That happy turn of phrase--Jolly Cold-- about something most of us complain bitterly about, muttering curses as we walk penguin-like on sidewalks treacherous with ice, reminds me that there is no cure for hot or cold.
This little gnome, a gift from Mary Ann, sits on my kitchen windowsill guarding the thermometer. I check the temp every morning to prepare myself for what lies ahead. But this morning when it read 8 degrees above zero and I thought, "not too bad," I forgot that we have an optimistic thermometer. When it gets this cold, the thing registers heat radiating out from the kitchen window and so is usually off by about 10 degrees, making it really 2 below zero!
As soon as I launched off the porch I could feel the needle pricks of cold on my face. I suffered not so much from the cold, but more from my own dissatisfaction with the cold. There was no threat of suffering frost bite, rather my misery was of the more mundane and everyday kind of wanting one thing, a brisk morning, and getting quite another, a prickly, bitterly cold morning.
Whether we're saints or sinners, we all know the pain of the unexpected. Sure some days it's all summer, ice cream and lotto winnings.
By the way, I didn't win the big lottery drawing this week, did you?
But life deals us loss as well as gain. Which I know in my head, but my heart has trouble when the roulette wheel spins to "loser". I take it so personally when the universe conspires against me, frosting my life with frozen fingers, dead car batteries, and frozen pipes. It's so easy to feel justified in being annoyed with everything when the days are dark and blue.
But when I lighten up taking myself and my preferences less seriously,
I notice how beautiful the frost on the trees looks in the sunshine.
The purples and blues on the creek near dusk are stunning.
The rose bushes tinged with frost.
The neighbor, Annie's crab apple looking winter festive. It all reminds me to take the losses less personally.
Neither I nor the Universe are fixed. Tomorrow holds out new possibilities for all of us, heck no need to wait until tomorrow, I could get over myself right now, warming my numb fingers with warm breath and enjoying the beauty all around me. Winter lasts such a short time.
I don't have to give so much consideration to my own likes and dislikes. I could just let the roulette wheel of life spin, and then spin again.
To ward off that winter chill I recommend a good dose of Hoppin' John, corn bread, wilted spinach and a lovely glass of wine.
Here's the recipe for Hoppin' John:
15 oz. black-eyed peas (frozen are best, but canned will do)
4 slices bacon
One small onion
1 C of diced ham
1 tsp mustard
1 C cooked rice
1/4 C of red wine, sherry or vegetable cooking stock (chose just one)
Salt and pepper to taste
Fry bacon in large cast iron skillet (any skillet will do, but I like my cast iron skillet for the ease of clean-up). Set bacon aside. Dice onion and saute in bacon grease. Pour off excess grease, leaving enough to coat bottom of skillet. Add black-eyed peas to onions and cook till warm, add ham and rice, cook till warm, add 1/4 cup of liquid of your choice. Crumble bacon and add to top of each dish. Serves 4
Wilted Spinach
One bag of fresh spinach
1/4 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste
Wash spinach in colander and pat dry with paper towel. Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy skillet on medium heat, put as much spinach as will fit into skillet, place lid on top, wait one minute, if you couldn't fit all of the bag of spinach in, put rest in now, place lid on top. Wait two minutes, salt and pepper. Serves 2.
Winter is made for warm dishes, good books, great friends, and walks in the frosty air. Summer will be here before we know it!
Take care of each other until next week.....xxoo
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