Gleaning lunch.

While it makes me almost giddy to be able to amble out in the darkish days of December and harvest a salad, it is also appalling.  Count me on the crazy side, but it is wrong - WRONG!  Where is my snow?  Why am I forced to view brownish vistas every stinking morning?  Blech.  I want winter during winter, dammit!

Now that I've calmed down, I will share my surprising little harvest with you.

Volunteer mustard - the plant that keeps on giving.
I may never have to plant it again.  I just have to relax about it growing
where it wants.

Mixed spicy blend in the cold frame.

Kale.  'Nuf said.

Swiss chard has battled through a couple of
freezes and has - so far - eluded the voles.

Monday Musings.

I do wish there was more truth in labeling.  Squash.  I was lulled into a false sense of ease when approaching my buttercup squash.  After wrestling like a crazed sumo with the thing, a more apt name would have been "Alligator Squash" or "Rhino Squash".   Somehow (hahahahaha, snort) I ended up with a bushel of winter squash.  After giving away another half bushel.  I just. can't. help. myself.  It was all I could do to keep my hand from picking up the phone, reading that my favorite winter vegetable stand was closing for the season and had BUSHELS of pie pumpkins for FREE.  But I did sit on my hands until the hysteria passed.  I mean, really.  I had thought about climbing Mount Big Bertha this weekend, but the closest I'll be getting is to continue giving her the google-eyes as I pass by in the cold storage room (aka guest room).  I have mustard to make.  (Colonel Mustard in the Dining Room with a Rope!)

People who think dogs are two dimensional are so limited.  If you spend more than ten minutes with a dog, his/her personality is bound to shine through.  My boy, Scrappy, has an amazing amount of personality - when he wants me to give him something, or come over and hug his noggin, he gives me the big Moo-Moo eyes.  I can feel them on me, even with my back towards him.  And of course, I do whatever he wants.  Lovey is guileless - what you see is what you get.  She wears her emotions on her face, her backside and those ears!  Of course, the Pepperoni is a whole nuther thing.  He is 4 pounds drama and 4 pounds manipulation.

I was roused out of a sound sleep (and a very nice dream, thanks a lot) by the pre-attack cry of an owl.  If you've never heard one, count yourself lucky.  I lay there, in the dark, with my heart pounding.  What must it feel like to be some unlucky small creature, not hearing the danger gliding above you, then, WHAM!  I bet that scream will freeze any prey to the spot.  Guess that's the idea.  All that was left of whatever became dinner was a bit of coarse fur on the deck.

I am having a heck of a time this year, getting into the holiday spirit.  It might be the combination of unseasonably warm weather during the day, followed by tree-cracking cold at night (perfect combination for sap gathering if it were spring.  Which it ain't.)  Or it could be a severe case of the grumps brought on by too much Christmas noise too soon - pre-Halloween, for natssake.  It is probably all of these things, plus something I can't quite put my finger on.  As I get older, I get a longing for a simple celebration of it all.  It's almost, dare I say, a longing for a Hallmark holiday.  This is odd, because I haven't ever had one and I am not the type of person to like sappy stuff.

(Sensitive Souls Alert - proceed with caution if you have good hygiene sensitivities - coughcoughmamapeacoughcough) As I was happily munching away on my from-home lunch recently, my coworker stuck his head around the corner of my office door (I am inconveniently close to the office kitchen and everyone seems to need to tarry around my door - sometimes bringing germs - while their coffee brews) and asked me about my salad.  I had just picked it that morning - December! - and I carefully identified all the greens:  tatsoi, arugula, mustard, kale - and the homemade pomegranate molasses vinaigrette.  I also noticed:  cat hair, dog hair, which I left out of the narrative.  That made me wonder about just how much foreign, non-food matter I ingest in a week.  I shiver to think.  Then, again, I could consider it a free source of fiber...

On the 20+ Question Band Wagon

Here is more than you'll ever need to know about me...

1.  Do you like bleu cheese?  OUI.

2.  Have you ever smoked?  Yes, unfortunately.  Quit 17 years ago.

3.  Do you own a gun?  Is this a loaded questions?  Hehe.  Yes, I do.  Watch your step.

4.  What flavor of Kool Aid is your favorite?  Has to be lime - 'cause it's green.

5.  Do you get nervous before dental appointments?  I've been known to bite.

6.  What do you think of hot dogs?  Love me my Pepperoni...and any natural-type hot dog is okeydokey in my book, as long as it's covered in onions, relish and mustard, eaten outside in lively company.

