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".

Shir, thanks for the update. I had to google to find out what naevi were, and it sounds good that you've got a doctor who's keeping a close eye on them. I'm sorry you're having to deal with them, though; having them removed sounds like a painful process. Lots of good thoughts to you, and huge relief that your sister and friends are OK.

:: nods and agrees with Kate P ::

Thanks - it's not a painful process. I get local anesthesia which is sometimes ouchy, but that's about it for the pain in it. It's more planning my entire schedule around another cause of uncertainty - getting half a day or a day off for removal/doctor appointments, bandaging and stitches, etc.. Having my own nurse around - my mother - around me, certainly helps with a lot of it. I get better bandaging from her. When the place on my leg refused to get better (it's still healing, actually), I got an awesome bandage with seaweed and ions (or something like that; all I know is that it helped).