Happy 12th day of Christmas! As a little girl at Lattimore Baptist Church I don't remember studying the Liturgical Calendar but I have enjoyed learning more about this calendar in recent years.
In fact, I enjoy calendars of all kinds. Calendars keep things moving while keeping things on track. I started this blog in 2010 to capture how our family experiences a calendar year in terms of what is growing in the yard and what sports are in season and how we celebrate it all with food, family and friends. Because that's what keeps us together.
Sometimes the places and people change. Sometimes the food changes. But by celebrating certain things at certain times of year we can help keep ourselves on track through the good times and the hard times. Through both kinds of times Mama has always said, "Just keep putting one foot in front of the other." It helps to have a good calendar so you know in which direction to plant that foot.
I was talking with Mary Beth the other day about taking down Christmas decorations and I mentioned that I was not in that big of a hurry as long as I got them down by January 6th - the 12th Day of Christmas - the day of Epiphany. It's fascinating how all over the world people with different traditions and who speak different languages have continued to celebrate the 12 days of Christmas. The details are different but the main point is the same. Some think of Epiphany as the day the magi appeared in Bethlehem, some as the day John the Baptist dunked Jesus in the Jordan River, some as the day of miracles like turning water into wine at the wedding.
I like that not everyone sees these details exactly the same. I remember Daddy saying, "so many people can't see the forest for the trees. They argue about whether the garden of Eden had an apple tree or a pear tree and while they are arguing about that they completely miss the big picture."
Missing the big picture was heavily on my mind before Christmas. I was watching the Newtown Connecticut tragedy unfold and it was unbearable and paralyzing.
And then President Obama and leaders from many faiths came together for a televised service to try and bring comfort to Newtown, and the US, and the World. It was sad and heartwrenching but at the same time it was comforting and refreshing. No one was arguing about whose faith was more important or whose God was more awesome. Everyone was focused on words of Peace and Comfort. A true Spirit of Love and Unity. And Grace. The big picture of Epiphany.
Happy New Year! 2013 - the Year of Grace.
"The most desirable of all blessings is repose, seclusion, a little spot we can call our own." LaBruyere
Dad has always loved sitting in his den and seeing the cows in his pasture with the mountains in the background. He hasn't gotten just the right picture yet but he took this one with his new iPad and I thought that was pretty darned impressive.
Mom and Dad both love sitting in the den beside a roaring fire. Dad called the other night to say he had taken a picture with his iPad and wanted to email it to me. I talked him through it and then forwarded the email to the rest of the family. It was hilarious to read the replies - "have we created a monster?" - "Whee!!" - and - "whoa can he already do that?!"
Jackson and Mary Beth invited all kinds of family to their house for the traditional New Year's Day Lunch. The renovation of their house is amazing and it's a fun place for a crowd to gather. We had black-eyed peas, collards, cornbread and of course hog jowl. Here Dad and Mom show they are eating for Good Luck, Health, Prosperity and Progress.
David's car celebrated a milestone at the end of 2012. It now has over 300,000 miles. No discussion of putting it out to pasture.
Fresh lettuce in the garden in January. This is a first for me. Back in the fall I blogged about an event in Shelby called Seeds to Silverware where a party favor was an envelope of lettuce seeds. I really didn't think they would grow but planted them anyway. Boy was I wrong. With their ability to withstand some cold weather and with our unusually warm winter we have quite the stand of lettuce. Great for those New Year's diet resolutions!
Salads, Salads and More Salads
Each year I make New Year's Resolutions and usually I keep a copy. Over the years they are mostly the same: do more of some things and less of other things.
One resolution this year is to be more creative with salads by adding more different types of fruits, nuts, herbs, spices and proteins. With lettuce in the garden I should have plenty of opportunity to experiment. If I hit on a good one, I promise to blog it.
My favorite salad recently has been from a restaurant in Shelby called Smoke on the Square. Angie gets it when it comes to being a great waitress and many times she'll make this one herself to make sure it is right. It's crunchy, sweet, salty and savory. Healthy, colorful and small enough to be low cal!
Smoke on the Square Spinach Salad
Arrange baby spinach leaves on a salad plate and top with:
A few thinly sliced red onion strips
3 or 4 halved fresh strawberries
3 or 4 sections of mandarin oranges
a few candied pecans
a small scattering of blue cheese
They serve it with poppyseed dressing on the side but it would be good with most any dressing.
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