Start it off right!

Happy New Year to all of you!

Hope it all went well for everyone!
Being party animals we stayed up until almost 10pm,
called it good, and climbed into bed.

As far as New Year’s traditions… we don’t have as many of those as we do for Christmas. Also, instead of traditions, they seem to be more like superstitions… and instead of several I have narrowed it down to well... pretty much one. That is the Hoppin’ John.

You see.. you simply must eat some Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day as it is supposed to bring you good luck in the coming year, in particular financial good luck.

That first picture was the Hoppin' John that we actually ate… the other ones I found elsewhere were just so pretty I had to add them. I need to work on my food pictures. These others are very gourmet looking for old fashioned southern cooking. And then check this one out!

Wowee!! Hoppin' John Stuffed Tomatoes!
Well, that is what it says but, well, I don't see any black eyed peas
sticking out of there but it is a great idea.

Hoppin’ John traditionally as far as I understand includes of course, black eyed peas and a ham hock. Yum. However, David is not much into the ham hock thing so I had to improvise a little. I had previously cooked a pork loin roast thingy to shred for other recipes. You see when there is a sale, I buy a larger pork roast and then shred it for BBQ sandwiches, Posole, or whatever else I can think to put it in, I cook the pork in the crockpot with only a small amount of liquid smoke (barely a capful… might measure out to be just a few drops actually), black pepper, and maybe garlic powder. Those are the only seasonings I put on it. I put the crockpot on low until the meat practically falls apart, and it turns out almost like kaluha pig. It's just not buried in the ground and served up by a bunch of pacific island men…

Hmm.. I dunno what happened there I was looking for a photo of kalua piggie.

Got sidetracked somehow for some reason.

Anyway the crockpot makes the pork very succulent and faintly smokey. I DO NOT add salt during the cooking process. I can add salt later to taste if necessary but the smoke flavoring makes it seem salty on it’s own. Anyway, the pork roast had a smokey flavor so I substituted that for the ham hock, tossed it into the black eyed pea mixture. Dished it up over rice, and it was just fine. Tasty even.

As I mentioned above, I was not super happy with my Hoppin’ John picture so I went surfing. I looked around the internet for information about good luck superstitions surrounding New Year’s Day and found out that in some places you are supposed to wear yellow underwear for good luck on New Year ’s Day.

That’s a new one on me; well actually not on me... and I wonder how that one got started.

These folks would have been pretty darn lucky had they worn the panties in the right area… I hope their good luck spell does not work backasswards now since that was how they wore those particular garments. I mean you are supposed to hang horseshoes in the right direction or the luck runs out... you are supposed to put furniture in the right spots in your home for Fung Shui or the chi won't flow right and neither will your luck. I dunno what may happen to these folks if their yellow panty spell backfires... Let's hope for their sake it does not matter.

Speaking of hexing, I did not find out about this yellow underwear custom until after New Year’s Day had already passed. I hope I did not jinx myself because I was sporting my customary winter red and not yellow on Thursday.

I have been pretty busy lately as the Postmaster broke her leg. Another PMR from a post office down the road and I have been covering for her while she is gone. My postmaster slipped on the ice and the result of that is a spiral fracture and all the tendon, ligament, stuff connecting her foot to her leg are all torn up. Ouch. Dang. I may be busy but not too busy for wandering around in the snow once in awhile with the beasts. For the most part they seem to be adapting well. Delta has a nice fur coat as it is and even Cosmo the Magnificent has decided to go the hobbit route and let the fur grow on his feet. Check out that back foot in particular!

Delta and I had an interesting discovery the other day.
It seems we are not alone when we go out to the wood pile.

Those are mine and Delta's footprints on the patio... along with someone else's teeny tiny feet.
Hmm. Michigan mice are tough little mice aren't they?
However, not as tough as Delta... when she finds them she pounces on them with her big ole hooves and then eats them after tossing them around a bit.
I will spare you those photos.

Speaking of ice… we keep getting all these winter storm warnings and we see the satellite pictures of these huge storms coming to dump feet of snow on us… then the day comes and goes and nothing. Well, not nothing. We get a few inches here and there, but certainly not the blizzard we expected. Even Carl the weatherman the other day said, “This is it... It is coming get ready!” But it never arrived. Our little town must be in it’s own little weather pocket.

Once again with the superstitions… I have not wanted to say too much about not waking up to 3 feet of snow because if I say it too much the hex will be on and sure enough. We won’t be able to get the door open. Knock on wood, salt over shoulder, lucky penny, horseshoe over the door...

