We killed the Irish whiskey last night, but there's still rum! And enough christmas candy to choke a horse. And it's snowing the serious, steady snow, the snow whose only business is to pile up as thickly as possible. It is snow with a work ethic. Apparently one cannot reach the compost heap without snowshoes. I am impressed.
I have also discovered that my inner Minnesotan comes out hard when I am exposed to multiple feet of snow, which began with "Uf da!" and went on to distinctly wallowing vowel sounds. It's also funny how some reflexes are so completely ingrained--the optimal way to knock snow off your boots, with variations for home and car, the scarf wrapping, none of which I've done for years and which were waiting patiently in my hindbrain to rise to the surface as soon as I was boot-deep in the white stuff. I could probably even drive in it, but fortunately I don't have to.
Tom has taught me to make bread via the Tom Method, which involves the use of a bread "sponge" and which takes about half an hour spread out across two days. I have successfully made a loaf under his command. I have instructions--we'll see if I can duplicate this feat back home. He says it's versatile and I can add a lot of stuff to it and make cheese bread or herb bread or whatever. I have learned much of use for my story as well.
Went out shopping with Mom and kid brother Max. The cost of living up here is about 30% of the national average, which means that stuff is cheeeeeap comparatively. Hit a gallery/boutique/thing and bought some lovely earrings, a necklace, and a loon decoy with a pleasantly sly expression. (Yes, one of pairs of earrings were more of the Zuni bear fetishes. I AM WEAK.) Some nice little galleries up here in Calumet. (I refrained from even looking at the price of the Haida masks on the wall. I could not get them home. I could not get them home. Yes, they were spectacular, but I could not get them home...) I am very pleased with my loon. He appears to be plotting something. He can plot with the pintail and the manky mallard and the little wooden thingamajig. (At least this collection doesn't take wall space, and as has been pointed out previously in this blog, is highly useful for drying thong underwear.)
(Although you could probably dry underwear on the barong, now that I think of it, drape it from the fangs, and...hmm. I suspect my barong would find that pretty amusing...)
Annnyway! Hope y'all are enjoying the holidays in whatever fashion suits you.