All right, all RIGHT! I got a tree. There you are. It is indeed an elfin tree and in about six years it'll be as big as the one on my front porch which also started out just like the one you see above. I think I'm going to throw caution to the winds and plant that one in the ground this year. Or give it to Lily to plant. Norfolk Island pines are not cold hardy but it's getting too big to be in a pot and that's all there is to it. Mr. Moon saw the baby tree and said, "Oh. I see you got a Christmas tree."
"I did," I told him. "Do you like it?"
"Yes. It's already decorated. I don't have to do anything to it."
Thank god that my husband isn't some sort of Clark Griswald who blows the neighborhood's electricity when he plugs his Christmas lights in. He cares about as much as I do about Christmas decorations and all of the folderol that goes with the season. I used to work with a woman who lived way out in the middle of nowhere in a trailer and she would use so many strings of lights that she had to start around the first of October to get them all up. Every year she'd report how many tens of thousands of lights she and her husband were using that year. She kept a tally. I know people that have storage units for the singular purpose of containing their Christmas decorations.
And god bless 'em.
So I'm probably going to put that little tree on a table in the hallway and maybe get out the nativity and arrange the donkey and the cow and Mary and Joseph and the angel and Buddha beside it and that will be that. I did find some really pretty lights in the closet yesterday when I was hunting for earbuds and they intrigued me. Who knows? They may go up too. But that will be that. I am not getting out the little man and lady and the canoe or the homemade decorations from kindergarten classes or the tiny knitted mittens or the vintage ShinyBrite ornaments this year. I just am not going to do it.
So there and fuck Christmas.
When I woke up this morning it was raining which cheered me immensely. There is nothing like a gray, rainy day to boost my spirits because I feel as if I have all the excuses in the world not to go walk or do yard work. I do love doing both of those things but I also love not doing them especially guilt-free. Mr. Moon had to go town to meet up with an old friend and so I met him at the local appliance store where we always seem to end up buying our appliances and by now are quite familiar and fond of the woman who always helps us. Her parents started the business and she's there every day of her life. We looked at stoves and here's the thing- I can get a regular gas range for a reasonable amount of money that I can cook fine on. These you can buy at Lowe's but as you all know, I cook. I really, really cook. And there are certain features that I want and features that I don't want (a bunch of electronic hooey to be honest) and those features are to be found (or not found, as the case may be) in the more expensive stoves. My husband is thrifty but he also knows that he has a vested interest in keeping me happy in the kitchen. He also understands that the stove is my tool. And he absolutely understands the benefits of buying a quality tool. Especially one that is going to be used so much.
So we found one that I do like very much but I'm going to do some more research on it and we'll go from there.
It's so hard for me to spend money on things for me. I always end up in these situations saying, "Oh hell. I'm fine with the one I have," and I did say that today but then I thought about it and I said, "No. No I'm not."
There are holes in the bottom of the oven, the racks are all warped and extremely hard to pull out and sometimes they just fall, and my ignitors don't work half the time.
So we'll see.
I ran through Publix and Costco to get milk and maple syrup and a Christmas tree and more BOGO coffee and toilet paper (how do we use so much toilet paper?) and a bunch of other stuff and came home and I'm still in a pretty cheerful mood. We are having chicken enchiladas tonight and I'm excited about that. It's still raining a tiny bit and I'm happy about that too.
Last night's soup was very good and I made a beautiful focaccia to go with it that we ate with goat cheese and chopped arugula, slicked with olive oil, doused with balsamic vinegar, and dosed with salt and pepper which may have been one of the simplest, best things I ever ate.
I love to cook. I love to eat. It works out well.
Love...Ms. Moon
Some women want French perfume. Some women want Belgian chocolates or mink coats. Some want red sportscars or the prospect of being wined and dined in a fancy restaurant but Madam Moon...well, she wants a new oven! And they say that romance is dead.
ReplyDeleteNow, Mr. P! Who says I don't like all those other things? And especially when I was younger I loved them. I am wiser now, though, and realize what true luxury is.
DeleteMy BFF is like you. Loves to cook, loves to eat. She thinks skimping on tools is not thrifty, it's dumb. She doesn't. I hope your stove looks like hers, except she's moved again and I haven't seen the latest one, yet.
ReplyDeleteOoh- I'd love to know what she cooks on and in! A woman after my own heart, obviously!
