“Everyone is in such a good mood when they’ve eaten well.”
Some days feel perfect. Today is one of those days. I can’t exactly say why. The weather hasn’t changed. It is still damp and rainy. The house is dark. My kitchen counter is filled with the Christmas decorations from the dining room, now empty of everything Christmas except the scrub pine. It always goes last of all. Everything else goes in bins. That means down and up and down the cellar stairs always carrying a bin: light up, heavy down. I’ll finish all but the living room today. That room will take the longest and will be the saddest. The Christmas tree will be stripped of all decorations, bagged and carried outside, destined for the dump and then the beach, a worthy end for such a beautiful tree.
I am amazed at my industry. All of a sudden, I had the urge to start taking down Christmas, a little at a time, and managed to do three rooms, okay two and a half. Next, I have to gather the bins from the cellar. I’m taking breaks, having coffee, then starting again. I’m taking my time. I have all the time I need.
When I was a kid, Christmas was there then it was gone, all in a single day. While we were at school, my mother took down all the decorations and the tree. When I got home from school, I noticed the change right away. The living room looked drab. Everywhere felt dark. I missed the tree lights, but I liked the few compensations. The TV went back to its usual spot just vacated by the tree, and we settled in on the rug to watch. Sometimes we ate dinner on trays while watching TV. That always felt special and maybe a tiny bit wrong. The tree was forgotten.
I still collect cookbooks but not so often anymore, but if I find one to fill a hole in a collection, I’m on it. One of my favorite collections is books of recipes from works of literature. One of the first cookbooks I ever bought was Dining with William Shakespeare. I don’t remember the last one I bought. I know The Boxcar Children, Dinner with Tennessee Williams and The Outlander cookbooks are on my list, but I’m in no hurry.
I do enjoy reading cookbooks and imagining the meals. I also imagine the table decorations and the music to complement the meal. I find it all fun.
It has been a while since my last dinner party. I think it is time to get my imaginings working.
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January 6, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Hi Kat,
Today is another warm day with cool mornings and partly cloudy skies. The low this morning was 39° and it’s now 70°.
My neighbors are still running their Christmas lights as of last night. Maybe they want to leave them up through the Orthodox Christian Christmas which is tomorrow. 🙂
I’m not a fan of cookbooks, but I’m a fan of watching cooking shows. I don’t know why because I haven’t cooked since I got married when my spouse took over the kitchen. I do like to see how dishes are created. One of my favorite cooking shows is, “Diners, Drive-in’s and Dives”. My wife hates the host because he chews with his mouth open while tasting the dishes in the kitchens of the restaurants he visits.
I just read an article by, U.S. Representative, Jeremy Raskin, on the nonsense going on in the Republican controlled House of Representatives. These Republican clowns have displayed despicable behavior this week trying to elect a Speaker. His article is titled, “Why You Never Negotiate with Terrorists”. Unfortunately, my state contributed to the Republicans taking the majority in the House because Texas gained four new representatives because of the population increase. Our Republican held State Legislature gerrymandered those districts so that only Republicans could win. 🙁 One of those right wing terrorists is the newly elected congressman from a newly formed district in the DFW area.
Take down the decorations because we won’t have anything to celebrate from our government with a divided Congress until 2024. Maybe, the House Ethics Committee, now held by Republicans, will expel or impeach Representative Elect George Santos and call a special election in his district in New York. He’s a perfect example of why to never vote Republican. I’m not even sure that George Santos is his real name. 🙂
January 6, 2023 at 8:17 pm
Hi Bob,
It stayed damp and chilly all day. The rain didn’t stay around long. Tomorrow it will be in the 40’s again, still warm for January.
Today is Little Christmas, the Feast of the Kings, so most people leave their lights lit until after today. My neighbors all have theirs still lit.
I love reading cookbooks and visualizing and tasting the dishes in my head. I am good at putting together a meal for guests. I often cook things I haven’t ever made before.
Guy Fieri drives me crazy now. Every time I turn on the Food Channel he is on. I got tired of him, and his voice seems always to be a bit loud.
Massachusetts had a republican governor, Charlie Baker, who has retired. He was replaced by an openly gay woman. Almost all the state higher offices are now held by women. I don’t remember the last time a republican was elected to the house. We are blue all the way now that Charlie Baker is gone, but he was a great governor and would have won a third term if he had decided to run.
I did hear that George Santos is his chosen name, not his original name.