Late start

My early morning friends may be wondering if I was sleeping late this last day of the year. Nope! I just spent 3 hours in Browser Purgatory, with much pestering of my technical support person. So much as I hate having to learn new technology for no good reason, I'm on to Firefox-- Internet Explorer having driven me to distraction trying to compose in Blogger under Windows 7.

Anyway, last night we were too lazy to even watch a movie, so we sat through another episode of "Rick Steves Europe Through the Backdoor" on PBS. Rick Steves is a staple of public television around here; he's on every single night, sometimes twice. No matter where he goes he takes his penny pinching ways with him, but he's interesting in a predictable and dullish way. We're not getting any younger and the globe isn't getting any smaller, so TV travel programs are probably as close as we're going to get to many of these places.

Alphonse Mucha

Last night Steves was in Czechoslovakia (or I should say, The Czech Republic) with a newer program. In Prague there is a large, beautiful Alphonse Mucha museum. It reminded me of how much I've always liked art deco, and Mucha was one of the most prolific artists of the period. And also one of the most reproduced-- you can find hundreds of images for sale with a simple Google search.

Jaroslava

Well, the last day of 2009 "dawned" grey, wet and cold in Seattle. We're dragging ourselves away from our devices to visit a real (not virtual) museum for a change. More later...

Books you can live without

I have a hard time letting go of old books, which gets to be a problem when you live in a small, finite space for 30+ years. But after a while, they just blend in and become dusty wallpaper, or part of the furniture. They come and go, but the total volume remains the same, so you never really gain any shelf space back. I kept all of Amanda's picture books in boxes and was glad for it, because I just gave them back to her for Nova.

It's interesting what the book hoarders hang on to longest. One day you glance up and see a tattered Latin text from your sophomore year in college. Dog-eared, scribbled up, the pages and spine yellow and soft as velvet from all the sweat and tears of hundreds of study dates. It's hard to let stuff like that go! But of course I'll never actually "use" that book again. If I study any language in the future, it has to be Spanish. Anyway, all I remember from frying my brain in Latin class is a pithy saying or two, such as my favorite: "De gustibus non est disputandum," which roughly translates to: "there is no accounting for taste." A handy little quote to have on the tip of your tongue for many occasions.

But back to books. Some folks worry they will go the way of the dinosaur, and something beautiful and wonderful will be lost forever. Maybe, but probably not in my lifetime...there are just too many book collectors out there. Here's an article from the 12/27 NYT, where six authors talk about what to cull and what to keep, if you DO decide to clean house in 2010:

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/books-you-can-live-without/?scp=1&sq=books%20you%20can%20live%20without&st=cse

Bean soup and salad time

I don't make ham very often, so when we have it, it tastes pretty good! And we had a good ham for Christmas dinner-- it wasn't an expensive one, but I made a chipotle glaze and covered it pieces of fresh pineapple and cloves. I never, ever use those plastic cooking bags, but Saveur Magazine recommended them for bone-in ham (they should know) and it turned out juicy and brown.

Of course, when you eat too much ham, you start to feel like...well, a HAM! Yesterday I made soup with the bone using canned vegetable broth and beans and vegetables. John can eat it for lunch this week while he's home, so he's not as tempted to go down the street to McDonald's.

Do you like green salad? Unless you love Hidden Valley Ranch or something like that, don't buy bottled dressing. A while back, Sunset magazine had a recipe for an easy vinaigrette that keeps for days in the refrigerator. And it has many variations for people like me who like tinkering with recipes. Here you go:

Classic Vinaigrette

(you can double or triple this)

1 clove garlic or 1 small shallot, minced

About 1/4 tsp. coarse kosher salt

1/4 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbs. vinegar

6 tbs. olive oil

In a small screw type jar, combine garlic, mustard, pepper and vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add oil and shake vigorously until oil and vinegar emulsify. Taste and add more vinegar, salt or mustard if you like.