7.  What's your favorite Christmas movie?  Polar Express

8.  What do you prefer to drink in the morning?  Lattes!  Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

9.  Can you do push-ups?  The only push-ups in my life involved undergarments. 

10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?  My great-aunt's pseudo-engagement ring.

11. What's your favorite hobby?  Knitting!

12. Do you have A.D.D.?  What?  What?

13. Do you wear glasses or contacts?  Glasses to read.

14. What's your middle name?  Carol.

15. What are your thoughts at this minute?  What?  What?  I'm thinking that this is a long list.

16. Name 3 drinks that you regularly consume.  Coffee, tea, adult beverage.

17. What is a current worry of yours?  That I won't be able to retire in four years.

18.  What do you currently hate? Congress.

19.  Where is your favorite place to be?  Home, sweet home, with my doggies.

20. What do you plan on doing on New Year's Eve this year?  Not a hotdang thing.

21. To where would you like to travel?  Parts of the USA that I missed while thinking Europe was more interesting.

22. Name three people you think will do this questionnaire on their blog.  Carolyn, if she still exists.  Anyone (like me) desperately in need of inspiration!

23. Do you own slippers?  Yes, I do.  And they are totally disreputable, as slippers ought to be.

24.  What color shirt are you wearing?  Black.  Call me Johnny.

25.  Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?  Did once, slid off.  So, no.

26.  Can you whistle?  Only managed to once.  In choir.  Mostly, I spit noisily.

27.  What is your favorite color?  See 4.

28.  What songs do you sing in the shower?  I can belt out Joni Mitchell or Adele.  Not that you'd recognize either.

29.  Would you be a pirate?  No, I get seasick.

30.  What's in your pocket right now?  Lint and cat treats.

31.  What's the last thing that made you laugh?  A blog post.

32.  What vehicle do you drive?  2007 Hyundai Tucson- manual, baby.

33.  What's the worst injury you've ever had?  Broke my left ankle.  I now sport 14 screws and a couple of plates.  I can make most security scans very musical.

34.  Do you love where you live?  Sometimes.  I'd love it more if it was not in New York.

35.  Would you change your first name if you could?  Oh, yes.  I have it all picked out.  Imogene.

A Decorating Hack

(I bet some/most of you are surprised I knew that term!  Interesting, isn't it, that a word that once meant something sub-standard, now is all the rage.)

While last year's attempt at winterizing my living room windows was a success, it was a marginal success.  I had sewn flannel-lined shades that did, indeed, block most of the cold that vibrated into the room, but they were awkward to fold up and tended to block a lot of the already puny wintery light.

After mulling it around off and on, I came up with another (bright) idea.  Fleece curtains!  While I am sure that there might be some who develop a nervous tic at the mere thought of fleece as window dressing, I managed to find a nice, medium-weight dove gray fleece on sale when my DS Connie and I hit JoAnn Fabrics some weeks ago.  Since there would be a small amount (less than a yard) on the bolt after my purchase, I got a larger discount for buying the whole thing.  Woot!

I decided to make it as easy as possible, with minimum sewing so that, in case it was just awful, I would still have most of the fabric with which to make jammie pants.  It pays to be one step ahead when you know not what you do.

The result?

LOVE THEM.  And they required no sewing whatsoever.  I measured the window, cut them to length, and folded the top over an inch and a half, then cut small slits at regular intervals, through which I threaded the tension rod.  Omg.  They are so warm and cozy and don't look half bad.  As a matter of fact, in order to help Slimbo work through a relapse (this vertigo stuff is never-ending, it seems), I dug out a piece of dark brown fleece with little white paw prints and did the same thing for the cat room window.  When light comes through the little paw prints, it gives the room a rather dappled effect and lets just enough light in that it's not cave-like.  Cool.  Slimbo has rallied, although I am sure it's not because of the curtain or that he's developed a liking to the antibiotic sludge I squirt down his gullet twice a day. 

Weekend Chow

 

The prep.

Little Hasselbacks.

Yum.

