a lovely Christmas

On Christmas Eve, we had about 10 hours of steady rain. hobbitt and I dashed out in the late evening to give the dog a bit of exercise, as it sounded as though the rain had begun to abate.

Which it had, just in front of the next onslaught. We got soaked - soaked as in our winter coats were soaked through and our shirts were wet. But dammit, the dog got walked.

Today? Sunshine. The Pandammys joined us for a holiday brunch. The menu: champagne cocktails, fruit salad, a salad of tender greens with my own Dijon vinaigrette, and a breakfast strata of mushrooms, sausage and jack cheese, plus a dessert of cranberry bread. It was mellow. Mrs. P made us some beautiful glass garden ornaments. After brunch we took the four-leggeds down to the beach for a long walk. It was doggie heaven down there - at one point, there were six labs and lab mixes running around like mad dogs, and our Inti (who's come a long way in her understanding of doggie ways) and the P's two cocker spaniels were in the thick of it.

Our evening walk was dryer than last night. And there was a scruffy camper parked down at the beach. It's the same camper that got a visit from the local sheriff earlier in the week. The guy is kind of wild-looking, but not threatening, and I've heard he's polite. Evidently it's not a rolling meth lab. But he's trespassing here, and that creeps me out a bit. I thought about taking the license plate number but decided what the heck, it's Christmas. If the guy needs a place to park, as far as I'm concerned, the beach is okay for tonight. I know if he's there tomorrow when the morning dog walkers meet (about 6:30), they'll make sure the sheriff knows.

We've opened one gift each. The remainder are still under the altar table. I don't think we'll be getting to them tonight. Typical. There was one year where the gifts sat unopened until the New Year. I guess we've reached the point in our lives where we can be pretty self-indulgent, and Christmas doesn't have quite the anticipation that it has in the past. I don't know how to fix that, or if it really matters.

So that's our Christmas. And though I missed my sisters (and talked briefly with my brother) it was a pretty good day. I hope you had a lovely holiday, too. Maybe some day you'll spend it with us. Cheers!

mist

We ran some errands late this afternoon. What can I say? The denizens of druid labs are an inherently lazy race. Anyway, as we left the neighborhood this afternoon, we could see a thick fog in Discovery Bay, to the west of us here on the Quimper Peninsula.

By the time we arrived home, the mist had settled into the lowlands of the peninsula. The airport was about to be socked in.

By the time we got to our evening walk, it was pea soup up here on the hill. It was clear at sea level when we got down to the beach, but the uplands were completely obscured.

We could see how it hovered over Indian Island. We could see it beginning to drift into the backwaters of the bay.

The waters were calm, eerily calm. The humidity made my fingertips sting for half the walk. (Hey! I still have to clean up after the dog, and fingerless gloves are the best solution I've found for wielding the plastic bag.) There were no stars, the sliver of moon was gone, all was still and silent.

Which is to say, it was another wonderful evening to walk the beach. I love it here.

don't let me fool you

I am missing my family this holiday season. Big time.

I miss my little sister Nanny-girl. For most of my life I've had nightmares about not being able to protect her from some unimaginable, horrible harm. I can remember each of these awful dreams in grand detail. But 12 years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it put the fear in her, and she started getting mammograms, and lo! and behold! she was diagnosed, too, even earlier than I was, with an even better prognosis. Did I beat those dreams or what?

I miss my big sister Ter-Ter. All my life I followed in her footsteps. She thought I was trying to compete. Perhaps some things did come more easily to me, but that's only because she'd always blazed the trail.

I miss my brother Johnny. We're close and yet not close. I don't know how this works, haven't figured out the language. I only know that distance from him is painful for the most part.

Mom and Dad, my aunts and uncles, gone. All gone. Most of the cousins I was close to, gone. Just one, in Tucson, who used to babysit for us in exchange for Dad taking care of her car. We write, we talk. Our lives are very far apart.

Perhaps I need a new family. Anyone got some to spare? Heaven forgive me, I feel so lonesome this holiday season.

this just in

I picked up my fiddle the other day after getting new strings, new tuners, having the action lowered, and purchasing a new bow (the old one was horribly yet subtly warped).















The good news? It sounds wonderful. It's a lot easier to play. Wow.

The not-so-good news? I still suck.

a list

Some comestibles I will enjoy in the next 9 days:

• breakfast strata with mushrooms, sausage and Monterey jack cheese
• 1.5 bottles of very nice champagne
• roast chicken
• the inevitable chicken soup
• NY strip steak
• sweet potatoes
• biscuits and gravy
• pork tenderloin
• tacos made with Morningstar Farms crumbles rather than ground beef
• salads of tender greens
• approximately 2 lbs. of Brussels sprouts, gently steamed and then braised in butter
• Ben & Jerry's Coffee Heath Bar Crunch
• a fried egg sandwich
• my killer black bean soup - there's almost a gallon left
• amazing gourmet olives from my secret santa in Humboldt, CA
• my killer chicken and black bean burritos
• some quantity of Bombay Sapphire slightly dirty martinis, with garlic-stuffed olives
• some quantity of Mt. Townsend Creamery's Seastack chaource cheese
  

It won't exactly be a debauche, but there's no excuse for a lot of this in 2007, remember? Except the Brussels sprouts. I can't live without them. Truly.

whatever

Did you see that idiot out on the point late yesterday afternoon, in the wind and driving rain, walking out to the water's edge all the while holding her arm high up in the air? Yep. That was me. For an hour. Getting soaked, getting the dog soaked, three laps total. What was with the arm? Ah. I was holding the anemometer. Sustained winds of 22-24 mph, with gusts to 35.1 mph. I wanted to know, and now you know too.

