Why can't I be creative like this? Because I post late in the evening and have no brain cells left, that's why. Thanks to PDX Pirate Dog.
Look carefully....
(and you thought Peeps were just innocent Easter marshmallow candy)
Click on this link for a special Easter surprise! No, really, you need to do this. Go ahead, I'll wait...
(Sorry. I just couldn't help myself.)
And they're not just for Easter any more and haven't been for years. Now you can buy Peeps in all shapes and colors for every holiday.
There's a running family gag about this. Years ago when our daughter was young, she loved Peeps. So one year we bought her a bunch. The next year we also got her some, and Steve's parents did, and friends did. Then for a year or so, every holiday I would buy her whatever holiday Peeps they were selling. And then she finally said, "enough with the Peeps already!" I don't think she likes them any more. Too much of a good thing, I guess.
Peeps is one of those interesting cultural phenomena--everyone knows about them, either loves or hates them, has stories about them... Just try googling "Peeps marshmallow" and see what you get. There's an official Peeps website and much more!
So, darling daughter, Happy Easter! This one's for you.
I'm ambivalent about making New Year's resolutions, mostly because they bite the dust in very short order. How can I expect to change my behavior for a whole year when I can't even make it for a day or even a few hours? I think willpower and age are diametrically opposed, because it sure seems like the older I get, the less I have.
Nevertheless, being a basically optimistic person, I'm willing to take a stab at a few. I tend to keep mine simple and fairly achievable, so don't expect to see anything like "I'll weigh 115 by the end of the year." Yeah, right. I also have some aspirations that I won't mention to anyone, but they'll just nag me from the back of my mind now and then.
Here goes:
1. Take my vitamins every day. I'm at the age where I need extra calcium and iron.
2. Add at least one more round of brushing teeth to my day. That's an acknowledgment that I'm getting older and it will make my dentist happy. (Note: I'm doing very well already on flossing.)
3. Turn off the TV the first time we say, "there's nothing on worth watching" instead of settling on the least objectionable.
How's that? I'm not trying to accomplish Mission Impossible here. For example, to say I'm going to stop my Starbucks habit or cut out chocolate would be both pointless and totally unrealistic.
I was listening to NPR the other morning and Alex Chadwick had been calling people and asking their opinion of the coming year, following on the heels of continuing bad news: the war in Iraq, global warming, the current state of politics, dwindling resources and exploding population.... it was really depressing. However, one woman maintained that she was optimistic.
"Why is that?" asked Alex.
"Because," she replied, "I've heard that 2007 has been a year of endings, which means that this will be a year of beginnings."
I'd heard of Three Kings Day, which is January 6th. It's an acknowledgment of the three wise men in Bethlehem at the stable on the night Jesus was born, along with shepherds, sheep, and a cast of thousands. It's now one of those minor Christian religious holidays, quickly being overshadowed by Twelfth Night, also on January 6th and an excuse to keep the party going.
I wouldn't really have paid much attention to it except that this Wal-Mart flyer in the paper caught my eye: "Dia de Reyes. Encuentra en Wal-Mart todo lo que necesitas para celebrar el Dia de Reyes." ("Find everything you need at Wal-Mart to celebrate 3 Kings Day.") Click on the picture to make it bigger and see if you can read it. It's in Spanish with English translations. I especially like the "Disparador giratorio de redes Spider-Man Deluxe." ("Spider-Man Deluxe Spinning Web Blaster. Incredible motorized action. Create awesome webs with web fluid and water.") I think that has a lot to do with the three kings arriving in Bethlehem, don't you?
And, yes, there's the Rosca de Reyes, or 3 Kings Cake, right there in the ad. Only $8.97 while they last.
Or how about Surtido de munecas Rebelde? Rebelde is Barbie's name in Spanish. Somehow it doesn't quite translate. Rebelde doesn't sound quite as sophisticated as Barbie. Sort of like if she had a sexy name in Spanish but in English it meant "Ethel." Nah.
