Happy New Year

 

 

I was up early as usual making coffee, and when I pulled the seal off a new carton of half n' half, it splattered all over the dark kitchen. A rude awakening to 2026! Hopefully I got the bad luck out of the way.

Seattle was socked in last night with dense, cold fog so we were happy tucked up in the warm house. John listened to the Buckeye game on the radio (blah blah) and I stayed awake long enough to watch the Times Square ball drop on my phone. It looked like a great way to get the flu.

On that positive note (this not being one of my favorite holidays) here's to fresh year filled with new adventures. Bring it on. 

Happy New year, dear friends and family.  

 

  

 

Comfort

 

 

What is more comforting in the winter than Navy bean soup made with leftover Christmas ham?

Like homemade chili, bean soup is much better heated up the next day after the flavors combine and mature. In fact, this is true of most soups, and sometimes referred to as "curing," although that is not a real culinary term.

I had a dentist appointment and was in need of comfort yesterday. Right before Christmas, I noticed a small chip on a front tooth. The culprit? Probably chocolate chip cookies straight out of the freezer. A bad idea for old teeth! 

Well, my mind had fun all week imagining expensive dental horrors like crowns, implants and veneers. Our young dentist is kind and skillful, and she repaired it with a bit of bonding, good as new in about 10 minutes. I didn't even need the unpleasant numbing shot. 

So this brings us to New Years Eve and resolutions, for those of us who still make and break them. I could start with something like "imagine the best scenario instead of the worst, because both are equally likely." 

Keep it simple. 

And from Brad Paisley: 

"Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one."  

Warm

 

An interesting book I got for Christmas, along with pretty bookmark. Phenology is "the study of the timing of recurring natural events, like plants flowering, birds migrating, or insects emerging, and how these cycles relate to seasonal changes and climatic shifts." 

Gardeners are always tuned in to this, but I wasn't familiar with the scientific term phenology. 

 

 

Seattle has been unseasonably warm this December and the camellia is already blooming. That doesn't mean much year to year, but over the decades, spring in the northern hemisphere (defined by leaf budding) is occurring several weeks earlier. I have lived long enough to attest to this. 

According to the book, this especially impacts insects and migrating birds, and there are depressing statistics, such as over 22% of butterflies have disappeared in the last 20 years. 

Well, a frost is probably still on the way for January or February, and it's an unusual winter when we don't get a little snow in the lowlands. These geraniums will be toast. 

But in the meantime, I can't recall seeing so many insects and birds and other critters in the yard, enjoying the messy bounty. 

The squirrels have trained me to throw peanuts on the deck, when they show up at the back door. It wasn't hard.  

Pretty one

 

John gave me a Wentworth wooden puzzle for Christmas. We've collected several over the years and they are the type of puzzles you can do over and over.  

Made in England with little whimsy pieces that match the themes. I'm slow at puzzles (compared to him) so he likes to look over my shoulder sniggering because I can't see the pieces right in front of me. 

I told him go away. It's not nice to make fun of people not as smart as you! So I finally finished it in peace yesterday afternoon. Thank goodness for puzzles, embroidery and reading. And naps. 

This week always feels like some sort of time vortex. Christmas is over but nothing feels back to normal yet. The decorations are still up and the chore of getting everything packed away looms. As does the new year, with all the uncertainly that comes with the unknown. 

"Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.” — Sonia Ricotti 

 Simple advice, but easier said than done for many of us. 

Boxing Day

 

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did also. I didn't have time to take many photos, which is how it should be, but here's our precious girls, Amanda, Nova and Maya at dinner: Ham with peach glaze, baked yams with pecan crumbles, cauliflower with cheese sauce and a giant bowl of greens for these big salad eaters. Whew. 

 

And yes, we always get carried away here with gift giving (especially Father Christmas John!) but what generous and thoughtful presents all around. 

Boxing Day is the perfect time to reflect and enjoy these gifts of family and love. The kids have plans, but we will be home recuperating. 

The only thing to unwrap today is the leftover ham. I see bean soup on the horizon. 

Christmas Eve, ready or not

 

I made a rum cake this morning; John picked up some beautiful flowers for the table. All stocked up with food for tomorrow and beyond, we're as ready as we can be.

To our family traveling today on snowy roads, Vaya con Dios! And thoughts of peace and love to all our friends and family, especially those who have suffered recent losses.  

“Christmas Eve is my favorite. I think the anticipation is more fun than anything else. I kind of lost that. The idea that something - food, traditions, an arbitrary date on the calendar - can be special because we decide it should be. We make it special. Not just for ourselves, but for others.” 

― Kiersten White, from "My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories."