I'm not sure if taking a trip to warmer, sunnier climes just before winter officially sets in is better than going right in the midst of it. Nevertheless, that's just what we did with a trip to San Jose' del Cabo, Mexico a couple of weeks ago. A couple of our beach days, I got so hot that I thought surely it will go all the way to my bones and carry me through till Spring.
With the snail's pace that building the cabin extension has moved, I've learned to lean into the coziness of both our tiny cabin and the season. After unpacking my suitcases and hanging my clothes back up I realize my wardrobe is mostly in a range of three or four types of browns, blues and pinks. I went from having a large walk-in closet two years ago, to having one three-foot dowel to hang everything on. So I hang up a piece and try to remove at least one or two and put in a large bag to donate.
It is not lost on me that a lot of my clothes have the same colors of what I am surrounded by on the mountain. "Earth tones". I think that's what they called it back in the day. Soon, we'll be surrounded by snow, and the dominant earth tone will be stark white.
The bird-feeder hangs just outside the front room window. The occasional magpie or blue-jay attempts to visit but I shoo them away; I let the chickadees dominate it. They chatter and sing and are no longer skittish when I'm outside. They are charming and provide hours of entertainment for Lola and Freya (my justification for the amount of bird-seed I've been purchasing lately).
With the clocks now turned back an hour, the morning are dark again. When I came downstairs this morning Dave asked me if I'd heard the heavy rain-fall. I told him no, while quickly waling over to the window to see for myself. The fog was starting to build in the valleys. It's such a different sort of beauty from the Summer rains. More subdued and slightly ethereal.
I purchased a watermelon last week. I have yet to cut into it, It seems almost sacrilege to eat melon unless temperatures are in the seventies or above. So I went with a vegetable instead and made pumpkin cookies. I roasted a pie pumpkin for the pumpkin puree' and somehow it made me feel slightly better about eating cookies as a side dish for dinner.
"Only 36 days until the days start getting longer!" I text to the kids in our group chat. It's not the cold so much as it's the lack of light that puts a few of us on the struggle train. I am cheerfully trying to bouy them up but also speaking to myself.
The very short days are upon us; it's a good time to cozy up and rest from the never-ending projects, work and even play, that long warm days etice us to do. My small kitchen contantly beckons me and I have to resist the urge to create something new every day. The days of raising a large family and the demands of making sure daily meals were prepared are past me. It's a difficult gear for me to shift. I loved everything about being in the kitchen with the hustle and bustle of kids sitting on the counter stirring, babies at my feet, children sitting at the island doing homework. Feeding tummies and feeding souls. I love to do the dishes by hand. Dave doesn't really understand why. How do I explain to him that while I stand at the sink and let the hot water run over my achy hands, I can gaze out the window and let my thoughts drift to a time that I so desperately wanted a dishwasher for my large family but other expenses took priority. The hours of time it would have saved. But oh the hours of time I would have lost with my children (some willing and others begrudgingly) forced to move around each other to prepare, and clean up family meals.
My quiver will be full again next week with Thanksgiving bringing us all together. I've been obsessing over recipe books per my usual, knowing full well I'll most likely make the same tried and true's. I did make a sheet pan sweet potatoe/brussels sprouts veggie dish a few days ago that was so delicious I just might make it again for the holiday. That is, if we're not sick to death of it. Like I say, I'm having trouble cooking for just two, and we've been eating it for three days straight as leftovers and it's still not gone.
Tomorrow I'm going to take a break from the brussies and crack open the watermelon. Also.....only 35 more days till the shortest day of the year!
Shells from our trip to Mexico of which I'm going to write about soon. Recipe for the above picture is below. Below the picture of the sea-shells.
Just a wingin' it recipe for sheet-pan Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes:
2-4 sweet potatoes washed and cubed
A hand-full of Brussels sprouts trimmed and halved
A couple slices of thick-cut bacon diced small
Real maple syrup
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
*Optional season with cajun seasoning of your choice
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread veggies on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, seasoning, salt and pepper rubbing all over the veggies with your hands to coat all sides. Sprinkle the diced bacon over the veggies. Toss into the oven for 15-25 min depending on your oven and how big you cut your veggies. (Test with a fork for tenderness) When the veggies are looking close to being done, pull tray out of the oven and drizzle with maple syrup (the real kind, in case I need to remind you again), and with a spatula give the veggies and bacon a little shove around the pan. Let them roast for another few minutes until everything is looking a little caramelized (because of that real maple syrup and the natural sweetness of the potatoes of course).
Pull these bad boys out of the oven and if you're like us eat them for days on end!
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