ten years ago today

 I had yesterday’s post all ready to go but after a break and re-read decided that it was too much of a whine. I’ll try to do better today.

I’ll start with the glorious sunshine that blessed us all day. From a soak in the tub luxuriating in the sunspot, to a drive in the countryside, it was a nice day. Nice, not awesome, those spectacular days are on hold for a few more months, kept away by COVID and sub-zero temperatures.

It was cold today but yesterday was above zero with a low ceiling of grey clouds. Much of the snow has melted;I can still see white but there’s lots of brown breaking through.

Today we are celebrating our Tenth year of retirement. Yes, 10 years ago today the last of my office stuff was boxed up and carried to the car. We celebrated that night with Olaf so it was only fitting to celebrate with him again tonight. We’ve all been through a lot this decade, some of us more than others.

bleak landscape

Sadly, the needles were starting to fall off my dining table boughs so with a tear in my eye I clear-cut leaving the surface barren of life. Would I have a chance to do it again? Next year there will hopefully be other people sharing our table leaving no room for greenery (or at least this much of it). But hold the boat! Why do I have to wait for a special occasion to deck the halls? Surely in the depth of January a few boughs would bring some life to the room.

"Hold fast to dreams,

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird,

That cannot fly.”

~Langston Hughes

winding down

 I took yesterday off from everything except a meet up with my siblings - online of course. It was fun and almost like we were all in the room. It wasn’t really, but I guess you make do with what you’ve got and keep going with a good attitude. What other choice is there?

To pass boxing day afternoon I watched ‘Sound of Music’ which is a bit of a tradition, although in years past it’s usually on Christmas night with our supper of a bag of chips. I didn’t watch the whole thing though - I dislike the ending so stopped the movie early. After all, I know how the last few scenes roll out so why do I have to watch it if it makes me unhappy? I’m an adult now (sometimes)!

Carm’s aversion to the movie is so great that he took the time to scrub the oven some more 🤣 

Oh, we have snow again. It arrived sometime after 2am on the 26th, too late to make it a white Christmas. We didn’t get much but it is nicely covering the brown ground, brightening the dim winter world.

Yesterday we took the 24 empty cans from our ‘Advent’ calendar and made a nice stack of them. Carm even laid them out in order, starting in the bottom left. It’s quite a towering stand of beer! We weren’t sure if we’d carry through the whole 24 days, but we ended up enjoying our ½ beer with supper. We had lots of fun analyzing and comparing in the days leading up to Christmas and will make it a new tradition. 

We are on day 2 of a month long lockdown… there are now 340,141 dead in the US and 14,818 dead in Canada. Both the Moderna and the Pfizer vaccines have been approved and have been rolling out for just over a week. There is now a faint light at the end of the tunnel.

Now comes the tricky part of winter, this covid winter… Christmas and all its days of preparations are over leaving a bleak white landscape that stretches farther than the eye can see with nothing to look forward to - no dinners with friends or family, no outings of any kind. Of course there’s the bright spot of New Years Eve, but honestly it’s getting harder to psych myself into believing that celebrating with just the two of us is so much fun.

I’ve never been one to watch TV during the day, except for the odd exception, but I’m thinking that some binge watching might pass the time.

Tonight we are passing the time with Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra.

"Hold fast to dreams,

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird,

That cannot fly.”

~Langston Hughes

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas! It’s a strange year to be sure but 2020 will be remembered for the rest of our lives. I am determined that I’ll have at least a few good memories.

Our morning started like usual - taking the dogs out and feeding all the beasts. After last night’s rain there isn’t a speck of snow left and we barely needed jackets as it was a balmy 7C. 

Coffee’s in hand we cast our eyes around the room and low and behold! Stockings were hung by the chimney with care and gosh, St. Nicolaus did come bringing with him some treasures and lots of chocolate.

one of my presents - I don’t know why I’m standing so weird - must be those websites about posing for photos that I’ve been reading. Obviously need improvement!

We barely needed breakfast after feasting on stocking treats, but a concoction of bread, eggs, ham, cheese set in a baking dish last night, ready to be popped into the oven - it’s our traditional breakfast… what I don’t remember from years past is that it totally TRASHED our oven. Spattered butter was everywhere, even dripping from the racks, necessitating a scrub once it cooled down - who really wants to be cleaning the oven on Christmas morning? Luckily Carm steps right into these types of tasks.

