The sun is out this morning—-already the house is warmer than it ever got yesterday. Between the cold (our high was only 21°), the clouds, and the wind the house just never did warm up, even with both woodstoves roaring. It seems like we get a couple of those days every winter, but mostly we stay pretty toasty in this little house.

The Christmas party at the Inn was fun last night: drinking, dancing, and a secret Santa gift exchange, which was a great improvement over the previous years’ gift exchanges. In years past we all brought gifts, drew numbers, and then were supposed to steal gifts from each other—you know the game I’m talking about? This system had a couple of major problems: 1) Everyone was too polite to do much stealing, so it was pretty tame and very boring. 2) Gag gifts dominated, and, frankly, who wants to spend ten bucks and come home with something that goes directly in the thrift store box? and 3) It took a really long time. Like, hours. So the secret Santa was lots more fun. I mean, you actually had someone picking out a gift specifically for you, which, at the very least, could be very entertaining. And DH and I both came home with great stuff: DH scored a sampler of expensive, nice beers, and I got a gift certificate for a massage from A*. Yes, definitely a much improved system. Oh, and way faster, too.

Bernard was the dancing queen last night—that was super fun. And ED even danced one with us!

We may be off to Asheville for another round of Christmas shopping, and maybe a viewing of Polar Express. Kind of depends on how the girls feel. DH and I managed to, once again, escape this one (knock wood).

In the bleak midwinter

frosty wind made moan,

earth stood hard as iron,

water like a stone:

snow had fallen, snow on snow,

snow on snow,

in the bleak midwinter,

long ago.



—Christina Georgina Rossetti

Well, maybe it’s not that bad, but it is cold and it is snowing. Oh, and it is midwinter. It’s 18°, windy, and there is a very chilly looking dusting of snow on the ground. For some reason, a dusting looks colder to me than a nice deep blanket of snow.

DH and ED went and picked up a load of hay yesterday, so the goats are tucked somewhat snugly in the barn. Of course, they don’t really like this hay—-they’ve probably actually liked about 20% of the hay we’ve ever given them—but at least if they starve it’ll be voluntarily. No, I’d be willing to bet they’re in there happily eating the hay that yesterday they turned their roman noses up at.

Solstice party at the Inn tonight. We have about a 50/50 chance of going at this point: Bernard has a wicked cold (though she’s much better this morning than yesterday), ED may have it, and DH and I are actively fighting it, mostly successfully thus far. I have a swollen gland in my neck, and a scratchy throat, but I’m no worse than yesterday.

Here’s the plan for fighting a cold (I’d say it works about 80% of the time):

At the very first sign that something might be amiss I take a drop of poke root tincture and 3 drops of echinacea tinture in water, along with some vitamin c—maybe three grams. This can happen twice in a day. Well, except for the vitamin c, of which you can take up to 20 grams over the course of a day. Not if you’re pregnant, though, as that much can induce abortion. Cut back if you get diahrrea. Generally I take in the neighborhood of 6 grams per day if I feel a cold coming on. I also drink two (or more) cups of very hot Tea for Colds— a blend put out by Good Earth teas. I think the magic ingredient is thyme, which you could just add to a cup of another kind of tea. And if I’m really serious about not getting whatever’s going around, I drink those two cups of tea while in a scalding hot bath, after which I get out, staying warm (you musn’t lose the heat you’ve so carefully built up), and bundle up. Just be hot—you’re basically inducing a little fever to help your body defend itself.

So, anyway, we’ll see about the party tonight.

All day we watched the snowline creep down the ridge across from us. It finally reached our elevation about dark. It was a dark and funky day.

Today was the last day of my work week. It was a very easy week, for which I am grateful.

I am too tired to type. I am going to retire to my pretty bedroom.

We had a shopping trip to Asheville today; got a significant portion of our Christmas shopping done. Had a good time, though I got really overstimulated and had a little anxiety attack. But then I got over it, probably because I got so sleepy in the car on the way home.

