The Tail End Of The Year Is Upon Us

The coconut palm our sweet landlord in Roseland gave me is struggling. I think it probably has culture shock, in the way that plants can have culture shock as in- the culture in Roseland is a lot warmer than the culture here although it may be just the shock of moving it that has it anxious. But Mr. Moon, of his own accord, got a bag of potting soil and repotted it for me in a much bigger plastic pot and that is another gift of love. 
I have been thinking all day that he's in Eufaula, Georgia but I just realized that although Lake Eufaula is in Georgia, Eufaula the town is in Alabama. He drove up there this morning to take his boat to get worked on and don't even ask me why he chose Eufaula but I am quite sure there was a good reason and he should be home any minute now.

He's texted and we've talked on the phone too, and he says it's a beautiful drive up there, back roads all the way, and that Eufaula is a pretty little town. He sent me a picture of his lunch and I'll bet you anything it was excellent in all regards. 

I just realized that the picture was taken from Glen's perspective and looks off to me because of his height. That's a long way down! In case you're wondering, the foods are, left to right, buttermilk pie, turnip greens, fried chicken, a corn muffin, lima beans, and rice and gravy. Sweet tea to drink. 
And that, my friends, is how they do it in these parts. Praise the Lord and pass the hot sauce. 

I went to the dermatologist this morning. I'd looked her up online last night and realized she was a PA (Professional Associate) and not an actual MD but that didn't bother me. What did bother me a tiny bit was that she looked like a high school freshman cheerleader in the photos I found. I mean, Rah! Rah! Bouncy-looking blonde hair! The works! 
But she didn't come off like that at all in the office. Very professional, pleasant, reassuring, and funny too. I mean, she's not going to be doing stand-up anytime soon based on what I saw today but she could could be jokey if it came to that in the conversation. She says my skin looks great except for the fact that I have all these age spots which are a genetic thing and also a sun-exposure thing. She did freeze two places on my face but wasn't concerned. I pointed out one rather dark spot I had noticed and she said, "Wisdom spot." 
"Wisdom spot?" I asked. 
"Yes," she said. "You're getting wiser."
See- I told you she could be a jokester. 
Her assistent who took all the notes was a beautiful young woman named Cherish. Isn't that just the nicest name? 

So that went well and then I went to a store that sells Indian spices and all those things that you can't find in regular grocery stores. What is the approved name for those stores? I used to say "Indian store" and many of the spices and foods are indeed what I would call Indian but is that correct? I just looked it up and the term seems to be Indian market. So. I went to the Indian market. There were lots of shoppers there today. Here's what I got.

I see now that the picture wasn't entirely in focus but oh well. I got the sesame and sunflower seeds for the chili crisp I want to make and I also got some munakka raisins which I've never had before but some chili crisps contain a bit of dried fruit and I thought I'd give these a try. I got the ginger paste because- why not? If it's good, I'll use it. 

When I got home I did a little bit more housework. Toilets, taking trash, and so forth. And then more jeans patching. Now I'm waiting for the man to get home and I'm going to make soup with some of those red lentils. I have half a cabbage, carrots, and a large leek which are some of the things going in it. 

I'm glad I'm going to see that urologist on Friday because I have a stone that's troubling me. This is a very constant story, isn't it? 

Ay yi. 

Tomorrow's New Year's Eve and I have no resolutions and no plans to make any. On New Year's Day we eat black-eyed peas and rice, collard greens and probably some cornbread. I had to fucking BUY collards this year. That's ridiculous. 
Oh well. They're pretty collards and not all cut up and in a bag.

So that's the plan. Do you have a plan? Do you have NYE traditions? I'd like to hear about them. 
I wish we could build a giant pagan fire, big enough to fill up Stonehenge and...
You know what I'd love to do with a fire that big but I'm a cowardly left wing scum. And I refuse to lower myself to the sort of rhetoric those nazis use. Except in their case, I am terrified it's not just rhetoric, it's their hopes and dreams and plans. 

Well. That got ugly quickly. Sorry. 

It's been a hard year. 

Love...Ms. Moon