My dad had a surprise visit to the hospital over the holidays resulting in abdominal surgery due to an infected something or other that needed to be removed.

I'm home to help out as the all purpose go-and-fetch girl. Today I grocery shopped for my dad. He should be set to go for the next 2-3 weeks. A good thing considering he can only move around the house for three hours before crashing on the couch.

I went to the old familiar Jewels-Osco and wandered around muttering under my breath about the strange set up of the store and cursing at the ridiculously high prices for basic food items. The fun part of the trip was introducing new items to my father's meal plan. Organic fair trade coffee, frozen white pizza, and vodka pasta sauce were snuck into a cart full of traditional stand by foods.

For years my father simply ate whatever my mom put in front of him. Mostly bland food since my mother has no taste for spices and seasonings. Now's my chance to slowly reform my dad's dietary habits. Not for any real reason but for the fun of it. It's the ultimate challenge. Can I take a meat and potato man and turn him into an Indian Vegetarian Food man?

Clearly the fact that white pizza and vodka sauce for pasta is a new thing for him means I have a long road to go!

I don't spend a lot of time prattling on about being a "pastor's wife". In part, because I hate the term and all it implies. Also because it doesn't mean that much to me. I'm married to a great guy. He happens to be a pastor.

But this time of year we're out and about at the parties socializing with new people, many of whom want to know what I do as a pastor's wife.

Nothing, is my usual response. It's not entirely true, but it makes me laugh to see people drop their jaw. I watch them imagine the mind boggling possibility of a pastor's wife who doesn't do it all at the church.

A response that my "pastor's wife" friend has used before is, "My job is to keep my husband satisfied in a way no other church member can". I'm a little to shy to work that line, but maybe I'll give it a try sometime.

So for everyone who wonders what a pastor's wife does in her spare time, I'm not sure about the other pastor's wives, but I like to spend snowy days off work making miniature igloos and snow angels.



Note the moat with the drawbridge around the igloo. There's just enough room inside for a small rabbit or squirrel to shelter through a Buffalo storm.

My supervisor popped in my cubicle to ask about the whereabouts of my neighbor in the cubicle next to me.

He then looked at me awkwardly for a few seconds. He's so transparent. Inside his head, I saw him thinking: I have ignored Janelle for two solid days. I have barely acknowledged her existence. I haven't even said hello. Quick, think of something to say so she doesn't think I'm completely socially incompetent and indifferent to her.

"So ... Janelle ... How are you?"

"Great, Mr. Supervisor"

The exchange went on a little longer than that and I managed to make a joke. But then off he went. And I just cracked up at my desk. Probably sounded crazy to the ladies on the other side of the cubicle. Oh, well.

We are looking for a pet sitter on Dec 26th and Dec 27th. You would only need to come in on the afternoon/evening of the 26th and then twice on the 27th.

The lucky volunteer might receive goodies from Trader Joes in Pgh!

As happy as I am that the governor of Illinois is finally getting his comeuppance, I hope that this is just one more stepping stone to taking down the dynasty of Chicago and upstate politics known as the Daley family which has worked every which way to screw over downstate Illinois.

Go downstate!