ve saved a whole lot of money if we had just bought him a big box.
On the traumatic memory side… Thanksgiving was at my house this year, so we added two card tables to the dining table so everyone could sit together. I left the room for one minute, I swear, and when I came back – tragedy! My husband had propped up the shorter tables by putting books under the legs! Who treats books like that?! I gasped when I saw what he’d done and said, “What would Brooklyn Wainwright think?” He put a comforting arm around my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “Sweetheart, Brooklyn is a fictional character.”
How will Brooklyn Wainwright, the heroine of your Bibliophile Mystery series, spend Christmas?
Christmas Day will be spent with Brooklyn’s own raucous family in Dharma up in the Wine Country. But since this will be Brooklyn’s first Christmas with British security expert Derek as her official boyfriend, she wants to do something special for him on Christmas Eve. After all, the man moved halfway around the world to be with her. Brooklyn still can’t quite believe her luck, and she’s determined to give Derek a holiday he won’t forget. She ordered traditional Christmas crackers from Harrod’s, and she’s planning to surprise Derek with a Christmas Eve dinner featuring plum pudding. As she’s not much of a cook, chances are good the pudding won’t work out, but I think Derek will be touched that she tried. Truth is, he’ll consider the day a success if she doesn’t discover any murder victims!
Vanessa Kelly and I met at the Moonlight and Magnolias conference last year and bonded instantly. I can’t wait to read His Mistleto Bride, her latest release. Vanessa was named by Booklist, the review journal of the American Library Association, as one of the “New Stars of Historical Romance.” Her Regency-set historical romances have been nominated for awards in a number of contests, and her second book, Sex and The Single Earl, won the prestigious Maggie Medallion for Best Historical Romance. Vanessa also writes contemporary romance with her husband under the name of V.K. Sykes. You can find her on the web at www.vanessakellyauthor.com or at www.vksykes.com. Without further ado, here’s Vanessa -
If there was one thing they knew how to do during the Regency period it was party. That was especially true during the Christmas Season, which ran from Christmas Eve through to Twelfth Night on January 6. The final party on Twelfth Night was usually a real wing-ding, roughly comparable to the kind of blow-out we now celebrate on New Year’s Eve.
Much of the action in my new historical romance, His Mistletoe Bride, takes place during the holiday season. One of my favorite scenes happens at a family get-together, when the wassail bowl first makes its appearance. Wassail, a very boozy and sometimes alarming beverage depending on the ingredients, was the high point of many a Christmas party, and family recipes were often closely guarded secrets.
In this scene from His Mistletoe Bride, my hero, Lucas, and some of the characters are explaining the ins and outs of the wassail tradition to my heroine Phoebe, who was raised in a very quiet Quaker household in America. This is her first English Christmas, and it all seems pretty strange to her.
Cousin Stephen began ladling out the wassail. The guests crowded around the table, each taking a cup.
“Here you go, Phoebe,” said Robert, handing her one. “You wouldn’t believe it, but in the old days everyone had to drink directly out of the wassail bowl.”
He glanced over at one of the guests, an elderly gentleman who seemed to be wearing half his dinner on his cravat. “Take Sir Mortimer, for example. Could you imagine having to drink out of the bowl after he’s had a go of it?” He gave a dramatic shudder.
Annabel elbowed him in the ribs. “That’s disgusting, Robert. And you know poor Sir Mortimer has terrible eyesight. I’m sure he doesn’t mean to keep dropping his food down his front.”
“Just be grateful you didn’t have to sit across from him,” Robert parried. “Almost put me off my feed.”
“Nothing puts you off your feed,” said Lucas. “Your stomach is a bottomless pit. How you manage to remain so thin is a miracle of nature.”
“No such thing,” Robert protested.
Annabel laughingly agreed, and the young couple fell into a good-natured argument. Smiling, Phoebe raised her cup and took a cautious sip. Both sweet and highly spiced, the brew was strong enough to burn a trail of delicious fire down her throat.
“Careful,” Lucas murmured. “Wassail is very potent. If you drink too much I’ll have to carry you up to bed.”
