she's just saying...

Top Ten: Year in Review edition

You know the purported Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times." This has been an interesting year, both globally and personally. Because this blog is ALL ABOUT ME, here is a top ten list of interesting things that happened in my life this year. (in chronological order - I'm not about to rank them!)

1. I started the Bend Knit-Up, which grew from six people to over a hundred in a year.

2. My dad turned 90, and we all celebrated together in NC and everyone got along.

3. AT&T bought Edge Wireless, and we no longer had any work, though we still had jobs.

4. Neighbor X and I broke up, got together, and finally broke up.

5. I taught myself the whole blogging thing, that which you are reading at this instant.

6. Henry and I went back east for a family trip and went to Fenway. Go Sox!

7. We were finally released from AT&T, though were still paid, allowing me a summer off.

8. I spent the summer off shoveling dirt and hauling rocks for my waterfall.

9. I got a new job at the High Desert Museum - yay! and patted a badger.

10. My dad broke his hip and I flew back east for the third time.

What were your interesting times?

Bob makes the front page

We're so proud...

 

more animals

The F.O.'s of '08

(knit slang for finished objects)

So here is the panoply of Melissa's Knitting Gifts for Christmas 2008:

Some of the many mitts for friends, nieces, teachers:

(I should be a hand model!)

Sweater for Beanie, the whippet. (awaiting a fitting)

(pre)Felted clogs for Mark (unfinished objects, or UFOs)

Pouch for my bro's earphones (not as garish as shown)

Re-fashioned bag for my mom

Socks for sister #2

Nothing showing yet for sister #1, who fortunately has a birthday in January, or for Henry or my dad, neither of whom will wear anything hand-knitted.

Coming down the home stretch on Sister #1, the dog sweater and the clogs for Mark. Then in January, knitting will be...

ALL ABOUT ME.

Ooo, the anticipation!

Everybody good?

Wow, it's been very busy around here. Doing nothing can be a lot of work. We had a lovely Christmas day and after-Christmas day, and the weekend-after-Christmas is nice too. The weather has turned warm, slightly melting the eight inches of snow we got. At least it hasn't rained. Rain on Snow is my least favorite weather condition, bar none. It's so depressing. Anyway, more fluffy white stuff in our near future...

So first of all, here are the results of all that raw fish and fowl I displayed a few days ago. Grill roasted and smoked turkey, pate and gravlax. Recipes provided upon request.

This should keep us for a few days. On top of the mussels and oysters. And cookies. And wine. I'm still full.

Which leads me to the Wii Fit! Kind of fun, easy to use and interactive enough to keep my interest for a bit, I hope. I learned a trick to it for all you who have just received one: the first "body analysis" you have to count as practice and do again. My first one said my Wii Fit age was 65 (rude) and the second time was 35 (very perceptive).

It does seem to emphasize balance, probably because the platform excels at measuring weight shifts. I got the same snotty comments Kathi D got at the beginning: "Oh, you seem to have some problems with your balance. Do you trip frequently when you walk?" asked by a concerned and caring and quite annoying trainer. It's ok though - irritation is a great motivator. "I'll show you how good my balance is!"

More to come on that front. Oh, and Henry likes it too.

I can now reveal my Christmas knitting, almost. OK, one item is not done and another is awaiting a dog size, but the rest of it. I'll do that tomorrow.

Right now, it's back to doing nothing - a sluggard's work is never done.

CC #1: Food

Cooking is not always pretty. Behold:

From the upper right, that is a turkey brining, chicken livers marinating in brandy, and salmon curing.

But soon, all this raw meat will be transformed into grill-roasted turkey, chicken pate, and gravlax (salt/sugar cured salmon).

Mark and I have some menu standards we like at Christmas. Christmas Eve is always oyster stew and Caesar salad. Christmas dinner is roast turkey (with beef for the red-meat-eaters) with all the sides including yorkshire pudding; and throughout the week, generous servings of gravlax, pate, croissants with triple-creme cheese, cookies and champagne. It's what my sister calls the annual Holiday Food Plan -- Eat What You Want When You Want.

While I'm cooking today, this is the view from my kitchen window:

The snow is snowing, snow on snow. We're ready to be snowbound and enjoy our cozy little family unit.

