Winter fun

Skating

Gleam of ice, and glint of steel,
Jolly, snappy weather;
Glide on ice and joy of zeal,
All, alone, together.

E.E. Cummings

Nova

Maya

Busy Betty

   Betty Crocker 1950's baking advertisement

 

Today is National Bake Cookies Day.  Although for me, it's been more like Bake Cookies Week...

Dad is sampling the goodies in Las Vegas, with Doodles keeping an eye out for crumbs.

The perennial favorite: sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles. Hard to improve on a classic.

Yesterday I made the bowls for John's potluck. It gave me something to do while watching that wretched Seahawks game. Enough said. 

Yes, as chilly as it looks on the water.  Saturday morning we took the ferry to Bainbridge Island to visit our friend Candi in Poulsbo.

The Nordic town really heaps on the charm at Christmas and we had a lovely time. 

John and Candi with lattes

Sunshine from the south

To my brother-in-law Dan:  Hey, that was a really cool way to surprise me.  Along with the penmanship workbook you sent last week, a set of fountain pens arrived from Birmingham Pen Company, complete with REAL bottles of colored ink to spill.  Ha!  But seriously, thanks for your thoughtfulness. I'll look forward to dabbling in the new year, when I finally have a minute to spare.

And from my sister Marji in Las Vegas, a box of perfect Meyer lemons.  It just wouldn't be Christmas anymore without a pitcher of fresh-squeezed lemonade.  Thank you!

Holiday Inn

Every Friday night this fall, the PBS Great Performances series has been broadcasting premieres of Broadway musicals.  We really enjoyed watching Holiday Inn last night, which John previously recorded in November.  It has wonderful music and dance, filled with Irving Berlin classics like “Heat Wave,” “Blue Skies,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “It’s a Lovely Day Today,” “Easter Parade,” and, of course, “White Christmas.”

PBS viewers get to see a show at the toney Studio 54, without spending thousands of dollars to fly to New York and buy tickets. I suppose it's not the same watching Broadway shows on TV, but like football, a front row seat from the comfort of home on a winter night is pretty darn nice.  This Great Performances production of Holiday Inn also includes a "Behind the Curtain" segment.  Here's the preview:



Well, this is the final weekend before Christmas and everyone is busy and stressed. Around here our shopping is finished (I hope) packages are sent and arriving (thank you Marji.) The time has come to start planning food. We're having roast leg of lamb (instead of ham) this year for Christmas dinner, with a Greek salad and potatoes. 

Amanda and family will be here on Friday. We have tickets to the Nutcracker ballet at the Opera House on Saturday. Sure, we could watch it on TV, but a live ballet is a first for the little girls. We're all excited.

Tomorrow we're going to Poulsbo to visit with our friend Candi, and see the cute little holiday town.  Then Sunday is cookie crunch day for me, while John watches the Seahawks play a make-or-break game. His holiday work pot luck is on Tuesday, and people are expecting their favorites: dream bars, sugar cookies, nut balls, chocolate chip, etc. etc. etc. 

Take a deep breath and have a good weekend.
It will all get done (or not.)

Old books

The Bookstall

Just looking at them
I grow greedy, as if they were
freshly baked loaves
waiting on their shelves
to be broken open—that one
and that—and I make my choice
in a mood of exalted luck,
browsing among them
like a cow in sweetest pasture.
For life is continuous
as long as they wait
to be read—these inked paths
opening into the future, page
after page, every book
its own receding horizon.
And I hold them, one in each hand,
a curious ballast weighting me
here to the earth.

Linda Pastan

Old books lovers, check out the blog: Old Books and Things...

Fog, smog and (some) winter sun

After a drenching wet November, it still hasn't rained in December.  That might finally change this weekend.  The last two weeks have been monotonously foggy, with a few spectacular sunny days when we blink around like astonished moles. 

The real problem though is the temperature inversion, meaning the air is colder near sea level and warmer in the foothills and mountains.  This traps all the pollutants near the ground, so there's been an air quality advisory in effect for days. It gives many of us a scratchy throat and itchy eyes, just like the feeling of coming down with a cold.  It's miserable and unhealthy.

Still, you have to get out, so I decided to ride Moe while it was still dry. On the ride to Vashon Island yesterday, a pod of Orcas were swimming, playing and breaching close to the ferry.  It was magnificent! The captain pointed them out, and of course everyone rushed to that side of the boat. (The photo is from the Seattle Aquarium.)

There are only about 80 endangered Orcas left  in Puget Sound. They are always "around" but it's still unusual and lucky to see them in their natural setting. I've lived here for most of my adult life, and this was the first time.