Fast Away The Old Year Passes

 It's New Years Eve and I have had a good last day of 2024.

Our new Farmer's Almanac Calendar says for January 1, "The garden year has no beginning and no end." That is certainly true for us here in the coastal Pacific Nowthwest. There are blooms in my garden on December 31st.

The last rose of 2024, but probably not the last rose.

Primroses are very persistant.

Golden Winter Jasmine is a colorful companion to red cotoneaster berries along the driveway.

Today was a dry and mostly sunny day. We went for a walk in the neighborhood and I accomplished a mile and a half! We had a Zoom meet up with teacher friends, one of whom now lives in Maine. 

I sat at the computer and paid the bills and managed the accounts. I watched a little of the Washington Huskies in the Fiesta Bowl. They lost by going for a two point conversion, instead of a tie. We went to the bird store and bought bird seed for our feeders. Now that the leaves are off the maple tree in front of the house, I like to watch the winter birds, especially when I am doing my Physical Therapy. 

Then we went to the Des Moines Marina to watch the old year fade away. 

There wasn't much color in the sunset today. As the light faded, the lights came on  on the pier,

and the fishermen returned to safe harbor. 

Soon we will go out to Red Robin for a hamburger, and then we'll be back home to our safe harbor to welcome the New Year. There will be fireworks on the Needle, on TV. 

"Hail the New, ye lads and lasses."

Happy New Year!

Christmas Is Over, But the Memories Linger

 

On Christmas Eve we gathered at the Reeder homestead. I didn't take many photos,Tom got a few. You might call them "action shots", because we were all busy doing something. 

Jake was preparing sweet potatoes for the air fryer.

There were limited hors d' oeuvers, because we were going to have a big dinner. The lefse, Jan's cheese crackers, and Cougar Gold cheese were popular.  

Jan and I had the privilege of age, had only a few jobs, and got to sit and visit. 

Jake got is old Legos out from his childhood bedroom and he and Isaac revisited their boyhood, 

Chief dinner organizer Jill even got to sit. 

Irene, of course, was on her phone. 

The Meal: Tom grilled steak and salmon. We had roasted potato wedges, sweet potatoes, steak and mushrooms, asparagus, crab with lemon butter, and not shown, cardamom rolls. 

When you eat fresh crab you have to work for your dinner. 

After dinner we played games, then there was more Lego building and visiting while watching classic videos.

Christmas Morning we took our time opening well stuffed stockings. Jill cooked breakfast and Irene decorated the cardamom wreath bread.

Then there was a mountain of gifts to open and share as we took turns and opened them one at a time.

There was more eating and more game playing and more time to be together.

It was another memorable Christmas celebration. 

God Jul

 

Yesterday, the day before Christmas Eve, which is now Christmas Adam, (Adam came before Eve :-)) was Scandinavian Heritage Day here at the Reeder homestead. 

First up, Fattigman. This is a Norwegian fried cookie flavored with cardamom.

Seila, whose parents immigrated from Bosnia a few years before she was born, is having fun with our traditions. She was the cutter (I was the roller-outer of this very springy dough), Irene did the knot tying, and Isaac was the fryer. 

Tom was the hot oil supervisor.

When the cookies are cooled they are coated with powdered sugar. Yum.

Next up was the Swedish potato lefse.

The family wants it but I was about ready to give up making it. It's a lot of work, an imprecise recipe, just going by feel. The mashed potatoes, made rich with butter and whole milk, are made the day before to be thoroughly chilled. Just enough flour is added to make a dough that is manageable. The rolling out requires a light touch and lots of flour to prevent sticking.  

I started us out, and then turned the rolling out over to my staff. Isaac tried one and then Seila took over. She soon mastered the touch.

Irene did the griddle cooking, using the special turning stick. Tom did the cleaning up. 

I see that I didn't take many photos of the process. By then I was tired and tried to just sit and watch. That's not always easy for me.

My crew did a great job, no disasters, no sticking, and when they were through, we tasted the product, rolled up with butter and cinamon sugar. Yum again.

All of these goodies, the cookies, the cardamom bread, and the lefse, will be part of our Christmas Eve celebration, and Christmas Day too. 

And now the table is set. There is a little quiet time before the family arrives. It's going to be surf and turf for our dinner tonight: steak, crab, and salmon. No turkey. New traditions. 

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, or as they say in the northlands, 

God Jul!

Cookie Fun

They picked the day and time. I had the dough made and the set up ready. 

It was a little after 11:00 on Saturday morning, Dec. 21st, Solstice morning. For the first batch, Jill took the lead on rolling out the dough and cutting out the gingerbread animals. Jake manned the oven. Irene, Isaac, and Seila picked out their favorite cutters to use. Jake named me CEO, agreeing that Executives don't actually have to do the work. 

When the gingerbread was baked, it was time for the sugar cookies with sprinkles. 

Isaac and Seila were protecting us with their masks since they were just getting over some bug. 

These cookies are very delicately crafted, some times one sprinkle at a time. 

I had my iPhone music playing on our sound system, but I got busy and Jake took over with his phone, taking requests using Spotify. The selections were varied.

Notice some Scandinavian heritiage cookies? 

We snacked on cheese, crackers, and apple slices in place of lunch, and kept going, now on to decorating the gingerbread with frosting features. 

Tom took over KP duty. 

Here is our menagerie, with a few trucks, cars, and ferry boats in the mix. 

And then they were gone and it was quiet. 

The cookie tradition has been sustained for at least one more year. Everyone is happy about that.

Happy Solstice! Merry Christmas! May your memories be merry and bright.