Delta loves the snow. I really don’t mind it either. Cosmo the Magnificent tip-toes around in his fancy orange glowing coat and hobbit feet, and then there is David…

I am starting to think he needs one of those light visors like people in Alaska, Washington, and the Scandinavian countries use… not because he is depressed but because he is restless.

While we were sitting in our chairs, looking out over our gorgeous wintery lake view, and listening to Carl the weatherman the other morning David burst out, “Dammet! More snow!”

I blinked… And then slowly turned my head to look at this Midwestern raised, Pacific Northwest, Southern and Northern California, world traveling gypsy man and said… “Um. Honey? It's January in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You knew it was going to be snowy here before we moved… right?”

He smiled that smile I love and then just chuckled at himself. While he may have laughed, we both know that he has run out of big projects and is starting to find himself spinning as to what is next. Well, maybe I should not put it that way because we know what will probably be next as we have discussed it all at length. It just seems the time frame is moving up a bit because he is a man who likes a challenge and well… building the house was a challenge. It was something he had never done before, but to put it bluntly… it’s built.

So while we are just generally taking some time to relax, regroup, and recharge the batteries, he is beginning to want to stretch his wings again and it may just be the perfect time to participate in some of the different kinds of opportunities that seem to keep knocking on our door. One can only turn them down so many times before they stop knocking. So… while there has not been change in our plans, it only appears that we may be opening the door to one of those new opportunities sooner than later. Meanwhile, he will keep plugging away at the smaller projects he has on his list.

Phew!
Good thing we had that Hoppin’ John.

As for me? For now I am just chillin’.
Heh heh. Literally.

I am soaking up this winter weather and enjoying ever bit of it.
Who knows what is coming down the road next. Pretty exciting innit?

And finally, a sunset... courtesy of the upper peninsula in Michigan.

Laundry List

“A bear”

Those are the words that were whispered right into my ear this morning.

I had been sleeping nicely, all tucked into our warm nest but those two words immediately woke me up... as I suppose they should. My eyes popped open, and I was awake albeit a little confused. My brain was quickly working without me and while one part of my brain was trying to come all the way out of the fog of sleep, the other part was quickly trying to focus on where I should run… what I should do… listening for where exactly the bear was... trying to decide what my next course of action should be.

An explosion of neurons was/were battling it out in my head, adrenaline was starting to amp up and the two parts of my brain finally joined… my eyes focused and then I realized that it was not David who had whispered to me. He was still sleeping on the other side of the bed… facing the other direction. He had not moved. That did not help that whole adrenaline thing.

I still had not moved as I wanted to be sure of the direction I was going to move in when I needed to. I was still trying to figure out what exactly was going on, and who had whispered in my ear. In the darkness I could sense something was very, very close to me. I could feel it there in the darkness. It was only then that I realized that Cosmo was standing up right next to my head on the bed. Patiently watching me… ever so patient. Staring… waiting.


I have to tell you a little about Cosmo the Magnificent. He sleeps on the bed at my feet usually. When he gets too cold he either comes up to my side or David’s side and nudges us to lift the blanket so he can get underneath. If he does not nudge you (and frankly what is even worse than the nudging) is that he will stand right up next to your pillow and stare right into your face… barely half an inch away… close enough to feel the tickle of his whiskers… just smacking his lips. Believe me with those teeth and that breath you would wake up too. Forget about being woken just by the eerie feeling of someone staring at you.

Well, I looked at him in the moonlight and he just stood there.

“What did you say?” I asked… but he just looked back at me in the darkness … “hah!” he said inside his head, “like I will say it again while you are fully awake. Foolish woman. I will just let you think you are crazy… it is all part of my secret plan to take over the universe… now slave... lift the damn blanket for me so that I may climb underneath and get warm.”

I obeyed and he made a beeline to my toes and curled up and went back to sleep… leaving me still wondering about what I heard.

Deer Camp
Jerry's Deer Camp is nearly complete. We rode out the other day. I rode with David and Delta rode with Grandpa Jerry. (Cosmo the Magnificent stayed home by the fire planning complete domination of the world)


David helped Jerry put this thing together with many parts of our old cabin, and stuff Jerry has been collecting and had used at his old deer camp. Jerry has the propane hooked up, 3 bunks inside, a table, and a huge wood stove. He also has an older propane range (with oven!) hooked up for cooking, and a propane refrigerator outside on the porch, next to the water barrel. The siding is not on yet but it is wrapped and weather tight. They completed it just in time. The siding will come in spring.


