No, of course these aren’t cobwebs on the cookies. Although if you want a perfect “it – goes – along – with – the – picture” holiday story about spiders, the ever-fabulous Jon Carroll has one.
Happy Solstice! We’ve gratefully received many cards, a CD of holiday tunes, lots of pictures of people’s children (we love your kids: where are YOU in these pictures, eh?), and exciting bits of news. It seems like EVERYONE in our circle of friends and schoolmates either has a new baby or one incoming (or, out…never mind). We have had three birth announcements in the last week, and must insist that you all — stop that at once! Don’t you realize you were all supposed to stay the same while we went away?
We’re exactly the same, of course.
This longest night of the year finds us prepared with our knitwear. T. has finally finished the six foot scarf she was knitting for D., in hopes of keeping him a little warmer on his treks to school next semester. Our friend Neil says it looks like chain mail, and that’s the best T. hopes for — insulating chain mail in the war against the weather. We celebrate the season with the urge to quickly finish up some more wraps and scarves. It has hovered at 0°C for the last three days, but today it dipped to -2° and it’s -5° in St. Andrews, two hours up the road. (Zero of course is freezing, -2 is twenty-eight degrees Fahrenheit.) Without a car, in this foggy whiteout weather, it’s simply too much to run to the market for things unless they’re seriously needed (and pride still refuses a taxi. Pride may have to go and take a hike pretty soon, but for now…). The grocery delivery services are booked to beyond Christmas day. No one wants to go out anywhere, so when we do get deliveries, even mail and parcels from publishers for T., we try and send the delivery person away with a little bit of sweetness.
These Parsnip Tea Cakes are destined for The Vegetable Kid, the sweet guy who comes from Grow Wild and brings us our weekly forty pounds of swedes. Okay, so it’s only about five, but it feels like forty. We are swimming in root vegetables, and we’re actually eating Brussels sprouts. (Look Mom: Vegetables!!!) Our friend Pille is keeping us supplied with recipes for beet root ginger cake and sauerkraut chocolate cake, so never fear it’s all work and no play. D. has found that if he closes his eyes and pretends, he has determined that celeriac tastes like artichoke hearts with some strange sort of herb. T.’s imagination is apparently not yet that good.
Speaking of herbs — T. is thrilled that her basil is still growing. Keeping it near light but away from the cold from the windows is no mean feat, and her mint, basil and chives are still bravely growing. It’s a hopeful sign, and the basil is especially pleasant. Trying to eat what grows locally means that things like salads (unless you slice your turnips thinly and eat them raw, or you like coleslaw) are virtually nonexistent. Herbs are vital to perk up root veg, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that these survive.
More news from the not-quite Frozen North anon,
– D & T
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Sorry to ruin your whole metaphoric circle-of-life motif! But they do look like webs.
The scarf is so perfectly done–such even stitches. Should we ever end up back on the West Coast, I’m guessing we’ll be running around in shorts/t-shirts in December after this adventure!
Hey, really likin’ that scarf pattern since I saw it on the other blog. Would you send me the pattern…may induce me to pick up the knitty-loomy-thing again…!
Happy holidays to you both.
Just dropping by to say how much I’ve enjoyed your posts over the past few months and to thank you for all the tips, expecially on photography.
Here’s wishing you every Happiness this Christmas Season, and much success in the New Year.
With best regards.
M
Lovely scarf indeed…and I don’t know how you all eat so many root veggies without going psychotic.
It’s funny how perception is everything. Today it is 1 C and we are considering it a balmy day! No sun and a little wind, but still balmy compaired to the -20 most mornings last week. Well, I suppose perception and winter clothes.
What’s sort of horrifying, Jackie, is that we scurried out to the store when the temp went above the negatives — it was balmy at 1° to us, too. It’s bizarre; this country is messing up our thermostats.
We see kids on the playground at the school next to our building… even at -3, they’re out playing. We’re trying to learn that resilience!
T, that scarf looks great. I’ve done one that long, and all of the dropped stitches just embarrass me to death every time I look at it.
Good for you on the basil, too; ours bit the dust ages ago. We brought it in, but the stuffy warmth of indoors didn’t thrill it any more than the bitter cold outside did. Our parsley, though, is bravely soldiering on, and even the chives are still alive. They really cheer me up.