Actually, Phoebe wouldn’t mind that very much since she and Lucas are just recently married.
What were the ingredients that made wassail such a potent beverage? Well, the base was usually mulled apple cider with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, sometimes topped with slices of toast. Apples and oranges could be added to the mix too. In earlier times, the base often consisted of either mulled beer or mead, and any wassail recipe could be topped off with brandy or sherry. Do we really need to wonder why folks had such a great time at Regency Christmas parties?!
What about you, readers? What’s your favorite beverage during the holidays? Does your family have a secret recipe for punch, eggnog, or even wassail? One person who comments will win a copy of His Mistletoe Bride.
BLAME IT ON THE MISTLETOE…
When Major Lucas Stanton inherited his earldom, he never dreamed his property would include the previous earl’s granddaughter. Phoebe Linville is a sparkling American beauty, yes, but with a talent for getting into trouble. Witness the compromising position that forced them into wedlock. Whisked away to Mistletoe Manor, his country estate, it isn’t long before she is challenging his rules—and surprising him in and out of bed…
Phoebe has no intention of bowing to Lucas’s stubbornness even though he offers all that she wants. His kisses and unexpected warmth are enticing, but Phoebe is determined to show the Earl of Merritt what real love is all about. And if that takes twelve nights of delicious seduction by a roaring fire, she’s more than willing to reveal her gifts very slowly…
Welcome to the holiday season, everyone! Are you making your lists and checking them twice? Planning your holiday parties and marathon shopping trips? Or do you fantasize about escaping the whole season and running off to a tropical island somewhere?
There’s a strong fantasy element in writing for Harlequin Desires, which I love. I’m not talking about fantasy in the sense of dragons or faeries… I’m talking about fantasies such as marrying one of the richest men in the world, traveling to exotic, luxurious locations, never having to worry about money again. Of course the heroines are smart and savvy and can take care of themselves… but for readers (and me!), the fantasy of being able to pay your bills no matter what is pretty intoxicating.
My December Desire, AN INNOCENT IN PARADISE, takes place on the lush tropical paradise of Alleria. The Caribbean island is privately owned by the ultra-rich, handsome, and truly decent Sutherland brothers. These cousins of my popular Duke brothers possess the hero trifecta: money, looks, and a great sense of honor. Plus, hello, they own a gorgeous Caribbean island (just one of their many jaw-dropping real estate investments). I love these guys! Ah, Fantasy.
And to make the fantasy even more delicious, I brought research scientist Grace Farrell to the island from a place that could possibly be the coldest place on the planet… Minnesota! Seriously – I read an article online from Christian Science Monitor that said that International Falls, Minnesota, is one of the five coldest places on earth. In January, they hit 46 below zero. Forty-six. Below. {{Shiver with me!}} They call themselves the Nation’s Icebox… as if that’s a positive thing. Who wants to go to an icebox?! (Not me! I grab my sweatshirt when the temperature drops below 70.)
It’s no wonder Grace can’t believe her good fortune. She’s about to step into a fantasy that’s beyond her wildest imagination. Here’s a quickie excerpt:
Glancing around the luxurious hotel room with its elegant white wainscoting, coffered ceilings and wide open view of the sparkling Caribbean waters, Grace allowed herself to revel in a moment of happy amazement. How in the world had she landed in such a beautiful place?
Of course the question was rhetorical, she thought with a smile, since she knew exactly how she’d arrived. But it was remarkable that less than forty-eight hours ago, she’d been racing through the Minneapolis airport to make her flight. It had been difficult to run in her wool coat and thick sweater, heavy jeans, gloves and boots. What a difference between then and now …
I’m thrilled that AN INNOCENT IN PARADISE is coming out in December! And guess what. My good friend Maureen Child also has a book out this month with Desire – THE TEMPORARY MRS. KING – and it, too, has a tropical island setting. Talk about a Double Fantasy!
We’re both positive that December readers will be eager to escape to the islands, so to celebrate our double release, we’re each giving away a copy of our book to a random commenter today. That’s two winners today!