You can make all kinds of tasty variations. Try nut oils, balsamic, sherry or champagne vinegar. Citrus or lemon juice can also be substituted for the vinegar. You can stir in any fresh or dried herb, just mix to taste. Store it in the fridge, but bring to room temperature before using.

"For the Time Being"

Now the house seems empty and quiet without a little baby around. Although her mood can change like lightening, she usually always wakes up in a sunny state, and early yesterday morning Amanda brought her up in bed with John and me. She was smiling, and happy to see her Grandma and Grandpa. Most of the time she would rather be held by Mommy, but she's getting used to our old grinning faces, with those funny looking things hanging off our noses.

The week between Christmas and the New Year always feels suspended in time. John is off work, and when we don't have a trip planned the week flies (and drags) by at the same time.

W.H Auden was a fine poet, and I think his poem For the Time Being really captures that "after Christmas" feel of reflection and back-to-normal life.


from, For the Time Being

Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree,
Putting the decorations back in their cardboard boxes-
Some have gotten broken-
And carrying them up to the attic.
The holly and mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,
And the children got ready for school.
There are enough left-overs to do, warmed up, for the rest of the week,
Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,
Stayed up so late, and attempted-quite unsuccessfully-to love all of our relatives,
And in general
Grossly over-estimated our powers.
Once again, as in previous years,
We have seen the actual Vision and failed
To do more than entertain it as a agreeable
Possibility, once again we have sent Him away
Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,
The promising child who cannot keep his word for long.
The Christmas feast is already a fading memory,
And the mind begins to be vaguely aware
Of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought
Of Lent and Good Friday which cannot, after all now, be far off...
But for now the kitchen table exists because I scrub it.
It seems to have shrunk during the holidays.
The streets are much narrower than we remembered;
We had forgotten the office was as depressing as this.
For those who have seen the Child, however dimly,
However incredulously,
The Time Being is, in a sense, the most trying time of all.
For the innocent children who whispered so excitedly
Outside the locked door where they knew the presents to be,
Grew up when it opened...

Good-byes and computer stories

Amanda, Tom, Nova and Roger are heading home this morning. Along with all the other joys of this holiday, we've had perfect weather-- bright, cool and sunny all across the state, so travel is good on the mountain passes. And what a change from last Christmas, when we were still snowed in, and it was a major expedition to just drive across town.


Amanda and Tom spent Boxing Day out and about in Seattle, but yesterday turned into a major Computer Day around here, for John at least. After 12 hours of intense work and countless trips up and down the stairs, the household devices are all running and relatively happy. Everything that needed one (I think) is now attached to its UBS port. John likes to remind me that I "married a genius," and I have to admit he's right when it comes to figuring this stuff out. How do the technically handicapped (like me) manage without live-in computer support?

Of course bringing one new "device" like a laptop into a house full of other "devices" sets off a chain reaction of incompatibility, mess, and new software/hardware to figure out. What a surprise! Windows 7 does not like old hardware, for example our functional but now obsolete printer and scanner. So off John went on an early morning trip to Home Depot and Office Max for cables, new printer and other bags of unidentifiable stuff. Then there is much moving of furniture, stirring up old dust, crawling under tables and desks, fumbling with a spagetti of cables along with the usual mutterings about the superiority of Apple over Microsoft.

What did we do with all that spare time before technology "simplified" our lives? As I write this in the early morning hours, our relationship seems to have reached a dubious milestone: John is propped up in bed with his own laptop, while I'm tapping away at the other room on mine. I'm expecting an email at any minute asking me "what's for breakfast?"

But at this moment in time, on a dark Seattle morning, everything is working and I can even sit right here and send a print job to the basement. Life is good. Thank you John! Without you, I'd probably still be trying to get the laptop of of the box. :-)

Nova's first Christmas

Santa left a Raggedly Ann and Andy doll for me!

