Thanks for the Great Family.

Our Family is what I am thankful for. We had a great Thanksgiving. My niece and nephews are soooo cute, my niece especially. She is like, Shirley Temple cute.

I was peeling onions Thursday morning, and this darling little girl offered to help. I told her, "But they will make you cry." She said, ever so bravely, "That's okay, Auntie Pam. I am used to it." I had to hug her for that.

Later, she was sticking up for her mom. I heard her say, "Parker, get off of Mommy's head!" Sure enough, I looked over and Lisa (an AWESOME Mom) was play-wrassling with all three of them on the carpet. Memories I shall not soon forget.

Thanks and blessing be for our fine, sweet family.

Wrinkled.

Are you as put off by anti-aging product advertisements as I am? Every last one of them features women - women only. This is discriminatory. They want us to pay exhorbitant prices for unquents that purport to plump our lips, rub out wrinkles, and fade dark spots. But wait a minute here...millions of men are aging at the same rapid pace. Why are they not featured? Not only are these companies and their not-so-clever marketeers limiting their own sales by not featuring men in these incessent television and internet ads, they are offending women worldwide. Stri-Vectin and Hydroderm, to name just two of them, feature only irritatingly young female models in their insipid advertisements. Real women are thoroughly offended. In all fairness, show us an honestly aging male model every so often. Please.

Easy to Please.

I have arrived at the very satisfying conclusion that my dear darling husband will eat anything. Not "almost" anything...anything. So long as it is not overly sweet or syrupy, he is happy as a lark with whatever I dish up. I've even intentionally tried to concoct something he might eschew, i.e., diced beets in spaghetti sauce. (We call it "round-up" in our house: whenever leftovers are "rounded up" and heated just to clear the fridge of leftovers.) Seriously, most people would certainly have had disdain for something like this. But not Henry. What a champ.

Where Have All The Spices Gone?

We went to a restaurant called Habana Cuba on Friday night. The only thing going for this place was the atmosphere. The service was decent, but the food itself was so very bland it was completely unforgettable. I don't think I have ever experienced food prepared without a single spice of any kind. Seriously -- not a single spice! We were fortunate there was a pepper shaker on the table. Is Cuban food normally prepared completely devoid of spices? Did they run out, perhaps? Is spiceless food the result of some political embargo upon Cuba? No oregano, no chiles, no cinnamon, nothing. Henry ordered chicken with yucca and rice, and that was what he got: bland chicken baked in a boring tomato broth, a little yucca and some rice, with not a single flake nor granule of spice to be found. I almost felt like buying a pouch of oregano at the Super Mercado next door, along some dried chiles, to send to the chef with a note saying, "Here, we thought you might like to try this." There was garlic in my camarones, much to their credit, but that was it.

We went back to Vicky's the very next day for pupusas and delicious El Salvadorian coffee laced with cinnamon. They were happy to see us again. I am sad about missing karaoke night.

My Next Gig.

Gig Bulletin: My next little performance of my favorite songs will be at the San Gregorio General Store, on January 22, from 11 am to 1 pm. I have some nice songs to sing for you, and I hope to see you there.

Vicky's Restaurant.

There are many things I know that I like, and the humble pupusa is one of them. Tonight at Vicky's, an El Salvadorian restaurant on West San Carlos Street in San Jose, the food was incredible. Simple, earthy, wild. We had chicken mole and reveled in the thick, aromatic spices, sweetened by sips of South American beer and a chewy grilled corn tortilla. Pupusas are frugal and out of this world and you customize the ingredients. We chose zucchini, beans and cheese for ours. They also have a terrific karaoke system. The place was filled by 7 pm Friday night. Gorgeous latino songs, lush and romantic, all sung so passionately by the singers who make the place a fun little nightclub, hopping with happy customers, waitresses carrying sizzling plates of spicy, fabulous dishes, and a host who is a true host in every sense in that he seems to be brimming with one desire: to sing to you and to entertain you, drawing you in with huge brown eyes, a fancy velvet jacket and a warm, welcome smile. We had a blast. Even if you're not a fan of karaoke, you must come for these tantalizing pupusas.

Napa Valley Wine Train.

We enjoyed the Wine Train. It was a great experience, educational and interesting. You ride into the vineyards in a panoramic vista dome car in a straight line for ten miles. It's a floating restaurant. The food is sublime, the wine a delight - but there is no getting off the train or visiting any of the wineries, or exploring the canyons around the Silverado Trail as I had pictured. That was perfectly all right with us - it was extremely relaxing and we enjoyed every moment. The food was beyond expectation and we lingered, sipping champagne and chatting, gliding along for ten or twelve miles, then back again. We had a fun time with friends -- who could ask for more? What a wonderful gift. The vineyards and flowers were so very beautiful, I am personally convinced that the Napa-Sonoma Valley is paradise on earth. After our ride, we had time to visit one winery before we had to head back home. Fortunately we chose a truly fantastic one: Beringer. We indulged in a grand tasting of superior wines made by Beringer Vineyards and we ultimately decided to join its wine club. We are very excited to receive our first shipment. We love Beringer's breathtaking garden grounds, and the wines we tasted were so phenomenal, we are going back again in February for Valentine's Day! I cannot wait. It's spa time, babies -- we have reservations for Raindance Spa located at the Sonoma Renaissance Lodge and Spa. Isn't life scrumptious!

At 17.

Here I am at 17, in a stunning example of the rapid passage of time: a candid photo of me walking a bustling Washington DC thoroughfare, having just purchased three tie-dyed t-shirts from a street vendor. Reality, here is thy sting.

The Horror.

For Halloween night, I like to aim my 30 watt speaker out into the neighborhood and blast out spooky noises into the neighborhood with my Yamaha keyboard that I bought for myself last year. Loud enough, but not too loud. The kids love it. Some were even dancing. Ghost noises, howling wind, lightning and thunder. Bad idea to set it on the seat of a chair, though, even for a moment. It slid off and bumped into the metal rack, breaking four keys. Good thing I bought a warranty. Checking with Fry's now to see if it's still covered, not certain if it was a 2-year or 5-year. I'll keep you posted on this particular plight. I about cried when I saw the damage. Cheap damn toy.