sat typing this at eight in the morning on an overcast but still warmish morning in my hometown of Sheffield

A BCTS Author had a fire in her apartment building.

I found this:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/289078-how-surviv...

Advice is sane, sensible and authoritative.

I'm semi-retired and drive school bus. That means I'm right there with the school kids counting down the days till the breaks, like Christmas break. Then when it's here I relish the wonderful feeling of freedom that it gives.

Yet this Christmas, the call went out for a contest and being the masochist that I am I decided to enter. The length limit meant the the story was quickly knocked out. I've been sitting on this completed story for a few weeks now. Long enough to let it settle so I'm confident that self-editing will catch all the errors (well at least most).

Hope everybody has a Filling Secondary Turkey Day tomorrow. :-)

Happy Birthday, to my friend and Zoom hostess, Wendy. Have a lovely day.

Hugs,

Angharad.

A little while ago, Jessica C (from Germany) posted that she was visiting a small town in Canada, near London, Ontario and asked if anyone wanted to get together. I corresponded with her and since I live near Detroit, MI, and London is only about a two and one half hour drive. We agreed to get together. There is a small town called Stratford that is also near London and is famous for their Stratford Festival during the summer where they put on first-class plays. I made arrangements and we agreed to get together and see Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing'.

It’s customary to wish people a happy new year on December 31 (or it is, in our culture, since we foolishly moved it from more-or-less the date of the vernal equinox). And of course, I do — so happy new year everyone!

Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Festivus for the rest of us!

Spending Christmas Eve with my sister Erica at her home on the north shore of Long Island (yes, she calls it Long Guyland). She owns the biggest firickin' cat I've ever seen. It's a Maine Coon cat...the only domestic cat breed native to the U.S. Melissa had thirds of the sweet potato casserole. Darn that cat!

Hugs of the season,

Sammy

A Purim Story

Hi. If you are celebrating Purim tonight and tomorrow, or you want to know something about a interesting holiday, and you are not too inebriated to not understand the difference between a Bless Haman and Curse Mordechai , you may wish to learn how a miracle happens for Robyn, in my story, “The King’s Outstreched Sceptre”.

A Freilach Purim

Rami

Well here it is December 24th, Christmas Eve. As usual, we're all in a tizzy (mistyped that one as tissy. I almost left it. If you don't know the meaning, look it up and you'll see why.) Tomorrow we are headed in to town (that is the nearest big city, we live in a small town of about 2K population) to my daughters house for dinner and exchange of gifts. This is their first Christmas in their new house. My oldest will be going with us, my grandson (age 20) will be there as will my granddaughter (age 23) she has invited her first boyfriend. Yes, she didn't date in high school...

Just a reminder, I am placing my convention photos - including scans of old negatives as I get to them - in albums at:

Flickr

Or:Tiny

I have lots of photos of costumes, both hall (aka cosplay) and Masquerade. Costuming is the closest thing to physical transformation most people will ever experience.

Who says the police don't have a funny bone?!

There is a tradition involving fruitcakes which most folks currently alive are unaware of. Yes, people make fruitcakes for eating, often with whiskey of some sort, perhaps even with a small amount inside the container so that the fumes enrich the cake. However, these are not the fruitcakes traditionally given as gifts. Even if the tradition is no longer remembered by most of the people who follow it.

No-one knows how Devil's Hollow (which I can see part of from my front porch) got its name. I even asked at the Kentucky History Museum*. Here's one explanation:

http://www.dcr.net/~stickmak/Transformation/Catamount/devils...

*Their best guess was that it still looks like the kind of place where you might encounter the Devil.

For the first time I was able to wear a dress for Easter service. One benefit of shelter in place, online church service.

Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever other celebration I left out!

The Holidays are near....

Guess everyone is expecting me to single jinglebells and toss tinsel around in a jolly green sexy elf girl costume (well ok that would be fun lol) but seriously.....

Am I the only one that feels more like a Scrooge at this time of year (minus the intentional mistreatment of your employee, if you read/watched a scrooge based thingy you know what I am talking about)?

Hey, guys.

So we're leaving for our trip tonight. In about an hour actually (7am Thursday Eastern over there). But I'll be seeing all of you again Monday evening (or about 9am Monday Eastern over there). Therefore no stories until Monday.

I'll still be logging on from time to time within that period, so I won't be completely out of contact with you guys here in the Bigcloset. Feel free to comment or PM or whatever, and I'll respond as soon as I see 'em.

ConGlomeration 2019 images posted on Flickr:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/116299515@N07/albums/72157706764547891