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!

holidays with pd

Each year I go from refusing to think about the holidays because it’s too early, then pouf I’m scrambling because it’s a week away from Christmas. Not that I have any grand plans this year but I do want to do some seasonal things. Having PD may prohibit us from doing some things but there is still lots that we can do.

We put up our tree and a wreath, and put a few simple decorations like bowls filled with fairy lights and ornaments. Fairy lights are so charming, I want to leave them out all year long. I have a large rosemary plant that needs trimming so I’m making a few small herb wreaths. I wanted to try a hand at making a tropical garland but ran out of brain space and energy on decorating. Speaking of brain space and energy, yesterday I took a half hour nap and then slept for nine hours last night. Go figure. With PD it’s either I have a hard time sleeping or sleep like Rip Van Winkle.

For holiday baking I made my first fruitcake. I know I hear groans in the background but I love fruitcake in all of its variations including Panettone & Stollen. The one I made is a British style fruitcake and the two lovely loaves are luxuriating right now in brandy soaked cheesecloth. I have a fruitcake story that perpetuates the tale that all the fruitcakes are just the same ones being passed from person to person because no one wants to eat them.

One year we were in Mendoza Argentina at Christmas. The hotel we were staying at just opened, so we were one of only a few guests in the entire hotel. In our room was a welcome basket with assorted munchies and a fruitcake. In the afternoon, the maids came in and cleared out the basket and later that evening we went down to one of the hotel restaurants and they had a side table with holiday decorations with a fruitcake on it. The next morning we went to breakfast and there on the buffet, of course what did we see but fruitcake. It became a running joke of seeing our fruitcake everywhere we went in the hotel. We should have given it a name.

I’ve got a couple of holiday movies lined up to watch. I’ve never seen It’s a Wonderful Life, and I love Jimmy Stewart so I’m looking forward to it. The other is a modern movie Love Actually. I know the whole premise of people all getting together for the holidays and fall in love has been badly done a million times, I like this one. What can I say, I love sappy movies during the holidays.

I’m sufficiently in the holiday spirit. We don’t put an emphasis on gifts at all during Christmas. It’s about the generosity of spirit, festive food, and reflecting on the year.

Hope you’re enjoying the holidays.

(image from my name is yeh)