I got lots of pretty new clothes, like this cool hat from my Great Uncle Mark. All the other babies in the Methow Valley will sure be jealous...

I have my very own piano now, and got in some practice time with Dad for my first gig at the Twisp River Pub...

I tried out some new slippers, and had a bit of quality time by the fire with my Grandma...

But I never knew Christmas was so TIRING!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas day, and our thoughts were with you. Our family is blessed in so many ways, but at the very top of the blessing heap this Christmas is little Nova, who was was the star of the day. Although the grown-ups had almost much fun with her new toys as she did, she was taking it all in-- and doesn't miss a thing. I'll talk to all of you soon, but thank you everyone who sent us thoughtful gifts, and helped make the day special.

And, last but not least, I'm sitting at my desk right now at my very own Sony laptop! Thank you John! Well, maybe he was tired of fighting with me over the old desktop, with all that blogging and messing with pictures I do, but whatever his motives, this is one cool machine. He may be a MAC, I'm still a PC and not ashamed to admit it! Woo-hoo!

Merry Christmas!

Nova's first Christmas Eve...

Have a wonderful Christmas eve!

If you have little ones in the house, I know this can be a very "exciting" day :-)
Amanda, Tom and baby Nova are driving over to Seattle this afternoon, and will spend Christmas eve with Grandma Irene, Grandpa Dave and their family. Amanda said they will sneak in our house about the time Santa is out and about, and wake up with us here. We're so excited about Nova's first Christmas! What WILL Santa bring her?

In the meantime, plenty to keep me busy today. I made a New York style cheesecake (a once a year thing) and just one more batch of sugar cookies for tomorrow.

It was a beautiful day in Seattle, so we decided to drive to Alki beach for some lunch at Spud's.
John had fish and chips:
And I had oysters-- yum!

And the seagulls got lots of fries. Merry Christmas birds!

Then we dropped by the barn to check on Sizzle and give her an Fuji apple and candy cane-- her favorite holiday treats. Lucky horse!

Now we're home to stay for a quiet afternoon and evening. But I'm not done cooking, since I promised John homemade gnocchi tonight-- like Sizzle's candy cane, a once a year treat for him.

Dear friends and family, I hope you have a beautiful and peaceful Christmas Eve and a joyous, fun-filled day tomorrow.

Scenes from a long ago Christmas

Some sweet family pictures from long ago. Above is Christmas Eve at our Grandma and Grandpa's house. Left to right... my sister Marji, me, our Grandma Dutzie, rosy-cheeked brother Dave. I think Dutzie made us sock monkeys that year.

Christmas morning at home under the tree. Left to right... me, Dave (being kind of bratty with that bus!) and my sister Marji. Both of us with our new dolls. I remember holding my Betsy Wetsy like it was yesterday.

And playing in the parlor at Grammy's farm on Christmas day: Marji, Uncle Harvey with his cigar, our cousin Brian, Aunt Gladys, and me. Many happy memories of the dear ones no longer with us...

"Each Christmas I remember
The ones of long ago;
I see our mantelpiece adorned
With stockings in a row. Each Christmas finds me dreaming
Of days that used to be,
When we hid presents here and there,
For all the family. Each Christmas I remember
The fragrance in the air,
Of roasting turkey and mince pies
And cookies everywhere.
Each Christmas finds me longing
For Christmases now past,
And I am back in childhood
As long as memories last."

Carice Williams, Christmas Past

Panettone bread

I never made this Italian yeast bread before, so thought I'd give it a try. John tells me they used to have it at Easter when he was a kid; the church ladies made it in the basement. But I know it's also traditional for Christmas in parts of Italy. You can buy it in the stores, but it's expensive for what you get, and the imported ones taste like they've been around since LAST Christmas! Lot's of preservatives...

