OK....Here's the Plan........

When I got up this morning and went to the lap desk where I was working on the stockings yesterday, there wasn't a sock to be seen anywhere. All of the finished ones had disappeared.

Instantly, I knew what had happened. There was another mystery, however. A cone shaped piece of the red velveteen and some of the white trim was missing....Tessie's making Santa a hat??? Not likely....

I followed the trail of scraps and threads. It led to the small Mexican room box with the bee hive fireplace in one corner. Tessie was in her own little world, so I managed to snap a fast photo. As I did, I heard her say,"This one will never do. I can only fit one sock on here. OH! Look!! Tacos!!!" And people make fun of my short attention span! So much for the bee hive fireplace.

I stood behind the kitchen counter and watched, fascinated at the sequence of events.

Next she went to the colonial kitchen. She maneuvered the writer's chair to the fireplace and this time she hung four stockings. "Nope. This one only holds four and it is too high. Santa might not be able to reach them."

I waited......And waited.....And waited some more. She had disappeared.

Then suddenly she poofed her way into Eskiaga's Southwestern room box.

This time, before she started hanging stockings, she plonked a Santa hat on Eskiaga's head and politely told him she was borrowing his fireplace for Christmas. He is used to her popping in and out and doing strange things when she is there. He pretty much ignored her as well as he could.

She hung four stockings and was about to try for five when he stood up and pulled the hat off. He, not so politely, pulled down the socks, and shoved the whole mess into her arms and told her to get out with a "Bah Humbug!" at the end.

I left the kitchen for a while. I am still trying to catch up on things that I didn't get done while I was out with the cold.

When I came back, I quietly watched and listened....There was Tessie and a reluctant Zar standing in front of the microwave oven.

I heard, "It will too work!" This was from Tessie.

Zar countered with, "Tessie, this in no way resembles a fireplace!"

"It makes things warm, just like a fireplace. And besides, it has a vast surface for hanging

Christmas stockings. Now stop mumbling through the beard and get into the Christmas Spirit!!!". Then I heard, "Don't make me put coal in the sock with your name on it! And I want to hear a Ho!Ho! Ho!"

Poor Zar. He has heard the dreaded story of getting nothing for Christmas but a piece of coal in your stocking. He did as Tessie bid. Now he is wandering around the kitchen and every once in a while I hear a half hearted "Ho Ho....Ho...

I give up. When I finish here, I am going to call the North Pole and ask Santa for help.....I am out of homegrown solutions.

See you tomorrow.