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Thanksgiving
··· Dec 03 2010 · By ···
I see it as no coincidence that we chose a Spiral Wines Napa Cabernet Sauvignon for our Thanksgiving table. From the label:
As humanity’s oldest symbol, the spiral represents eternal change, reminding us that life is not a straight line. It symbolizes new beginnings, renewal and hope for the future.
Beautiful and so apropos.
Thanksgiving Poem
Visions of roasting root vegetables
and the sweet scent of buttery pie crust
swirled through my mind for a week before Thanksgiving,
our first holiday in this lovely place we’ve chosen to
Make Home.
As a child, I would wander amongst homemade aprons
donned by the ladies of the family.
Giddily anticipating big mounds of mashed potatoes and gravy
and the scrumptious dessert table.
As different as we were, we all came together to eat and celebrate
and share.
I remember the feeling of warmth and companionship.
Here, though, there is no family nearby
to share with.
So we begin a new phase of life,
and a new tradition:
Our family’s Thanksgiving celebration.
And blessed we are this year
with a dear old friend at our table,
her presence bringing those feelings of warmth and companionship.
Our tradition begun, our family strengthened.
A little sugar pumpkin and zucchini bread
baked up the day before.
And crimson red cranberry sauce, always on my family’s table,
cooked and pretty in a glass jar.
Pie crusts made the night before,
and in the morning we sliced many apples
and mixed fillings with the pumpkin and lots of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
Good smells even before baking.
Stuffing (not stuffed into anything) with the star ingredient: fresh sage.
At my request, boiled then roasted new potatoes, red and purple -
the perfect texture.
And the turkey,
a once-a-year treat for us.
Why so many complicated recipes and stress about this meal?
Brining, rubbing complex seasoning mixes under the skin, star anise…
We followed the Diestel family’s guidance, range growing turkeys since 1949,
less than 3 hours east of here:
olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika rubbed on the skin
and add some white wine to the juices for an earthy gravy.
Simple, taste-full, and deeply appreciated.
A gift of life and sustenance and the centerpiece of our
Giving of Thanks.
New Neighbors
··· Aug 04 2010 · By ···
When you move into a new home, like we did 6.5 weeks ago, you hope for friendly and courteous neighbors, especially the ones you share walls/floors with. We could tell within a couple of days that both sets of neighbors in our triplex were all that. And, with good fortune, we are also learning that they are cool and interesting!
Gabriel and Hillary live on the lower level and are both hard working and on-the-go. They recently adopted two dogs, Rudy (Rudi?) and Nella, and definitely have their hands full with those energetic girls. We’ve been trying to coordinate a get-together with everyone and will keep trying!
J & R’s apartment runs along the north side of the home and we share the front porch and entry hall with them. To thank us for bringing in their mail while they were on vacation, they brought us back some really cool sand from Hawaii. It’s like no other sand I’ve seen or felt – like a million tiny little pebbles. It’s very cool and reinforces my strong desire to visit that special place.
Anyway, we invited them over for dinner Saturday night and had a lovely evening getting to know each other. We snacked on asian dip, veggies, and white wine in the kitchen, while Jeph finished the main course: Vietnamese summer rolls and pad thai (Foust/LaRue fusion!)
Earlier in the day, J and I cleaned the front porch, and rearranged the furniture (her teak furniture which is great to have out there.) The plan was to eat out there and enjoy the last rays of the setting sun. We talked, snacked, and cooked for too long, though, and missed the sun, but al fresco dining is always a treat. As it grew dark we lit candles and lingered, eventually moving inside for dessert and tea. Dessert was a wonderful fruit salad they prepared, and some sorbet and nut/coconut-based ice cream. I thank them for reminding us that a fresh fruit salad can be So Good, and for sharing the evening with us.
Yay for good neighbors!
In honor of some of our common interests, I’ll end here with a quote from one of my favorite thinkers:
“Original Experience has not been interpreted for you, and so you’ve got to work out life for yourself. Either you can take it or you can’t. You don’t have to go far off the interpreted path to find yourself in very difficult situations. The courage to face the trials and to bring a whole new body of possibilities into the field of interpreted experience for other people to experience – that is the hero’s deed.”
-Joseph Campbell