Our day alternated between lazy and hectic, as we prepared the turkey and all its acrutruments. How can a meal with just 5 components take all freak’n day? Finally the big moment came - the bird was out of the oven.  We did something different this year, following a Jamie Oliver recipe that has you remove the legs and wings. The legs are deboned and stuffed, we used the wings to make bone broth for the dressing and gravy. The bird looked terrible as it listed sideways in the pan. Not pretty but gosh it was too late.

Yesterday I said never again would I do up a turkey like this… well… I’ve changed my mind. It cooked well, the meat was moist and tasty. We have 2 deboned legs in the freezer that we can stuff later, and with just the two of us, two full breasts for sandwiches and leftovers. And a few chunks of carcass in the freezer for soup stock. One turkey is a heck of a big dinner for 2 people!

We did have a chance to have a quick visit with Kirsten, Shawn, and the girls before we sat down for a feast. Now we have our stretchy waist pants on and are vegging in front of the TV.

A few days ago I got an early Christmas present: a clip and tripod for my phone which is why you are being bombarded with selfies! It’s even got a remote. Sorry… 😜 

Merry Christmas to Everyone!

"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.”

~Paulo Coelho

I count my blessings

 It’s 2:30 and I’m finally sitting down to watch ‘White Christmas’, a plate of tortierre in one hand and an eggnog in the other hand. My fantasy of a leisurely day in my pajamas went down the drain early in the day. Oh, I was in my pjs all right, and an apron, as I stood at the counter prepping this and that and nothing at all.

At the end of it all the turkey was debased, the legs deboned, and patted down with a dry rub. Jamie Oliver is no longer my friend as the butchering of the bird left it in an awkward state. In the recipe he talks about a welfare crown… what the hell is that?  I won’t do it again but I suppose it was worth trying. 

The turkey wings and neck have been roasted and are now in the instant pot to make killer broth for the stuffing and gravy. The Christmas morning life saver is in the fridge ready to pop in the oven when we get up tomorrow morning. The onions and bacon are cooked and ready to mix in with the green beans for the casserole. Bread is cut up and dried out for the stuffing. The charcuterie board is ready for supper tonight.

There’ll be lots to do tomorrow for sure, but there’ll be time for a ‘zoom’ tomorrow :-)

Gosh that Bing Crosby can sing! And how can it be that I cry every time I watch this movie even though I’ve seen it more times than I can count?

It’s almost 9pm now. We had our Norwegian Christmas Eve supper of lefse, gjost, jarlsburg, pickled herring, cold meats, and beer. Our final Advent beer was a lovely IPA. Well balanced and easy to drink, it was perfect for our celebration.

After supper we watched ‘Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer’, a must see program. We have it on dvd as it is always part of Christmas for us.

It’s Christmas Eve!!!! :-) Oh, and did I mention yet that it’s pouring cats & dogs?

"When I'm worried and I can't sleep

I count my blessings instead of sheep

And I fall asleep counting my blessings”

~White Christmas

sort of magic

 Today is the first day that I am able to wear my hair in a ponytail… it’s grown so much since a rather short haircut the week before Covid hit - 283 days ago. I am not rocking the style, in fact it’s rather hideous. But it’s keeping my hair tamed for the monumental tasks today… lefse (a double recipe) and tortierre.

We make lefse, a Norwegian flat potato pancake that is not unlike a tortilla, every year at Christmas. It is perhaps our longest tradition, in fact thinking back, with a few exceptions,  I’ve probably had it every year since 1973. For the last several years it has been our job for the family celebration, but since this year is different, we are making it for ourselves. Working on it together turns a big job into an enjoyable afternoon (complete with Christmas music).

It’s 2pm and I’ll start by saying the lefse is not going well. I can’t seem to get enough flour into the potatoes to make a rollable dough. No, it’s sticky and impossible to work with. We sent the potatoes back into the freezer to cool a bit more in the hope that it’s because the dough is too warm.

Earlier I made the pastry for the tortierre. I don’t think that was a disaster but time will tell.

After supper: Well, with Carm’s help we got the meat for the tortierre done clearing the schedule to concentrate on the lefse. The task loomed as the afternoon wore on and frankly I was on the verge of throwing the whole lot into the garbage but with a little push from Carm we got busy.