Chobani was looking for willing participants in their #MadeWithChobani Series (lots of good recipes!) and, while I do make my own yogurt, I rarely have the patience or presence of forethought to make my own Greek yogurt.  Ergo, Chobani.  I use Greek yogurt as a replacement for sour cream.  I use it in my mashed potatoes.  I use it in pancake batter.  So it was an easy yes.   After I dragged my sorry self home through the pea soup fog on Friday night, I was in the mood for comfort food.  Balance and nutrition had absolutely NOTHING to do with my quest for comfort.  I had wanted to make these little Hasselback Tater Tots (find the recipe here) and it seemed like the perfect time to make good on my promise to Chobani and rustle up some little tatery morsels. 

After sifting through the last of my own potato crop, I gleaned a little pile of small potatoes.  They were thoroughly washed and dried, then cut into thin slices just shy of the bottom.  I tossed them with EVO and salt and pepper and put them in a hot oven (425*) for 30 minutes, pulled them out, brushed them with a little more EVO and then back they went for another 30 minutes.  While they were having their crisping up session in the oven, I whipped up a dip - Chobani Greek Yogurt and a heaping tablespoon of Pensey's Green Goddess mix.  I added a titch more garlic and pepper, let the tater tots cool slightly and dipped away.  Heaven!  While I could have used my homemade ketchup, I tend towards the tangy rather than the sweety, so this dip was perfect.  And, yes, I felt MUCH better after consuming a few of these cuties. 

Another go at it.

Poor, poor lonely ear warmer...

As the previous winner has seemingly dropped off the edge of the world, I drew winner #2 - Susan from Canada!  Please email your mailing address and I will get it off to you.

Another giveaway is in the works - stay tuned.

On the subject of AFOs (Almost Finished Objects), the Baby Blanket from He(double hockey sticks) is finished - all needs done is weaving in the 100 ends.  Then blocking and wrapping and off it goes to swaddle cutie pie Adrian.  Just in time, too, as the holiday is too-fast approaching and I have a list that looms!

Other than a challenged "B" and a little pattern
lapse, I am satisfied with it.

I've also been plugging away in the processing department.  After spending so many years in terror at the mere thought of pressure canning, I have come to find it's not rocket science.  It also allows me to free up freezer space and populate my (over-stocked) shelves with glorious colors!  I processed two and a half gallons of turkey stock, four quarts of sweet potatoes and three quarts of butternut squash.  Still to rassle with - Big Bertha, my 8 pound Hubbard squash.  She will take an entire weekend, me thinks.
 

Turkey stock, sweet potatoes and
squash - the possibilities are endless!

Monday Musings.

I celebrated my much-anticipated long weekend by wrestling with the flu.  Sigh.  I can usually fend off most germie afflictions with many daily dosings of Emergen-C, sage honey tea, elderberry tea and rest, but this proved too much for my lagging defenses.  My mind boggles when the germ-spreading party exclaims, "Oh, I HOPE you didn't get this from ME!" after spending the good part of the week horking and hacking across my desk.  No surprise at the outcome, is there?

I have been hemming and hawing about getting a flu shot this year (oops - too late!) but - strain your thinker on this - I got the flu from my co-worker who has a flu shot every year, yet gets the flu every year.  I am not a fan of shots and vaccines, although I do get a tetanus shot, given my propensity to gouge myself with wire at every opportunity.  Plus, I went through my little girl lamb, Hickory's bout with tetanus.  That got my attention.

As I get older, I grow more intent in distancing myself from Western medicine.  Whether this is wise or not, it is what it is.  I am so appalled by the state of health care in this country (world) that I don't want much to do with it.  Somehow, being in touch with your own body, eating healthily, making as much of your own food as possible, getting enough sleep (ha), creating balance - this is what really works as preventative medicine.  When the occasional illness occurs, using non-toxic remedies makes perfect sense.  You don't need three paragraphs of warnings about side effects on your mason jar of sage honey.  As long as you don't spray your calendula blossoms with pesticides, you are good to go!  After living long enough to have arrived full circle on most of the dire warnings put out there by the 'experts' - Chocolate is bad!  Eggs for breakfast will kill you!  No more coffee!  I now feel free to ignore them completely.

*****

So, (hehe) where art thou Catina?  If I don't hear from you by Wednesday this week, I will do a second drawing for the ear warmer.