Soul Food

Snow days are good for the soul; sometimes they're the nourishment most needed.  I may often wish for one, but I prayed hard for yesterday's, and no sweeter words were ever spoken than those that let me know my respite was really happening.  It was a mid-week break much needed after working from home much of last weekend, and putting in 11-hour days Monday and Tuesday.  Another one of those is menacing me today...and tomorrow won't be a picnic.  There's a three-day break before the next two weeks of high stress, pressure, 14 hour days, noise and endless demands, but maybe you can see why yesterday was a gift-wrapped present. I used it wisely...we lingered in bed with coffee, watching the snow fall and perusing seed catalogs--dreaming, not planning (that happens later in the Winter); pondered privets and lusted after lilies as we ate the last of our local farm eggs by the fire.  I began my first crochet project in decades (not sure I ever finished one back when I tried to crochet a bond between my mother and me)--a striped throw for Linda in heathered brown,  rust and cranberry.  And I made my favorite Weight-Watchers-be-damned snow day meal....my version of decadently delicious comfort food:

Tomato Macaroni and Cheese

1 16 oz box elbow macaroni (don't cook!)
1 64 oz bottle tomato juice
~12 oz sharp-sharper-sharpest cheddar cheese, grated (or cut into very small cubes if you're feeling unmotivated)

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a large casserole or glass baking dish w/ non-stick spray.  Combine uncooked elbows, cheese, and about 48 oz of the juice, stir gently to evenly distribute.  Cover the dish with foil. To save potential mess, place on a baking sheet to catch spills, bake for 45 minutes. 
Remove pan, stir, test doneness of macaroni.  If not cooked to your liking, add a dribble of tomato juice, return to oven without foil for 10 minute increments until macaroni is cooked through but not mushy.  To reheat leftovers, add a small amount of remaining tomato juice and microwave.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea, and they'd banish me from Top Chef, but I can't imagine a true snow day without it.  Worried about the caloric guilt?  If you save it for snow days, relax! You'll burn off some of those calories shoveling snow!

Past, Present and Future in Photos

The spinning wheel's story has begun...

It's been snowing here; at this writing another 6+ is forecasted tonight!

Our tiny little Elfkin decided Yeti's bed was far better suited for Herself...

 As a result, poor Yeti has been reduced to rather meager circumstances.

 

 Christmas gift scarves for older son, sister and daughter-in-law, respectively.

All three were done in a farrow rib stitch using Cascade Chunky Baby Alpaca Paints. 

I loved working on them, and that green--called Forest--is gorgeous!

To be continued.....

Onward!

 This time last year I had some goals (vs resolutions):

I hope that when this year ends I'll have met my goal of submitting a finished manuscript to the publishing house that does an annual contest; that I'll have taken charge and finally lost the weight that has posed a real threat to my health; that I spend my days doing work that's fulfilling and feels good at the end of a day; that my loved ones are well and healthy and happy; that my serious crush on fiber will have blossomed into a reciprocal love affair; that I'll have deepened my spiritual connection; that I laugh often and fall asleep each night snuggled with Linda.

No manuscript winged its way to publishers, but I wrote more in various forms than I have in years.  Didn't lose ALL the weight, but made a great start at 30+ pounds (we're not going to talk about what I undid over the holidays...).  My crush on fiber has resulted in the production of four knitted scarves and a hat, I've been learning to spin on a wheel and am finally ready to start staining and assembling (okay, watching LINDA assemble) a wheel of my own, am just beginning to dabble in felt, and am relearning how to crochet. An altar is in the living room, I'm doing scheduled flamekeeping shifts in honor of Brigid more often than not. Work is still what it is, and I've been told I do NOT laugh often and am creating some very dark skies here at home. The metaphorical 'they' say it's the journey, not the destination....so I'm tugging on more comfortable boots, refilling the water bottle with resolve and determination, pointing my compass (granted, I can't actually figure out a compass), and resuming the trek; there are countless miles to go before I sleep.