I added scads more flour to the first batch to make the dough rollable. The tortilla press was out of the question which meant a grueling task with the rolling pin. Once I got the hang of how much flour was needed to flour the board it worked okay. I finished that batch of dough and turned to the remaining bowl of now, very cold mashed potatoes. I put them in the kitchen aid, added flour and wham. Perfect dough that rolled out easily. 

I think what happened is that I made a double batch of mashed potatoes and pulled out ⅔ instead of ½ for the first batch. I didn’t put in ⅔ worth of flour. Plus the potatoes were still slightly warm. 

We celebrated with a taste test :-)

Now to the tortierre. When the time came I rolled out the pastry (so easy after all the practice earlier), filled it, and baked it. A big slice with a side of mashed potatoes was our supper (at that point I was too tired to even open a can of green beans). Carm (bless his heart), said it was the best tortierre he’s ever had. Good thing cause a regular pie plate makes 8 servings… 4 in the freezer and 2 in the fridge for tomorrow night. 

I chose the first beer that I touched, another IPA. I didn’t care for it on the first sip, but it grew on me. By the last sip I quite like it. It’s not a favorite but we’d drink it again..

"Baking makes me focus. On weighing the sugar. On sieving the flour. I find it calming and rewarding because, in fairness, it is sort of magic - you start off with all this disparate stuff, such as butter and eggs, and what you end up with is so totally different. And also delicious.

~Marian Keyes

your smiling eyes

 While Carm was away battling the early morning Costco crowds I wrapped the few meger gifts that I have for him. We haven’t done gifts for years; we are making this year an exception since it’s such an exceptional year! If there was ever a year that called for quiet celebration it is this one as we don’t want to let Covid bring any more unhappiness. I’ve put more effort into Christmas this year than I have for years… it would be easy to be dejected but I am determined that it will be a year to remember despite the virus.

After lunch we drove ½ hour to Kemptville to meet up with Kirsten and family. It was lovely to see their smiling faces...scratch that… it was lovely to see their smiling EYES as we were all wearing masks. It felt strange and unnecessary but it’s what we are supposed to do with anyone outside of our household, so there we stood, 6 feet apart, wearing our masks, and outside. Still, we were able to make the best of it and had a good visit (although a cold one! Why on earth did it need to be so windy?)

Public Health has been saying over and over again that we should just be with our households, otherwise we’d probably be spending Christmas with them.

Adia is slowly developing an aversion to poop. This morning she looked at it then walked away - progress! It sure is nicer to be around her when we know what hasn’t been in her mouth!

Tonight we watched the first of our favorite Christmas programs. ‘Santa Claus is coming to town’ is a stop action puppet show from the 60s or 70s. It’s done in the same way as Rudolph which we’ll watch tomorrow night. Sure it’s corny but what is Christmas without some simple retro humour.

The beer tonight was good, not in the top list but easily second tier. It was bright and citrusy.

"Surely everyone is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a wintry fireside; candles at four o'clock, warm hearthrugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies to the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly without.”

~Thomas De Quincey

a celebration of winter solstice

 As soon as I was out of bed I carefully carried the fabled spruce boughs outside so that I could give them a good, vigorous shake. Then I cleaned the bathtub 🤤

I gave them another hour to dry while I cleared the table to ready it for a grand transformation. I laid a bough on the table… then the other one… it looked terrible. I moved them around and around trying to channel my sister-in-law Tammy, until finally, like magic, the placement seemed good. As I laid out the candles and twinkle lights, tucking them amongst the greenery, it started to look okay.

You can call me crazy but I felt a sort of bliss doing this simple task.

I was pretty happy with how it turned out and couldn’t wait for it to be dark! A taste of ‘peaceful easy feeling’ washed over me once all the candles and led lights were lit, a welcome feeling during these dark days. As I pass through the room a slight smile tickles my lips. 

Of course, with the festivities of winter Solstice, a pagen celebration of light, I clothed myself in silver sequins and slinky pants. Whenever I get dressed up for dinner I think of my Mom who always does herself up when the family gets together - like Mother like Daughter. 😙 

This afternoon Pat dropped by for an outside visit. It was great to see someone other than Carm!

