FORT Koffee Klatch

[Gutmutter]

Now that sounds like fun. It's snowing to beat the band here and I've had to go out twice in it. I could use a massage about now, I get that tense driving in bad weather. But it's my ex's birthday and I had to meet him halfway to deliver our youngest. Hopefully he'll bring them all the way back because if there's anything I hate more than driving in bad weather, it's driving in the DARK in bad weather. He knows this.

[dagwood]

I'm sure you all find it extremely hard to believe that I can be a hard a** when I get riled up.

I do. A southern woman who can be a hard a**? Never.

[Amy Lee]

Myrosiedog, in the future just tell her she's fired or something.
Btw, do any of you have any NYE rituals? I wore all brand new clothes and ate my grapes.

[waywyrd]

I don't really have any New Year's rituals, besides taking the Christmas decorations down. Someone please explain the grapes thing to me...is it for luck, or what?

[bbnbama]

I've never heard the grape thing either....hmmm....

[speedbump]

I think the grape thing originates from Spain. I was vaguely listening to the story behind it on Travel channel last night.

[livin4reality]

Never heard of the grape thing or the new clothes thing.

[just1paul]

I ate a piece of herring on a cracker while holding a dollar bill. An old friend once told me it would mean I would never go hungry and always have some money.

[Amy Lee]

Eating 12 Grapes
on New Year's Eve

Agustina Pascual from Spain

For a long time, Spanish people have had a traditional custom to celebrate New Year's Eve. On the last day of the year, the 31st of December , they wait until twelve p.m. Everybody has to have twelve grapes ready to eat when the clock starts to chime. It is traditional to listen to the clock from Puerta del Sol in Madrid.

When it is midnight, each time the clock chimes, they put a grape in their mouth. By the time the clock has finished chiming, everybody has to have finished their grapes and the New Year starts, but nobody finishes eating the grapes on time.

Eating the grapes is very funny because everybody starts the New Year with a full mouthful of grapes. It's almost impossible to finish eating the grapes by the time the clock finishes chiming. Normally people still have all the grapes in their mouths, and they start looking at each other and have to laugh.

You can imagine what would happen if the laughed with all the grapes in their mouths. It's really difficult to have a second to swallow them. I think you can imagine the rest of the story.

This tradition started in Spain because one year when there was a big grape harvest, the king of Spain decided to give grapes to everybody to eat on New Year's Eve.

Eating 12 Grapes on New Year's Eve in Spain - TOPICS Online Magazine for ESL

[MRD]

Now that sounds like fun. It's snowing to beat the band here and I've had to go out twice in it. I could use a massage about now, I get that tense driving in bad weather. But it's my ex's birthday and I had to meet him halfway to deliver our youngest. Hopefully he'll bring them all the way back because if there's anything I hate more than driving in bad weather, it's driving in the DARK in bad weather. He knows this.

Well the kids here are praying for snow. We're supposed to get flurries in the wee hours with the high only getting to around 34 sometime around 3 p.m. About an hour northwest of us in the mountains, they are predicting 6-10 inches of it.

As things shut down here when 4 flakes hit the ground, that's why everyone's praying for snow. Except the 11 year old visiting from Florida who wants to play in it.

I want to see Waldo's reaction to it. Last year Bogie loved it and had a fabulous time.

Well I spent over 6 hours preparing and cooking our new year's dinner and we sat down to eat and my daughter and the 11 year old got INTO it. My husband had had it and told both of them, that he was not above snatching either one of them up and blistering backsides. I had just sat down to start eating when this happened and I just got up and went in my room. Both have come in to apologize for bad behavior, ruining dinner and to thank me for all that I put into it today and they were sorry they messed up what should have been a nice dinner. I now know that God only gives you what you can handle and that's why we only had one child because I honestly don't think I could have handled two and lived to tell about it.

If it snows tonight, I am NOT getting out of bed all day and I'm locking my door. They can duke it out with snowballs all day.

I ate a piece of herring on a cracker while holding a dollar bill. An old friend once told me it would mean I would never go hungry and always have some money.

That's what the blackeyed peas and collards are for. Luck and money.

I've also heard that what you do on New Year's Day you will do all year. I guess this means, I'll be cooking and cleaning my butt off and refereeing fights.

I do. A southern woman who can be a hard a**? Never.

But we do it in a very ladylike manner.