Boxing Day

December the 25th ~ Boxing Day

It's not about shopping or two guys hitting each other in a sports arena. In Britain or "related" countries it's the day after Christmas when families and friends go about visiting one another. Originally people of means would give their servants the day off (since they were needed to work on Christmas) along with a box of food and goods to take home for their families. Churches would also set out special collection boxes for the poor. For us, we invite close friends and family over for an informal feast and exchange Xmas gifts a day late; or two in this year's case. When our get-together falls the day after Boxing Day, we've dubbed it Bagging Day.

*  *  *  

'Twas the day before Christmas...

Heidi the "Xmas Mule-deer"

Wishing a happy holiday season to all, and to all a good night!
(Looks like we'll be enjoying a sunny California Christmas and a cold Montana New Year.)

An open fire and gluhwein

Tonight will be an open fire and gluhwein night, I can tell. The shopping's mostly done, Geoff's finals are mostly graded and Xandie's mostly cleaned up the living room. That means that after dinner we can make some gluhwein, watch a movie, and relax in front of the fire. We seriously learned about this drink when living in Germany for a year. During the typically chilly Christmas Market season, which seems to start a month before Christmas, gluhwein huts abound and everyone  seems to be walking the streets with a cup in hand (adults, that is). The smell is wonderful and it certainly warms one up. Here is the way I make it at home:

Stud an orange with whole cloves (about 12)

1- 1/2 cups apple cider

2-3 cinnamon sticks

1/4 cup sugar (or to taste)
a few shakes of ground nutmeg

Combine the first list of ingredients into a saucepan. Stir and heat gently until sugar is dissolved (usually just until it starts to boil). Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes.

===========
Add: 2 cups red wine

Heat gently until steaming, strain (or not) and serve in mugs. Some people like to add an orange slice and fresh cinnamon stick to each cup but it's not really neccesary. (This recipe easily doubles, triples or quadruples.)

"Prost!"

That's a wrap!

As the shopping trips become more and more fruitful, I now face the monumental task of gift wrapping everything. Whoever invented gifty bags with tissue truly deserves a medal, as that solution helps a whole lot when staring at a dining room table full of gifts waiting to be wrapped.

Spreading good cheer

Every year our cul-de-sac of 9 homes has a little holiday tradition of exchanging small Xmas gifts which are delivered in person and sometimes accompanied by singing or wearing funny hats (or both). This year we spent all morning baking ginger snaps and decorating store-bought ginger-people to go with hot cocoa-tins from Costco. We'll "make the rounds" sometime later today and if someone isn't home they'll find a nice surprise on their doorstep when they return. It's sort of like having eight "Secret Santas", except we know who they are :~)

One week and counting...

(photo: by Xandie)

Off to shop, pick up X-girl and a friend just after noon (short schedule today) and then vacation begins...drumroll, please!

The end is near! (of the 2009 school year)

Only 1-1/2 days to go; that is 2 string classes and 1 cello lesson to teach before my holiday begins. And so the "gift rush" is on! Teacher cards and gifts have been distributed; there are a lot more teachers to remember now that our kid is in junior high school. It also seems that neither Geoff nor I have had any time to start our Xmas lists, but Xandie has 3 pages worth (complete with detailed descriptions and model numbers) so I can do lots of shopping for her at least! Then there are things that have to be mailed... if I can go shopping and get those out by Monday there's a slim chance they'd arrive at their destinations by the 25th. Concert dates are over for me,  but now there are the parties, visiting old (as in long time, not elderly) friends, and other people's concerts to attend. An annual favorite of ours is a Rennaisance/Old English-mix madrigal concert in Altadena (see below).

THE BRITON ENSEMBLE

Christmas shopping

Well, I've finally started my official Christmas shopping and I'm trying to keep gifts "real" this year (at least for the adults in my life). So, instead of wondering whether someone might like it, or if it suits their taste or is the right color, I can simply ask myself, "Is it good to eat/drink, would I use it, or enjoy looking /listening to it?" So far, so good and only 127 more gifts to go !

