The Run Up to Christmas 2021

If there is one thing you know about me to be true it is my penchant for unbridled enthusiasm for things that bring me happiness.  I'm still promoting VFMY window where I continue to see the most beautiful winter scenes from around the world. I mean seriously, who would have thought with the click of a mouse, snow covered mountains in Italy to street scenes in Moscow would fill my computer screen? Seemingly that is as close to seeing snow that I will get for the foreseeable future. While it is tempting to say that our weather never changes here in Florida, aside from modest temperature fluctuations, that is not entirely true. Winter brings fog, not snow. I do love seeing it in the early morning.

Not every day mind you, because some days the sky is a beautiful abstract painting of bright colors. Then too, if you look closely you will see an airplane carrying passengers to our airport, a place I would not want to be in due to the crowds.

In the last six months or so airplane traffic has picked up steadily from the lows at the height of the pandemic. Jonathan and Alissa will be braving those airport crowds with what I expect aplomb. Following our trip to the mall yesterday I realize my tolerance for big crowds is almost nil.

As to mask wearing, it seemed to be, thankfully, fairly prevalent.  The Omicron variant cases are increasing rapidly here even amongst the vaccinated, so we are taking no chances and still wearing masks when shopping. Speaking of shopping, for the most part we do so in shops, however I made a splurge last week by ordering some new sheets from RedLand Cotton.

I'm not sure how I heard about them, but after being highly disappointed with the Brooklinen sheets I'd bought online two years ago after reading glowing reviews, it was with some skepticism that they would be an improvement. It must have been their story that convinced me because it is a good one as you can see above.

As it turns out they are starting life with us wonderfully, soft, with a good fit and a top sheet that is large enough to cover the whole mattress! I will report at a later date should that assessment change. 

Last Tuesday, after Hector helped Bruce load up the Subaru,

we delivered the food to the Conway United Methodist church food pantry. To say that they were delighted with the generosity of our residents is putting it mildly. We were very impressed with how they have turned what looked like must have a been a library into a place for those in need.

Charging toward us is Allison who heads up the volunteer group and as it so happens, used to be Bill's preschool teacher when he was four years old. Her first question was how is Billy? 

Fun fact about Allison is that her family went through a game show phase with her husband appearing on Wheel of Fortune, she being a three day Jeopardy champ, and the entire family being on Family Fued. Or was it Family Double Dare? How fun is that? Apparently they began the pantry when Covid hit and families with no income were really suffering. Apparently, many still are. 

Rather than playing pickleball Friday morning, Bruce took me to Lake Apopka Wildlife drive and it was absolutely perfect. I'd gone in the hopes of seeing reported Snow Geese and although we never saw a flock, we did see one chilling on the bank.

The last time I'd seen any was when we made this super fun trip for my birthday while living in Vancouver.  

Remember what I said about the weather changes? Ours are more subtle, but if you pay attention, you will discover how the sky is bluer and the air clearer in the winter. 

What was so beautiful about this visit is shown above. The great contrasts between the colors is extraordinary. Then too, we saw not one, but two Bald Eagles, a huge thrill.

If that were not enough, there were numbers of Glossy Ibis, a bird I rarely see. In the bright sunshine you can see where the name comes from.

Everyone's favorite bird sitting pretty.

It was a day for seeing birds we rarely see such as two Purple Gallinule in the marsh grass which is apparently much stronger than it looks.

Beautiful Fulvous Ducks along with Blue Teal Winged ducks.

A closer look at the Blue Teal ducks along with some American Coots which were very plentiful.

Often described as cinnamon colored, the  markings on the Fulvous ducks are very beautiful.

As you can imagine I was pretty much going crazy with excitement and then it got even better when we came across some Black Bellied Whistling ducks who lived up to their name while we were watching, made easier because unlike on Saturday or Sunday, the crowds were minimal meaning we did not have to rush. 

For whatever reason the drive is only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday which explains why I gave up a morning of pickleball! Nearing the end of the drive, oh my goodness, look how many of those beautiful ducks we saw lined up along the bank. The blue sky reflecting in the water was amazing as well. Oftentimes, when we come in the warmer months, the water is not nearly as clear so it was a spectacular sight to behold.