The pandammys gave hobbitt and me wonderful warm hats for Christmas. Both of the hats have nice big openings in the back so I can stuff my ponytail through. The tremendous amount of hair I have (thickness, not length, though that's considerable now, too) makes wearing a regular knit cap difficult. My hat matches my lighter coat - a medium blue. I love it. It's warm even when it's soaking wet. I proved that yesterday.

Evidently I've only broken off a just small portion of my #14 tooth. From inside here, it feels like a good-sized canyon, though. I have no sensitivity and the dentist isn't worried about me doing any further damage before January 17, when he'll do the first part of work that will lead up to the repair. I had three options: a composite filling, a porcelain overlay, or gold. He had me grimace and stretch my mouth as wide as possible to see how visible gold would be. Silly me, I like teeth that look like teeth, not bling. I chose the porcelain. I whined a little about how long it would be before I will feel confident about seriously crunchy foods, and I'll tell you why: I asked hobbitt for a Whirly-Pop popcorn maker for Christmas. He's smart enough not to buy directly off my Amazon wish-list, so I can't be 100% sure, but another package arrived today and when I shake it, it sounds eerily like gourmet popcorn from Wisconsin. He tore the label off the box so I wouldn't have to keep avoiding it. I want popcorn for Christmas, dammit! And well, I guess I'll have to wait until mid-January, when the temporary is in place.

That's about it around here. Tonight, when reaching into the cabinet to get a martini glass, I struck the base on the chrome carrier and dropped the glass on the tile floor. Oops! I'm down to three martini glasses. That should get me to the New Year, when I inaugurate 2007 as "The Year of No Excuses." Which generally means far fewer martinis, healthier eating habits, healthier exercise habits, healthier sleeping habits, and much, much healthier leisure habits. If I don't sit so much in front of this damned Dell Inspiron 9300 IMAX, I might actually have something interesting to blog about once in a while, right? Right?

yeah. it blew

I believed everything the National Weather Service said.

And none of it happened here. We were spared. The south part of Jefferson County took a bigger hit.

Nevertheless, schools closed and there was general panic and mayhem. There were a very few places that lost power up here. We never did.

I'd still like to know why the timer on my oven started chirping at 4:49 a.m., though. Can someone 'splain that to me?

it's gonna blow

From the National Weather Service:

San juan county-western whatcom county-western skagit county- admiralty inlet area-eastern strait of juan de fuca- western strait of juan de fuca-north coast-central coast- 950 am pst thu dec 14 2006

...high wind warning remains in effect from 2 pm this afternoon to 10 am pst friday...

A high wind warning remains in effect from 2 pm this afternoon to 10 am pst friday.

A deep low pressure system and its front will producing damaging winds as it moves across the area tonight.

Southeast winds will increase ahead of the system today...with generally windy conditions on the coast...across the northern inland waters...and near the entrances to the strait of juan de fuca. This winds will be similar to the winds that have occurred several times already this season. Stronger winds will arrive tonight...and expect widespread winds of 40 mph with gusts to 65 mph by evening...with stronger westerly winds developing around 9pm.

Behind this strong low pressure system the pressure will rise rapidly...and winds will shift to westerly. The strongest winds will arrive around 9 pm on the coast...and around midnight in the strait of juan de fuca. These winds are expected to be around 50 or 60 mph...with gusts of 80 to 90 mph likely. Whidbey island is also vulnerable to strong west winds from the strait. Winds will gradually ease during the day on friday.

The high winds will cause falling trees. Power outages are likely in some areas. Damage to structures is possible and flying debris will be a hazard. All preparations for these winds should be rushed to completion today. The strongest winds will arrive overnight tonight.

It's pouring right now and unlikely to stop any time soon. Other than a meeting this afternoon, I have nothing to do and nowhere that I need to go.

For the record, I'm loving this place, and weather like this just isn't an issue. I can say that now because the winds are supposed to be blowing the Douglas-firs away from the house. We're told we can expect to lose power, so I'll check back with all y'all sometime later. Be safe! Hold on to your hats!

fiddling

I just completed my first semester of fiddle class. Well, I missed one of the classes, since some overnight friends were here, but I cleared that with the teacher beforehand. This is a big deal. I'm notorious for bolting when the going gets tough. (When it's something just for me, that is. I go the distance for friends, every time.) The teacher is blind, and judging from his comments after all 19 of us students play a piece together, he's also quite deaf. But he's patient, and kind, and funny. And he's offering to continue the class, though not through the local community college.