Holiday cards (and letters)

(not this kind)

 It's time to print out the address labels, purchase way too many postage stamps, and stuff the greeting cards with Geoff's infamous "Christmas letters". When Geoff and I were first married I had no idea he was from one of those families who sent Christmas letters to their unsuspecting friends and relatives each year. (In our family this was always something other people did.) It all started the year Xandie was born... Geoff's dad had recently passed away and the writing of the annual Kuenning Xmas letter fell into his hands. Needless to say there were a few of my friends and relatives who never received these vintage versions because I was convinced that until they actually met Geoff, they just wouldn't understand his  "sense" of humor.  I'm afraid that now (for better or worse) all my living friends and relatives receive this tid-bit of yuletide cheer :~)

Ye Olde Xmas Tree Farm

(Just like in the old days)

This afternoon allowed us a very short window of time to go pick out our tree at the local Xmas tree farm. There's something about the smell of a real tree that brings back all those wonderful childhood memories of Christmas ...

Weekend concerts

 

(I'm on the far right peeking over my cello)        From: 3/4/2006 

Dress rehearsal tonight and two concerts this weekend. Concerts are always free and open for public attendance.

The Claremont Concert Orchestra

Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 8:00 PM

Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 3:00 PM

in Garrison Theater at Scripps College

231 E. 10th Street, Claremont,  Ca   91711         

Michael D. Lamkin (Scripps/Joint Music faculty), conductor

Hao Huang (Scripps/CGU faculty), piano

Wagner, Overture from Tannhäuser

Brahms, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat Major, Op. 83

Haydn, Symphony No. 100 in G Major, "Military"

Little furry friends

(photo by Xandie)

I absolutely love the squirrels that live in our neighborhood. Where many people view them as pests, I encourage their visits and often carry on conversations with them, though they're usually one-sided. Being that these non-native Fox Squirrels are primarily fruit, seed, and insect eaters, there's no shortage of winter fare on our property (the avocados are in season now). We also happen to have the type of protective under-story they prefer for predator protection along with a few fresh water sources. December is not only one of their two mating seasons, but also the "food hoarding and retrieving season".  I find it quite entertaining to watch one of these little critters try to successfully steal an avocado, carry it across the yard, climb along the fence and then up into a tree . . .  sometimes they can do it on the first try :~)

Still frosty...

Basil is a tender herb; that means the frost got it last night and I won't be growing  anymore of that particular plant until next spring, or if/when I decide to buy/build a greenhouse. (Not likely, though if I had an old Craftsman house I 'd probably go for one of those small Victorian reincarnations that I always see in the back of Sunset mag.)
Another little problem at my house is trying to get a certain 11-year-old to wear something more substantial than a sweatshirt in the winter. While I'm decked out in scarves, gloves and warm winter wear, my X-girl is more than happy to leave the house in her idea of layering;  t-shirt and sweatshirt,  jeans and boots. (Hurray for the rediscovery of the boots that were too big last spring and fit just right now!)  My only possible explanation is adolescent metabolism at work.
Lastly, I'd forgotten all about frosty winshields and back windows in the a.m. and so we now need to add 3-5 minutes of "defrost time" to our morning drive. I especially loved the guy in front of me today whose window was completley frosted over and was having a lot of trouble staying on his side of the street... he needed to allow for those extra 3-5 minutes, too.

Brrr!

(snowflake fairy)

It's the first cold snap of the season. Last night was certainly very chilly coming out of orchestra rehearsal and at 6:30 this a.m. it was even colder (there was frost on all the roofs and lawns). My car thermo read 36 F. on the way to drop Xandie off at school and the mountains were absolutely gorgeous. Now I know this is nothing compared to the Northern and Eastern regions of the U.S. but we're weather-wimps in So. Cal and this is C- O -L- D for us!

