End of Year

Mourning doves waiting for me to leave so they can come eat; Deb Marshall photo

This week alone, this is what I’ve cooked:

A small pot of celeriac soup.

A large pot of pumpkin-celeriac soup.

A large pot of chicken broth.

3 lbs of corton. (that’s French-Canadian pate, for those of you who don’t have F-C relatives)

2 tourtiere (pork pie; ditto)

7 jam and fig tarts, and one hand-sized tourtiere

2 steamed ginger puddings (steamed puddings look like cake when they’re done, but you do indeed steam them. For hours. In a mold or a properly-sized basin ((ceramic bowl.)))

Muhamarra, a full food-processor’s worth (middle eastern dip, made of walnuts, olive oil, roasted red peppers, lots of garlic, harissa, lemon juice, pomegranate syrup, and a few roasted olives. With za’atar on top.

Mustard-sauced cauliflower.

Cauliflower soup with 5 cheeses. (I used sharp cheddar, chive cheddar, provolone, swiss, and something called “Wife of Bath,” which I didn’t like but is more than good in the soup.)

In the last three days, this is what I’ve eaten:

All of the above, plus 2 kinds of fruitcake

Christmas cookies from three different cooks

Fruit-filled sweet breads from two different cooks

A lot of baguette, sourdough bread, and cornichon to carry the corton and cut the richness

Green bean casserole; scalloped potatoes; roast beef; ham

Mixed nuts

Cold shrimp cocktail

A cheesy dip

Lots of coffee with eggnog and milk

2 different salads; not nearly enough in ratio with the rest of what I’ve eaten

Chocolate-covered ginger

Chocolate-mint candies

Cheeses – mostly Stiltonish

Passionfruit nectar mixed with carbonated water

1 gin-and-tonic. Thank god I rarely drink alcohol

A selection of digestive herbs and remedies

On Christmas Day, here’s who this introvert spent hours with:

3 Daves: my bro, my youngest niece’s new honey, his dad

2 Kates: my oldest niece, and Dave honey’s sister

My youngest niece, responsible for two of the children below

6 children, all but one under the age of 7, and only 2, my grand-nieces, who I know; the others belonged to new honeys and sister of Dave honey and ex-wife of that Dave

A brother of Dave honey, George

The wife of George, Mika, whose name is the name of my Mother’s late cat

The ex-wife of Dave honey, and her 3-week-old baby; I don’t remember their names

Mom

The Husband

My sis-in-law

My ex-nephew in-law, and his new honey, Christine, who I’d never met before.

Abby, the dog who I know, and another really nice dog whose name I didn’t catch and don’t know

Here’s how I feel:

Pleased I survived all the strangers, who were all fairly friendly and surprisingly comfortable and relaxed

Over-fed

Wicked tired

Here’s what I’m doing right now: 

Writing this and staring down the to-do list. Daring it to make me do something.

Planning a post-prandial nap

Wishing I was already asleep…

For the blog, 27 December 2019: herondragonwrites.blogspot.com

Aw, Jeez - December

Okey dokey.

It’s now almost half-way through December, and I’m not feeling a heck of a lot better about this month than I was about November. The best I can say about it is that the garden’s all white –even after yesterday’s 50-degree rainfall – so I’m not staring out the window at it anymore thinking about all the things I need to get done before it snows. I tossed those lists, and now I’m working on “Things To Do First Thing Come Spring” lists.

But first I have to get through the lists of things that need to be done before January 1^st. 

And now we’re into full moon week (Cold Moon) when things inevitably go not as well as one would like. The furry people are whacko, inanimate objects usually don’t do what I ask them to, and while we do now have a furnace, it’s not hooked up yet and so, essentially, no furnace. Which got old some time ago. And even getting it here was a fraught exercise.

I do have one freesia in bloom, and freesia smell quite wonderful. And this thing is living in my kitchen, after being brought in from its home, since spring, on the wart:

Unknown pretty plant from the Evil Store, last May

It’s acting like a fresh new plant – all on its own, I did nothing except bring it in, and occasionally remember to water it. 

Also, The Enforcer at Pleasant Lake Veterinary Clinic sent me this photo, that she took on Hallowe’en when the Dark Lady visited Lou (he’s the handsome one in the white fur suit, being held by one of his servants – that is, one of the highly trained veterinary staff at his castle):

So I’m mostly trying to concentrate on stuff like this. And looking forward to two weeks off, during which I hope I have to do nothing except read fiction. And nap. I’m tired.

Also, I ordered a holiday present for myself. It hasn’t arrived yet, and can’t come soon enough. It’s a tee-shirt that reads: Let’s assume I’m right. It’ll save time.

Once that comes, I expect all I’ll need to do is point at it and my world will fall into perfect order.

And if it doesn’t – Catman’s teaching me to growl.

11 December 2019