Have a warm and bright Christmas eve, relax, don't sweat the preparation, and enjoy your friends and family. Read "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids or pets, savor those sugar plums dancing and reindeer prancing, put out the milk and cookies, and stay up wrapping til 1 am. Sleep tight and have a wonderful Christmas morning,

Love to all,

Melissa

 

CC #2: Cookies

I'm counting yesterday's from-the-road posts as Christmas Countdown #3: traveling. So, onto #2: COOKIES. Another element of what Christmas is all about to the Hochschild family.

Sister #1 tends to outdo herself with cookie baking every year. I think she does six types, five of which are classics and one new one each year. Or something like that. 

Since it's just Mark, Henry, me and assorted passers-by this year, I'm staying with four varieties, plus add-ins from neighbors.

Rum balls made with cocoa and vanilla wafers are a must. Also Russian teacakes, doubled.

Gingerbread men (which we've been known to decorate the day after Christmas), brownie bites frosted with peppermint icing, and oh, right, I made mixed nut brittle (NO peanuts) already which counts. Really, that's all.

Then, starting Christmas Eve, we prepare the Cookie Plate, which is refreshed all week.

Stop by to have some or I'll be forced to eat them into January like last year.

Such a problem.

Last year's plate

Twelve hours later...

Yes, we made it home. The good thing about chains is that you can get through most of the bad stuff. The unfortunate side effect is you can't drive more than 30 mph. And we came back empty-seated -- Mark couldn't get to PDX until Christmas day, so he went home and started driving up. That's a devoted friend. We drove 12 hours, he's going to drive 20. One way.

The Portland airport was a nightmare in living color. People camped on the floor everywhere, lines that snaked back to security to check baggage, people stranded and babies crying and kids whining, one of which was mine. We got to experience the whole thing just for fun! It does make you appreciate never leaving the house during the holidays.

Thanks for all the good thoughts - it was an adventure!

driving back

Fun

Driving into the worst of it

We decided it wouldn't be a real Christmas without getting stuck in a snowstorm in the mountains, so we got in the car this am and are headed over the pass.

We're going to Portland to rescue our friend Mark who is trying to fly in from LA. Why we aren't flying there is a good question.

This should be fun. The entire city of Portland requires chains. Not snow tires. Chains. Plus we're driving over with Neighbor X just to keep it awkward. More posts to come!

CC #4: Merry Christmas from the cats

 

From Bob

 

and Muffin

CC #5: Christmas, The Soundtrack

To follow up on Kathi D's post (you know my motto: Steal from the Best), Christmas is all about the music. For hip 'n' cool folk like Kathi and me, this also includes the smirky ironic variety. She cites "Merry Christmas from the Family" by the great Robert Earl Keen, to which I added “Even Santa Gets the Blues” by Marty Stuart, and “Please Daddy Don’t Get Drunk at Christmas" by Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison (a great alt-country couple by the way. Right up there with Buddie and Julie Miller). There are plenty more out there, I'm sure.

I have a not-so-secret Christmas music habit. I'm a sucker for unusual compilations, the Starbucks CDs, new arrangements of classics, unexpected genres. I make a compilation CD of Christmas music each year to give to friends. Last year's ranged from Billie Holiday to El Vez, and included surf rock, the vibes, bluegrass and Louis Armstrong. Since I have all new colleagues this year, I smartly recycled it for 2008. 'Cause it's that good, IIDSSM*. Here's the playlist:

Baby It's Cold Outside: Zoey Deschanel & Leon Redbone (from Elf)

I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm:  Billy Holiday

Frosty:  The Ventures

Trim Your Tree:  Asylum Street Spankers

Merry Christmas Baby:  Charles Brown

Christmas Song:  Mr. Majestic

'Zat You, Santa Claus?:  Louis Armstrong

That Was the Worst Christmas Ever:  Sufjan Stevens

Jingle Bells:  Duke Ellington

Mele Kalikimaka:  Chris Isaak

Feliz Navidad:  El Vez

I'd Like You for Christmas:  Julie London

All I Want for Christmas:  John Waite

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home):  Death Cab for Cutie

Even Santa Gets the Blues:  Marty Stuart

Skating:  Vince Guaraldi Trio

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve:  Nancy Wilson

Auld Lang Syne:  David Grisman

Of course, I couldn't burn this for you. That would be wrong. I'd hate to spend Christmas in jail.

Though it would make a good song.

This doesn't even include the downloads...

[*if I do say so myself, duh!]