The bathroom has also been redone or should I say re-dug... and looks quite accommodating.
Even though it might be chilly.


David's brother Keith and Keith's son Justin from Southern California, and their cousin Scott from Vermont were here for a visit and so as a "house warming"... or I should say "Camp warming "celebration we had a big dinner out there... 9 of us! We had venison steak, creamed corn, boiled red potatoes, pumpkin bread, apple pie and of course ice cream. It was very nice actually and plenty warm enough. In fact, the wood stove Jerry has in there could heat a place three times that big so it almost bakes you out... feels good to pop open the door once in awhile. The visitors did not stay long but while they were here they stayed out at camp... Jerry loved it! He is so proud of it. It was very nice for everyone actually.

De Colores

The color has left us...
after being so saturated with the fall colors this is a very big change.


Actually, I guess I would not say the colors have left... maybe just hibernating like the bear Cosmo was whispering about. The world here has gone from greens, yellows, and reds to blues, grays, white and black. When it is snowing and icy like this it is not so much the sky that is blue... because it is usually gray.. it is the trees, and the ice, and the snow that reflect blue.

It is a faint blue... very faint but it is definitely visible to the eye and to my camera.
Lots of blues and grays.

Actually, as I look out the window while trying to figure out how to describe it... I think I would add that there is a lot of lavender in the scenery as well... and in the early mornings if you are awake you are treated to a tinge of pink.

It sounds a little stark but I don't mind it at all. It has its own beauty really, a quietness... but it is deceiving and I know dang well to take it all very serious. Anywhere you go, if everything you see is brown and tan.... or if it is all white and grey... I think it is a good idea to be very careful. (the inner girl scout is coming out now... let me straighten my sash) The snow is beautiful and soft. It is light... like shredded cotton blowing around.. it almost appears to be dry... but the SECOND it gets on your bare skin it becomes wet and then you are in trouble if you do not get dry and warm right away. In contrast, the desert is saturated with tans, browns, and gold. Also very pretty, but just as dangerous.


The sand may be golden, glistening, and pretty and all... but if bare skin is exposed it is now the lack of moisture that will teach you how fragile you are.


Cooking

What we have been eating? (More people ask me than then one would think...) Click on the picture for the recipe and no.. I did not do the mint pesto thing... Mint belongs in gum, toothpaste, little red and white candies, and schnapps... not soup. I also did not add the fancy toasted coconut shreds on top but otherwise I followed the recipe very closely.

I have been making a lot of soups, stews, etc. It is a quick go to meal when it is cold outside and when you are wanting to save money like everyone is trying to do currently. That soup above is called Emerald Buddah Soup and I have made it before but I saved the recipe for our move here knowing it would come in handy. There is no meat in it and it is green (green as in color not green as in environmentally sound.) It also is a vegetarian soup and it does not need meat. A nice dark crusty warm bread would be great with it! However, if you must... chicken of course would be wonderful (imagine shredded chicken breast in this picture) but so would maybe a ground sweet pork sausage or something like that.

What I have been wanting to eat? (Besides avocados and fresh vegetables that is?):

Ahh.. it's like butta'!

And last but not least...
Musical Flashbacks

So we were driving to Iron River the other day... on a snowy icy dirt road and Dreams by Fleetwood Mac came on the radio.

I was singing along looking out the window at the forest passing by and

whoosh!!

No, that was not the sound of Stevie Nicks' gypsy duds flipping around while she dances...
(like my sister Brooke)

It was the sound of a full on musical flashback.

A flashback all the way to *gasp* 1977... Dreams had just come out... I remembered sitting on a bus singing the song looking out the window at the forest passing by on my way to science camp. I was in 6th grade. Yikes... that was 31 years ago... good grief. It rained the entire week at Science camp. We even were given plastic bags to wear over our coats to keep us from getting too wet. We participated in all the stuff that a good camp had to offer. We learned to make shelters, cook over a fire, act in goofy skits, how to lick banana slugs... it was great fun. When I checked out the science camp website.. not much has changed. What I don't think they told our parents is that they also showed us a film about baby harp seals.. and big burley fishermen literally beating the life out of them with clubs blood splattering everwhere while the babies and the mothers seals screamed. Not that I think that is ok but... Hey boys and girls... can you say... propaganda? I actually remember that week pretty well... there was a lot to remember... including apparently that Fleetwood Mac song.