It's now two days after Christmas -- enough time to recover from all the happenings of Christmas Day. Here are just a few notes from the past few days.
Christmas Eve
Last year, I didn't go out into town on Christmas Eve. This year, I decided that I really should experience Julebukking. The main street was the most crowded I've seen. There was no parking available along the main thoroughfare -- I had to park a whole block up!
My first stop was Rexall Drugs, which every year offers a hot pastrami sandwich. The longest line was at this location. By the time I got there, it was no longer snaking out of the store and onto the sidewalk. It started just at the door. The Oxford Carolers came into the store and performed a couple of numbers. After waiting for some 20 minutes, I secured my sandwich and then walked back to the car to leave it there while I did my rounds at some of the other stores.
I made my way to the Hammer & Wikan hardware store where I sampled deli slices, cheeses, some smoked salmon, and a cookie. From there I went to the Trading Union for more of similar foods. While making my way from one place to another, I once again crossed paths with the Oxford Carolers.
My final stop was at the bookstore on Sing Lee Alley. While sampling their offerings, the carolers came in again, their final stop.
On the way back home, I swung by the home where Amy's new bicycle was being held for the last few weeks.
For supper, I made a Sweet Potato (Yam) and Apple Gratin. The sweetness of the yams and the maple syrup combines nicely with the tartness of the Granny Smith apples. It's a pretty simple recipe and doesn't take very much in the way of preparation. It does bake for about an hour, so you need to make sure that there is plenty of time for that.
In the evening we watched the last three North American Division Christmas specials: All is Bright (2005), Love's Pure Light (2006), and Christmas at Cadillac Jack's. The first one was mostly music set to a storyline. The second year seemed to be more drama, but still quite a bit of music. This year's was a Christmas drama and not really much in the way of music, except in the background. I thought all three were very well done. They are well worth watching, if you get the chance.
After the children had been tucked away, Elise got busy filling their stockings while I got busy installing fenders on Amy's bicycle. I discovered that the fenders that I got were for 26-inch wheels whereas the bicycle uses 700c wheels (slightly larger). The front wasn't a problem, but I had to finesse the back one to make sure the wheel didn't rub the fender. Once they were installed and I got the wheels back onto the bicycle, I discovered that the brakes either had never been adjusted correctly, or in the process of my work had knocked them slightly out. The wheels rubbed against the brakes, so I worked the adjustment screws until they spun freely. With that done, Elise put together a treasure hunt for Amy for in the morning, with the first clue placed in an envelope underneath the tree.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day began at 6 a.m. when the children awoke (or more accurately, were allowed to go downstairs to look for their stockings). After some searching they were found and they pulled out the contents to their delight.
It was not a white Christmas day. It was another of the gray and wet ones.
We had a quick breakfast and then went on to opening all of the presents under the tree. Amy's large gift was the bicycle (the black one). Shelley received a new bedding set, red and black, plus a mirror to mount somewhere on the wall.
Elise received two sets of Corelle dinnerware sets (for a total of 8 settings). The set of dishes and such that we originally started with, 15 years ago at our wedding, has nearly been depleted due to breakage and chipping. So now, we have a new set of matching dinnerware.
I got some books, including a recipe book for chocolate truffles; and a large, wooden cutting board. (Earlier, for my birthday, I got a 8-inch blade kitchen knife.)
Of course, there were many other gifts from numerous others.
Armed with a new knife and cutting board, I put together a Greek Orzo and Spinach Salad for the Christmas dinner to which we were invited. I also baked a small rib roast. Elise, meanwhile, put together some dinner rolls.
We went to the Christmas dinner and spent the remainder of the afternoon there. We returned home in the evening, and Elise went to work. I did a bit of cleaning about the kitchen before heading off early to bed.
White Day After Christmas
The snow came a day late. But because it was warmer, the snow was also quite wet and heavy. It quickly turned into slush, making the roads quite messy. I went out on my bicycle. The snow felt a bit like glue, making the pedaling effort more difficult, and with the ruts in the wet snow, there were times when the bike wanted to go its own way.
Today
The skies were somewhat clear overnight, so the temperatures dropped and all that nasty slush turned into ice.
Photos
Here are a few photos from this past week.
Middle Harbor about a week ago...
Glowing Petersburg Mountain from our front window...
Scenes before the chaos...
After the chaos...
No comments:
Post a Comment