Tonight’s beer was another IPA. The first half of my half was good, but by the end it was cloying and I just wanted it to be over. We celebrated Winter Solstice with a traditional meal of meatballs and roasted vegetables - easy foods to pair with beer so we were surprised that we weren’t crazy about it.

"O light! This is the cry of all the characters of ancient drama brought face to face with their fate. This last resort was ours, too, and I knew it now. In the middle of winter I at last discovered that there was in me an invincible summer.”

~Albert Camus

gumdrops and jujubes

 Some sort of mad tailor with crooked eyes and shaking hands worked their magic on the men, dressing them with Jujubes, m&ms, and other candies. They are a ragtag bunch but really, it’s a miracle that they don’t look worse. The tremor in my hands that sometimes makes me hold my utensils with two hands was not my friend today. But I always liked the rustic look LOL.

Light snow fell for much of the day. There wasn’t much accumulation, just enough to make it look like Christmas outside. But it’s warm so the snow might melt by Thursday.

I’ve just let the water out of the tub and shaken out the boughs. They’ll have overnight to dry.

The news this evening is that a lockdown is looming. It’s not officially announced yet, but it’s expected to start at 12:01 am on the 24. So starting early Christmas Eve life will shut down. In reality it won’t affect us much but it does add a level of freak out. It’s been easy to pretend that there’s nothing wrong, but then something like this happens and zonk, it seems serious again. (I know, I know - I’ve always recognized the seriousness, that’s why we’ve barely left the house for months). Oh, and tonight makes 40 weeks since this whole shit show started.

We went with a simple Creemore IPA tonight. We both liked it. The flavour is subtle with a bit of bitterness and a hint of the IPA sweetness. It would be perfect for camping. It will go on the favorite list.

"I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, 'Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'" 

~Lewis Carroll

marching men

 I didn’t have Christmas music playing out loud, instead the refrain from a few random carols rattled around in my head as I mixed up the dough for Gingerbread. I used to have a really good recipe but I haven’t had the faintest recollection of where it was from for a few years. And stupidly I don’t remember how last year’s cookies were formulated either. Why oh why didn’t I save it in my recipe software or at least write it down on a recipe card.

I searched the internet for a recipe that I thought would have the right texture - not too soft, but not too hard either - and the right blend of spices. That’s important. I found one that sounded about right and saved it in my software right away.

The dough came together well, chilled in the fridge for almost an hour, then rolled out easily. Men were released from the dough with no dismemberments that couldn’t be easily fixed. They marched into the oven and finally lay in a row cooling on the counter. A few smaller trees joined them.

Taste test: good. Not as awesome as I remember my old recipe but those cookies are now mythical so of course it’s impossible to achieve anything even close ;-)

After the cookies were cooled and put away to rest before being slathered in icing and jujubes tomorrow, I headed outside with a giant pair of branch cutters to harvest two huge boughs from our Norwegian Spruce along the road. They are in the bathtub now, soaking in water for a day (as per Martha Stewart’s instructions). Monday I’ll set a Solstice scene on the table with lots of greenery, a multitude of candles and the rest of my fairy lights. 

I wonder how long they’ll stay fresh enough to keep their needles?

I’m loath to admit it, but we got an electric collar for Adia. She’s a great dog in most aspects but has one disgusting habit that we haven’t been able to break… she eats Spike’s poop, and even worse, her own. A glimpse of her with shi& stuck between her teeth and smeared on her nose is enough to make me wretch and certainly doesn’t make us feel loving towards her. So, the big guns. Today is day two. She’s been caught a couple of times, but probably hasn’t made the connection yet.

A bright IPA with a mid-range of citrus poured out of the can today. It was nice with the spicy buffalo chicken chili that we had for supper. I think it’s good enough to make the top tier favorite list. 

“There was a danger whenever I was on home ground. It was the danger of seeing my life through other eyes than my own.

Seeing it as an ever-increasing roll of words like barbed wire, intricate, bewildering, uncomforting—set against the rich productions, the food, flowers, and knitted garments, of other women’s domesticity. It became harder to say that it was worth the trouble.”

~Alice Munro

a swish of tender hilarity

 A bright sun gave way to a crescent moon and with a clear sky our thoughts turned to celestial delights. The Christmas star was being born before our eyes as jupiter and saturn were drawn together, creating a brighter spot in the sky. They aren’t touching yet, that will happen on Solstice, but will be hidden from us by a veil of clouds.