Of course there are hundreds of recipes on the Internet, all of them completely different, so I just picked a short one. Panettone has very few ingredients anyway: butter, eggs, flour, yeast, candied fruit-- so it's simple but very rich. In this recipe, you start by dissolving the yeast in buttermilk (above.) Odd, but it started foaming right away.

Next, you beat three eggs with 1/2 cup of butter, and add some lemon and orange rind.

This egg/butter/rind mixture gets mixed in with the yeast and flour.

It's sticky, but slowly add flour until it forms a smooth dough. Then after the first rise:

The candied fruit is kneaded in... and it becomes heavy as a bowling ball!

Put it in a warm place to rise again. I used my souffle dish, because I don't have a panettone tin.

I wondered if this dense dough would EVER double, but eventually it did.

The dough goes in a very hot oven for ten minutes, then bakes for another thirty at 350. Does it ever smell good! But I'm one of those weird people who likes fruitcake and citron. Remember tutti-fruity ice cream? The Italians would say spumoni...

A little dusting of sugar, and done! Much easier than I thought, and it was surprisingly good-- light and tasty, not dense at all. And it would be good toasted. I'll have make it again for Easter!

And I wish you a wonderful day as you begin your preparations for the holiday.

Love and Peace.

Old toys, new toys...

Once upon a time, a long time ago, a little boy didn't need an ipod or a wii to be happy on Christmas morning. He was delighted to find a Popeye lantern under the Christmas tree, and a tin Popeye dime bank in his stocking-- along with the orange, nuts and candy cane.

Eventually, this same boy grows up, and finds that his old toys are now antiques on Ebay. And then he suddenly realizes that he's become a "walking antique" too.
(Bob Dylan, She Belongs to Me)
Thanks, Dave for the picture of your old Popeye lantern! He has been in the family almost as long as the celluloid Santa.

And I hope Santa brings everyone your heart's desire this week...

Cozy winter weekend

Amanda, Nova, kitty-with-no-name-yet, and good dog Roger...

Happy Solstice!

So the shortest day came, and the year died,

And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world

Came people singing, dancing, to drive the dark away.

They lighted candles in the winter trees;

They hung their homes with evergreen;

They burned beseeching fires all night long

To keep the year alive,

And when the new year's sunshine blazed awake

They shouted, reveling.

Through all the frosty ages you can hear them echoing behind us -

Listen!! All the long echoes sing the same delight,

This shortest day,

As promise wakens in the sleeping land:

They carol, fest, give thanks, And dearly love their friends,

And hope for peace.

And so do we, here, now, This year and every year.

Welcome Yule!

Susan Cooper, The Shortest Day

"And the seasons, they go round and round..."

Tomorrow is the winter Solstice. It always happens around December 21 in the Northern hemisphere on the shortest day (or longest night) of the year, and it astronomically marks the middle or beginning of winter. I like to think of it instead as the very start of spring, because oh-so-slowly the days are now getting longer.

Around the world, solstice events vary from culture to culture, but most have a recognition of rebirth, involving festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations. Many people throughout history celebrated a holiday near the winter solstice.

Early Christians, however, did not celebrate Christmas on December 25th, or any other day. There was disagreement about when Jesus was born, and some opposed celebrating his birthday. In the fourth century, Christmas was added to the church calendar as a feast day. Some scholars suspect that Christians choose to celebrate Christ's birthday on December 25th to make it easier to convert pagan tribes. Gradually, Christmas began to adopt more of the joyful and boisterous traditions of pagan cultures. The Christmas traditions we love now (such as trees and cards) are largely a Victorian invention, but that's another story. A pretty blog I follow called "Celtic Lady" did a post on this subject, if you're interested:

http://celticanamcara.blogspot.com/2009/12/they-invented-christmas.html

Getting back to the winter solstice. It may have been immensely important once because communities were not assured to live through the winter. Mass starvation (definitely NOT a problem around this house at Christmas!) was once common in winter. In some cultures, the midwinter festival was the last feast before deep winter began. Cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so this was the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking. Beef and brew...sounds good to me. Tomorrow we turn the corner once again to spring.