It’s pouring rain and 36°. Kind of icky, and I’m afraid it’s going to be frozen icky in the morning. I can mostly sort of handle icky frozen road conditions in my trusty blue Subaru, but I’m not feeling overly confident about driving to work tomorrow morning in the D*’s borrowed minivan. I mean, she’s been a good and trusty vehicle, but on 209 in the snow/ice/sleet? I don’t know.

It was altogether the weirdest weather day. It poured rain. It thundered and lighteninged. It hailed. It was blindingly sunny and warm. There was a huge fat rainbow. And now it’s going to snow before the night’s over. Too strange.

We brought home an assortment of very nice cheeses tonight. Three aged goudas, one of which wasn’t terribly exciting, but which will make a nice grating cheese. The other two, however….both are lovely with that deep amber color and that utterly fascinating crystalline structure. And the flavor that just gets deeper and deeper. I bought a bottle of Amontillado to try with them, and it’s wonderful. The flovors play back and forth off of each other ; they’re so similar. I also brought home two wrinkled, ugly little crottins, one of which made me jump up and shout hallalujah, but made everyone else run in terror when I threatened to kiss them after eating it; the other was ash covered, tangy and capric—DH even liked that one. Our final cheese tonight was a Hereford Hops, a sharp and buttery cheese with a rind made of roasted hops. It was cheddary-sharp and quite bitter—DH enjoyed it with a very hoppy ale made in Virginia called Tupper’s Hop Pocket Ale. The combination was altogether too much hops for my taste, but the cheese alone is very good.

We visited my dad at his Christmas shop in Biltmore Village this evening. It was such a pleasant visit—as we left the store the girls said,”I just love Granddaddy. He’s the best Granddaddy ever!” Very sweet—I felt quite contented.

OK—DH is saying I have to go to bed. ‘Night!

I painted the other wall in the bedroom yesterday. I had most of a quart of paint that I thought was the color that I painted my cabinets—-kind of a bronze/orange. Well, I painted the bedroom wall, and didn’t love it, and thought I’d put another coat on the kitchen cabinet while I was in the paint. It wasn’t the same color. More of a pumpkin pie orange. Not what I was hoping for. So then I took some white paint and a wet rag and brushed white over the orange in the bedroom, and wiped it off with the rag, and it is gorgeous. It looks like adobe—very soft with hints of rose and apricot. I am really thrilled with the way it turned out.

The kitchen cabinets are a bummer, though. I’m going to have to go get a quart of the previous color mixed. I was attached to that color.

What a rainy day! And dark, too. The wood stove is my friend today.

DH painted the bedroom yesterday! Yay DH!! It’s been five years, and I don’t even care—I am just so thrilled to have it done! It has been such an ugly, moldy, dark, cold damp black hole back there, and now it looks warm and inviting. The color is a warm cream, almost yellow, but not quite. It’s a color with a lot of life in it, which for me means it changes with the changing light. One wall is going to be terra cotta-y orange, which may happen today. DH is hoping our sex life is going to benefit.

Last night we had a Solstice party planning meeting at C*’s place. A small meeting. Last year’s party was huge and unwieldy, though really good, too. Except for the food. Hot Springs potlucks are generally pretty wonderful: we have a disproportionate number of foodies, plus a whole lot of people who just love to eat, so usually there is really good food and lots of it. But at last year’s party there was not enough, and it was a weird assortment. Very dissatisfying. So we’re taking steps this year to remedy that, like doing a bit of assigning. Also we’ve toned down the ceremonial/ritual part of the party a bit. I think it’s going to be wonderful. I hope you’ll all come!

So then, when I got home last night, the smell of fresh paint combined with the incredibly unseasonal, spring-like day we had yesterday had me in such a festive holiday mood, that we decided to have popcorn, chai, chocolate, and maple sugar candy for supper, while watching Little House on the Prairie Christmas specials. It was a lovely evening. Topped off by going to bed in my lovely new bedroom with all the windows open.

My inspiring friend

you take it all as it comes

laughing, you are strong