But even better, you can enter our fabulous contest for the grand prize in our Tropical Christmas giveaway! It’s a beach bag filled with lots of fun, beachy prizes to pamper you and make you smile. Click here to Enter: Tropical Christmas giveaway!
Have you ever been to the Caribbean or someplace else that’s tropical? Where did you go and what was the most memorable part of your trip? If you haven’t ever traveled to the tropics, do you want to some day? If so, where would you most like to go?
To me, the holidays mean wonderful scents, beautiful colors, happy times with family and friends. It means rushing here and there to find the perfect something for my perfect someone. It means squeezing my eyes shut and wishing for … good health and happiness for friends and loved ones … peace and understanding among countries and people … and – let’s get right down to it! – gifts and goodies under the tree!
That’s right! If it’s Christmas time in the Lair, it must be Bandita Gift-Giving Time! So today, one lucky random commenter will win our fabulous Bandita Christmas Bonanza!
This year, we’re including wonderful goodies like these:
* Deadly Little Secrets and Godiva Chocolate from Jeanne
* A signed copy of The Lies That Bind and a mini-bookbinding kit, plus a signed copy of Sweet Surrender, Baby Surprise, bookmarks and bibliophile stickies from Kate
* A $10 Borders card from Joanie
* A copy of The Seduction of A Duke and a notebook from Donna
* Copies of Elly: Cowgirl Bride and Winter Longing (written as Tricia Mills) from Trish
* A glass-handled decorative cheese knife from Nancy
* Copies of Must Have Been The Mistletoe and Riding The Waves from Tawny
* A $10 Amazon GC, a RB frig magnet and post-it notes from Jo
* A signed copy of Money, Honey and a handful of post-it notes and bookmarks from Susan
* Rooster earrings and brooch from Anna Sugden
* A Romance Bandits journal from Caren
* Signed copies of Do You Take This Cop and A Marine For Christmas from Beth
* Signed copies of My Reckless Surrender and The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance from Anna Campbell
* A copy of Sweetest Little Sin from Christine
* An Amazon gift card of $10.00 from Suzanne
* A copy of Scandal of the Season from Christie
* A copy of Delcroix Academy: The Candidates from Inara
* A $10 Barnes and Noble card from KJ
What does Christmas mean to you this year? What do you hope to find under the tree? What is your wish for the New Year?
Do you have a favorite seasonal scent? And what’s on your menu this holiday? Turkey? Ham? Roast Beef? Tamales? Chocolate?
To all the Banditas and friends who have joined us throughout the year, Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!
I was talking with a friend recently about the doll I’d bought my niece for Christmas, an adorable little Rapunzel doll from the new movie Tangled. I got it at the big Disney store in Times Square when I was in New York last month. We (me and the friend, not me and the doll) got to reminiscing about what kind of baby dolls we liked when we were kids. Here’s the thing, I don’t remember ever really liking baby dolls that much. Maybe when I was really little, but for the most part I was a tomboy. I liked Hot Wheels cars and Tonka trucks, bikes and Big Wheels, climbing trees and playing in the creek. But there was one exception.
Barbies.
Yes, I know Barbie has her detractors. True, she’s somebody’s idealized version of the female form, not realistic for a real person. But when you think about it, Barbie could also be seen as a positive role model in that she’s had just about every career known to man. Who else do you know who has been…
a computer engineer
a McDonald’s worker
an airline stewardess
a nurse
a news correspondent
and even President of the United States?
In fact, according to this list at Wikipedia, Barbie’s had at least 65 different careers. She’s one busy gal.
But if I have to be honest, it’s not really about Barbie herself. It’s about her clothes! I still like to walk down that overwhelmingly pink aisle at the store and look at all the new designs and collectible Barbies. And at this time of year, there’s always a gorgeous holiday Barbie. More than once, I’ve wished I had some of Barbie’s lush outfits.
2010 Holiday Barbie
I’m a fan of the Barbies of the World collection. Here’s the Russian Barbie.
And I love the special edition collectibles, like…
Cleopatra
Athena
Marie Antoinette
And then there are the elaborate designs by fashion designer Bob Mackie. Here’s his take on Lady Liberty.
