it's december already

OK, blink and it’s mid December already. Not that it’s been a highly exciting year, in fact with the pandemic it’s been a pretty low key one for me. But I did get my Christmas tree up early this year and bought most of my gifts, which makes me way ahead of my normal Christmas game.

We enjoyed Thanksgiving at home with family with the usual favorite foods. My son Bronson tried a new pumpkin pie recipe from Claire Saffitz which was fantastic. It’s made with browned butter and caramelized honey. My baking projects so far were Dorie Greenspan’s Spiced Molasses Cookies which are just classics and Cookie & Kate’s Coconut Macaroons. I keep them in my outdoor freezer and allow myself one cookie a day (mostly)!

Last week I spent some time manning a booth at the Young at Heart Expo. Our local Parkinson’s Association took a booth to help spread awareness. There were a number of people who said they have a family member with PD, but their family member doesn’t know much about it or isn’t doing much about it. Particularly older people, and that they sort of feel like there is not much you can do, it’s just a part of getting older.

That was alarming to me, because there is so many things that can be done to help us live better lives with PD. To know that many people with PD aren’t getting the information or just feel that there is nothing they can do, breaks my heart and reminds me that in addition to finding a cure, bringing more awareness and reaching more of our PD community about what they can do today, is just as important. The best part was talking to PwP who were just happy to meet someone else with PD for the first time. It was an enjoyable time and we made lots of new connections.

I’m keeping my holiday reading light and fluffy this year. The heavy hitters can wait until January so these are the books I have on deck. The Santa Klaus Murder by Mavis Doriel Hay who was a novelist of the golden age of British crime fiction. It was originally published in 1936 and is Agatha Christie ish. The Secret Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams is a good one. Nothing like a cozy murder mystery set in a book shop with descriptions of good food. Lastly a non fiction book, The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free by Paulina Bren, which is a history of the famous hotel in New York that housed many famous women from the 1920’s through the 70’s.

I hope you’re keeping up your exercise, keeping connections with people in your lives, and finding something new to learn this week!