TheBanyanTree: The Holidays

[Sharon Mack]

I actually had a nice holiday this year in spite of everything.

 

My house has not been doing well (please pray).  We need a lot of prayer.
My tenant moved in November and though I advertised twice and even reduced
the rent, it never rented, so I do not have that income.  It means I am
paying the entire mortgage (which I cannot afford).  Heat and electric bills
are also now in my name.  We can't turn them off in the event of freezing
weather because of the pipes...and to make matters worse, the furnace broke
down in the apartment (I had to replace mine 2 months after I closed).  It
cost me a 1/2 a mortgage payment to repair it and it will still need to be
replaced before next winter.  Now I am a full mortgage payment behind.  When
I finally get my tax return it will all go to pay this off.  Oh well, what
can you do?  I pray nothing more happens as I am tapped out.

 

Last year I was in a deep depression and it was awful.  I didn't cook, I
didn't decorate, I didn't nothin',!  They have finally straightened out my
medication so this year I was pretty good in spite of the furnace.  My
friend, Walter, knew I had no money for food so he and his wife gave us a 22
lb. turkey and all the fixin's (a head of red cabbage, sweet potatoes,
cranberry sauce, etc. and even a dozen eggs) and another friend gave me a
$25.00 gift card to Price Chopper so I was able to add some eggnog, a bit of
spiced rum (it was cheap and on sale but really doesn't taste bad) and some
Carlo Rossi Rhine wine in the little jug.  It was just enough to baste the
turkey and have a few glasses for dinner.  Patrick, my youngest son, (the
others live in Baltimore) came for Christmas Eve and we did movies, then we
opened gifts Christmas morning and I made sausage and cheddar cheese
omelets.  Patrick wants to learn to cook so he stayed in the kitchen with me
as I went through all the steps of preparing stuffing, turkey and deviled
eggs.  He was a good student.  I teach with the reasons behind what you do
and he liked that and asked a lot of good questions.  I also made kale for
Patrick (it's his fave) and sweet and sour red cabbage (my mother's recipe).

 

Bonnie (my best friend) came with her daughter and her daughter's friend and
she brought some appetizers (brie with crackers and liverwurst), mashed
potatoes and salad for dinner.  

 

We had appetizers, exchanged gifts (most of mine were homemade) and then
relaxed until the bird was done.  I hadn't gotten it into the oven till noon
so we had a little time between rounds to digest.

 

The turkey was finally ready.  It looked like a turkey commercial on TV, it
was so beautiful.  I hated to cut into it.  I don't think I've ever made a
more beautiful bird.

 

So we ate and laughed and talked, then dug into Kari's dessert (that's
Bonnie's daughter) of whipped cream and coconut cake and coffee/tea.  The
night ended early.  I was exhausted.  I don't cook like that anymore so it
took a lot out of me.  There were three full rounds of dishes and pots and
pans.  I don't have a dishwasher.  My feet and back ached but I'm glad I did
it.  I enjoyed it.

 

Now it is quiet and I'm (trying) doing a bit of writing.  Friday I have to
go and get my license renewed.  They don't notify you via mail here in
Massachusetts anymore so you have to remember on your own which, as I get
older, is difficult.  I want to get it over with because once I go back to
work, I would have to take more time off and since I had two weeks off
(since December 22nd) I do not want to do that.  For New Years I am staying
home but New Year's Day I will cook for Bonnie and Kari, Patrick and myself
and make some sweet and sauerkraut with pork my mother's way.  Then it's
back to work on the 5th.