Cookies! Today’s were Italian Lemon Almond cookies - dense and a bit dry with a lovely lemony taste. These ones have no butter or flour, just almond meal, sugar, lemon zest, and egg whites. Oh, and just so you know you’ve had a cookie, a dusting of powdered sugar to fall off onto your black shirt. They aren’t rolled with a rolling pin but were squished into shape with my fingers so they have a rustic appearance. 

That’s number 6 done… number 7 probably tomorrow. 

I’ve been driving Carm crazy (although he does try to keep a straight face), my headphones trapping the music into my ears as I swirl around the house like some rotund sprite with a poor sense of rhythm. I try not to sing out loud, but gosh, sometimes that’s impossible!

I can’t believe it’s Friday again, and it’s even harder to believe that I’ve said this 39 times since we first locked down… It’s weird but time is flying by so quickly it makes my head spin.

After yesterday’s lager we revisited an IPA today. It was a typical bitter IPA with no citrus. Good, but not the best.

“What she felt was a lighthearted sort of compassion, almost like laughter. A swish of tender hilarity, getting the better of all her sores and hollows, for the time given.”

~Alice Munro

the delight they took in saying it

 A little more sugar was thrown around this afternoon. With the help of a bit of butter, some flour, a teaspoon of this and that, and finally some cardamom the dough was made. This one wasn’t rolled out, or spooned out, instead I made a thin log that was then flattened slightly on the pan. Three giant Scandinavian Cardamom cookies came out of the oven, resting only for a minute before being cut into slices. 

The first taste was disappointing, in fact neither of us really cared for it… but never one to give up quickly, I waited till they were cool before tasting again. Oh! Nice! Crisp, not too sweet and with a faint hint of cardamom. I wonder if a bit of orange zest would zoosh them up? I’ve put them on the official Christmas cookie list. So that’s number 5… 6 and 7 over the next few days.

It was still cold today with the sun far from sight until late afternoon.

The ancient turkey from my Mom’s freezer finally thawed enough to be disassembled today. With Carm’s help it’s been carved into usable chunks, mostly to be made into a meaty bone broth for the dogs. The turkey bones will need an extra few hours in the instant pot to soften the bones enough to be edible.

We went for a lager from Ireland today. It was good, for a lager, but not good enough to make it onto the first tier favorites list. 

“I began to understand that there were certain talkers--certain girls--whom people liked to listen to, not because of what they, the girls, had to say, but because of the delight they took in saying it. A delight in themselves, a shine on their faces, a conviction that whatever they were telling about was remarkable and that they themselves could not help but give pleasure. There might be other people--people like me--who didn't concede this, but that was their loss. And people like me would never be the audience these girls were after, anyway.

Alice Munro

snickerdoodle sounds a little naughty

 I was glad I had on my giant down coat when I rounded the corner of the field. A nasty wind whipped at my cheeks but didn’t penetrate my parka, I’m not sure what the wind chill was but the thermometer was stuck at -13C. Yowzers. I am grateful that I’ve only had to unearth my winter coat today.

The last tray of cookies just came out of the oven - snickerdoodles, a crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside cinnamon cookie. I’ve never had one but was inspired when Santa said on the news it was his favorite - Santa must know what he’s talking about when it comes to cookies! I was pleased I took the chance when I took a bite (the baker has to test you know!). 

The freezer is starting to groan under the weight of all these cookies and I’ve run out of containers to put them in. I’m either in some sort of manic phase or determined that I’m going to keep demons at bay and that a shield of sugar and butter will do the trick.

Norwegian tradition is to make 7 (or is it 9) different kinds of sweets - today makes 4. I have two more kinds that I want to make so I won’t reach that magic number. Oh wait!!! I forgot one. So that will be 7. It will have to do.

Of course all this baking is feeding my food hoarding tendencies… the pantry and freezer must be stocked! I wonder if some ancient ancestors have passed a hibernation gene to me. My Scotish ancestors who settled on rough, rocky lands in Lanark would have had to struggle to get enough to eat over the winter and into the spring. My Norwegian great grandparents who settled in a desolate area of Alberta would have equally struggled. Such hardships surely influence the genome.