Did I ever practice? Well, yes, once or twice. Did I dread class night? Usually, but once I got there I had a good time. Do I suck at playing the fiddle? Here's the funny thing: not really. Oh, I'm not good by any estimation, but it's coming a lot more easily to me than I'd ever imagined.

For most of the semester, I was pretty certain that I wouldn't continue. I wasn't practicing, after all, so what's the point? And yet, from the teacher's comments, this has been an extraordinary class. Not a single person dropped out. By the 7th week, he told us, he's usually down to just a quarter of the original students.

The woman who sat next to me said something interesting to me two weeks ago. "I've wanted to play this my whole life. Why would I quit now?" Then my neighbor, who has studied with Cliff for 2 years, told me that she never practices, but that Monday night (her class night) is indeed her music night. She's a busy attorney, and that's the time she gets. She made no apologies about it.

So guess what? I've wanted to play the violin my whole life, and Cliff will be happy to take my money whether I practice or not. And it's just ten nights out of the rest of my life. What the hell? I might learn something. Funny thing: the entire class signed up, too.

No worries. You'll never see me on stage. Ever. But I have the utmost confidence that eventually I'll be able to play without embarrassing myself. And since I'm getting to be "of a certain age", I give less and less of a crap about embarrassing myself anyway.

Next week: better strings, new tuners. Am I getting serious? Who can say? But I'll be in the orchestra room at the Blue Heron Middle School next semester. Perhaps that's not for nothing.

pearls of mine, still

So the necklace didn't sell. To be honest, I'm not sure the necklace was even shown, and that's neither here nor there. Our neighbors had two days of nothing - which is strange, given that they have some beautiful gems (including some stunning sapphires of just about every color) and do beautiful custom work.

Maybe I should just wear them around the house. Why not? I don't normally splatter food around my neck. Well, usually not. Mostly not. Okay, sometimes.

That would lead to me wearing an apron, probably, and a skirt. Pumps, and nylons. Can't you just see it?







Good. Neither can I.

pearls afoot

Well, not a foot. Twenty-four inches, more likely.

Tonight we had our neighbors here for dinner. They're preparing a jewelry show, and were happy to be fed and watered after a long day of cleaning and pricing their original work. We had a simple meal of ham, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and salad, and I made blondies for dessert. After dinner we played several rounds of dominoes and the chair-nearest-the-door charm is still in effect. That is to say that whoever sits in the dining room chair nearest the patio door wins whatever game is being played, since July 2005. No I'm not kidding. Doesn't matter if it's dominoes or UpWords or Sorry.

Anyway, after the blondies and dominoes, we were listening to their stories of diamond and gem dealers, customers and custom pieces from decades past. They can remember every stone they've ever set as if it were a child. They have some fascinating stories. I asked about the show they're preparing for, and then remembered a piece of jewelry I've had for more than 20 years that I've sometimes vaguely thought of selling. I fetched it and showed it to them.

They looked at it under the loupe, passed it back and forth between them, and made some nice comments. Apparently the 24" string of perfectly-matched cream rose pearls with gold rondels might fetch five grand in an upscale jewelry store.

If I've ever worn them I don't remember. For the past year they've been hanging on the hand-towel ring in the master bath. Before that they spent three years wrapped up in packing paper with all my other necklaces, including large ceramic sweet potatoes - ocarinas - and all kinds of crystals and feathers and beads.

They had been a gift from a former boyfriend. Okay, not just a boyfriend, but a lover. A somewhat well-off lover. Oh yes. It was amazing and hot and it ended badly, very badly. I can laugh out loud about it tonight, which is saying something.

I held the necklace in my hand and said, "You mean, this is a few skylights? This is the landscaping?"

hobbitt said, "So. You're doing a little cleansing?"

I guess I am a little attached to the necklace. I figured it was worth a tenth of what my friend was quoting. My attachment isn't to its value, or its giver. It's more that I've always been a bit of a tomboy, I guess. The jewelry I wear all the time is simple, comfortable, and durable. I never take off my wedding ring or the 5th anniversary puzzle ring, unless I'm baking. It's an effort to remember to wear earrings, and the only thing I've worn around my neck in years is my mother's necklace bearing my father's wedding ring. It's not me, this pearl necklace, but it's beautiful and it's likely the finest piece of jewelry I own. That is the attachment.

Well, if it is an attachment, it's a weak one. My friend and I agreed on a price, considering the "discount" offered at the show and a possible fee to the shop owner. The piece is beautiful. It should be worn and appreciated.

And yes, if it sells, it will be a cleansing. But I'm keeping the violin.

oh, bo!

This guy and I have never met and probably don't have a whole lot in common. But mutual respect, rich black coffee and good food trump most of that other stuff, and I think we're genuinely fond of one another.

Okay, I can't really speak for him.

But he bakes! Omigod, does he bake.

Also, he ships springerle cookies to flaming liberal hippie chicks like me. Well, okay, maybe just me. That speaks to some degree of fondness, right?

Thank you nook! And too much anise? I laugh. But not while savoring these awesome cookies.