Bon Hiver

“Bon hiver” (pronounced "bohn eevair") means “good winter” in French and is a greeting for the day on which the first snow falls that sticks on the ground and begins the annual white build up for winter. I need to get outside more to make it a good winter.

Last night to celebrate the Winter Solstice a new friend got a small group together to go snowshoeing up one of the cottonwood canyons (nope, I didn’t even notice which one). The moon was still only a waxing crescent, but with the snow reflecting light we didn’t even need headlamps.

Highlights:

1) Hiking alone for a portion and having a ‘Joe Versus the Volcano’ moment of, “Dear God, ... thank you for my life. I forgot how big... Thank you”. Then I shed some tears as I was grateful for my (recently deceased) sister’s life too.

2) Toasting the solstice with a tasty drink, chocolate coated figs from Spain, and a reading.

3) A desperate and nearly futile attempt to light matches/mini bon-fire to summon back the sun and light. What a debacle, it was meant to be poetic and magical.

Banquette Seating

Main Entry: ban·quette
Pronunciation: \baŋ-ˈket, ban-, 1b is also ˈbaŋ-kət\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, from Old Occitan banqueta, diminutive of banc bench, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English benc bench.

a) : a long upholstered bench b) : a sofa having one roll-over arm c) : a built-in usually upholstered bench along a wall

I love this lesson in etiquette. This is taken directly, or almost so, from Emily Post's book. I think this is information most of us do not know and would benefit from.

When at a restaurant with banquette seating and a long table, two people dining together are seated side by side against the wall.

At a narrower table, two diners, who might other wise be seated side by side, are seated opposite each other. The lady would be seated on the banquette with the gentleman facing her.

If there are four, the women are seated on the banquette and the men face them across the table.

In a restaurant with booths, the women go in first and sit against the far wall, facing each other across the table. The men then sit next to them on the outside.

If a woman and two men are lunching or dining, the woman takes her place first against the wall. If one of the men is related to her, he sits across from her, and the one not related sits beside her. If this grouping is reversed, the two ladies sit next to the wall, and the man who is the husband of one sits beside the other.

I think this is because the banquette seating provides the better view of the surroundings, and is usually more comfortable. On one of the worst dates of my life, the fellow (let's call him David (I think that was his name)) took me to a little Italian place in Ocean Beach (I was living in San Diego at the time). I had a nice view out of the window onto the lovely environs of O.B. I commented on this, "my having a better view than him", to which he responded, looking meaningfully into my eyes, that "actually he had the better view, because he could see me". hahahaha.... ok, had I actually fancied the fellow, then maybe, MAYBE, that wouldn't have been the cheesiest line EVER! But, only maybe. I have a low tolerance for ostentatious OR premature sentimentality.

Contractions of Delight

My nine year old nephew uses the term amn't a lot. When he first used it we were so impressed that his clever mind had come up with a contraction for 'am not'. Oh, we thought he was so clever to invent it, even if it weren't grammatically valid. For some reason I finally looked it up, and....WHAT?!?! It is an actual and valid contraction, though the pronunciation is different than how Jacob says it.

Main Entry: amn't
Pronunciation: \ˈänt, ˈant, ˈa-mənt\
Date: 1618
chiefly Scottish & Irish : am not

So, my new goal is to use the contraction when I have occasion. Wikipedia has a little to say on the subject. It is not only a contraction for "am not" but also "am I not".

Amn't I clever?

Oh Mossy, Mossy Me

LITTLE CLUMP OF MOSS
HAPLOID BRYOPHYTE SO GREEN
LOVING WATER TOO

My love of moss has been a long one. Maybe because growing up in one of the driest states in the U.S., moss is a rarity. To be seen at waterfalls and along mountain streams. It is the epitome of lush, and water richness. I love it and when studying Botany in college, I would fantasized about finding a new species of moss and naming it after myself. Vanity indeed. I wanted to name it (_______) rachelii, but sadly found out that as a girl I would have to name it (_______) racheliana.

When the name of a plant is derived from a proper name:

* the ending -ii means it was named after the male developer of a cultivar
* the ending -ae means it was named after the female developer of a cultivar
* the ending -iana means the flower name commemorates the personal name it is attached to

OH well, and how about having a mossery?

Mossery: A passing fad for moss-collecting in the late 19th century led to the establishment of mosseries in many British and American gardens. The mossery is typically constructed out of slatted wood, with a flat roof, open to the north side (maintaining shade). Samples of moss were installed in the cracks between wood slats. The whole mossery would then be regularly moistened to maintain growth.

I sort of have a mossery. I have collected moss from Olympia, WA, to put around my orchids. I noticed that it had all gone brown after a time had passed, so I started misting it every morning and night. I take better care of the moss than I do the orchids now. But I love to see the green bits growing out of the dormant brown body mass.

I dream of having my own bathroom (meaning I own it) where I can build a mossery in the shower stall (on the opposite wall from the showerhead). That way it could get lots of moisture. I would have a skylight or those glass bricks in a wall to let in some light and grow lush, green moss.

I like moss.

I have Fancy Vivid snot*

This is a follow up from my facebook posting today. I have had a bad cold for a week and have been blowing out A LOT of snot. It got me thinking. We all know that clear snot is better than green snot, because green snot means infection. I have not had green snot, but a wide variety of clear to dark yellow.

If snot could be graded. Should we use the same system as maple syrup. Divided into two major grades: Grade A and Grade B. Grade A is further broken down into three subgrades: Light Amber (sometimes known as Fancy), Medium Amber, and Dark Amber. Grade B is darker than Grade A Dark Amber.

Or should we use the colored diamond system of Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Deep, and Fancy Dark.

Mostly I just want to talk about having fancy snot and I like classification systems.

*I prefer the term snot over mucus

A trifling affair

tri·fle \'trī-fel\ noun
Etymology: Middle English trufle, trifle, from Anglo-French trufle, triffle fraud, trick, nonsense. Date: 14th century

1 : something of little value, substance, or importance
2 : to some small degree : slightly

A few years ago, with abundant fresh cranberry relish left over from Thanksgiving, I made a cranberry trifle. It was met with puckered lips, pinched faces, and kind but reserved words of praise. TO BE FAIR, I had not altered the raspberry trifle recipe much and so it was primarily cranberry preserves and lemon curd, maybe too many tart things. This year for Thanksgiving I was determined it would be met with acclaim!! Is éclat to great a wish for ones trifle? So, how did I do it?

1) I made a cardamom pound cake. I used my poundcake recipe sans lemon zest, lemon juice, etc. and just added a teaspoon of ground cardamom. In the past for ease of construction I had used a Sara Lee defrosted pound cake. No such easy, environment killing, and health poor decision for me this time. I decided all the health and environmental benefits were worth making it from scratch. Even if only for use as an ingredient for another dessert.

2) Used Epicurious recipe rich custard for the creamy layer. Lots of egg yolks? What to do with all those whites? I mean really? I made scrambled eggs out of them and have come to the conclusion that yolk is intrinsic to good scrambled eggs.

3) Made a classic fresh cranberry relish for the fruity layer.

4) Topped off with whipped cream, I used very little sugar and again added a bit of ground cardamom.

éclat indeed!! It was delicious and a thing of beauty. The Ginger-cake actually was most popular (especially with the toddlers) and the pumpkin cheesecake turned out swell.