Also: anyone have awesome present ideas for a guy who is old, blind in one eye, deaf in one ear, and doesn't like to leave his recliner much?

Something he can put into his mouth, like Scotch?

Hmm. He's never been much of a drinker, and apparently the antibiotics he's on for the eye thing are killing his appetite. But I may go find some monk-baked fruitcake or something. Adopt a nun again. Anyone have good Catholic-related charitable giving?

(So far the excitement is that he probably won't have to have a glass eye. But I did discuss with siblings that we should get him a parrot. Because he's one peg leg away from piracy, and he DOES have diabetes, which increases the peg leg likelihood. Though apparently my sister got it but my brother went "like...a helper parrot?!?")

But I may go find some monk-baked fruitcake or something.

At Thanksgiving someone brought a fruitcake they had made and kept in the freezer. During Sandy when their power was out it thawed, so to be safe it got dowsed in most of a bottle of Talisker and refrozen. I can highly recommend this practice.

My dad always liked this at Xmas: [link]

But I may go find some monk-baked fruitcake or something.

The monks (friars?) at Gethsemani apparently do good fruitcake. (I don't like fruitcake, so I can't personally vouch for it, but people who DO like fruitcake say it's good.)

Anyone have good Catholic-related charitable giving?

St. Vincent de Paul? The Retirement Fund for Religious?

Thanks Teppy! He's volunteered with St V de Pfor many years (used to collect the furniture donations, or bring them to the recipients). I figure I'm willing to donate to things like retired nuns, just not the actual church.

If you've made the fruitcake properly in the first place, there's no need to freeze it.

Hi, all. Just thought to update you.

First, my sister and friends' houses in Be'er Sheva weren't hit by rockets. Good thing.

Second - remember that procedure with my naevi? Well, I was called back again to additional procedure because they didn't remove everything the last time. It was done today I'm now after it, lying in bed and resting. And I also got the news that some of those naevi can be potentially dangerous in the future and develop to tumors, so I'm under a strict medical follow-up and a removal procedure in case my doctor wouldn't like them from now until God knows when. It's good news they can remove them fast, but the bad news is that I have the motherfuckers by the dozens. It was in my genetics, I knew it would come in this or other way, it surely is better than getting cancer, but I really hoped to face this much, much later.

And I'm OK. Just wanted to update you on what's going on.

If you've made the fruitcake properly in the first place, there's no need to freeze it

This is true, and was probably largely an excuse to pour on another bottle of scotch.

I know nothing more than Jamaican fruit cake making, but basting with alcohol is maybe a monthly task up until we "decant".