DeleteI was so freakin' pleased when I finally put it out there that I wanted a better stove, and then got one! I cook very nearly all our food from scratch, so yeah, a good stove is needful. Today I used it to make keto chicken enchilada soup with homegrown chicken(great minds, eh?). Hit the spot!
ReplyDeleteGreat minds, indeed! And as you know- I cook 99.9% of what we eat from scratch as well.
DeleteYep, I know! You do mre than I do as I am not a bread maker... And guess what, two days ago my oven went mental, scared me half to death so now a repairman will be here Tuesday. That was the soonest any could come since our descent into winter weather has caused all the poor heaters in the state that felt the need to give up the ghost... Ours did so last year and now we have a brand spankin new one.
DeleteYou do as you please for Christmas. Why shouldn't you?
ReplyDeleteI kinda got the impression that you might, maybe, like to cook:)
Get a new damned oven already woman!
I will, I will!
DeleteThe food you made today sounds wonderful. And yes, you need a decent stove. It's your right as the cook of the house! Good for you. It will be so much easier with burners that work and racks that slide in and out. You might have to be careful at first -- they'll come out a whole lot faster than you expect, oops!
ReplyDeleteGood point, Boud! I will make a note of that when it comes time to slide the bread out of the oven!
DeleteIf you enjoy a grey rainy day I have a bed for you in my house, come on up! You will enjoy doing nothing guilt free for about 6 months. I will leave the porch light on for you.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'd probably die if I had to go through so many dreary days. Our rains come and then they go. But yes, I do expect you to leave your light on for me. One never knows when I'll be by to collect those boots.
DeleteIf you lived here your joy would know no bounds! It seems to rain most days.( as Steve will confirm if he reads this!) Yesterday it started sunny but then " chucked it down" all afternoon. The garden is permanently wet and my usual dog walking field is always muddy!
ReplyDeleteAverage annual rainfall in Harpenden, England - 25.6 inches.
DeleteAverage annual rainfall in Tallahassee FL - 59 inches.
Really, Mr. P? But I guess it's true. I do live in sort of a rain forest. It is the green of this area that I love so much. But Frances, it does seem that it's always raining where you live. Maybe we just get more in a hurry and you get it more slowly and consistently.
DeleteAs much as you cook, and as much as you LOVE to cook...get the best stove (with the features YOU want). Remind yourself about all the designer clothes and other folderol you never buy. See? You've already saved enough for the pricey stove. You deserve it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've bought ANY new clothes since the last pair of overalls I ordered last spring. So yes! You are right!
DeleteI love Norfolk Island Pines when they're big, but as you said, they're not frost-hardy so I rarely saw big ones in Pasco County. Just a little farther south, in South Tampa and Pinellas, they'd start appearing.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem re. spending money on myself. I always think, "Oh, I can just make it last a little longer." But I agree with you in this case -- you DO really need a good stove.
I have a good friend in St. Augustine whose NI pine has done quite well in her yard and they get almost as many freezes as we do. I think.
DeleteI know that you don't like spending money when it's not necessary either, Steve. And aren't we good at convincing ourselves that things are not really necessary?
Yes. We are.
I'm all for other people putting up decorations. the few ornaments I have are on display all year and no not on anything that resembles a christmas tree. and you might as well get the stove of your dreams and heart. it's fucking cold here.
ReplyDeleteI have ornaments up all year 'round too! Ellen, we are so much alike in some ways.
DeleteIt's getting fucking cold here too! I just covered up my plants.
I seriously don't think Mr Moon has any reservations about your getting the oven you want. He loves you and he knows how much pleasure that would give you - plus he may be playing it safe!
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't. He really does not begrudge me when it comes to kitchen things. He just bought me a beautiful bread knife that works like a dream on my sourdough.
DeleteYou bought a tree! Now you are on the slippery slope of Christmas decorating! You have cute lights and a sweet nativity. You are remembering your sweet ornaments - all may creep out bit by bit to adorn your home! We will see...
ReplyDeleteOh, and get the new stove. Why not?
Ha! Woman- I do not think that I am on a slippery slope at all when it comes to decorations. I feel no urge whatsoever. But my tiny tree is making me happy.
DeleteI took the plumge a little bit after all of the toilet paper mess earlier this year, and invested in reusable cloth t.p. I had been toying with the idea for a couple of years and it seemed as good a time as any. It is interesting and has paid for itself! I have zero xmas shit out. I'll pretend hour little tree is here too.
ReplyDelete