CC #6 (belated): Fambly Christmas

 This may be an off-year Christmas for my family. It's the first time in years that Sister #1 and I (and the kids) haven't had Christmas together, and I'm seriously bummed about it. This year was Henry's and my turn to fly back east, but after three trips back there already and a new job, it was not going to happen.

Sister #2 has an interesting relationship with Christmas. She's a converted Jew and they've raised their kids in a Jewish household, but old memories die hard, so she gives and receives presents at Christmastime slash Hanukkah. I'm always careful to wrap theirs in blue and white non-denominational paper. 

Big Bro is not in the Christmas mood this year, for various reasons. He'll be at the parents' house but both he and my mom have said they're not planning to do much for Christmas this year "except for the food." Of course, with my dad still in rehab and my mom coping alone, we don't expect her to have energy left for making merry. We're sending presents anyway.

It will be a quiet Christmas here, but we're looking forward to it. No travel, no guests; except our bestest friend Mark who's flying up from LA to be with us again - we've shared Christmas with him for seven years now. Mark's the fun, bad-boy uncle-figure for Henry, and a funny, supportive partner for me. We plan to play in the snow (Henry), drink a lot (Mark and me) and not do anything we don't want to. We might even (shock of shocks) go out for Christmas dinner. That to me would be the ultimate Christmas treat.

So, what are your plans? Full-on tradition or a more unconventional approach?

JJ goes bye-bye

We interrupt this Christmas Countdown to talk about what really matters: baseball.

I haven't been reading the sports news lately, not being a football, basketball or hockey fan, so I missed last week's big story: The Mariners traded away JJ Putz. To the Mets of all places. I'm heartbroken.

There's nothing like being at Safeco Field when JJ comes in. The lightning-themed light show, the scoreboards all flashing J.J.!, the AC/DC anthem; it's spine-tingling. Not to mention watching him close it all down. Sweet! The Mariners know how to milk it too - they play his song after every strike while he re-composes himself. it's good baseball and good theater.

Now there's no one I'm that excited about on the Mariners except for Ichiro, and great as he is, he's not about exciting. Yuniesky, Jose, Raul, Willie: they're all good, and I think the team is underachieving based on their roster, but where's the sizzle now? Another sad day in Mariners history...

OK, now that I've mourned the Putz, the Christmas Countdown is back on -- #6 to come.

Not exciting, but definitely flexible. 

photo courtesy of Rod Mar

CC#7: Snow

snowy commute, originally uploaded by Meltrier.

Unfortunately, it didn't occur to me that doing a Christmas Countdown would entail blogging every day. Aackk, the pressure! But If you're up for reading, I'm up for writing...

Here is a phonecam picture through my windshield during my commute this morning. IMHO, this is a good day to never leave the house. But school was on and so was work, so I forged ahead. In Central Oregon, we sneer at weather like this. Or actually, we cheer at weather like this. This is a snow-crazed town. People's spirits are up and excitement is high right now, especially after the dry Thanksgiving we had.

Luckily, I like snow. I especially like snow at Christmastime. This dump might get kind of old and ratty by a week from now, so I'm hoping for fresh on Christmas. Now that I have a nine-year-old who can shovel, I'm good.

What's your weather like?

CC #8: Nog

Christmas Countdown #8: Eggnog

I love eggnog. I like it homemade, and I like the over-sweet sticky stuff straight out of the carton. I only buy “light” eggnog (there’s an oxymoron) – I can’t handle the sugar and fat shock of the full-strength variety. I'm sort of obsessed with Starbuck's eggnog lattes, and I especially like eggnog with some rum and bourbon laced in. In fact, I’m sipping some right now!

Eggnog reminds me of a Christmas morning long ago when my husband Jay and I were driving our old VW bus from Boston to New Haven for Christmas with my sister and family. The bus (which we bought used and then drove across the country) seized up on the turnpike near Groton.

We had our Siberian husky, Buns, in the back, along with our presents and a pitcher of real homemade eggnog, complete with whipped egg whites, full cream, alcohol and all, that was my big Christmas morning food contribution. We ground to a halt halfway down an exit ramp and waited for the highway patrol. I opened the bus's sliding door and Buns jumped out, knocking over the eggnog and running up and down the highway. The bus reeked of hard liquor and was covered in sticky alcoholic goo. We suddenly weren’t as excited about flagging down the highway patrol.