Are you a Barbie fan? If so, do you have any favorite Barbies? Have any special Barbie memories?
Since it’s the season of giving, one commenter from today will receive a surprise Barbie. You won’t know which one until you open your package.
It’s FINALLY here! The Romance Bandits 12 Days of Christmas Booty. Every day between now and Christmas, one lucky commenter per day will win a daily prize and on some days, additional goodies from that day’s blogging Bandita or guest. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we’ll give away more booty including autographed books, GR mugs and much more! Come join us! Tell your friends! Let’s make the Season BRIGHT!
I know, I know. Those of you who have come to know me in all of my black-wearing, firearm-and-knife-wielding, suspense-writing glory will find this difficult to assimilate. But it’s true.
It doesn’t matter much where the dishes originated. It could be delicate Lenox or sturdy Pfaltzgraff, $30-per-set Gibson from Target or $30-per-teacup Prince Albert porcelain from England. When I see a pretty set of dishes, I immediately start building a table setting around it. Then I start building my fantasy life around it.
I compare it to what I already have, and think about which placemats, tablecloth, chargers and stemware I could combine to make something eclectic. Something different. Something stunning. And then I start wanting it. I can spend hours in the housewares department. I imagine MY table set with that, MY house perfectly clean and neat, and all my friends around me, sipping good wine, laughing and having a grand time while I finish dinner and we prepare to sit around that gorgeous table.
My husband, Steve, will come in and give me a kiss and hand me the flowers he brought, then he’ll stir the Bolognese sauce while I greet the first guests for the evening. If only I had those dishes, you see, all else in my life would fall into perfect alignment. Just like a magazine ad.
Yes. It’s a disease. And yes, I do need a 12-step program for this.
Or some sort of therapeutic intervention. Or, perhaps, service for 12 of the Lenox Holiday pattern china. I’ve always wanted that set….
Help me.
I’ve been doing better recently. I swear.
Last year I gave away three whole sets of dishes.
It was the summer of 2009. After 8 years of living in this old house, I was finally unpacking everything that remained in my garage. And in so doing, I took stock of all of my dishes. I had to do this because I was trying to find places in the kitchen to store the boxes and boxes of fragile emotional crutches I’d been hoarding. I considered storing dishes under the bed for about twenty seconds, but nixed that idea. I don’t want to have to clean around them, and it’s bad Feng Shui.
You see, I’ve made this asinine rule about bringing more stuff into the house. If I bring anything in, something else has to go out. It’s a hard-ass approach to an unendurable clutter issue. I’m determined I’m going to create a Zen environment, one in which I can actually focus to…you know…write.
So in that summer of 2009, I took inventory. In all, I had eight complete sets of china. I had one service for 36. All matching.
That’s right. I could have served a sit-down dinner for 36 people all on matching dishes.
Now, let’s stop, for just a moment, and consider my actual life.
My dining room—or perhaps we should call it a “nook”– is 12’X12’.
I’m presently sitting at the round oak dining table, with my laptop propped up on a copy of Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love’s BLOOD TRINITY as I write this. The rest of the table is covered with stacks of paper of all kinds. Bills, manuscripts, week-old mail, magazines, receipts I need for tax prep, and stuff to be filed. I shoved the paper back to make room for the laptop so I could type this blog. I’m trying to plan time in my schedule to get a dishwasher installed in the (very small) kitchen. Am I seriously going to do a sit-down dinner for 36?
Sure.
Maybe.
In my next life. Where I come back as Cosmic Empress of the Universe.
You know…the life when I have a staff of fifteen and three Five-Star commercial ranges in the kitchen. The kitchen which tastefully combines primitive pie safes and an antique butcher block island with granite countertops, two sinks and two Subzero refrigerators.
Yeah. That life.
On top of that, I don’t KNOW 36 people who I would bring in for a sit-down dinner all at once, unless I had all the cabana boys, the gladiators, the Bandits, and most of the Buddies over at the same time (Sorry, Ermingarde, but you won’t fit through the doorway). And besides, we’ve got the main hall of the Lair for those big parties.