Chickens and eagles

Sometimes we see bald eagles flying overhead. The thousands of resident Seattle crows really HATE eagles, and can spot them a mile off. In fact, a good way to "look" for eagles is to let the crows do it, because they make a horrible racket whenever they spot one. And crows have sharp eyes.

The horse barn where I keep Sizzle now is a little nature island in the city, completely surrounded by houses and apartment buildings. Several acres of trees and pastures, with a handful of horses and quiet lady boarders, so it's usually peaceful. After I ride, I like to hang around for a few mintues before diving back into the city. "Othello" the pet rooster is always doing something interesting. When I first got to the barn in June, I wrote about one of his adventures:

http://sue-feathersandflowers.blogspot.com/2009/06/life-is-good-again.html

Anyway, the other day I was watching him peck around a pasture looking for good things to eat, when the crows suddenly set up the alarm call. Othello immediately looked skyward, and RAN into the barn as fast as his little banty legs could carry him! It was a funny sight, but hey-- this is life or death stuff. Domestic chickens are birds too; they all speak the same language. And you don't live to be a 10 year old barn rooster without some smarts.

I listen to the little NPR program called Birdnote every morning at 9. If you like birds, you should check it their website or podcasts. Yesterday morning the segment was about chickens, the "most widespread avian species in the world." Julius Caesar said the Britons "kept them for pleasure, not for the table." Someday I'd like to keep a few pet chickens, just for entertainment and the occasional egg.

Midwinter spring

OK, not pretty-- but the world isn't all gingerbread and Christmas trees. It's been warm in Seattle, above normal after the big freeze last week. I got outside yesterday in just a light jacket, raking up soggy leaves and checking out the damage. The usual things (geraniums) are history, and the canna stalks frozen down to a slimy mess. I don't know if the cannas will come back, but I do know I can get a big fresh bag of them at Costco next year. These are "before and after" pictures of the exact same garden spot. But you can't let that get you down.

I've been on an rip this week, sawing down some ugly (and not-so-ugly) shrubs, and thinning out beds for a fresh start. Winter housecleaning. I even cut the top off an old pink camellia, which pained me-- but it was choking out a couple of nice matching evergreens along the fence. Camellia flowers are beautiful for about 10 minutes in late winter, but our damp weather turns the blossoms brown, and then they fall on the ground and rot. I feel like I should like them more than I do... Well, too late now; I tend to be impulsive in the garden. Fortunately, the way things grow, my pruning mistakes are soon forgiven.

For all the complaining about weather, many things are good about our climate-- such as long, early springs. In February, when other parts of the country are frozen solid, I'm bringing in yellow forsythia branches and looking at the first daffodils.

Do you ever read poetry? T.S. Eliot's poetry has a reputation for being obscure and frustrating. I think so too. What on earth is he talking about? But I've read The Four Quartets at least fifty times, and something in the words keeps bringing me back, like a puzzle I'll never solve. Here's a few lines that come to mind on these winter/summer kind of days:

Midwinter spring is its own season
Sempiternal though sodden towards sundown,
Suspended in time, between pole and tropic.
When the short day is brightest, with frost and fire,
The brief sun flames the ice, on ponds and ditches,
In windless cold that is the heart's heat, reflecting in a watery mirror
A glare that is blindness in early afternoon.
In the dark time of year
Before melting and freezing the soul's sap quivers.

T.S. Eliot
From The Four Quartets
"Little Gidding"

Cookies, cookies, cookies

Sugar cookies

Butter cookies with cherry and apricot jam

Chocolate chunk

Chocolate mint

Dream bars and coconut cranberry chews

Nut butterballs and gingerbread stars

And now the house cookie baker is DONE for the year....

Here's a article from the NYT about cookies at weddings. Why not?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/dining/16cookies.html?_r=2&em