2011 sounds so futuristic, which is mildly amusing given that my goals are pretty old-fashioned.  I'm not the 'don't worry, be happy' sort, but I've been told I need to relocate joy and positivity, so that's first on the list.  Not loving my stress-filled job isn't a good enough excuse for...all the things for which it takes blame. Time to suck it up, do well what I'm paid to do, and come home to the womon I love (and our menagerie) at the end of the day, while leaving the angst back at the office.  And then I need to focus on all the blessings. 2011 needs to be a year of creativity (more writing!) and learning--feltwork of all kinds, spinning, crocheting, knitting socks! Yes, learning to knit socks is high on my list (family needs to forget they read this lest there be no surprises under next year's tree). And I'd like to finish Linda's sweater by next Christmas (hey, no point in setting one's goals TOO high).

By the time we're halfway through 2011, the remaining 40 lbs needs to be burned away like the 40 lb bags of pellets we lug over to the stove each day.  Chasing after the chickens will help; 2011 will be the year of the chicken here. Winter will be all about research and planning, and in Spring we'll have our flock (about a dozen to allow for hawk snacks which I'm told by chicken-raising neighbors is a factor; looking at a combo of New Hampshire Reds, Plymouth Barred, Amercaunas and Dominiques). The chickens and expanded vegetable garden will be part of a plan to explore how the average, occasionally lazy, not independently wealthy, very busy person can reasonably be part of the locavore movement here in the abundant Hudson Valley. I want to explore how one can integrate sustainability and longing to be close to the land while working 40+ hours a week, and loving precious 'down time'.  To that end, I'll be launching a new blog (in addition to, not in place of this one); I'll post the details shortly. 2011 is gearing up to be an exciting leg of the journey; I hope you'll hike alongside of me, offering your own suggestions and comments, pointing out when I've got the map upside down....Happy New Year!

Have NOT Dropped Off the Planet

Quick recap:

--Christmas Eve with 'kids' and sister was heartwarming.  Delightful, thoughtful gifts, much laughter, the soul deep pleasure of a fire-warmed livingroom filled with those I love most.  All three scarves I'd knitted were well-received (photos to follow).

--Christmas Day was perfection.  We slept late, had coffee in bed, had a decadent breakfast by the fire, opened presents (I'm now the proud owner of three new Moosewood cookbooks, and Linda's new Lady Gaga CD made her laugh out loud), and spent most of the day warm and cozy, watching the film Oceans, poring through cookbooks, watching Elf explore, and being gloriously lazy.

--Snow!  About 16" of it fell and blew Sunday night....more than we had in total last Winter.  Yeti is not happy; our dog is a sissy. I completed my very first felt project--needle felted jingle balls.  I'm hooked.

So far it's been a delicious break; while not as much sleep as I might want, I'm feeling just a little bit more restored, and plan to savor every bit of the time I have left before the hounds of hell chase me back to work Monday! I wish for all who read this blog the same peace and pleasure to warm your heart and soul.

Blessed Yule

Winter Solstice happens at 6:38pm EST. May the love and joy of the Universe light your way and warm your soul...Blessed be!

Microfiction Monday--Courtesy of Stony River

Weeping, she wondered why Christmas is painted in sweet simplicity, no shattered ornaments or tears.  Don’t they know the wolf is waiting?

Stony River: A Writing Life hosts Microfiction Monday, wherein one writes a piece of fiction of 140 characters or less, inspired by her picture of the week.  This is my first attempt! 

Golden Pink Memories

The drive to work this morning was bathed in a golden-pink glow that reminded me of a camping trip Linda and I took to Maine in Summer '08.  The intent was to see a moose; we discovered that, not unlike Yetis and Elves, moose are mythological creatures...in fact, we've postulated that the Maine travel bureau hires Maine residents to dress up like moose to encourage tourism, but that 'real' moose don't exist.  Why do we think this?  Being us, we researched the best place in the whole state to spot a moose.  We camped near Lake Millinocket; every dawn and sunset we trekked over to Compass Point and waited and watched.  Nada.  One magical morning we took a sunrise moose-watching cruise on the lake....just us and the tour guide (whose boat it was) on the 40 acre lake.  Mt. Katahdin was golden pink, crowned by the full moon and rose above the glassy lake with all the power, wild beauty and majesty of a Goddess.  The only alleged moose we saw during that cruise was so far off in the distance as to be only visible as a brown blob, but we watched eagles soar, listened to loons, and knew silent awe in the face of the glorious mountain.


This bone-chilling December morning's light reminded me of that too-long-ago cool August morning, but this morning was also graced by the dancing glitter and sparkle of sun-kissed frost....exquisite!