It is Christmas Eve here in La Sechere, where as it seems to be the case in all of western Europe, we are blanketed in a thick freezing fog. Actually, it's a very peaceful fog. There is no traffic anywhere. The usual silence is even more profound because of the acoustic insulation the fog provides. The trees area covered with ice crystals. Everything dissolves into a white vagueness.
I was out visiting neighbors earlier with my dog, J Edgar. I am full of cookies and tea. I spent a few hours splitting and sawing wood...a seemingly never ending task, but I am getting to the end of the log pile.
I check out what is going on in the rest of the world and I am very happy to be wrapped in this silent whiteness. No last minute shopping because there is no where to shop.
We are going to have a nice quiet dinner here tonight. Janet is doing something extraordinary with Foie gras. If you can imagine it, she is making a sort of Crumble with the fresh foie gras, pear slices and crushed hazelnuts on top for the crunch. Tomorrow we will have some friends over for dinner and we will have a traditional Perigourdine dinner of Confit de Canard, pommes de terre saute with cepes and I am making dessert. I am going to make a Mocha Buche de Noel. I make a Buche de Noel almost every year, I started doing it back in New York and though this one will be simple, it should be spectacular in its own way. I plan to take a few photos of the process and I will publish the recipe.
We have our tree up and J Edgar is finally cool with it. He was a little intimidated by it when we first plugged in the lights and acted kind of strangely for a few days.
If I had a Christmas wish for you, I would wish that your Christmas could be as peaceful as ours is here.
I hope we all are rested and centered to resume our fight to bring some kind of stability to the world. I wish all your blogging experiences help bring understanding to someone else. I hope my jokes are more coherent to the rest of world who reads them insttead of just making myself giggle.
I think that after Christmas is over this year, when the tinsel settles and we are back with reality in our faces, Post Holiday Depression is going to be the big driver in the political reality that Geoprge Bush faces. Remember, a few days ago, he told us all not to worry and go out and shop. On January 2nd, Americans will start worrying again and all those bills are going to start rolling in!
Merry Christmas to all the people who log into this page, May 2007 be a year of beginnings and luck and health for us all!
5 comments:
George Bush has made sure there will be no peace on earth anywhere any day of the year. However, I'm glad nature has fogged you in for a bit -- enjoy the peace and the time with your loved ones.
The best thing about Xmas is that it gives us godless people a day to relax without all the pressures of the typical American holiday rituals. We can pick and choose what has genuine meaning and what to throw aside.
I'm making miniature mincemeat pies to take over to my folks' house tomorrow. I bought the mincemeat at the West Side Market yesterday -- homemade not mass-produced. I'm going to make my own pastry, cut out the little circles and place in the tart tin, fill with the mincemeat and cover with another circle of pastry. Once out of the oven, they get a light sprinkle of confectioner's sugar. These are the one ethnic holiday treat I cannot do without. And incidentally, this is the only time I eat meat, sort of! There is usually suet in most prepared mincemeat mixes.
Happy Kwanza etc to you Microdot!
Microdot, I discovered you through some comments you left in various Ohio blogs... I am a Francophile and I will be adding you to my blogroll... really interesting Christmas piece you posted. I am going to highlight it on my sight.
Cool stuff. Have a great holiday.
Have a good Christmas Microdot! I remember those freezing, black ice inducing fogs from Europe.
For the "godless" Villiage green, take a holiday from Bush if thats all you have to be concerned about. Bush is thee last thing I care about on most days let alone Christmas!
Happy fake manufactured holiday to ya's all!
Joyeux Noel, Patrick!
Oh to be living in France, the home of my g-g-g-g-g-grandfather where one does not have to think about Iraq and Bush each day.
Blessings to you and yours.
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