--I had been reading Ina Garten's memoir Be Ready When the Luck Happens, and I was about to take it back to the library when it took hold of me. The first few chapters weren't compelling, but then suddenly, I wanted to know what happened, even though I already knew the large outline. The book was overdue, so one morning when I was up very early because my spouse had been coughing a lot, I made myself a mug of tea and read the book before I did any work on the computer. As with every time I read a physical book, I am reminded of how much I still love to read a book and how relieved that makes me.
--In the Spring of 2023, one of my professors, Rick Elgendy, had interesting insight into the idea of powers and principalities. A few weeks ago, I saw the announcement of his new book, Life among the Powers: A Political Spirituality of Resistance and I ordered it, and I got a discount. Happy Christmas to me! I've read a bit and scanned a bit, and it looks like the book I hoped it would be. If you would like to order it, go here.
--I had wanted to watch the movie Civil War since it first came out, and the price came down enough that I was OK with renting it. There were enough good parts that I don't regret the $4.99 we spent, but by the end of the movie, I was a bit bored.
--I have been stitching small scraps of fabric into larger strips. And lately, the small scraps have gotten even smaller--why is it so hard to throw them away?
Here's what I was making earlier this month, and yes, the even smaller above fragments will eventually end up in these kinds of strips (and these strips are smaller than the strips I was creating in the summer):
This process delights me. It also will lead eventually to a larger quilt, and a benefit that I had forgotten: if I'm stitching, I'm not eating, and any drinking that I'm doing goes much more slowly. I remembered this benefit after drinking three eggnogs in 8 minutes and then realizing I had consumed about 1000 calories and still wanted more. There's a reason I'm not a skinny woman.
--Another reason I'm not a skinny woman: we are such good cooks. I've been baking lots of bread. On Monday, I wanted a bread recipe that was festive but not overly sweet for people who are avoiding sugar. I didn't want to experiment with alternate natural or human made sugars, I just wanted less sugar. And I found a perfect recipe on the King Arthur flour site. I was baking at 4 am, so I went with what I had. I didn't have nonfat dry milk or potato flour, so I just used a bit more bread flour. I didn't have candied orange peel or time to make any, so I went without. I am glad that I had a tangerine so that there could be orange zest. Because I was going for a low sugar option, I didn't do the white drizzle. But I wanted something more festive, so I did an egg wash before baking. It was so perfect that I didn't even think to take a picture as we were gobbling it down to the crumbs.
--We also did a bit of deep cleaning of the house before the low sugar visitors came. It always amazes me how much cleaning progress I can make in a short amount of time and how much calmer I feel in the house when it's less grungy.
--We made a perfect turkey--yummmmm. And now we have leftovers, the way we did not at Thanksgiving. And room in the freezer for when we are tired of leftovers.
--One reason why cleaning is a challenge for me: I'm extra annoyed when we start to get the house dirty again, often through cooking (turkey juice dripping off the counter--sigh). It's also a reason why I don't mop the floors more often.
--We have continued to enjoy watching plays through our subscription to National Theatre at Home. I haven't heard of many of the plays we've been watching, so there's the thrill of discovery, mixed with the thrill of theatre. It's British theatre--wow! The sets continue to amaze me. And I'm intrigued by how they do the filming. I would say it's like being there, but it's not. If I sat in the audience, I'd miss much of the facial expressions.
--I've been rediscovering the joy of hot tea with honey. In part, it's because I'm fighting off a cold, and this old remedy helps. But often, as I take the first sips of my first cup of morning coffee, I think, can I switch to tea now?
--I have not walked as much as I thought I would walk, in part because I am fighting off a cold. But it is good to stay inside, especially on cold, windy days, good to read, good to sit still for a bit before the next semester cranks into start mode.
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