Ah, but I had these visions of round tables draped with festive linens OUTSIDE you see, for a summer party on the lawn by the waterfall.
I can see the audience lean forward, and hear the question vibrating across the ether…..”You have a waterfall?”
No. I don’t. But I’d like to have one. And when I get my waterfall, I’ll sure-as-shootin’ have the dishes to support the darn thing.
See? It’s part of the fantasy.
It’s not that I’ve spent a lot of money on these dishes. I haven’t. My complete service for 36 was on clearance at Target. I paid $27 for all of it. Six sets of six. That’s less than a dollar per place setting!
Who could resist a deal like that?
And it was beautiful. Folk art representations of a village in all of the four seasons painted on the dishes. One season on each piece. I could just see it juxtaposed on a sage-green tablecloth with woven, mustard-yellow placemats and deep Aztec-red napkins, with a rich centerpiece made of red apples, golden pears, and jewel-tone turban squash, with autumn leaves scattered across the table. I’d weave in some gold-glitter-coated dried flower stems and gold-paint coated giant acorns, Then I’d set out some votives in deep red cut glass holders. My emerald-green stems with gold rims would be perfect. I’d turn the lights down and light the oil lamps and the table would glow.
Wouldn’t you like to eat a meal with good friends at a table like that?
I am a Goth, Martha-Stewart Mini-Me. I love all things beautiful and tasteful. I just happen to love them while I’m wearing black.
And I think pretty table settings are one of life’s most complete sensual experiences.
Think about it. Nobody serves Kraft mac & cheese on fine china. If the good stuff is laid out, you’re gonna get a home-cooked—or at least a home-catered—meal. And you’re going to sit down to that meal at a table laid out and decorated in a way that makes you stop and savor it.
I am hopeless.
I have dishes I’ve inherited. Some of them fairly valuable, though I’d have no idea how to sell such things. Some of them are quite ordinary, but hold fond memories because my grandmother served “dinner” (lunch for you city folk who don’t understand these things) to work hands on those dishes. Some of them are odd pieces of what I know to be collectible china, and some are 100-year-old pieces that I just think are beautiful. Platters, gravy boats, vegetable bowls and footed cake plates.
Jeanne’s post about decorating the Lair yesterday set this off. It’s her fault. And the Christmas season makes it worse, yaknow….All the parties…all the opportunities to use that Lenox Holdiay china…. Let’s talk punch bowls for just a minute here.
When we did our First-Ever Bandit Bash in San Francisco in 2008, I created a wine punch recipe and then contacted our West-Coast Bandits, asking who had a punch bowl we could use for the Bash.
Not one.
That’s right. There are no punch bowls in California.
Apparently, people on the West Coast do not drink punch at baby showers.
I live in the south. I cannot comprehend this.
I called Jeanne, who lives in Maryland, but grew up in North Carolina, which is technically the Upper South.
“Do you have a punch bowl?” I said.
“Yes,” she said. “I have two.”
Ha! I was vindicated.
I have not one, but TWO punch bowls of my own. No matter that I use them only once every three years. I have one large cut-crystal punch bowl, complete with cut-crystal cups hanging on little s-hooks around its rim, which used to belong to my mom. And I have one smaller, blown-glass, footed punch bowl I earned as a bonus when I was a crystal dealer. It’s magical. Faeries would drink punch out of this bowl.
Yes. I was once a crystal dealer. Not only am I a dish whore, I was once a dish pimp.
I did a presentation to a group of ladies when I was a dish pimp, and have never forgotten the words of one woman, as she was moved to the point of poetry by the sparkle of the lights glinting off of the 24 percent lead crystal, and said, ”my lips LOVE to drink out of pretty glasses.”
Mmmmmm. Mine too.
Yesterday I stopped by a little consignment store at a corner I pass on my way into town. They had two pedestal punch bowls, complete with complete sets of matching cups. Dirt cheap. I very nearly came home with one.
I resisted. Just barely.
I have a deep disdain for paper plates. Even at picnics. I tolerate them only to experience the awesome food heaped upon them, and to be polite to the people I love.