I realize many are reading this on a tiny screen which is a shame because the grandeur of the scene is lost in a photo that size, but as a wise men once said, "it is what it is." Finally, no visit is complete without a gator picture and while we saw 17 this trip, many of them HUGE, I liked all the contrasts in this shot.

Switching topics in a big way, the flowers in the narthex at church were gorgeous!

Mr. Peck has outdone himself this year in the wrapping department ,choosing to use only one paper.

Matt and Tom now know what to expect when they open the package we mailed! Their package arrived yesterday afternoon and in a first, it was opened before it arrived. Sadly, they unwrapped all of the packages. So weird.

I averted my eyes in order to have a Christmas surprise. He also wrapped Michelle's birthday gift.

His bows are so good no one really wants to open the packages, however she managed to at dinner here on Monday night. I asked her about a birthday cake, did she even want one and what kind? To my surprise she asked for a Red Velvet cake and that is what she got. In exciting news, this is the first time I've been able to use my stand mixer since late March, not of course because I did not want to, but because the strength in my hand was inadequate. Day by day it is improving.

I will admit it took me longer than it used to and frosting it was fraught with impending disaster as it is hard to keep the red crumbles invisible. While not perfect, it was appreciated.

In good news, should you need taper candles let me recommend the brand from Hobby Lobby. We watched in amazement as there were no drips at all. 

Why exactly was I surprised at her request when I know how much she loves Christmas and what better cake could there be?

Not only was it pretty, but the taste was sensational unlike other recipes I've tried from the internet. Silly me though, this morning when looking for my Christmas cookie recipes I came across a King Arthur recipe for RV cake which would have worked without the hassle of constantly tapping the iPad to keep the page open! That said, there are two tech savvy young people heading our way tomorrow evening who will set us straight on all things digital. Thank goodness!

We are anxiously awaiting their arrival, having not seen them in so long! Oh my goodness. We were slated to visit Austin in March 2020 to see them and go to a Mavericks concert, however, as was the case for many people during those uncertain early days of Covid-19, we canceled that trip. Here's hoping this Christmas will resemble some sense or normality even though we are mourning the absence of Matt and Tom.

Merry Christmas to all of my much appreciated loyal readers!

your friend,

Gail

p.s. While putting the labels on this post RV cake came up so I checked that post and not only is there cake to read about but OMG, the owl pictures. What an amazing time that was. 

Ups and Downs

In a week with a fair share of ups and downs, seeing Bruce engrossed in a book warmed my heart.

Where the Crawdads Sing is the book he is reading; the sixth to do so after he gave it to me earlier this year. Now that is some serious re-using, huh? As well, he, like the rest of us, got into it pretty quickly. Although I've yet to finish it, I'm nearly done with the Nickolas Butler novel, The Hearts of Men, and to say it is full of ups and downs is a serious understatement.

So just what was a downer then? Well, I've had yet another flop come out of my kitchen, this time in the form of a Gingerbread Cake that I made for Michelle's birthday dinner last night. Doesn't that sound festive? Not the flop of course.

I used a Molasses Buttercream frosting, and my idea of decorating, a little clump of caramelized ginger in the center. You might be wondering where I got the idea, so let me tell you. In my search for the Gingerbread cookie recipe given to me by my mother in law, one I've had for our entire married life, I came across a spice cake recipe from years ago. The only thing is that, although it called for the above type of frosting, that part was cut off, so I turned to the internet. Voila...here's the one I used. While just doing a search to include that link, I see Nigella Lawson has one as do others, but alas, doing the search for just the frosting gave me the above result.

For her birthday Michelle likes me to make comfort food and that I do know how to do without much problem. Or, at least I used to. Anyway, last year she requested fried chicken served with mac and cheese, and this year she wanted meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Following our meal it was time to light those candles and cut the cake! Oh no! It is crumbling!! I wondered why. Then we bit into it and my heart sank....very little spicy flavor and a texture that was indescribable. Dry and flavorless is one way to describe it. The frosting was good though.

