I took my Mother to church today. Beautiful, red poinsettias were massed around the pulpit. The church sold them, with the proceeds going to benefit the church's youth programs. There was a special insert in the program with the names of those in whose honor, or memory, the flowers were placed. My Mother was not aware that I had purchased two, one in memory of my sister, who died of cancer in 1986, and one in memory of my Father, who died in February of this year. After the service, as is the custom, those who had purchased flowers took them home. They look very nice in my Mother's living room. Tomorrow, we are going to take them to the nursing home where, two years ago, my Father recuperated from his first broken hip. (He was there for three months, and then came home.) I'm sure that there will be some residents there who will have nowhere to go for the holidays.

Today was the day of the Annual Christmas Lunch at the company I work for. We had ribs, potato salad, cole slaw, baked beans, bread, and soda pop. Each employee also got a ten to twelve pound smoked turkey and a cash bonus!

Overhead on the Public Broadcasting System program Fresh Air Weekend: "Voice is the sound the mind makes when it scrapes against the body."

I got two gifts today! The first one was from a rubber stamp manufacturer that we purchase from for resale. Because I send so much business their way, they made a rubber stamp for me. It folds up into a pocket-sized package the size of a small highlighter. It has a pocket clip on it, and it re-inks every time it is closed up. The second gift was from one of my customers. She gave me a very nice picture frame. It has a copper finish. I put a photograph of my Dad into it and put it on a shelf in my room.

The Sunday Times of London has a December 9 article defending the Bush Administration plan to try alleged terrorists in military courts.

I just learned two new words, gastrulation and totipotentiality, by reading "The Too-Weak Rule," by William Saletan, at slate.com.