I can heah the gloatin' from all over the blogosphere--yore trees is down! Yore tinsel an' wrappin', boxes an' bows is trashed, yore ornaments and canned snow is stashed back in the attic, hooray fer y'all!! ( But I has still has boxes wif'out topses.)
Hmnnn. Not heah. Ah, see, we's paleolithic: We wait fer the Feast of the Epiphany, the day the Wise Men wif' cool names arrived.
Which means in 2013 terms, that Uncle Aloysius has to keep explainin' to folks why it be that he ain't a sluggard what din't bother to git the Nativity out of the front forty yet.
Oh he's jes' so smug... He relishes the chance to remind folks the Twelve Days of Christmas is Dec 25th to Jan 6th (Epiphany). AN' inside it means the trees is brittle an' needles need to be swept up every few hours....thas' Ok, 'cause, to Aunty, it's still lovely.
Plain truth be that folks celebrates so much afore Christmas--office parties, gift swaps, binge chocolate, baking an' makin', shop-a-thons-, travel an' such that by akshull Christmas Day folks is OVER it. I git that.
Still, I jes' need to git it on record that mah own preferred method is to follow the custom of Advent (a time of waiting and anticipation) THEN to celebrate when the Day comes. We used to follow the ole French custom of semi-fasting until after Midnight Mass. Nowadays, folks is bloated an' sated by Christmas Day. I wanna go back to the French custom.
To this minor rant lemme add we's havin' a "Mahvelous Dahlink" Twelve Days. Much clan gatherin', game playin' (Croquet anyone?) out of townies has been in town, visits to Pappy Cracker, visits wif' neighbors an' all manner of goodies made an' consumed.
Done. It's off mah chest. 12 Days rant over.
About Uncle:
Y'all is the dearest folks--thanky fer yore notes and comments. Uncle be doin' pretty well. (Uh, 'til the Gators shamed theirselves last night.) If this seems a familiar comment--"thanky fer sweet notes an' prayers"--it was this time last year when Uncle showed his tolerance to doctors. He keeps insistin' he is fit as a fiddle then goes on to prove it to the medicos.
We's been busy wif' surgical follow-ups an' such, an' I'se shamelessly claimin' that as mah reason for not keepin' up wif' the blogs--fergive me please. But, Uncle is headed back to full speed. I can prove it--looky heah: On New Year's Day he done initiated the First Annual Picking of the Greens!! Mercy, that man be proud of his greens.
Well, they is championship greens, I will say.
Y'all know that Southerners (some of 'em) insist that New Year's Day consist of greens, black-eyed peas, an' cornbread (if ya' can git yoreself a ham, thas' an extra).
I shure wisht all y'all coulda been heah--can ya imagine?? What a hoedown that'd be. What is yore MUST have dish on New Year's Day? (After the hair of the dawg, heh.) What would ya' bring to the hoedown??
As fer that other New Year's Day thang, I ain't even gonna think about no resolutions this year, lessen it be to resolve not to resolve. But...tell me what yore own resolutions is--mebbe I'll be inspired. Mebbe. Ok, ok...one resolution might--might--be to read less an' garden more. Thas' as much reconstruction as I can face.
But I does wish one an' all a Happy New Year, filled wif' love an' laughter, health an' hope. All the thangs that most of us find close to home, if we jes' look fer it in our families an' communities. Aunty did whisper a prayer fer each of ya'--that the year ahead will bring out the best in all us'uns.
Happy New Year!!
11 comments:
Charmin post Aunty!
It sure is a fine thing to read Uncle is headed back toward full speed. Clearly, whatever the medico troubles were, they did not interfere with his vegetable growing. Those were some glorious looking collards! All dewy and shining in the morning light. If they tasted as good as they looked then your year is surely off to a great start.
I've been telling folks my resolution is to "sleep more and stress less". I do plan to do this :-)
I also plan to actually try the different garden techniques this year: vertical gardening, bucket gardening, bag gardening, straw bale gardening and then of course,
seed saving, composting and, I need to go take the extension classes on canning. Such a weird term because I am pretty sure we will be using glass mason jars not cans.
Whatever we call this process, I will learn these things because the FrankenFoods are just about all you can buy now. Like many others, I think America's poisoned food sources are killing us.