The truth is, I'm still uncertain as to why it was so dry, but my research suggests that perhaps I cooked it too long. Anyway, in a real first for me, I trashed all that you see, shoving it down the disposal, big hunks at a time. Next year I am just going to make a Texas sheet cake which never fails!

Speaking of baking, well I guess lots of folks are this time of year, we had a get together at Pam and Glen's beautiful home on Sunday night.

That would be Glen on the right, and Pam is in the background wearing glasses. Anyway, she made some very scrumptious brownies that were as tasty as they were attractive.

Every now and again she has folks over for a soup party, always a treat. As were these amazing cones that Sally made using her Grandmother's recipe. Alongside this tray was a bowl of perfectly whipped cream that you spooned inside. Oh my goodness! Heaven in a cone!

There began a discussion regarding the practice of sifting flour. Some of us do, some don't. I'm generally in the don't camp, but to see if it really makes any difference, while making another batch of the sugar cookies, I sifted.

To tell you the truth, I don't think it made one iota of difference. What I'd really like to master is having all batches of cookies turn out the same shade, something that eludes me in spite of using the same cooking time. Plus I rotate the cookie sheets. Yet, they turn out....

that back row....

As well, my cookie scoop literally fell apart as I was making them, thus I went back to the tried and true two spoon method. While it works beautifully to put the dough on the sheet, they are never quite as round as when using a scoop.

A few days ago, I think while I was baking, I got a call from Westminster Towers regarding Maureen so I do what I do. Put some shoes on, and drove over which, thankfully, is fairly close because driving in Orlando is not for the faint of heart. But that's a story for another day. Hopefully the situation is straightened out, yet this last visit left me feeling plenty down in the dumps. Clearing my head was next on my agenda so I stopped by Lake Davis on my way home for a little walk . It was lovely that afternoon, something that cannot be said for a good part of the week which, although not too cold, has been mostly gray and gloomy.

The puffy clouds! The changing Cypress trees! Plus, I finally got a decent close up of the Blue-Winged Teal that reveals where the name came from.

Isn't that such a lovely shade of blue? Wish I would see one in flight as is pictured here. Now that shot really shows off those colorful wings!

So that was definitely an up. As was seeing the owl again once I returned home!!!

It just so happened I glanced out the window and there he was! Plus, the Hooded Merganser has a girlfriend now. They've yet to come any closer and this is as far as my zoom will take me. Or us, for that matter.

Her head is sort of a cinnamon color; as is so common in the avian family, the male is usually flashier. As you can well imagine, because no female was around last year, this sighting got me pretty excited. Adding something more in the up column, two otters were playing near the shoreline this week after going AWOL for the last two or so months.

Bruce has been a busy beaver at the church, repairing more wood as they paint the side porches. He is not a man who enjoys too much leisure time, so having these projects is a bit of a godsend, if you will. Last week, while we were visiting Maureen at the same time she reminded me of a cell phone pouch that I made for her last year. That one went missing, so I made another one, as well as a potholder. Quite the combination, huh?

The potholder was for me as the ones in my cupboard are not fit for company. I'd made the small blocks as practice and they remained on my sewing table for ages. Don't look for a pattern because there is none, merely sewn together at random. It took me far too long to make the pouch because I am so bad with making stuff up, however, eventually it all came together and I took it over the next morning. The good news is that it is large enough for her phone, glasses, and Chapstick. Count me shocked when the house phone rang yesterday and the caller was Maureen telling me how useful it was. Why so shocked, you ask? Her ability to use said mobile phone is not without challenges, so receiving a call was nothing short of a miracle. Maybe an exaggeration, but not by much.

There were struggles this week trying to buy gifts for our London loves that were not resolved. Well, that's not entirely true as I did manage one gift. Every year it is such the challenge to buy gifts for our children, who, btw, would say the same thing about us. Perhaps it is a lack of imagination on my part? This is such a first world problem, right? As Christmas approaches, our first without Carol, I am reminded what a blessing it is to even be alive.

your friend,

Gail