New Year's Mysteries

The Hornet's Nest installed in the living room; Deb Marshall photo

We had a small very pleasant New Year’s mystery this year, and now we’ve got a larger and much less pleasant one. Besides that, it’s snowing like crazy, and the cold weather has been quite terrible.  Those of us who have lived hereabouts since we were children pretty much expect that there will be 2 weeks of wicked cold weather either around Christmas, or sometime in late January – but the bitter bitter cold we’ve had for way too long now is kinda ridiculous. For the first time in several years I had to haul out of the deep closet the 30-year-old winter jackets we bought in Montreal one long-ago fall: they’re knee-length, have a zipper topped by a flap with snaps, a tall turn-up collar, with more snaps, that covers the entire neck to the chin, topped by a hood you can pull tight, that has its own flap with snaps, which covers the face up to the nose. All closed up, it’s warm and wind-proof, so only from knees down and cheeks-and-eyes freeze.

Since I wrote that first paragraph a week ago, we morphed from deep freeze to spring, and today back to windy, horrid and cold again. The wart deck is a gritty sheet of ice, and poor Abu went down the steps on his butt earlier today when his feet went out from under him on the ice. The birds are struggling to make their windy wobbly way towards the deck rail for the seeds – at least, for the seeds the wind hasn’t blown off yet – and I put down ice melt, but the wind blew most of it off onto the ground, which is also like a skating rink.  The top of the compost bin is well above the snow line again, but the weather gods are planning to fix that later this week, I hear. I’m all for it, if the snow adheres to the ice and makes safe movement possible again – until it does, no doggie walks are happening here, the poor Barkie Boy is on his own – he, at least, can skitter across the top of the snow if he can make it down the stairs, and a slip and fall is shorter for him than for we two-legged critters.

In Chinese theory, humans, because we stand on two feet, are the unique connection between heaven and earth – our feet planted on earth, our heads in the heavens – but on icy windy days, our uprightness isn't necessarily a given, and our fall from on high can be quite painful. It’s worth noting that Wind is said to blow evils into our bodies, and considering how many hurt backs/shoulders/knees/toes/wrists I’ve treated so far this month, not to mention a wide variety of upper respiratory gunk, I know it to be true.

The Furry People have pretty much given up and are semi-hibernating in various baskets placed not far from the woodstove, on their winter perches, or in a bundled fur pile they make of themselves. Biscuit does get up once each evening to make a patrol of the cellar to try to put a check on the mouse colony. The kitchen mouse has been invisible lately – either Biscuit finally dispatched it, or it wisely moved on to another spot, and it occurs to me I should hoe out the pantry sometime soon to see if it’s moved there.* Catman pokes his nose out the door every so often, then skitters back and gives me the angry glare of a frustrated Lord of the Universe whose human servant keeps forgetting to flip the warm weather switch on and the cold weather switch off.  Then he stomps back to his warm basket under the bay tree.

Furry People resting on their winter perches; Deb Marshall photo

The nasty New Year's mystery we had was the furnace dying in the middle of the coldest of the weather – which hasn’t happened in years, since – well, since the last horrid below-below-below zero freezing spell. Why does it only act up in the worst weather? We’re lucky, the woodstove provides most the heat for our house, but the furnace also heats our water, and in the really frigid weather, the woodstove needs some overnight and windy-day backup from the furnace. We can heat water on the woodstove and gas stove, but apart from heating enough to wash hands and faces and keep the dishes clean, no bathing or laundry will get done without furnace-heated water. Not only don’t we have time, but we aren’t set up to do it the old-fashioned way without a lot of jury-rigging. We had long visits from three different furnace repair guys during that awful weather, all trying to figure out what was ailing the 35-year-old furnace.  One of them arrived the morning of that windy snow blow day that has gone down in weather infamy (Nor'easter? Cyclone?) and, I’ve got to say, we’re impressed by and grateful to the guys who do that job, and the many others we usually don’t notice who keep our modern lives running smoothly. We still don’t know what was wrong with the furnace, but after some different kinds of fiddling, it seems to be running well again. Fingers crossed.

The pleasant mystery we had arrived close to New Year's Day. Late one afternoon – but before it was dark – the Husband and I were ensconced on the couch, him snoozing, me nursing my annual Christmas Vacation Cold and catching up on Portlandia episodes. Someone came in the kitchen door, and I expected either the Sailor or Eddie B would come down the hall momentarily. When no one did, and no one shouted “Hello!”, I hauled myself out of my tv spaciness and went to see who was there. By the time I got to the kitchen, no one was there, but a disposable diaper box holding a gorgeous many-colored knitted blanket was on the floor by the door. 

