Feeling Melancholy
This past week has reminded me of all that is good in life. I love having my family around for as long as they can be with us but when they are gone I have the best time going over the pictures and remembering the laughs and this year the tears. We made an effort to play games with each other such as Scrabble and Monopoly. I did learn that Monopoly can be a very intense game when played by siblings who barter with each other constantly. The conversation was hysterical. We played a bunch of new games that I had never heard of before including the 5 Second Rule which had us in giggles most of the time. Try it with a glass of wine or two.
For years I have kept a line a day diary that records major events in our lives as well as others. It is a five year diary so it is easy to see what was happening on any day in the previous years that are in the book. Just finishing up year three in the current book so I took some time to go back and read where we were at this point a year ago and two years ago. I say I was melancholy but not really if melancholy means sad. It was more thoughtful and yes, grateful, for what I have experienced in the last three years. I approach 2019 with anticipation and excitement as there is a whole new year to experience but also feel somewhat sad to say goodbye to 2018. More babies are due in 2019 to our extended family so that is exciting, two grandchildren will graduate from high school and middle school and go on to big new adventures, there could be some moves that occur to various family members, and who knows what else. So 2019 holds promise. We had two family weddings in 2018 which were just wonderful celebrations. We lost our mother and John’s cousin in 2018 so that is sad but we move forward knowing they left us with a solid legacy of family and love of each other. So that’s what I mean by melancholy.
Departure
We depart for the south once again. The lake has frozen over and making it’s weird groaning noises. It has been a few years since we have been here to experience this phenomenon and believe me it drives the dogs crazy. It is kind of weird the first time you hear it because you can’t think what it might be. Then I remember and actual listen in awe as it moves and groans as the water pushes from below the ice as well as the horizontal movement as the lake still has a few open spots. We will work our way south hopefully driving with a little less traffic as we will do a good bit of the drive on January 1st. I was reminded that not many restaurants will be open on the first so maybe we will have to eat our dinner from a vending machine. Oh, what an adventure yet again.
A Recipe for Fun
We enjoyed a dinner that is often a tradition of New Years up here in the northland. It is called Raclette. It is lots of fun if you have a group of people to share it with you. The key ingredient is the cheese and then you can add anything you want to the mix. We had some chorizo sausage, lots of small potatoes, large pickled onions, lots of peppers (red, orange and yellow), salami, and sweet and sour gherkins. The trick is to slice the cheese thinly which you put on top of your choice of the meat and vegetables and pickles then you put it under the tabletop broiler until the cheese melts. You can use the top of the grill to cook the vegetables or just warm them up first. We had a few children with us and they really got into slicing the cheese and then watching the magic of the cheese melting under the grill. It’s a bit like fondue but different. The idea of a meal that you all participate in and cook together while around the table is what makes it fun. The one caveat, you actually do need a Raclette machine to cook with which is not dissimilar to having the need for a fondue pot.
On that note, Happy New Year to all. See you on the other side. Thank you for reading and following me on my blog for the past four years. Now entering my fifth year. Such a fun journey and we will chat about food and exercise and fun and family again.
Love Louise