Carm was up bright and early this morning for his weekly trip into Costco… he’s been going first thing as it was getting too busy to go at other times and with Covid numbers up it’s not worth the risk. He said that he could have fired a cannon without hitting anyone, but I don’t believe him. I do appreciate his effort to soothe my worries.

I wonder when I will be able to indulge myself by browsing all the treasures, and they will seem like treasures as it’s been so long - scrolling through Amazon doesn’t quite cut it.

In the evening I watched a darling ballet performance by Freya and her classmates. Done over Zoom like so much this year, it was nice to see that the children had done so well despite the pandemic. Where there is a will there’s a way.

We went with an old favorite tonight. Mad Tom is a bitter IPA without being too hoppy. We haven’t had it for over a year so wanted to compare it to our new favorites. It was clear from the first sip that it was still in the top realm.

“As soon as a man and woman of almost any age are alone together within four walls it is assumed that anything may happen. Spontaneous combustion, instant fornication, triumph of the senses. What possibilities men and women must see in each other to infer such dangers. Or, believing in the dangers, how often they must think about the possibilities.”

~Alice Munro

butter tart squares

 Sun!!!! Sitting here on the sofa for an afternoon break I am reminded of one reason to celebrate the cloudy days… the windows don’t look so dirty!

I just took a baking tray of butter tart squares out of the oven… at that moment I was whisked back in time to 2004… happily it was only a wobble in the time/space continuum… Today the smell of cooked butter and brown sugar is heavy in the air and I feel happy and competent. 

I’ve made them once before, years ago when I was first sick off work. They were a disaster. What isn’t talked about as much as it should be is that acute mental illness affects cognitive ability. My mind was destroyed for several months, in fact it took a few years to get back to where I am now. At times I railed against this decline more than I did my depression and the fact that I was now labeled bipolar. I was used to being ‘with it’ and capable of anything, but this decay... it was demoralizing… I didn’t know who I was anymore.

I’ll never forget the moment that I brought that tray of butter tart squares out of the oven and realized that I’d messed up badly, that I couldn’t even follow simple instructions. It was a low point in my recovery.

It took a fair amount of effort, but it is possible to return to normal, just don’t give up even when it seems impossible (and trust me, there were times when I wondered if I’d ever get back.) It still surprises me when I remember some obscure fact!

Maybe part of my mental recovery was writing this blog. When I first started writing (over 10 years ago!), every sentence, no make that every word, was a struggle. The undertaking seemed overwhelming, but I wanted to succeed so I practiced and read books about how to write. After a few years I felt that I was getting better and now, sometimes, I can sit down and it all just blurps out of me. Some days my brain doesn’t function as well so I have to work at it more. I usually don’t seem to have trouble finding words (poor you, I do tend to go on and on!), and somehow they seem to fit together reasonably well.

The day flew by, but not before I unearthed my treasured copy of Chatelaine's Canadian Living from 1980. The magazine opened automatically to the recipe for ‘Christmas Morning Wife Saver’, a perennial favorite with my whole family. Flipping thru the rest of the mag I did have a laugh at the cigarette ad - we’ve come a long way baby.

Tonight’s beer was another IPA. Fresh and slightly acidic, we both agreed that it would be a first rate summer beer and imagined ourselves sitting down with one after setting up our campsite. And who can resist a can with revolting mutants!

“She sits in her usual ample armchair, with piles of books and unopened magazines around her. She sips cautiously from the mug of weak herb tea which is now her substitute for coffee. At one time she thought that she could not live without coffee, but it turned out that it is really the warm large mug she wants in her hands, that is the aid to thought or whatever it is she practices through the procession of hours, or of days.”

~Alice Munro

dull, simple, amazing, and unfathomable

 My eyes peered into the dark room while my ears strained to hear the faintest sound of retching for much of the night. Pace, pace, pace. Four times I took Adia outside, my bare feet freezing on the frosty deck, once Carm took her out. Aside from the initial puke at 11pm, thankfully there wasn’t anything to clean up inside, but outside might have been another matter. This dog eats anything that isn’t nailed down, including her own poop, so it’s no wonder that she gets an upset tummy sometimes.