There was no note; I couldn’t see a car leaving our long driveway; I poked my head out the door and saw no footprints, only dog pawprints. Had Santa Paws dropped off a late gift? Or had someone mistaken our house for someone else’s house and delivered a gift to the wrong place? Usually the long driveway and the distinctive color of our house is a sure give-away that an uncertain traveler’s in the wrong place. And this delivery didn’t come by UPS or FedEx or mailman – the box was open, with no signs of torn wrapping or other identification.

I spread out the blanket and again checked the box for a hidden note or something identifying. The blanket was in the style of a patchwork quilt with many bright-colored triangles pieced into squares, and looked like it was complicated to knit. On one corner, there was a tiny, tiny little piece of cloth with “S. Barrss” written on it, sewed on by hand. There was a very faint odor of a light perfume, new wool smell, and an even fainter odor of fir or pine. No cat or dog hairs – that eliminated a few potential sources.

Huh. I don’t know any Barrss. So I called the two people I know who would have disposable diaper boxes – Niece, mother of a 16-month-old, and Brother, grandfather of same diaper-wearer – and they claimed to know nothing about it. Then I called my mother because one should always call one’s mother when uncertain what to do, and she knew nothing, either. I emailed the Sailor, and called E. Bear – still no solution. The Actress and the Tall Dude are away for the winter, so I couldn’t blame them. I called the next-door neighbor. “Are you missing a delivery that might have landed at my house?” No. I Googled S.Barrss – a few Barrss showed up in southern NH, but no S, and no further illumination. A couple of days later, the British Car Gal was visiting, and she had no idea, either, though she was aware that there are some Barrss who live down her way, but she doesn’t know any of them.

All we could do was wait and hope someone solved the mystery for us.

It reminded me of the time many years ago when, as a joke, I bought a very naughty cake made by a local baker who specialized in genitally-decorated pastry, and sent it to the Traveler, who was living in Seattle at the time, to arrive on Valentine’s Day. She called me when it arrived and we laughed and shrieked a bit about it, and then I forgot about it; but the Traveler froze it and pulled it out the next year and sent it back to us. When I didn’t call her and shriek and laugh again at her trick, she called me to find out why. Why was because it hadn’t arrived.

She called UPS on her end, I called on my end, and they swore they’d delivered it, and the driver even described the doorway he’d left it by. Of course, it wasn’t my doorway, and it wasn’t a doorway we recognized. I’ve always wondered which neighbor received that unexpected delivery, and assume that since they didn’t call us to say they’d received a package meant for us, they must have opened it. I’ve always wondered if it was a pleasant surprise for them, and did they eat it?

A week or so later, the New Year’s mystery was solved when our very sweet librarian asked the Husband how I’d liked the blanket. She’d come to the house earlier in the day to pick something up and I gave her a quick tour of the house. She enjoyed the many colors our house is painted in, and thought the blanket would go nicely. Which it does!

Thank you, Michelle, for the surprise gift and the New Year’s mystery. Both were greatly enjoyed!

Here are a couple of winter recipes that can help warm body and soul. These are my versions of classic recipes – alter them to fit your tastes. Both are Indian in origin; the spices used in Indian cooking all help warm the body without overheating it, and improve digestion.

Carrot and parsley root harvest; even the veggies are colorful! None of these in the following recipes. Deb Marshall photo

Chai  (chai means “tea”; spiced chai is a lovely winter drink. It can be made with or without black tea, and is usually served with heated milk or cream. Sweeten, or not, to taste. I make a quart or more of the basic brew and keep it in the frig, adding milk and reheating as needed.)

In a 3-qt saucepan, put 2 qts of water and the following spices (or any combination you prefer):

A knob of fresh ginger, smacked with the flat of a knife to mash it slightly

2-5 cinnamon sticks, depending on size of the stick

9 whole black peppercorns

1 tsp whole cloves

1 tsp whole allspice berries

2-4 tsp whole cardamom pods

a grating of nutmeg, a dash of mace

Cover, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and if you like, steep 2-3 black tea bags (or a well-filled tea ball or two) in the hot liquid for 5 minutes. Then strain the chai and add sweetener if desired (sugar, honey, or maple syrup) and store in frig. This will keep for several weeks. It’s usually combined half-and-half with hot milk (reheat the chai also!); if you prefer to drink it without the milk, you may find you want to water down the chai a little to taste. This is good cold in the summer, also, and isn’t too heating for hot weather.

