Dull

So far so good. We were up reasonably early (who could sleep afterall) and got the show on the road. I choked down a coffee and some red-river cereal even though my stomach was doing flips. We imparted a few more instructions to Pat, whose head must be bursting with all the info. Then, we headed to the airport with lots of time to spare. It had snowed last night so we are never sure what we might come across on the trip to the city. Luckily the roads were reasonably clear and we arrived at the airport with no problem.

Carm dropped me off then took the car to long term parking.  And so started the day of hurry up and wait.

I don't know about you, but I can't relax the day we leave. I pace. Sit down. Remember something. Sit down. Pace. Pace. Pace. Once we are at the airport and through security I start to relax. Everything is out of my hands at that point.

So, here we are in Washington, the first leg of our epic trip done. We have a few hours to wait and then we board another plane (hopefully bigger this time, the first flight was a puddle jumper), for Las Angeles.

Up up and away!

second new year

Much like a hobbit has second breakfast, we celebrated second new year in style. Jo Ellen, Don, and Pat gathered around the table with us, breaking bread in celebration of 2019 and all the years past. The beef held up to re-heating, as did everything else. Fresh yorkshire pudding though ;-)

Don was the purveyor of my new watch, ordered a few days ago through him, knowing that his delivery schedule was better than ours. I'm thrilled with it... it is an eco-drive, which means it never needs a new battery but instead charges with light. It's sitting in the sun now, absorbing rays from the low-slung sun. Carm bumbled around and got the watch band resized for me last night, so as soon as I feel it has charged enough (who can tell when?), I'll strap it onto my wrist, leaving the fitbit to malinger until we get home from our epic journey to South America.

I'm all packed, except for the odd bit and bob. My big camera has been in and out of my bag so many times I've gotten dizzy, but this time I think it will stay out. Sure there will be things to take photos of, but we also want my waterproof camera along, so rather than lug both, I'll just stick with the small one. Hummm.... better make sure again that the little blue will fit in my little black purse.

Last minute stuff around the house is gradually getting done, but Pat, bless her heart, said to leave the tree, etc. up. One giant stress off my shoulders. I'm thinking that when I get back I'll go through all my christmas to re-org. And maybe purge a bit of stuff. Ah, who knows how much energy I'll have getting back, I may just sleep for a week.

Today the sun is blazing in a pale blue sky. Ice still glitters on the trees. And with the sun comes frigid temps, but thankfully no wind. It is forecast to snow tonight, but should stop in the morning, hopefully before we leave for the airport. Did you know that it was the regular weather forecasts in interscepted messages that helped Alan Turing break the inigma code in WWII?

I am remarkably calm, although I did spend a few hours awake last night worrying about Pat breaking her leg on her downhill ski days... Who would come and look after the dogs? What kennel could someone shuttle them to? Oh, it doesn't bear thinking about or I'll get myself into a knot again.

Too late... I just freaked myself out again. breathe... breathe... breathe... sip some calming herbal tea...

I was listening to a TED talk the other day and the guy was talking about depression and anxiety. He described anxiety as the feeling you get just as you are slipping on ice, but it doesn't go away in an instant but lingers, sometimes for days, making life miserable. It was a perfect analogy, to me anyway. It's a sort of breathless, heartpounding feeling, where my limbs feel sick and I desperately want it to end.

Time to go outside with the dogs - a change in scenery will surely transport me back to calm.

Happy New Year!

Freezing rain... again... 5th or 6th time this winter, and I can't even count how many New Years Eve it has wrecked. It is over now of course, and the forecast is for clear and cold tonight, perfect weather for a party. Last year (was it last year or the year before?), we shifted the date one day, but I couldn't really bear the thought of a huge dinner 2 days before we leave. Maybe I'm just lazy.

The night wasn't a total bust though, far from it. Trudie & Leo live just a KM away so felt brave enough to brave the ice for the ride home, and Pat moved in so no driving for her. We gathered around the counter, noshing on a giant cheese tray that Trudie had brought, and artichoke parmasen dip with pita chips. Soup was served not long after 7pm, and then everyone stayed at the table (they didn't have to, honest. Moving to the sofa area was offered for more comfort). Carm and I whisked through some cleanup and the final preps for the roast beef course.

Speaking of roast beef... I had done a ton of research on the internet on how to trim and cook this chunk of meat; there were a few options: high heat for 30 min, or low heat for 2-3 hours. Hummm... after much reading and humming and hawing I decided on the longer low heat method. First step happened the day before - trimming. I think it turned out okay - goodness knows it looked a lot different at the end than it did at the beginning. There was a handful of stuff for the dogs (happy happy dogs), and a bit for a stir fry. There was another strange part that was removed as well, which I tied into a smaller roast.

It was patted dry and trussed up, then salted and peppered before being popped into the fridge, uncovered, to rest for a day.

Yesterday I removed it from the fridge about an hour before browning it in butter and thyme. Sprigs of rosemary were tucked in the strings and the whole thing was stuck into the oven. First though I inserted the remote thermometer (which has saved my hide a few times).

With the oven set at 225F the expected cooking time was 2 hours. Well, at less than an hour my thermometer altered me that the cooked tempreture had been reached. WTH!!! Nothing else was ready so we got to work and got the potatoes cooking. The meat had a long rest and when Carm cut the first slice we were happy to see a beautiful pink interior. Whew!

The evening was congenial, although Pat didn't make it to the count of 12, leaving just Trudie & Leo to toast in the new year with us. We sat around reminiscing until the clock on the wall inched its way to nearly one. Another year done and welcomed.

Tonight Jo Ellen and Don are joining us for leftovers, and Pat will be here as well so we'll have a bit of an evening. I'm keeping it simple with dishwasher dishes, and less fragile glasses. Oh, I'm still using the gold cutlery, but that will be simple to wash and put away.