I wasn’t exactly energetic today… in fact I was down right lazy. Oh well, still over a week before the cookies all need to be made. When do you start eating your Christmas sweets stash? I’m not saving it for company (but do have some set aside for someone special), so should we hold off until Christmas Eve? Or maybe I’ll haul out a selection on the 23rd when we do a virtual birthday for Shawn after a busy day of lefse and tourtiere making? No, Solstice is the day to start our celebration. Yes, that seems like a good time.

I was in such a rush to get last night’s post out that I forgot to mention that yesterday marked nine months since our lives changed. Pat had come for supper and we talked about keeping to small circles… that was before we really understood what was happening. In reality, circles weren’t a thing until mid June and ours was a small one with Kirsten, her family, Mom, Dad, and Graham. At the beginning of October circles were rescinded. And here we are 9 months later: instructed to have Christmas with our households only. 

On a positive note, today the first vaccine was administered in Canada! It will likely be several months until life can continue as normal - face masks and distancing will be inplace for maybe another year (or more?).

Snow came down for about an hour this afternoon, each large flake brightening the earth like an icy white sun. It rested on branches and covered (somewhat), the dead leaves on the ground. Death seems to be all around us in the fall, before the snow cradles the earth in a comforting blanket. Dormant growing things seem protected by the white cocoon, giving a sort of hope for what will return in the spring.

Tonight we had another IPA. Jurassic was bright with a mid range of citrus. We both liked it and will drink it again, although it doesn’t measure up to our top 3 (boneshaker, space invaders, upside). This has been a really fun way to countdown to December 24th.

“People’s lives, in Jubilee as elsewhere, were dull, simple, amazing, and unfathomable – deep caves paved with kitchen linoleum.”

~Alice Munro

the quote made me think of my blog: dull, simple, (not) amazing, and unfathomable

the thing is to be happy

 The deck was wet with precipitation this morning and the clouds dipped their glum bodies close to the ground. It was grey in the house again - how many days does that make this December? I could have easily slid into gloom but instead threw some flour around to make bread and shortbread cookies. 

As the afternoon wore on, the bread rose in the oven on the ‘proof’ setting (one of the most used settings on this stove) while the shortbread chilled in the fridge. Eventually the oven did its magic on the bread - two beautiful loafs for the freezer. While the oven was hot I rolled out ⅔ of the shortbread dough to create a bunch of delicious cookies. I didn’t decorate them - I like my shortbread naked.

Carm chose the beer tonight. Boneshaker is a slightly bitter IPA with lots of citrus but not much sweetness. It went especially well with the savory Philly cheesesteak and rice dinner that I made. I loved the pairing.

“The thing is to be happy,' he said. 'No matter what. Just try that. You can. It gets to be easier and easier. It's nothing to do with circumstances. You wouldn't believe how good it is. Accept everything and then tragedy disappears. Or tragedy lightens, anyway, you're just there, going along easy in the world.

~Alice Munro

a tree on the roof

 Freezing rain and snow was in the forecast so I gave myself permission to have a totally lazy day (unlike all my other days - ha!). A long sleep in, followed by coffee and updating my log (so I know what I felt like yesterday 5 years from now 😨). After that I cuddled on the sofa to watch a Hallmark Christmas movie that thankfully was on the PVR as there were more commercials than you could imagine… painful without a fast forward feature! The movie actually had a plot! It was filmed in a town that I lived near over 35 years ago so it was fun to see familiar street scenes. Thankfully there weren’t hundreds of trees decorated to the nth degree in every scene so it didn’t feel ridiculously corny. I suppose I don’t have to tell you that it had a tear jerky ending...

After I dried my tears, I luxuriated in a lovely bubble bath with crazy music blasting, and then got the kitchen aid out to make cookies. Of course cookie making required Michael Buble’s Christmas album for some good cheer. I’ve got a giant list of varieties that I plan on making - Carm chose butter pecan for the first batch. Aside from the few that I put aside, they are tucked into the freezer. 

The worst of the weather has mostly held off - the sky has thrown some rain at us, nothing dire.

I chose a Guinness to go with our roast beef supper. Pot roast, potatoes, brussels sprouts, and of course yorkshire pudding, needed a hearty beer. It’s a bit of a cheat since we’ve had it before (although more than a year ago), but not during our Advent adventure. It was perfect. I’d forgotten how deliciously smooth Guinness is.

“She was learning, quite late, what many people around her appeared to have known since childhood that life can be perfectly satisfying without major achievements.”

~Alice Munro