Wednesday, December 05, 2018

December Morning



This morning, as the day lightened just before sunrise, pale violet flooded the eastern sky where the slimmest pale crescent of moon hung by a thread. These days are cold and clear, with temperatures hovering around 0 Celsius overnight. Just cold enough to cover rooftops and foliage with a thin layer of white frost. 



We're having such mild weather (unlike those east of the Rocky Mountains) that the chance of snow this year is highly improbable. Too bad. I do love it.

Thank you for your supportive comments on my simple story. Writing something and publishing it to this blog was a goal I'd set myself earlier this autumn. Creativity flourishes with time to practice and there has been little of that lately. However, with the big push at school done now, my mind is clearer. 

We hosted Tim's work party here last Friday night. There were 24 of us, a very convivial bunch. After they left Tim and I cleaned up all the dishes and tidied up so that we wouldn't have to face it in the morning. Thus, on Saturday morning I woke up with a pleasantly blank mind. There was nothing pressing to do and I sort of drifted through the day. Lovely.



There's been a bit of Christmas decorating happening, but I'm not in much of a hurry. I did hang a wreath on the door and put out lights and the red cushion covers. 

When our first guest arrived, she said that as she approached the door, she noticed a little brown bird tucked into the bottom of the wreath and thought that it was a felted ornament. When she leaned in to look more closely, the bird blinked at her and darted off. I'm hoping to see the little bird in the wreath someday. 



In my garden this morning the kale is covered with frost. I've found that the cold temperatures make it sweeter and I'll be cutting some later this week for a soup. It's definitely soup weather. Last night I made a creamy broccoli soup that included onions, garlic, celery, carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli. Simmered in chicken stock and then pureed, with a little cheese, it's what I'm taking to school for my lunch today.  



There are still raspberries out in the garden. I picked this one and popped it into my mouth right after clicking the photo. It was frozen, but still sweet.


The window Tim installed in the spring adds so much light to our kitchen eating area. We moved the little sofa against the window and it's a fun place to perch and watch the birds flying to the feeder. We hung a string of star shaped twinkle lights around the window and it looks so pretty in the evening.



I've done a little baking - mostly to have something for the party. However, everyone else brought enough sweets that I didn't need to bring mine out. There's Cranberry Orange Shortbread, Pecan Toffee Squares, Almond Cheesecake Squares, and Raspberry Diamond Cookies. I plan to make Rugelach and Gingersnaps soon, maybe this coming weekend. 

Our family is doing a handmade Christmas this year, and I'm beavering away at a few projects in the evenings. I'll write more about that in another post. 



My current stack of reading. There are so many wonderful books out there that it's hard to choose. I find suggestions of what to read from other bloggers and am keeping a list on my phone. Yesterday I picked up the latest Louise Penny book at Chapters, but I probably won't read it until I can spend some serious time at it. I'm dipping in and out of Nigel Slater's The Chronicles of Christmas, a book recommended by Barbara of Coastal Ripples. It's delightful and meaty, part memoir, part cookbook. There's a salad recipe I'm hoping to try this evening, with apples and beets and blue cheese. Yum. 

What a long post this has turned out to be. As I've sat here with my mug of tea, full daylight has appeared and the sun is streaming in, illuminating the little pot of poinsettia on the table and revealing the dust on the chairs. 

Have a wonderful day! I'm off to mix up the Rugelach dough!

Linking with Friday Bliss hosted by Riitta of Floral Passions.  

19 comments:

  1. That raspberry looks like it was delicious! I am making a broccoli and white bean soup for dinner tonight. It is blended all together to make it creamy with out any cream!

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  2. I'm so glad you had a nice party. I'm sorry I missed it! heehee! Your photos taken outside are very beautiful. We are having a cold day here....only near 60 today so it feels like winter has arrived! Enjoy your day. Hope the little bird comes back to the wreath!

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  3. I always count on adding to my reading list when I come here, Lorrie!