Blowfish has a resolution for me too: "weapons proficiency". Just wait til he finds out I can take him down with a sling shot before
he can get unholstered! Make that
"could" since I have not shot be-bees from a sling in quite a few decades. I am counting on muscle memory and glasses to help me prevail! The nice thing about sling shots is all the practicing does not make loud noises in your ear.
Sorry about them Gators Aunty, they just could not find their game. Happy New Year and Godspeed to you, Uncle and the rest of the clan.
glad to hear uncle is doing well!
let me see .. what would have i brought for a hoedown. why hoppin' john, of course.
oh, and btw ... our christmas lights are still lit outside and inside, plus the tree is still up. of course,
we only put up our on the 3rd advent weekend.
Almost forgot!
Happy New Year to you and your clan!
You know, about the French way of doing things... I think, somehow, that is the right way. While a 'middling' Christian, and now Catholic for some years, I am weak on some knowings. I've heard of this, just never as an adult to could contemplate practicing it. And I hadn't been reminded lately, so simply hadn't thought of it.
Oh, good to hear health is returning. Can't keep a good man down, or out of his greens it seems. Of course, that is a good thing. It is a man with a plan who will come back, quicker, and maybe with a spring in his step.
As for new years cuisine? When I remember and am fit and it all works, corned beef and cabbage. My mother held it as strict tradition that cabbage, at least, had to be eaten. Something about coin in the pocket through the year, or some such. Now, cabbage is a new to me delicacy, so I remember having to take a bite to please her weary from tending me soul. I actually love cabbage, now. Gah! She ended up pwning me with her will!
Hey Fishy!
Happy NewYEar to all at yore Pond.
The Franken Food thang is best reason to develop an urban garden--seems stuff is suddenly more Franken than food! Can I come fer some sling shot lessons?
Foamy!
Happy New Year Mississippi lady! I'll be pleased to have a plate of yore hoppin' john! Wow, yore trees an lights are up? Heh--youse a true blue. Thanky fer well wishes fer Uncle.
Doom!!
HEy hey, you. Nope, cain't keep an Uncle Aloysius doawn, er, that is, out of his greens. He is jes' smitten wif' his new green thumb.
Yes, let's us'uns git back to that ole way of "keeping Christmas"--the whole set up now is to rev people up into pre-Christmas buyin' frenzy so merchants can make their year end goals--it doan have much to do wif' CHRISTmas, do it? An' I like cabbage too.
I just might go out and get some collard greens just to see what the fuss is about. But I doubt they'll look as good as Uncle's.
We were down in your neck of the country over Christmas week. It was really cold (although slightly warmer than back home) and everyone had that stomach virus that's going around.
Happy New Year to you and Uncle.
Glad to hear all is well! I keep our tree up through Advent as well. And not just because it's less fun to take down than it was to put up :o)
Those greens make me itchy for spring. We're experimenting with an aeroponic tower garden this year.
The dish I must have on or around New Year's is menudo. Hey, you asked. But trust me: it's delicious!
BuzzK!
Oh no! We had a few cold days, but Christmas Day was warmish, and I jes' hate fer ya to have not had pretty days. Drat.
Collard greens is one of the thangs thas' best in the hands of a cook who knows what to do--hope yore new year is a the best yet!
Moi, reckon I need the recipe fer this menudo stuff. As fer aeroponic--now thas' woth a post, Cherie. Happy New Year!
Dearest Aunty! Merry New Year to you and Uncle. So glad he is on the mend. Glad you are enjoying your still-up 12 days o' greens and those arising in the garden.
While not exactly a resolution, I'd say a path I'm on is to support local food and farmers as I can. I met a bunch of farmers last year and have joined the board of our local Slow Food chapter. Lots more for me to learn, but it's all good.
Nice to get caught up a bit with my old-time bloggy buddies. Miss ya all! xoxo, eggy
Happy new year Aunty! Glad Uncle is mending.
There has to be some blackeyed peas and pork of some kind at new years. Dem greens look ahhhsum.
The 12 days of Christmas. I used to stay in the mode until the feast of epiphany but the mister was going on a boat trip and didnt want to come home to the tree. So we took it down, or rather I did, on New Year's Eve.. It was a very pleasant way to spend my least favorite holiday. I wisely declined to take that trip and now today my poor husband in off the boat and in a hotel nursing the flu. Glad to know your fella is doing well enough to endure the stAnk of greens soaking before they cooked down. Happy new year Aunty I wish you and uncle a healthy and happy 1984. Uh, I a mean 2013.
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