But honestly? I want the picnic sets with the porcelain-like, hard plastic plates and the real silverware, all nestled in a pretty chintz-fabric-lined, lidded basket.
It’s not that I’m uber-formal. I’m not. I hate snobbery, and dislike formality as a rule. One time I was in a five-star restaurant in Florida. You could have heard a pin drop in that place. (Totally NOT a fit for my personality) There was a little girl at the next table. The lace on her skirt was so stiff it cracked every time she moved. She had to speak in a whisper and looked about to cry. Absolutely miserable. I felt so bad for her.
The little guy who filled the iced tea was pestering the bejeebers out of me, filling it up every time I took a drink and messing up my sacred tea/sugar ratio. (It’s a sin to have to sweeten one’s own tea anyhow, especially in the South. What were they thinking?) I pointed to a spot low on my glass. I gave him my most threatening squint. “When the tea gets down to here,” I said, “you can come back. But not before that.”
His eyes got wide. He didn’t come back for a long time. I was way too loud for that restaurant. I am not Miss Formal. Honest. I just like dishes.
No. I LOVE dishes. And pretty table settings. I love eating at a beautiful table.
I grew up on a farm in the country, eating on mismatched plates. I don’t know where this came from. Seriously. I need professional help. Something is wrong with me.
Am I the only one?
Is there another Buddy out there who will raise your hand and say, “Yes, I am a dish whore!” along with me?
Or are y’all the paper-plate –for-dinner types?
I recognize that you paper plate types are, truly, the practical ones. It’s not that I can’t accept, intellectually, that you’re right.
I just don’t understand you.
I can’t relate.
Is there anybody out there like me? Do you love pretty dishes?
Do you stop and stare when you pass the Macy’s housewares window?
Do you covet the Lenox Holiday set, even though you’d only use it one month out of the year? Be honest. You know you want it.
Don’t you?
Do you like sitting at a beautifully-laid table?
Or are you just as happy with paper plates and cups, and serving out of Tupperware?
Seriously, how can it POSSIBLY be the 8th of December already? Have you decked your halls? Is there mistletoe in your foyer?
There is still one Hanukah candle to light tonight and tomorrow night, so I can still send Hanukah cards, right?
Oh. My. Goodness. Where did the year go? Sven?!?! When did you and the Hockey Hunks put up the wreaths on the tower? Who distracted Ermingar…oh. Paolo. So sorry, dear. Low man on the totem pole deal. You’re like Shaggy from Scooby Doo, you make great “live bait” for distracting the dragon so the guys can start the Hanging of the Greens. Well done, sir, well done. (And not too singed either! He must be fast!)
And that TREE!! *picture me clasping my hands in rapture* Sven!! You’ve out done yourself! Oh my, that’s a beauty! Big, full, gorgeous! (They dusted the snow off before they brought it in)
I love that you’ve already started hanging ornaments. Awwww, you started with some decorations from Jo Davis’s famous firehouse! (Wasn’t last week’s visit the bomb?! Oh, sorry, I should say, wasn’t it great! Don’t want to mention bombs around the firefighters!)
WOW! And ornaments with everyone’s book covers! WOW!! Where did you get those? KJ got them? I should have known. Oh, and Kirsten found us a seriously wacky ornament each! Oh, I LOVE them!!! Thanks, Kirsten! Your blog about the misfit toys made me laugh and decide to start a wacky ornament tradition at our house too!
And is that Donna’s egg nog recipe? Daaaaannnnng! That’s dangerous! But delicious. Sven, just how much eggnog did you MAKE? Whoa! We may need some cots if people drink too much of that stuff.
What’s in the other punch bowl? Lordy, The Goddess Sangria’s been here too? That’s beautiful, and so is the silver bowl. (Sven found it in Ermingarde’s treasure stash. I’ve never been willing to ask how he convinced her to part with it – but it holds gallons, has a silver ladle to match that’s the size of a stein so be careful if you get Sangria! You’ll get a LOT!)
