CHRISTMAS DINNER

For many years now ten of us have gathered for a Christmas potluck dinner at one of the homes of the ten as we would rotate from house to house each year.   It is now nine of us since Celia left this world in May of 2021.    We did have the dinner at our house years ago, but I don't offer my house anymore for a variety of reasons, especially not being the best housekeeper.   A week or two before the dinner emails are exchanged on who will bring what, including main dishes, side dishes, bread and desserts.   The group usually relies on me to bring the bread knowing my typical dishes of beans, some sort of swill or the classic gourmet dish of hot dogs embedded in green jello does not overly excite the group, so they just ask, Mike please just bring bread.  

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

THE FATAL HOT DOG

Being raised Catholic in the 1950's we were not allowed to eat meat on Fridays and to do so was a terrible sin.    Fish sticks were served for lunch in the public school and my parents would cook some kind of fish for dinner.   One summer day that happened to be a Friday, the Boy Scout troop I belonged to was out fishing in a pond on a farm where one of the Boy Scouts lived.   None of us brought a lunch and hunger was becoming an overwhelming feeling.    Then there was a shout from the nearby farm house that the hot dogs were ready.   Everybody dropped their fishing poles and ran toward the house.   Some of the other boys were Catholic too but did not hesitate to get a hot dog in a bun and put some mustard, relish and other fixings on it.   Following the other Catholic boys and feeling guilty I indulged in a hot dog thinking how will I ever repent from this sin and be saved from the fires of hell?   Years later the Catholic Church no longer required meatless Fridays and hopefully I was forgiven for eating that hot dog.