After Mass this morning the religious education kids put on their pageant. I had to watch this, of course. I was sitting behind a friend who was there to watch her granddaughter. All the pictures she got are of a sheet of paper held up above a very pretty dress. Another child waved down the aisle, "hi Dad", and I thought of that poor 4-year-old in England who was banned from their pageant for waving at her mother during rehearsal. (There is a teacher with serious delusions of grandeur! It's just a kids' pageant, fergawssakes!) Anyway, the kids were great. The kindergarten and preschool sang (yeah, right) and signed "Joy to the World." All except one small girl who stood there looking more than a little confused. Between that and the singing sheets of paper, I was in stitches from laughing much of the morning.

Our friends are teaching the fifth grade class, and they had an interesting leaflet to share about the Twelve Days of Christmas. I had not realized that it was an undercover song for the persecuted Roman Catholics in England (1558 to 1829) to pass on beliefs. "My true love" is God. "A partridge in a pear tree", Jesus, hanging on the cross. The turtle doves are the Old and New Testaments. "Three French hens" are faith, hope, and love.
"Four calling birds", the four Gospels: "five gold rings" the five books of Moses.
"Six geese a-laying" are the six days of Creation. I quite like that one. Then we have "seven swans" for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Don't ask me, I don't remember.) "Eight maids" are the Beatitudes. "Nine ladies" the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. (Nope, I don't remember this one either.)
Logically enough, "ten lords a-leaping" are the Commandments. The "eleven pipers" are the eleven faithful disciples, and the twelve points of the Apostle's Creed make the "twelve drummers drumming."

We got Rich back to watch football and I took the dog with me to go the heck and gone the other side of the world (well, 15 miles away in south Sacramento) to get my passes for Galaxy Quest. I gather the car dealership hadn't passed them all away, as he gave me two, each good for two people. I did ask Sunshyn, but she's busy. Besides, it turns out Sunshyn and I have nothing at all in common... she doesn't even know who Alan Rickman is!

After football, Rich retired to the back room to play Snood and "forgot" about the Wigilia. He finished out the game, 50 levels in all, and returned about 7:30, far too late. I was not at all thrilled about it. (I'm, meanwhile, stuck on level 45 and vow not to play till after Christmas. Don't have the time.)

The retirement of Charles Schultz reminds me of when Vince was younger. I wanted him to have practice dressing and undressing a doll, but not a feminine one, so I got him a Snoopy and a number of outfits. This was really popular with him for a couple of years. Rich even made Snoopy a doghouse, one he could sleep on top of. No pool table in it, however. Bernadette had Belle, and I had fun keeping both stuffed toys in terrific clothing. I hardly ever read "Peanuts" (well, I don't ignore it as I do "Spiderman") but I'll miss him. Fifty years, almost. We really have to get over to Santa Rosa and see the Peanuts museum! I've said that for years, but I mean it this time!

I'm one pound up, the Christmas goodies getting to me. Walked 8 miles last week, mailed a few thousand Christmas cards (though my Brit friend's includes a letter I'm being slow with.) I did move stuff around in the back room. No magazines. Only two weeks to achieve perfection now!

So, one year since the Impeachment. Al Gore seems to be backpedaling a bit from his "greatest president ever" comment. Meanwhile, it seems the public has changed its mind about impeachment. Deedee Myers thinks maybe this is because there's now no chance of removing him. I translate that to the Democrats thinking last year that they really did NOT want President Gore. If they'd really liked Al, they'd have gotten Clinton out. I think if his own party doesn't think he can do the job, this should be a lesson to the rest of us.

Clinton "tells friends he'd love to run for a third term next year. He knows the 22nd Amendment makes that impossible but says it's a shame he has to leave office now that, he believes, he has finally become the president he always wanted to be; in firm control of the levers of power, master of the details of policy, at 53 still vigorous and in sync with the popular mood." --- USNews and World Report. "Finally." Most people would take a year to learn the ropes, but our Rapist-in-Chief was too busy playing with the interns.

Doug Thompson writes about the "Legacy", but he should know how to spell coop! I am reminded of Sam's teacher handing me a list of "site words". I teased him about it and he claims that's the Principal's idea. Ho ho ho.

Clinton's legacy is taking shape. He'll be remembered as the president who, whenever faced with the choice of the grand or the small, the deep or the shallow, instinctively chose the path of expedience. To the very end, it was always politics over history.
----Charles Krauthammer about Clinton in Seattle.

Naturally, I have opinions on Kosovo and the other places which have suffered for this "legacy", or just to keep King William in office so he can learn the ropes, but I'm through for today.