There Are Good Days We Hardly Notice.

This was not one. 

Today held an interesting surprise!  More than one, actually - and, as usual it was the little things.  

First off, I had no idea it was so cold outdoors. Never Trust a Weather Forecaster!  The car was frost-encrusted with the doors frozen shut. Once I gained entry and got the engine running, scraping the windows was impossible. The ice was paper-thin, scraping had little effect. I had to wait until the defroster warmed enough to break through.  Then, it slid off in large slices.  Bizarre.

At the market, noting all the foods I am not able to enjoy, as I was deciding on sandwich meats (I settled on herbed turkey breast and beautiful pastrami)  two other items caught my eye:

A freshly made Szechuan noodle salad that even I could enjoy the aroma, so I bought a half-pound. The woman responsible for this delicious wonder doesn't make it often in winter, so I saw it as a good omen.  

And a cheese.

As I trolled the cases, a name stood out I've not seen in years.  Leyden!  OMG.  A cheese that was available in a small out-of-the-way shop in New Jersey that carried all things Dutch.   They went out of business within 4 or 5 years of the move to DE, and that was the end of that.  

Later purchased in NYC and brought it back to DE with me for special occasions. That stopped when my previous life ended. No one here has ever heard of the cheese and I've been leery of an online purchase.  Then, today…here it is prominently displayed with other, more well known Dutch cheeses.  A marketing attempt, no doubt.  I hope it works. 

I shopped early enough to pick up a fresh, still warm baguette from the bakery.  At any other time I would have broken off a bit of the "nose" for nibbling in the car, but I was good and controlled myself admirably. At home and slathered with butter it made the morning very bright, indeed.

Sadly, there was no eggnog from the local dairy and there won't be a new delivery until Christmas week.  Yes, they ran out that quickly.  Not surprising, really.

There were 2 Christmas cards in the post today. From friends in Connecticut and New Orleans, respectively. There was also a small bag leaning against the front door containing a sweet little snow globe of a person ice skating. A gift from the kids in the pre-school downstairs. Don't ask.  All in all, a pretty good day.  

I've spent the afternoon in bed, legs propped on pillows, reading about the Yule Season and the Sacred Wheel of the Pagan Year. Interesting reading all round.  It's understandable how people gravitate to this way of living. Agreeable way to pass the time.  

Weather wise, doom and gloom are again predicted for the weekend , but there is nothing more that I need, although that eggnog would be a lovely addition if snowed in.  Sigh!

At least, I'm awake today and that's got to count for something! 

And so it goes.

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