I just found out that my blog was hacked last week!

Apparently, some old, lonely, cranky woman got into my blog and posted a real pity party for herself.  She was writing under my name and impersonating herself as me!  The nerve!

Well, I've finally gotten rid of her and will try to keep her out.  How she gains access is beyond me, but every now and then, she sneaks in.

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My daughter Karen and her hubs Mark, spent Thanksgiving with his mother.  His Dad died just a few weeks ago, and his siblings live out of State.  It was nice that they could be with her.  Those first holidays are so tough on new widows.

Karen called me that night to tell me she missed not being with me on Thanksgiving and that she loved me.  Then Saturday she called again on their way home and made arrangements to pick me up on December 8th to go to the Nutcracker performance to watch Madeleine dance.

Pam called on Friday.  She had spent Thanksgiving day with her friend and his family--she spends each Thanksgiving with them.

Son Mark and his "wife" always spend Thanksgiving with her family.  They usually spend the weekend there and come home on Sunday.

I got all my laundry done that day and had time to sit and crochet on a new project and watch a couple of really good classic movies.

Friday, which seemed like another holiday because regular TV programming was kaput.  My Soap was pre-empted by a stupid hockey game.  So I worked on a genealogy.

Yesterday, I watched the BIG game--big in this area anyway.  University of Michigan played The Ohio State University.  I despise U of M as much as anyone, so I was whooping a lot as Ohio State trounced their arrogant A**es.  

My newly married Grandson Marcus, who graduated from U of M, and his lovely wife, who is a rabid Ohio State fan, had a game watching party.  I wouldn't have wanted to be there!  I hope their marriage can withstand these yearly bouts of intense rivalry.

Our family has always been very competitive when it comes to sports and games.   Nobody gets mad, but the winners do strut around for awhile.  I distinctly remember when Karen was 10, the first time she beat me at Canasta.  She ran through the house, upstairs and down, waving the score sheet,  yelling, "I beat Mom!  I beat Mom." and the other kids and Dad gave me a good "nah, nah, nah, a nah, nah."  We learn early on how to be a good loser.

BTW--she still has that score sheet, packed away in a cedar chest.

Karen's large family has taken on this attitude.  Their kids, as were mine, were taught how to play games and cards when they were young.  They were playing Chess at 10 years old.  I taught mine how to play Backgammon at about that age.  

We always had a game day between Christmas and New Years.  We'd all stay in our pajamas, even Dad, and play different games.  Have a Backgammon tournament or an intense game of Sorry.

Karen kept this tradition going.  I went one year and found myself involved in a game of Trivial Pursuit.  How those kids thought they could beat grandma and all the wisdom in her brain was beyond me and of course, I beat them all.  I even got up and did a "strut" around the big dining room table.   After that, whenever the kids wanted to play Trivial Pursuit, there were calls for, "I want Gramma on my team"...ah the joy of it all.

Part of that is supposed to take place on December 27th when we get together for our Holiday family gathering.  All the grand kids and their significant others will be there, my kids (except for Jennifer's family) and my sister, BIL and her son Adam.   

I'm trying real hard not to have any expectations, but Grand Girl Helene has already asked me if I will play a game of Cribbage with her.

Life is good.