Standing room only at St. Gall

Saturday night my husband and I enjoyed a night out at St. Gall Catholic Church for the "Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe" dinner. It was so wonderful. They served pork verde, enchiladas, tortillas, rice and beans. It was delicious. To entertain us there was a mariachi band, Aztec dancers and other performers. I estimated a thousand people showed up for the dinner - it was standing-room only. Write it on your calendar for next year, it's one you won't want to miss.

In search of the best Christmas decorations

Second graders from Brownie Troop No. 87 are out looking in the Johnson Lane area for the best decorated house for the holidays. Do you think you have the best? Call Valerie Allen at 267-3756 so she can make sure they visit your home. My daughter thinks the house on Shirley is the best, how about you?

Piñon Hills winter concert is Tuesday

The winter holiday concert "The Joy of Song" is set for Tuesday at Piñon Hills Elementary School. First through third grades assemble at 5:30 p.m. and fourth through sixth grades and band assemble at 6:30 p.m. I am looking forward to their beautiful singing. Look for the write-up on it in my Dec. 27 column, since that is the first one I will write after the performance.

n I received a call last night from a Johnson Lane resident who wanted to talk about an unusual story. His house was shot in the roof, and now has a leak from the bullet hole. He isn't sure how long ago this happened but he figured it was probably last July 4. That's scary.

n I also received a call from another neighbor who gave me their secret recipe for fried eggplant. The trick they said was after you slice the eggplant, you coat each slice heavily with salt for several hours to dry it out. Then rinse it off and dip it in an egg wash then bread crumbs and use good oil. Must be lunch time, I'm getting hungry.

n I would like to share a tradition my family has for Christmas dinner. As all parents know, it's hard to get children to eat vegetables. To some children, the "V word" is a dirty word. On Christmas for my children, I have always made julienne carrots, stir fried in real butter for just a couple minutes. Then I top it with a little ground nutmeg. My children have always enjoyed them and it's the only time in the year I make them.

n Douglas County resident Jim Hickey shared with me a story from back in 1952 while serving in the United States Navy as a radioman on the Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau, Alaska. It was really cold outside and supplies were running short. So he cooked up a batch of raisins in water and sugar. Then he let it ferment for a few days, then those desperate enough to partake, did so.

n Lisa Welch is a Johnson Lane resident and can be reached at 267-9350.