Last Blast of Holiday Spirit

It was crowded at the grocery store this afternoon, but despite being shoulder to shoulder in several of the aisles, all our fellow shoppers were in good spirits. Later, as we checked out, I asked the cashier about her day. "It's been busy!" she confirmed, but then added, "I like it though! Everyone is happy for the holidays!"

Bird's Eye

The wind had come up, and the temperature had dropped as we made our way home from running errands late yesterday afternoon. Above us, thousands of crows wheeled this way and that in the gale, strewn beneath gray clouds as if someone had tossed a handful of pepper into the sky.

"Do you think they like it when they fly in the wind like that?" I asked Heidi. "Is it exhilarating or is it a struggle?"

She shrugged pensively.

"It's so stunning to see," I said. "I hope it's as thrilling to perform."

Against My Better Judgment

I didn't look carefully at the theater map when I selected our seats.

And so when we sat down three rows from the screen in a traditional, non-recliner theater, we had to crane our necks to take in the whole screen. As the previews elapsed and the feature's start grew nearer, Heidi and I both looked around for a couple of empty seats a little further from the screen that we could nab. 

When we saw a bunch in the very back row, I was tempted, but I insisted on checking my app first to see if they had been reserved. Luck was on our side, but it was still with some hesitance that I followed Heidi to slip quietly back there as the lights dimmed. 

Wouldn't you know it? A couple of minutes into the movie, a group of five trooped into the theater, using their phones as flashlights and noisily checking their paper stubs for their assigned seats. Of course, we were in them, and we fessed up right away to avoid further confusion and distraction from the movie. 

"No worries!" boomed the mom when we whispered our apologies for taking the unclaimed seats. "I do that all the time!" We crossed our fingers and took the last seats at the end of the row, and as her kids trooped up and down the stairs every ten minutes or so, I could certainly believe it.

2025 Christmas Cookies In and Out

In: 

Mandelbrot, 3 batches (light and crispy, never too sweet)

Out:

Rugelach, 0 batches (very conflicted feelings about this)

Holding steady:

Russian Teacakes, 2 batches (always a comforting favorite)

On the rise:

Clementine curd thumbprints, 2 batches (enthusiastic reception)

New this year:

Chocolate peppermint chip, 1 batch (Heidi loved them!)

Duck Tale

“Traditionally, the youngest at the table gets to eat the brains,” Julie said as she passed the platter of tea smoked duck. "So be careful, because the whole duck is on this platter."

We laughed and pointed at Treat. 

“And the most honored person--” she continued. 

“How do we determine that?” Bill interrupted. 

“It’s usually the oldest,” she answered. 

“That’s me!” I cried gleefully. 

“You get the butt,” she laughed, taking the platter from Victor. “Let me find it.” 

I looked at my plate. “You mean the tail?”

She nodded. 

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I already have it!”

Last Road Trip of the Year

The weather forecast was poor, ice storms along the route home, as we planned our departure from Buffalo today. Then, starting yesterday, even the map app warned us of treacherous conditions along the fastest route. But when I tapped the alternate, which was a mere eleven minutes longer, the app assured us that we would avoid icy weather if we drove that way. And so we set off this morning around ten, I in a jolly mood, eager to follow a novel route. 

And my disposition held, even when soft flurries began to brush off the windshield as we rolled southeast; the dusting of snow on the fallow farm fields was beautiful. But when, about an hour down the road, we passed a herd of cows whose backs were blanketed in white, the sight gave me pause. Soon, we were driving through a full-blown winter storm. 

The only saving grace was that the road was cold and the snow was dry, sweeping harmlessly off the windshield and across the roadway without accumulation. The temperature climbed slightly as we made our way south, though, and soon it was sleet and frozen rain, layering a half-inch of ice on our car. Miraculously, the road was not slippery, although we did need to chip off the ice from our wiper blades and headlights when we stopped for gas. 

Eventually, somewhere in southern Pennsylvania, the sleet subsided to rain, and we continued without further difficulty. The whole way, though, our car was cozy and warm, and traffic was light. We talked and ate Christmas cookies and finished our audiobook as the miles passed by, and soon enough? We were home.

Happy Christmas

"It came from some old magazine called Good Food, or something, and I think it's out of print," Heidi's mom said about the black walnut cake she made for Christmas dinner. "My hairdresser told me about it. She said that if she doesn't make this cake every year, her whole family complains. It's that good."

I nodded. 

"Anyway," she continued, "I couldn't find the magazine, but I found another recipe. I think it will be just as good."

I remembered our conversation this morning as I scanned through my library app. We have thousands of magazines! a banner assured me, and captivated, I clicked over. I tapped the food and dining filter and gasped when the first periodical that showed up was Good Food. 

Exploring the December issue of the magazine, I quickly realized it was a British publication. (The direction to "roll the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin" was a dead giveaway!) I spent an enjoyable half-hour perusing English holiday recipes, most notably, (and I am not making this up!) Kentucky-fried pheasant and roast partridge with cannellini beans and bacon. (Okay, it was an article on taking a fresh perspective on game, but still.) 

The captions and titles were quintessentially British as well, for example, the piece on hors-d'ouevres made in the air-fryer called, "Deep and Crisp and Even." 😆 And I even loved the advertisements (pronounce it as you know you should-- stress on the second syllable, short i in the third). They were all