Yippee-Ay-Aye, Four Days Away

Happy Solstice, everyone! Now the world will be turning toward the morning, until "Sumer Is Icumen In" -- and we await the Light of Christmas Day.

I'd love to hear what each of you are doing as the days dwindle down; if you have time, leave me a comment when you check in here.

Here's what we've been up to:
Our superb butcher at Johnnie's Super, who hails from the British Midlands, was able to find venison stew meat for us at a supplier, and we have filled a corner of our freezer with the luscious packets he put up for us. I see a Renaissance Meat Pie in our near future!

Yesterday morning, I put on a wonderful crockpot full of a pound of the venison, with all the accoutrements required to make a hot and spicy Goulasch; it scented the house all day, and was utterly delicious when we partook of it in the evening. (If anyone wants the fantastic recipe I used, let me know -- it included dried cranberries and mushrooms and a lot of yummy stuff.)

In the late afternoon we lit candles at the kitchen dining table and finished off a (reheated) treat from the day before – baked apple stuffed with raisins, brown sugar and cinnamon (with a wee dollop of vanilla ice cream on top); it made a loverly little afternoon tea treat.

I'm still confined to house-arrest, but getting better gradually; John does all the running around, and it ain't easy either: the weather has turned cold and drizzly. But he got out to church this morning, and did a job of grocery procurement; and when he came in I had made a soup out of last evening's Hirsch-Goulasch, so that warmed him up nicely. He's napping right now!

This evening after the fire is lit, as the rain pelts down outside, we will have our Advent Wreath ceremony – and then we'll light all the little candles in the parlor and listen to music ... and thank God for our cozy and safe little home.