Jan 2, 2013 (ok, an hour late)

Today I undecorated my Christmas tree. I had plenty of time, so I got very organized. I put things I was tired of in a bag that will be either Freecycled or donated to Goodwill. This is the box of unbreakable ornaments that can be hung on the lowest branches, so that my cat won't break them when she bats them around. She is going to miss her friend the tree, which has been so much fun to hide under when my daughter's dog Leo is visiting. She taunts him, then sprints away, and he can't follow her under the branches. If cats could laugh, she would.

                                               

Unwrapping the lights from the tree; I've had these for at least 20 years. They have a little control box with 10 different flashing and glowing settings. My favorite is random soft glow, so they look like

stars in the sky. Such a peaceful effect. I hope they never wear out,

because they are very special and I don't know if anyone else makes

them. I bought them at K-Mart, which used to exist in my childhood

neighborhood, but that's been gone for years now.

No picture, but I tried an idea I've had for a long time this year. I got some Martha Stewart glass paint and painted each bulb of a set of 150 white Christmas tree lights. It sounds very tedious, but it was very relaxing for me. Now I have lights to put on my windows in the perfect shade of soft pink, not the garish magenta pink that's mass produced. My lights are one of a kind! They turned out soooo pretty.

 I tend to save things. Today I had time to go through the whole stack of Christmas cards I've received over the past 25 years or so. Some were from people I've lost touch with, some are from people it took me a long time to even remember. I decided to save only the ones which were "picture cards", because I had to draw the line somewhere.  One mystery, though, was two cards I received from my friend in MN for two years in a row, both referring to some great thing I had done. This would have been over ten years ago now, and I just could not remember what I had done that made her so grateful. I finally took a picture of this card tonight and texted it to her and asked, "what was it I did?!?" Once she told me, it all came back. When she was a young single mother and her toddler son's father was in jail, she was having a very hard time. For Christmas, I sent her a care package of toys and books for him, because I know what that is like. She is doing great now, has a beautiful house and a wonderful husband and good job, but she's never forgotten what I did for her that year. It touched her so much that she sent me heartfelt thanks for two years in a row. Things like this make me feel like I made a difference to someone, and that's a really good feeling.

Happy 2013!

 Happy New Year! I hope everyone reading this stayed safe last night and had a great time. My new year started out with a big mess this frigid and blindingly bright morning. I stayed in at my daughter's house on New Years' Eve, watching cable TV and eating pizza while she went out to a party with her work friends. She spent the night at their house, so I was on my own to begin the day. My daughter's coffee making apparatus is decidedly different from mine at home. I struggled and fiddled and finally ended up spraying ground coffee all over the kitchen. After a few frustrated texts, I got it all under control. This event was much funnier later, after the drama was over and I finally had my caffeine fix.

 

Rollin' home on the Badger bus later this afternoon from Milwaukee to Madison, WI gave me time to ponder lots of things. I reflected on the good and the bad of the year just past, and contemplated the hopes, dreams and uncertainties of the year ahead.

Black eyed peas, greens and rice for good fortune.

 

The holidays came and went so quickly, and tomorrow will be spent undoing the decorating and getting rid of the Christmas tree already. After that will be goal setting and organization. This is going to be my year to get it all together and get on top of it, and stay there. Plant my flag and declare victory. I may never be an efficiency expert, but I can get better. It's a promise to myself that I will do all I can each day to keep moving in that direction.

*Foot(ball) note: The Wisconsin Badgers made it to the Rose Bowl for the 3rd time in 3 years, but lost to Stanford today. 

 Recipe: Violet's New Year's Black Eyed Peas

(Normally, you'd have cornbread to represent gold, but I added turmeric to the rice instead.) The peas, since they swell when cooked, symbolize prosperity; the greens symbolize money; the pork (I only had bacon fat available), because pigs root forward when foraging, represents positive motion.

Peas:
A cup or two of dry black eyed peas
Twice as much water
One jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, chopped
Half a leek, chopped
Large clove of garlic, smashed and minced
Chicken bouillon, 1 - 2 tsp. (I use this)
 T. or so of rendered bacon fat
T. or so apple cider vinegar
Cup or so of chopped spinach
Creole Seasoning to taste

Rice:
Cup or so of Basmati rice
Twice as much water, but a little less
teaspoon of turmeric
salt

Black eyed peas require no presoaking. Throw all the peas ingredients in together. I used what I had on hand. You can substitute kale for the spinach, add smoked meat, do whatever sounds good to you. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on med-low for 45 min or until tender. Watch them, they can go too mushy if you cook them too long.

For the rice, put all in the pan, bring to boil, turn to low, cover, take off heat after 20 min, let stand covered 5 min, then fluff with fork.

Super healthy, super yum, and super good luck in the new year! Peace.