Even though our Thanksgiving Day yesterday was a lovely, calm, relaxing day (yes, it was 'cause I cooked and baked everything I could on Wednesday which really, really helped me not feel like I spent the whole holiday yesterday in the kitchen), it somehow feels as though today I need to spend the day in my old, comfy, around-the-house cords (with the elastic waist . . . ahem) and have a regrouping and getting back into the regular routine kind of day. (Geesh, was that whole paragraph one sentence? I need to hire a blog post editor.)
All the turkey bones, bits of scraps and pieces, are simmering in my huge stock pot on the stove. Although I make tons of chicken bone broth to use in my cooking, there's something about turkey broth that I think has an extra oompf of flavor. The broth, plus leftover and now frozen turkey, will provide us many, many good meals. I've never understood folks who get tired of turkey meat and don't know what to do with the leftovers. (Send them to me, I'll pay the postage!)
Anyone else getting really irritated with all the Black Friday hype on the Internet and in local papers? It bugs me that it all exemplifies and amplifies the materialistic spend! spend! spend! society we live in. I remember the times years ago when there were no sales on anything (!) until AFTER the first of the year and stores returned to calmness after the holidays. Money to purchase Christmas gifts was saved all year long and the only reason you had extra cash to use for the sales in January was because you were perhaps fortunate enough to have gotten some money from your grandparents or favorite aunt as a Christmas gift.
I feel we're the wealthiest of people to have such bounty in our pantry and root cellar. This red cabbage straight from the cellar is a thing of beauty to my eyes. To think it came from one tiny seed, not even an eighth of an inch round . . . now there's a miracle for you.
Swing over a couple of feet from the cabbage on the counter and you'll see on my refrigerator door in the upper left hand corner a colorful heart outlined in sparkly glitter that I received in the mail from a 5-year old sweetie who lives in the Ozarks. The picture along with a note from her mom came via snail mail this past week. Kudos to all of you who take the time to sit down and pen a handwritten letter. (Especially when the cost of one itty-bitty first class stamp is starting to feel astronomical!)
Time to give some assistance to Papa Pea who is bringing wood up to the wood box on the porch. Then to fill the two wood holding racks next to the two stoves in the house. Then to sweep up all the debris from said wood. Whoever said heating with wood warms you twice was way off base. By my count, it's more like 10-12 times!
Snowdrops Under a Tree Overlooking My Cottage
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