"Tis the season

(on my "worst decorated homes" list)

Yesterday we ventured out to Costco to stock-up the pantry before the "holidays" and pick up a few Xmas gifts. The madness has certainly begun!   We thought we'd go late Sunday a.m. when most people are still at church but I think everyone else had the same idea as we did.  The place was packed and, buyers beware, the shoppers are out in full force.   The tremendous size of these big-box stores really brings home the commercialism of it all; who needs all this stuff anyway?  Every year there are new, improved versions of Xmas lights, the latest fully decorated artificial plug-in trees, animated lighted-animals of too many sorts, and those inflatables just keep getting bigger and more ridiculous.  Driving home as it approached dark, Geoff and I commented that someone should start up a "Worst Decorated Homes" tour as we drove by some of the most garish displays I've seen in a long while, laughing all the way.  All I can say is, to each their own; 'Tis the season afterall :~)

Deck the halls

It's time to deck the house and halls!  I've been waiting for the weekend to arrive to get out all the boxes from the garage and begin this annual ritual. Some things always go in the same spot, while I try to do things differently with others. As the years go by,  more and more memories are attatched to each of these objects and so the decorating goes a little more slowly.  I sometimes consider how nice it would be to go "all natural"  with real evergreen garlands and boughs of holly. There's always next year. . .

Attending concerts

(Quartet Euphoria)

The other side of the winter concert season is being able to attend lots of great concerts, and in Claremont most are free or charge a very reasonable admission. Today I'm meeting a fellow string teacher and good friend for a noon concert to hear the Brahms Qt. in c mi. (one of my very favorite composers), featuring the faculty string quartet pictured above. This evening our family is planning to go to a holiday concert performed by the college concert choirs (with pipe organ and harp accompaniment) at one of the local churches in the village. I'm especially looking forward to the "Ceremony of Carols" by Benjamin Britten.

The great "avocados for recipes" exchange

So, the recipes and ideas are starting to come in! Every year I give away bags of avocados to friends, neighbors and starving students. This year I decided to ask for a favorite recipe or idea in exchange. I'm becoming inspired by the promise of avo-chutney, avo-samosas, cream cheese guacamole, and BATs (turkey bacon, avo and tomato sandwich). And for lunch I had a reheated slice of pizza with sliced avo on top. . . why hadn't I ever thought of that before?

(from) http://www.avocado.org/

Bay Shrimp and Tomato-Stuffed Avocado with Basil Aioli

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bay shrimp
• 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 dash pepper, or more to taste
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 dash salt
• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 2 fresh basil leaves, minced, plus additional whole leaves for garnish
• 1 dash garlic salt
• 2 ripe, Fresh California Avocados, halved and seeded

Instructions:

1. Combine shrimp, lemon juice and pepper; set aside.
2. Toss tomato with olive oil and salt; set aside.
3. To make the aioli, combine mayonnaise, basil and garlic salt; set aside.
4. Place avocado halves on individual serving plates or bowls. Fill each avocado cavity with a spoonful of the aioli.
5. Spoon the tomato mixture over the aioli in each avocado half.
6. Top each avocado with the seasoned shrimp.
7. Garnish with remaining whole basil leaves and serve.

A good grey day to plant (or transplant)

I always like to work in the garden on grey days; it must be the "English-country-gardener wanna-be" in me even though I have finally admitted to myself that I live in a desert. Most everything planted in our front garden one year ago has survived (though some selections needed to be transplanted to better locations). The one year mark is a big one for native plant growers and ensures some degree of success.

Here's a list of plants that did well:

EUPHORBIA , HUERCHERA , GAURA , YARROW , MAHONIA , Calif. FUSCHIA , DOUGLAS IRIS , MANZANITA , BUTTERFLY BUSH , SALVIAS , dry shade FERNS , LAVENDARS , MUHLEY GRASS , RUSH MAT, GREVELIA , BLUE-EYED GRASS , MINT MARIGOLD , ROCK ROSE , MUGO PINE , HOPSEED BUSH , SUCCULENTS of all sorts , and Calif. WILDFLOWERS.

* Winter Concerts *

(scenes from concerts past)

(before)
(during)
(after)

'Tis the season...for winter concerts! They always start before the actual winter solstice and they keep right on going through February (at least for elementary music teachers who also like to perform themselves). This year the holiday concert season debuts with my own sweet musician- in-training, who much to her mother's chagrin announced a few years back that she "would like to play the bass now". Never mind that it's the largest and most expensive option for a string player; what string teacher in her right mind would say no to the prospect of a double bass player in her orchestra? So this week begins rehearsals and concerts for the junior high orchestra, followed next week by rehearsals and concerts for a neighborly string trio and then the Claremont Concert Orchestra that I play in, followed by an opera at the L.A. Music Center that the whole family will attend.
And that's just the beginning...

