I hope I'm not bursting any bubbles but I haven't seen Christmas lights on anything in the fields, although the auto repair shop we frequent does trim a '57 Edsel in lights (no, not the twinkly kind) out front. On the way home I didn't see much seasonal lighting, but for most of that journey homes are a half a mile to a mile apart.

I think that there was one place in Ames, IA that could have met your vermouth and panettone needs. I was there for refresher training today. Not "getting certified" but "maintaining my certification." I don't think there's been much debate about me being certifiable for some time.

Good news on the panettone front here. We bought one a couple of weeks ago and hid it so we would have it for Christmas. Then we realized we hid it too well. Luckily we found it and are ready for the holidays. Mental note: don't send panettone to Cookie or Mojo.

Damn it's cold here. Single-digit temperatures this morning and it stayed below freezing all day. If you can believe the forecast it will get into the mid-40's tomorrow. Nobody from the Weather Channel will be diving into snow banks here like they did in upstate NY yesterday, though. Odds are against snow here for at least a week.

Stephen, I feel your pain. I haven't eaten beets in over 10 years.

John, are you sure you weren't thinking of Detective Rizzo from "Kojak" in "The Case of the Killer Strufoli"?

Marlena, you want to break Annie of that habit before you take her on a plane.