And what's the deal with Barbie, anyway? Assuming she was a perky 20-something when she made her debut in 1962, after 45 years she would be a decidedly un-perky 60-something now. But she remains young and beautiful with impossible proportions and more consumer possessions than all the Wal-Marts put together. I love that bumper sticker: "I want to be Barbie--that b**ch has everything!"
After all the hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve in Old Town, which is a very big deal, Christmas Day by comparison was delightfully quiet. Our guests enjoyed sparkling apple cider with breakfast, snapped their Christmas crackers and wore their crowns. Most of them were here to visit family, so they all disappeared after breakfast.
I took advantage of a clear, sunny and warm morning to clean up the luminaria leftovers on our property and neighbors on either side. I dumped the sand through a mesh screen to sift out the candle wax, collected the sand in buckets to use again next year, and recycled the paper bags. Minimizing impact on the environment is good. The forecast called for possible rain/snow showers, and experience has taught me that trying to pick up wet paper bags full of sand just doesn't work.
Neighbors on both sides are businesses, so we don't have much interaction with them but do try to be good neighbors. Cleaning up luminarias can be a tedious and thankless chore, so I hope that our neighbors will be delighted not to have to do it and will enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee instead.
Meanwhile, Steve made a big pot of posole (hominy and chili stew traditionally eaten at Christmas), so that was simmering on the stove for most of the day. We shared it with Steve's parents along with tamales, and finished the meal with pecan pie.
Nothing fancy, just simple food and a quiet day. Our kind of Christmas
We just had a terrific evening that turned out great entirely by accident. It all started with a leftover chicken carcass that I put in the pot this morning to make soup for dinner. As guests started to arrive and I found that they had not made reservations for dinner--and at that late hour would not be able to get any--I thought, "well, I've got soup, so I'll just offer them some soup and make biscuits." More guests arrived with no dinner plans, so I started making chili as well. And because I got involved in making dinner, I was behind in getting the luminarias out, so they offered to help with that. What a wonderful time--I eventually had six guests helping to build, set out and light the luminarias. And just about the time they were all lit and it was getting dark, the soup and biscuits were ready. We had a lovely time enjoying a simple meal together, then everyone went into Old Town to stroll among the luminarias.
Thousands of people come to Old Town on Christmas Eve, and it's a real party atmosphere. Many of the
shops stay open late into the evening, and they put out bizcochitos (traditional New Mexican cookies) and apple cider or hot chocolate. Tonight there were carolers and singers all around. And the luminarias were spectacular since it's cold but not windy at all, a clear night with a full moon.
And the best part? Since many of the shop owners are friends, we get to go behind the scenes to get the "good stuff." It's party night for their employees and friends as well, so we get invited to sample the barbecue buffet in the back room, or the shrimp platter, or the bottle of something really great under the counter. Of course, we didn't go empty-handed. We took some chicken soup to Bette, who was minding the store by herself, and a pitcher of Merry Margaritas. Be careful--they really pack a punch!
And a very merry Christmas (Eve) was had by all!
Writer Vixen's post was about the 12 Days of Christmas article she wrote that was published in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1991. It's similar to the one I wrote about but probably not the same one since my experience with it was in about 1985.
In the meantime, everything has turned for the better since Christmas gifts have now been ordered over the internet and sent by email. Just like email birthday cards--on time. Ta-da!
One of the things I was looking for on my ill-fated visit to the mall the other day was a good tree topper for the small Christmas tree downstairs. I was hoping for either a star or a snowflake but couldn't find any that looked nice. The few I found were too sparkly, too tacky, whatever. So I came home empty-handed.
Now it's the 22nd and time is getting short. I'm not about to make yet another foray out into Christmas shopper's hell. I remembered I had a clear plastic "finial" out in my storage building. You know, one of those ornaments with a really long pointy tip. In reality, a finial is the "end" of something. They usually have a fairly large open end and are meant to just get stuck on top of the Christmas tree.
Mine, however, has a narrow open end with an ornament hanger in it. So I got to work with tools: coat hanger, wire cutters, pliers, glue gun, long bolt, florist wire.
Okay, so it's not an angel or a snowflake, but it is now a nice-looking top on the Christmas tree.
