Winter Holiday Musings

The December solstice has come and gone. Mid-Winter is upon us, and a couple of weeks of snow has finally yielded to rain and unwelcome morning fog. The holidays were bearable, we all survived with personalities and relationships intact. No small task, given the perversion of the season and the excess that it invites.

On December 13th, we enjoyed yet another installment in our annual holiday fest - the best local social gathering of the season. Guests this year were treated to catered fare from the Jacksonville Inn and lots of big, red wine. Thanks to my friend Platon Mantheakis for his help and support in that regard.

Following our annual fest, we made Tamales, in a nod to my two adult daughters' Hispanic maternal roots; and brewed pots of hearty Assam tea, in a nod to their Scots-Australian grandmother. Our holiday dinner included a standing rib roast, Yorkshire pudding, baked veggies, sweet potato pie and plum budding with hard sauce for desert. In the run-up, my partner and daughters were a whirlwind of baking projects: Persimmon cookies and pudding; Coffee Cake; and, Mouse au chocolat. Lupe cracked some of her 2006 vintage Cabernet, and my eldest contributed some of her home-made hard cider. Our youngest found time to join us from her ever-changing living situation in close-by Ashland, where she will be teaching the finer points of carving to classes full of anxious pre-teen plankers on the slopes of Mt. Ashland.

I'm heading back to work for at least a while tomorrow morning. Just to check the pulse of the business and catch up. I'll be posting about that assignment next week. I have been at this new consulting gig since July 18th, and I'm very grateful to be working in this tough economy.