I went down to North Carolina on the 21st of December. I had planned to go down a week earlier and drive myself. Unfortunately, I had a RA attack that felt like pleurisy in my right lung and I was down for the count. Ray took me to the ER at Riverside and they confirmed it, gave me a prescription for pain medicine and sent me on my way. If you have ever taken Vicodin, you know that they do not recommend driving while you are taking them, so I had to wait and ride down with Ray the Sunday before Christmas. That left me only a couple of days to decorate, which I was in no mood to do, so I did not decorate much.My daughter has a new administrative position at a health clinic and doesn't have the time off with the children that she had as a teacher's assistant. She was out of work for a couple of months. She was also driving a school bus. One day when she stopped to let off children, a little girl had cut herself and Rhonda was tending to her. Two boys who lived two houses away sneaked off the bus and went home. When Rhonda got back to the school, she was given a choice of resigning or being fired. The grand parents of the boys called the school board instead of the school to let them know that my daughter did not see them get off at the wrong stop. Personally, I felt like it was extremely unfair. But, I hear that NC is severely cutting teaching assistants. My daughter even volunteered the last few weeks of school. Went to the school after it was out and helped the teacher clean up the room.
My daughter is one of the nicest people that you would ever want to have as a friend. She loves children and would never do anything to hurt one intentionally. I think it was a put up job to clear out another position. The upshot of this is that since she resigned, she could not draw unemployment and they were in need until she found another job. They had to do without until we and other family members found out about it and stepped in to help. Our resources are not so great that we can support two families for long. This was extremely unfair to her and to her whole family. She paid into unemployment for over 20 years and was not allowed to draw it because of some vindictive people on the school board. Anyway, if you are thinking of moving to NC, don't.So, guess who cooked Christmas dinner? I cooked a Ham, Macaroni and Cheese, and Green Beans from Guatemala (new to me, and delicious). Rhonda's husband, Jesse, cooked the turkey, the dressing, and the rolls. He did a good job on the turkey and the rolls, but the dressing was about half of an inch thick and the children thought they were brownies.
The Mac and Cheese was delicious, but missing something. I did the kind where you make a creamy cheese sauce and pour it over the macaroni and blend it well. I checked everyone's recipes, from Rachael Ray to Paula Dean, and finally came up with one of my own that I thought my family would like. We did have some left over the next day. I poured milk into it and cut some more sharp cheddar cheese and mixed little chunks in the warmed up dish. Awesome, it became even better. The best macaroni and cheese we have ever eaten (don't tell mother).Now I am back at home in Virginia. I have been sick since I got home. It is so cold here. Rhonda gave me a twin bed electric blanket for Christmas to use when I get cold in my recliner. Those electric throws that they sell just do not do the trick when it is really cold. I have been in the bed all day. I have a UTI and found some antibiotics in the cabinet around 3 in the morning. I have enough to get me by until Monday. Hopefully, I can get in to see the doctor.