Advent calendars

(Xandie's German advent calendar)
When I was a little girl, my English aunt would send my sister and me an advent calendar every year. It was a letter-sized, full color paper one, with glitter sprinkled about and we would take turns each day in December before Christmas opening the doors to see the little pictures inside. When we spent our sabbatical year in Germany, the advent season was widely celebrated and so Xandie wound up with a Playmobil toy version which made its way back to the U.S. when we had to return home. Then we somehow began to buy advent wall calendars with chocolates inside to hang up in the kitchen. For the past few years now Xandie gets up early each December morn to see what her chocolate surprise will be. Just a few months ago, she happened to find another Playmobil "royal princess version" calendar on sale at our village toyshop. Since I sometimes find it hard to say "no" to a good deal we now have two advent calendar play sets, one on each side of the fireplace. This morning I just bought a new 2009 advent calendar for the kitchen but, unfortunately for me, Xandie doesn't share her chocolates :~)

Holidays

Well, now that Thanksgiving has ended, December is creeping right up on us. We managed to get the "twinkie" lights up on the house last evening and our block of 9 families is starting to look very festive. I also noticed a dusting of snow on the highest of the San Gabriel mountains today; a sure sign that winter is on its way.



I look forward most to our family traditions and time spent with one another during the holidays but we're not sure where we'll be at this point, which is a little unsettling. Geoff's mom (Xandie's "Grandma Cherie") is now 87 and it would be nice to get up north to see her over Christmastime or just afterward. So the big question as of now is whether to go get a real tree, which we buy at the local Xmas tree farm every year, or to put up the fake one in case we'll be away... not really a compromise that any of us want to make.

After the rain

(old plow outside cabin in Placerita Canyon on our day after T-day hike)

I was worried that after the sudden rainfall last night, my little garden box would be drenched and become a giant mud puddle. When I went outside this a.m. (after my coffee and morning paper, of course) I was very happily surprised to find that the spongy rich soil performed exactly as promised and that many tiny sprouts had appeared while we were away for Thanksgiving!
So we now have kale, peas, greens (trying to get that "oats, peas, beans" rhythm going there), basil, onions and radishes vigorously growing in my little box :~)

(one week after planting seeds and starter plants)

Thanksgiving Toasts

"To all our families far and near,
To all our friends throughout the year;
Be thankful for that which comes your way,
So many are in need each and every day.
Embrace both your health and your time spent together,
As one can't predict when change comes in the weather." ~ me

"May you live all the years of your life." – Jonathan Swift

"Friendship is the wine of life; Let's drink of it, and to it." – Anon.

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. " - W.T. Purkiser

"May your belly never grumble
May your heart never ache.
May your horse never stumble,
May your cinch never break." — Traditional

“Whose bread I eat, his song I sing.”— Anonymous

With wine and cake we make a toast,
And bring a blessing to our host. ~ Anon.

“Blest be that spot, where cheerful guests retire
To pause from toil, and trim their evening fire;
Blest that abode, where want and pain repair,
And every stranger finds a ready chair;
Blest be those feasts with simple plenty crowned,
Where all the ruddy family around
Laugh at the jests or pranks that never fail,
Or sigh with pity at some mournful tale;
Or press the bashful stranger to his food,
And learn the luxury of doing good.” — Oliver Goldsmith, The Traveler

Manzanitas

(botanical name, Arctostaphylos, "Arcto" for short)
I've been having an ongoing relationship with this plant all my life. As a native Californian (born in San Francisco and now living in So. Cal.) I have many childhood memories of this plant from weekend hikes around the bay area and summer camping trips through out California. When deciding about which plants to include for my re-landscaping project, manzanitas naturally came to mind. What I didn't realize is how super site-specific they are and how they are not the fool-proof dry climate plant I expected them to be. The bushier "Sunset" hybrid variety and the creepers are all doing fine but the larger tree-sized, beautifully branched ideal specimen has been highly elusive. (I've sadly lost two beauties in the first growing season). If you're tempted to plant these natives, be sure to choose the variety that is endemic to your locale. This really should have been very obvious to me, but somehow I equated all manzanitas with "the perfect plant" for the dry and gravelly strip alongside our driveway. Now that I have blooms on one and see growth tips on the other I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the other two tree-like specimens are going to make it :~)

