Mr. Têdé politely declined a gift of dinner for two at Owamni by the Sioux Chef, a restaurant with a national reputation and the first in the nation serving dishes made from ingredients known to the original Americans. Although it’s a short walk from our home, we’ve never been, deterred by sometimes challenging-to-secure reservations. Mr. Têdé expressed concern about the possibility of bear being on the menu.
Category: Holidays
Home for the Holidays
The two of us are cooking up a storm just for ourselves. Santa’s received the “please, no gifts” notice. “I do not want what I haven’t got,” as sung by Bettye Lavette, sums it up. Grateful and contented, I am.
Under the Tree
LEGO Snow Village designed by Dwight. 4-seasons lamp made by a former colleague of Dwight’s. My grandma’s 1940’s radio; after she passed, it was in constant use by my bedside when I was a child. Model of the family’s second farmhouse, built by Dwight’s uncle; the first house was a dugout in the earth to establish homestead rights. The small stocking belongs to my snooty teddy bear, Mr. Têdé.
A-Frame Challenge
Dwight was engrossed in the den, immersed in the world of architectural LEGO. His current challenge: constructing an A-frame for the Christmas village beneath the tree. Achieving an acute roof angle, while avoiding any “illegal techniques,” demands ingenuity.
Carefully Curated Christmas Gifts
Today I started my Christmas shopping at the Downtown Target where I purchased a gift card. I’ll pick up the rest of the gifts from an ATM.
Wot No Turkey?
Spent most of the afternoon making veggie moussaka as the main dish for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. Porcini mushrooms, lentils and chickpeas nicely fill the meat space. The dish required red wine (3 cups); the cook required some too, but a much lesser amount.
Shh, Don’t Tell Anyone
We’ll top our Thanksgiving pie with Cool Whip, a somewhat controversial choice, though we secretly enjoy it. Lactose is not among its 17+ ingredients, the primary reason I purchased a tub. To my surprise, I still received a discount at checkout although I’d only picked up one tub, resisting a BOGO (Buy One Get One free) offer. I have my limits: BOGO offers can be wasteful.
12th Night 2024
Packed our Christmas decorations into a storage tote. We’ll move the tree (in its mailing tube) and the tote to our storage cage two floors down in a couple days, once we’ve rounded up any stray decorations.
Another Year
Our January 1st ritual: a walk followed by a pub lunch. (The empty bottle is from last night, a particularly fine Champagne, gifted by friends some time ago for my 70th birthday.)
Countdown to Midnight in Madrid
Walked on fresh snow to Coastal Seafoods to pick up shrimp for paella for dinner, but when I saw this line, frozen shrimp from Trader’s suddenly became acceptable. As is our custom, I’ve cued up RTVE Madrid to stream to our TV to celebrate 2024 at midnight Madrid time, 5:00 pm Central.