    Your garden pictures with touch of frost are so pretty and goodness gracious those three red pots of greenery in your large window are so festive! Now I need to find my old recipe for broccoli soup. You have reminded me how comforting it always was and it's going to be a lot colder here in Nashville this weekend with maybe even a little snow so that soup sounds so good.

    I loved your December morning,
    Dewena

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  4. Those hydrangea are such beautiful colors even as they near the end of the season. You certainly baked up some scrumptious goodies. I think that sofa near the window would be my favorite place to sit on a frosty day. Just heard out air conditioning come on. Cooler here but still not real winter and can get stuffy inside. To me soup is always a good idea! Enjoy!

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  5. Broccoli soup on a cold day is so welcoming. We are having days of rain and more rain, depressing, but plenty to do in a warm house indoors!

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  6. Oh, your soup sounds absolutely delicious, just the thing for a cool December day.

    All the best Jan

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  7. Glad you’ve got a bit more time now that school is winding down. Your decorations so far are looking lovely. No frost here, still too mild, yours looks lovely. Glad you are enjoying Christmas Chronicles. I’m reading a few pages each day relishing the recipes. Chocolate cake tomorrow I think. Thanks for the mention :) B x

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  8. A bird on the wreath sounds like a wonderful start for a story. I do hope you erite more to post here. Happy Holidays!

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  9. I have enjoyed my visit today. Your post feels relaxed and easy. The book stack (I'm on the hunt for Nigel Slater, you're the second person I came across who has it on the go), the room with that lovely window and view, the plate of baking. It's all quite lovely.You really have a way with your camera that is so fetching. And I'm remembering what your story character, Alicia, said about cookies being best in pairs -- I completely agree.

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  10. You have raspberries. Your weather is mild, no snow. You can have a bird feeder, love that window... I have none of those things, yet that same sliver of a moon grins down on us both.

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  11. I think that bird on the wreath was a harbinger of good luck, don't you? I am glad you are writing- it is good for the soul for some of us. For some the words come easy but i have had bloggers tell me that it takes the forever to put a post together.
    You can have any snow I get here. Right now my driveway is a glare of ice and it is very, very cold. I am a warm weather girl through and through.
    Have a wonderful night, Lorrie- xo Diana

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  12. Twenty-four guests sounds like a nice group for a party! Parties warm my heart . . . and (don't think me silly) sometimes the clean up after the party is almost as fun. It is a time to mull it all over and think about conversations and relive it with Ron and the girls and discuss what went well and what could be improved. (Plus, your house is restored to order. ~smile~) The festive wreath on your red door looks cheery and welcoming. It even came with a greeter!

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  13. I do so hope the little bird appears again in your wreath. The wreath certainly makes a statement against the beautiful door. The sweets look mouth watering, it certainly is a great time of year for making, baking and soups.

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  14. A real little bird in your wreath, now that's good luck my Irish Gramma would say. How lovely

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  15. What a special treat to find a little bird in your wreath! I hope he comes back. I love it when nature compliments my decorations. Except for the one year a deer with a full rack got tangled in my bush lites and took off running with them attached to his head! I didn't care about the lites but was concerned about him shaking free! For days after I kept looking for him and his twinkle lites. :) Kit

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  16. My sweet tooth is salivating over your yummy baked goodies!

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  17. Your baking items look luscious. I've not made candies yet...but a BUNCH of cookies.
    We are going to draw names and do handmade gifts next Christmas....should be a lot of fun.....

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  18. What a beautiful and calming post Lorrie. It seems that at least for a while you have managed to leave all hurry behind :) Your frost photos are stunning and your book pile interesting. I haven't read a single one. We got yesterday our first wet snow, pretty but it won't last. Wishing a relaxing weekend.

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  19. How nice to be able to host your hubby's Christmas party. We are wondering what winter is going to be like in our new neck of the woods. They are talking snow for next week. We'll see. Nice light from that new window. We asked for the new cd version of Penny's new book for Christmas. Hope your new week is merry and bright.

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Thank you for your comment. I read and value each one, cherishing the connections we can make although far apart. Usually, I visit your blog in return, although if you ask a question I try to contact you directly.

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