Posts (page 2)
I always wondered when one was actually considered old, and I now know that it is when you hit 36. I crossed that line about a week ago, and for the first time, I received a 'You're getting old" birthday card. Actually, I received three. Note to self: don't give those cards to friends, even those you know well; they may be having a bad day. And I noticed three distinct lines on my forehead which seemed to appear out of nowhere. I thought I was hallucinating, but I checked a close up photo of myself from a few months ago, and low and behold, they were not there. Apparently, when I hit this most recent birthday, my DNA sent out an all-points-bulletin: "OK, boys, she's old, release the wrinkles!" Lastly, at a recent planning for an upcoming fund-raiser for the local arts council, I was told that they have a special program for "young" donors....which they defined as anyone 35 and under. Ouch.
What's interesting about all of this is that it has made me reflect on how I feel about aging, really for the first time in my life. I suppose this is a good thing; there are plenty of ladies doing Botox and chemical peels in the early twenties. Back then, I didn't give a hoot about all this. I saw my mom and grandma still looking pretty good in the 60's and 80's, respectively, and cast my lot with genetics. I still do. I suppose that getting concerned about it in my mid-thirties seems to be fairly level-headed by comparison. Still, I'm not ready to inject botulism into my forehead just yet. But I may feel differently if I start to get offered senior discounts any time soon.
On a recent flight to the West Coast, I had one of those "I wonder what took them so long" moments when I flipped the latch to let down my tray table and viola! An ad appeared smack dab across my lap! It was peddling hazelnut coffee creamer or some such nonesense.
I wonder who it was that made their annual bonus by coming up with this idea of covering every square inch of the tray with promotions? What irked me even more is that back in the good ol' days, everyone was given a tray of food during a long flight which would cover up such uninvited marketing. Now? A smile and $5 gets you some rubbery cubes of cheese and a few packs of saltines.
Between that and the flight attendants spending more time briniging my attention to the Dividend Miles co-promotion with Bank of America than the location of the emergency exit aisles, it seems we've crossed a line. Friendly skies indeed...
What is the greatest compliment you've received?
Submitted by Maraschino.
A co-worker once told me that she admired how I am able to balance ambition and kindness.
The other day, I was helping my husband pick out new eyeglasses. The ones he had were old, and he'd sat on them so many times that they sat crooked on his face. While we looked through the panoply of options, I felt an old surge of teenage envy. Yes, I was one of those losers who wished I could be cool like the kids who had braces and glasses. And while I have since gotten over my lust for a mouth full of metal, I do still yearn for the excuse to buy many pairs of cool specs. Now, I have plenty of friends who suffer through the daily injustices of contacts and bifocals; you'd think I'd know better. But maybe one of these days, my vision will start to slide....not enough to really affect my day to day activities, but just enough to buy a pair of these babies.....
With the glow of the holidays still upon us, some of you may be thinking you were pretty generous in the gift-giving department this year. But unless you donated an organ to a loved one, I think you'll have to give the prize to my friend Lee, who is doing just that early next week. Seems Lee's dad is in need of a kidney, and so he decided to forgo the traditional golf clubs and fruitcake and go under the knife himself. Pretty amazing, huh?
I thought the least I could do was to make him a little something to help in his recover, which will last several weeks. I went to Goodwill and bought a wool turtleneck sweater. I felted it by washing it in hot water in our washing machine and drying it on high heat. The greatly reduced sweater was then fitted around a traditional hot water bottle, trimmed to size with pinking shears, and stitched around the three open sides. The neck is left open to take the bottle in and out.
Lee, I am amazed at your act of generosity; let's all be thinking good thoughts for him and his dad next week. What's the most generous thing you've even seen someone do?
I told my friend Maggie Mason about a family Christmas tradition we have regarding left over candy canes. While we love getting candy canes for Christmas, especially when they are picturesquely perched in our stockings, we don't particularly want to eat the whole darn thing.
So a few years back, we started gathering the left overs and making Candy Cane Ice Cream. It's delish, and takes care of those peppermint scragglers in one fell swoop. We'll be having ours with friends on New Year's Day after a lunch of homemade North Carolina Pulled Pork BBQ. Here's our favorite recipe, based on one we found in Joy of Cooking:
Peppermint Candy Cane Ice Cream
(requires ice cream maker!)
1/2 pound peppermint candy canes
2 cups milk (preferably whole - this is not health food, people)
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whipping cream
Crush peppermint candy canes to very small pieces. Add milk to candy in a medium size bowl. Stir and refridgerate overnight. Add cream and whipping cream and thn freeze in ice cream maker per machine instructions. Enjoy!
It's been years since I have considered myself a practicing Christian. Still, I love the holidays, the decorations, the baking, the whole shebang. I imagine that must irritate people for whom this is an intensely important religious holiday. Like how environmentalists must resent the people who only celebrate the earth on Earth Day, them go back to their lives of styrofoam and SUVs.
That being said, I can't imagine there's a down side to having everyone, regardless of their affiliation, gather together with those they love, and celebrate. I guess at some point, it becomes Thanksgiving 2.0.
I wonder, though, how and why things you've "outgrown" still tug at your heartstrings. Why does "O, Holy Night" make me cry? Assuming it's performed well, am I just having an intense aesthetic experience? Or have I retained more beliefs around Christmas than I will allow myself to admit? What inexplicably makes you cry?
My son Charlie, who will turn 8 on Saturday, had a flash of brilliance the other day.
"Mom, do you know what? There are a few days a year when you can be as naughty as you want to be."
"What do you mean?"
"You know, the days between Christmas and New Years. 'Cause Santa always asks if you've been good this year."
Damn.
Those who know we know that I consider myself to be a fairly accomplished baker. But one of my most requested treats falls into the aft maligned "no-bake" category. In the interest of gaining as much weight as possible over the holidays, I give you...Tennessee Snowflakes! These somewhat trashy confections were first discovered in a tin in the pantry during a summer of nannying in East Tennessee. They sound disgusting but are fairly addictive, and even the most incapable cook can make then.
- Melt a bag of white chocolate chips in the microwave per the package instructions.
- Spread a bit of peanut butter in between two Ritz crackers.
- Dip the peanut butter cracker sandwich in the melted chocolate. Set on wax paper until chocolate sets. Can also be put in the fridge to cool if you can't wait for room temperature to do its thang.
Friends, it will become a beloved holiday tradition to work up a batch of these babies. Enjoy!
xoxo
mags