Oh, I just LOVE decorating the Lair and the tree! One of my best and fondest memories from growing up was decorating the house for Christmas. My family usually waited until the hanging of the greens at church, or just before my birthday, whichever came first. None of this “day after Thanksgiving” stuff. It had to at LEAST be December 1 before the tree went up. There were icicles, and ornaments old and new. There were wreaths for the door and a creche and all the cool stuff for Christmas decorating.
Things are on a bit larger scale in the Lair, but it’s the same idea, and with so much help, it’s just a delicious event! C’mon! Grab some tinsel! Shake it out. Bunches or strands, there’s plenty of tree to decorate.
Unlike the Lair, the one thing we didn’t have a lot of growing up were outdoor lights. Did you? Was anyone in your neighborhood the family that did the lights up so big they caused blackouts? Grins.
I remember the year my Mom relented on the “no outdoor lights” rule – said with the same frowning disapproval she held for overt public displays of affection – and let me and Daddy wrap the outdoor lampost like a candy cane in red and white lights. She pronounced it “relatively tasteful”, but still gave a bit of a disdainful sniff. I remember Daddy’s conspiratorial grin.
The next year, we managed to persuade her to let us put white lights in the little bitty spruce tree. She wouldn’t unbend more than that, however, so we stuck to our “win” such as it was.
Inside there was holly in vases, smaller evergreen wreaths as a centerpiece on the dining table, silver to polish, and all the smells of home combined with the exciting smell of Holiday baking, Christmas tree, and fires in the fireplace.
I was fascinated with Dorene, yesterday’s guest, talking about sensory perception and learning and memory. (I’m fascinated with that anyway, but…) Oddly enough, it’s the smells of Christmas, as much or more than the sights that make me feel the season’s cheer.
Nothing says Christmas like gingerbread. Isn’t this a lovely attempt to capture the Lair? A few too many towers, and a bit too Cinderella-y, but a farily good go at it. Grins.
What about you? Sights? Scents? Tastes? What says, “Oh, my GOSH! It’s finally HERE!” Spinning the dredle and getting the gelt? Sugar cookies? Presents under the tree? Gingerbread? Stockings?
Do you hang real greens at your house, or all they all the wonderful artificial wreaths and trees? (Ummm, Sven? I think there’s a heron in the greens….SHOO!) Where was I? Oh, artificial trees. They look so good, I consider an artificial one every year. Then I remember how the real ones smell and go for that again.
Grab a mug of spiced cider or nog – Sven’s spiced cider is the envy of every blogger and Castle Kitchen for leagues – and tell me about how you deck your halls!
Pull up a gladiator…I mean a chair, here by the fireplace. Yes, it IS big enough to roast an ox, and Ermingarde has asked us to do so, but it’s a lot of trouble and she’s not exactly dainty, you know? Maybe for New Years….nobody notices a bit of mess at New Years. Grins. Besides, if we tried to roast an ox, we might set fire to all the stockings. With 20 of us, and all the cast and crew here, it looks like something Seuss might have drawn when all the stockings are hung, by the chimney with care! The variation in size alone is cartoonish. Grins. Compare Susan or Cassondra’s dainty stocking with Demetrius’s…
What IS that thing he put up instead of a stocking? Nevermind. I don’t want to know. Point is, the size differentials are astounding. Thankfully, we’ve not yet tried to get an embroidered stocking from Lands End in Ermingarde’s size. Maybe next year. Grins.
Anyway, I want to know about YOUR wreaths and swags and baubles and bells, lights and tinsel and Granny’s Menorah and all your favorite holiday trappings.
We’ll be doing it up big again this year here in the Lair, presents and all, starting next week. In the meantime, tell me about your decorating as we watch the guys climb the ladders to wrap that evergreen roping around the rafter beams.
Disclaimer: Our guests run the gamut from personal friends, to interesting authors who've asked to appear, to authors whose books we love. We have not always read our guests' books before hosting them here. Some of them provide us with free books though most do not. We do receive a commission from Amazon for every book purchased through links on our site. For purposes of making purchasing decisions, visitors should assume the bandit sponsoring the guest has a personal connection of some kind to her guest and may have received a free copy of the guest's book.
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