Also, just one year ago

... Geoff was in the hospital recovering from a sudden heart attack. While at work he had some chest pain and shortness of breath and so he walked up to his office to "Google' heart attack symptoms! He quickly decided to call 911 and then me. By the time I got to his office (5 minutes away) the EMT team was working on him and prepping him for transport to the ER. We will forever be thankful at Thanksgiving time for the great cardio-care he received and his quick thinking. So that you or your loved one don't waste any time "googling" see below.

Heart Attack Warning Signs:
* Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
* Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
* Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
* Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or light-headedness

Even if you're not sure it's a heart attack, have it checked out. Minutes matter! Fast action can save lives — don’t wait more than five minutes to call 9-1-1. Calling 9-1-1 is almost always the fastest way to get lifesaving treatment.

One year later...the front garden

Metamorphosis:

Last fall I started my long awaited front garden project : out with the old lawn and in with the drought tolerant natives and compatibles! It had taken a long time to convince both my husband and daughter that this was a really good idea. All Geoff could imagine was a desert landscape and Xandie thought she would miss the peanut-shaped lawn with a lone juvenile crape myrtle sticking out the middle of it. I'm happy to say that one year later, all three of us enjoy our new space and find it a welcome retreat when the weather is pleasant (which is most of the year here).

Almost avocado season

We live on a 1/4 acre lot that used to be an old avocado ranch before our tract was built in the mid-60's. Luckily, our property borders the old ranch house and we have 3 of the original trees in our back yard. Every year Xandie and I (Geoff doesn't like them) eagerly await avocado season, along with our friends "in the know". I did a test-pick about a week ago and, though they're not quite at prime picking ripeness, they produced a reasonable quality batch of guacamole. I'm thinking I should hand out blank index cards with every bag I give away this year in return for my friends' favorite avocado recipe. (One of my east Indian students said her mom makes avacado chutney!)

Acorn festival

"Tongva in native regalia will gather to celebrate harvest season with song, dance and storytelling. "

I guess it's OK to blog out of chronological order. Last weekend we went to the Acorn Festival, a favorite annual event at the local botanic garden. It's a very non-commercial affair centered around educating children (and adults) about the ways of the our local native Americans. We always enjoy going to this event and Xandie brings a different friend each year to share the experience.

Covey of Quail

Just before I left to teach a cello sectional this a.m. Geoff and I heard some very strange squawking noises. We looked out our front window and spied a rather large covey of California quail! (mother with plume and 6-8 big "chicks") Little visitors like these totally validate my decision to tear out the front lawn last year and replace it with native chaparral and less thirsty plants.

Fall (shorter to write than autumn)

Mostly thought I'd keep track of my gardening attempts, music making (at school and out in the community), and generally other mundane stuff that perhaps a few people might be interested in.

Last fall my front garden went to native and other drought tolerant plants. Now I want to try and make the back garden a more efficiently watered zone. We still have a large lawn because an 11 year old lives here and we use it for croquet, badminton and the occasional baseball game. There was a funny shaped area that I thought could be reclaimed for a better use and so I began to consider a raised bed. Now that summer is gone, I wondered what I could still grow with some success and discovered there are tons of veggies that will grow into and though our so. cal. winters!

In went the box frame, about 14 cu. ft. of planting mix and various salad ingredient seedlings interspersed with seeds. A few kale plants were added for good luck and my own curiosity. I'll report on weekly progress but in the meanwhile it's been a very fulfilling project; one day no veggies and the next a promising salad garden!

Autumn 09: salad garden

My new garden plan this fall is to utilize yard space within the auto sprinkler zone and so a raised bed is born...

Trying to navigate Blogger and trying to add a photo of said bed...

Hmm... page crashing every time I try to upload photo, so that will have to wait until I get some expert advice. This would be a much more interesting site if it had visuals!

... oh, Voila!