It began OK. My uncle came by to get a painting as a present for his wife, my aunt. He took me to breakfast. Then we slipped and slid across the ice back to the house. He parked out front and I told him to sit pat and I would come in and get the painting. That's because when we left for the breakfast, he slipped and went down on his butt and got wet.

I put the painting in the back of his Escape SUV and he drove home to Fostoria.

Then I came in and began the baking sequence.



I mixed the three layer cake, baked the three pans and set them to cool while I drove in the melting ice to Kroger to get the canned frosting (2 cans of creamy Coconut Pecan.) I got cat food and other items, too. In the store, someone took my cart away. I had only turned to check a few prices and PRESTO, it was gone!

So I returned to the entrance, got a new cart, and recovered the half-full cart that I had lost to some blind and probably senile person.

Finally, I got checked out, loaded the car, returned in mostly wet streets by then - the ice was being melted by steady rain and 40 degree temps.

I put the first layer of cake, now cooled, on the cake plate. I opened the frosting and began to spread it atop the first layer. Somewhere in that process I licked my finger and the taste of the frosting was rancid! I opened the second can and found it was OK.

So I scraped off the rancid frosting, put it back in the can, fastened the snap-on lid, grabbed my coat, and headed back to Kroger.

As I pulled into the parking lot I saw the lot's lights go off.

"What the F***," I exclaimed. "Are they closing?"

Inside I found out their power had gone out momentarily and the checkout computers were down!

I went to the manager about the rancid frosting can, got another and slipped out with no need to go through the checkout. Thank heaven for that.

When I got in the car I opened the frosting and tasted it, just to be certain it was not a bad one, too. It was good.

Back home I completed the cake, baked some peanut butter cookies (overdone!) and finished bagging up the cats' presents for tomorrow. Rosie came out and jumped on a counter, so she peeked.

I put them in the closet and securely fastened the door.

Then I washed everything and poured a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

Ready now!

Hobbes wants me to tell you that he is ready, too.

Have a Merry Christmas, everyone!