Jay hiked down to some ratty-looking apartments to call my sister while I tried to catch the dog. I don’t actually remember much of the rest of the visit, other than renting a U-Haul to tow the bus back to Boston. I always regretted losing that eggnog, though, and when I make it I remember Jay and that crazy dog.

CC* #9: The Tree

*Christmas Countdown

 #9 in the 10-Day Countdown: Trimming The Tree

I was bumming that we got our tree so late this year, until I talked to Sister #1 this weekend, who was amazed we had it up "so early." For all the effort that goes into it, and for the wonderful feelings it evokes, I like it up for a month. But I was traveling, etc. so we got the tree last week.

Rather than going out in the woods and cutting one down, we usually drive to the nearest Tom's Trees lot and strap one on. This year, there was a (non-Tom's) tree lot at the bottom of our street and over a little bit. I decided our tree adventure would be walking down there and carrying our chosen tree home ourselves, Henry and me. Which we did, and enjoyed. From leaving the house to having the tree up in its stand was less than a half hour. Efficient and a memory! That's my kind of Christmas experience.

It sits there awhile, beautiful in its purity, til I haul out the boxes and begin the mini-light fight. God, I hate mini-lights. And putting them on the tree, to be truthful. A few years back I unfortunately read how Martha Stewart lights her tree, and have had to follow the master's teachings ever since. This involves running a light wire up EACH BRANCH and wrapping it back down again, then moving to the very next one. There are a million branches on your normal tree lot tree. Tedious, uncomfortable, and absolutely fabulous results. The tree takes on an inner dimension, with lights twinkling throughout the branches, adding depth and magic. Pain in the butt though.

Then the next step, putting on the ornaments. No one wants to help with this, I've learned, so I do it myself, indulging in my most obsessive-compulsive design tendencies. First the breakables, then fill in with a few choice non-breakables, stepping back frequently to assess the placement and balance. Then it's done. I turn on the tree, turn out the lights, drink a winter libation and enjoy the view.

Bob waits for Santa Claws

10 day countdown...going postal

Stealing a great idea from Hack Bend, I'm going to initiate a countdown to Christmas. Why? 'Cause I'm always looking for easy blog content, silly!

So, since I missed the 12 days of Christmas start date, I'm going to do the 10 days til Christmas, starting with:

10. Mail Anxiety

I've got to get packages in the mail immediately or pay the convenience cost of three-day shipping or less. Since each family member lives in a different state, it's a process every year, including finding small boxes and then bigger boxes, scissors and tape; wrapping, labeling and sealing; getting to the mailing store and getting the damned things out.  Weirdly exhausting. I normally wait til the last minute to try to include all the presents in one box, which include our family's tradition of buying a huge sockful of stocking gifts for each person. In the end, I usually turn to amazon.com to fill in the gaps, at its (very-convenient) pricey convenience charge.

So, enough of this blog-crastination. Time for Mr. Zip and me to get busy.

Chillin'

School's cancelled due to the cold. Brrr.
Yes, that says 5 1/2 degrees.

Must. Knit.

I decided this year to make ALL my Christmas presents (with the exception of the necessary plastic electronic junk I'm giving Henry). It's fun, actually - I feel I'm really making Christmas happen instead of buying it. It's a little weird not to be shopping right now, but it's also pretty cool.

The present-finishing countdown has begun in earnest. I have three projects left to complete, so I'm juggling them based on shipping dates, how late I can knit on Christmas Eve, who I won't see til after Christmas (gaining a precious day or two), and so forth, bouncing back and forth between projects. I'm going to be knitting morning, lunchtime and night to accomplish it all. Barring a possible carpal tunnel attack, I should be in good shape.

I'm also cooking up some food and drink items that cannot be revealed until they're gifted. Christmas Day (or shortly thereafter) I'll share the projects and recipes here. Til then, blogging may be limited as it takes away precious needle time.

Life around here is very focused these days. No time for parties, working out, meeting friends for drinks, watching movies, walking the dog, reading the paper, making dinner. Must. Keep. Knitting.

Smells like Christmas Spirit

Christmas snow, originally uploaded by Meltrier.

Now we're talking. I've been trying to find the Christmas spirit this month. The scent of the tree, cheesy music, wrapping presents, making gifts, none of it was working.

Til last night. I guess all it takes is some Christmas lights in the snow. This is the view from my front porch, courtesy of my neighbors.

OK! I'm in the spirit! Lots to do! Or maybe I'll just sit and knit and enjoy the snow...