Kicharee 

This dish takes only about 20 minutes to make once you’ve gathered your ingredients, keeps well in the frig, and freezes well. I make it quite thick, so it can be rolled into balls; or if you take a quantity of it and add broth or water, it can become soup. It’s said of kicharee that if one eats only it, 3 times/day for 10 days, it can cure most diseases. I don’t know about that, but it is a complete vegetarian protein (dried legume + grain), and it’s very good for the digestion: easy to digest, with spices that warm the stomach and improve digestion, very important in cold weather when our Qi goes deep into the body. 

Cooked vegetables may be added afterwards if you choose to make it into soup.

Carefully rinse 2+ cups of Masoor Dal (the pink/red lentils you’ll find in the International isle of the grocery store, the Co-op, or in an Asian market) and let them drain, removing any small stones or chaff that you find. Put them in a 3-quart saucepan. Traditionally, you would then add about 1 cup of white Basmati rice (white for easy digestion); Thai Jasmine also works well, and the dish can be made without rice but won’t be a complete vegetarian protein unless you add some other grain.

Cover the dal/rice mixture with cold water. Rest the tip of your index finger on top of the layer of dal/rice, and add cold water to cover, up to the closest finger joint (about an inch above the dal). Cover it and bring to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer, adding a little salt – about a tsp. Keep an eye on this mixture, it’ll cook faster than you expect! The dal will turn yellow. 

Check it in about 5 minutes, and try to turn it off before the water has completely boiled off – leave it covered while you prepare the spices, more water will be absorbed as it sits. If the water has absorbed too quickly and the dal/rice isn't yet soft, add a little hot water and cook longer.

While this is cooking, you’re going to prepare the spice mixture. For this, you’ll want:

Cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, cumin seed, cardamom, fenugreek, whole mustard seed – preferably brown, fennel seed, ginger, and asafoetida. You can use garlic powder in place of asafoetida if you  prefer.  The quantity of each that you’ll use depends largely on taste, but start with 1 tsp each of cinnamon, cumin seed, cardamom, ginger, fenugreek and fennel seed; 1 T of turmeric; ½ T of mustard seed. You’ll probably want 1 tsp or more of garlic if you’re using that, several tsps of asafoetida if you’re using that instead.

You’ll also need a stick of butter, or the equivalent amount of ghee (butter with the milk solids removed). Don’t try to replace this with margarine, it won’t taste right, besides that there really isn't any margarine that's healthy for us.

In your frying pan, melt the butter or ghee, then add the spices, except the asafoetida, and stir them around until they’re releasing their oils and smelling fragrant. If you’re using asafoetida, add this during the last few moments. Once all is fragrant and your dal is cooked, pour the contents of the fry pan into the the cooked dal and stir in well. At this point, taste it and adjust for salt; if you need more of the other spices, melt some more butter and cook spices in it until fragrant before adding to the dal. Some folks like to add yogurt, also.

To make this a soup rather than the thick paste this recipe will make, use several cups more of water when cooking the dal. 

I often roll the kicharee into bite-size balls for snacking on – it’s very good at room temperature – and if I want soup, put several balls to hot broth or hot water and stir to combine. Kicharee freezes well.

Note: asafoetida, or hing, is used in many Indian dishes in place of garlic or onions, as those two vegetables are considered to be unclean, as they pull toxins out of the soil. Hing is a pungent flavor like onions and garlic, but has a distinctive flavor all its own that isn’t really describable.  It’s very strong smelling – when you buy it, it comes as a powder, usually in a sealed plastic bottle; once you’ve opened it, you’ll want to store the  bottle inside a larger glass bottle or your pantry will smell of asafoetida. 

Readers of Victorian novels may recognize the name – it was used in the West as an ingredient in medicines during that time, and is still currently used by some herbalists to treat lung issues and other ailments.

Happy New Year, everyone! May you all have excellent adventures and interesting mysteries this year!

*Overnight note: I roasted the remaining two pumpkins last night to make soup and freeze the leftover pulp, and saved a heaping bowl full of seeds to put out for the birds this morning. This morning, the bowl was empty except for 9 remaining seeds! Our kitchen mousie, wherever it's nesting, is going to be well-fed for the next few days!

I may need to sic the living room ghoul on the kitchen mousie, which appears to be clad in a cloak of invisibility. Deb Marshall photo