stir crazy

Well, the kids have been sick and we have all been a little stir crazy. Or maybe it is just me. I have been spending a lot of time playing zoo tycoon with Eva and doing lots and lots of puzzles and every piece of laundry is done and I have picked up the house, every toy out of place, over and over in an effort, I suppose to move around a bit. Ah. Winter. So it is almost dark by 4:30 by now and completely dark for sure by 5:00. And I am remembering how long the time between getting up in the morning and the time we go to bed at night can seem when the kids can't spend a good bit of it in the evening outside and this is exacerbated when they are sick because we aren't even taking an evening walk, which can be great for everyone, particularly for all of us.

We are eagerly counting down the days to Thanksgiving, which is, as Samuel pointed out, just one day now. The day after tomorrow. It is finally here. We are having turkey and potatoes and stuffing and salad and squash ala Ellen and apple pie ala Ellen and pumpkin muffins and fruit like satsumas and pears and cranberries. Oh, and some kind of kale maybe. I like to stick it in when I can. Herbs from the backyard. Probably some kind of bread like rolls or I may make some artisan loaf if I am inspired tomorrow. My friend Sara and her family are going to join us this year as they are in town from New York and I think they will bring another pie or dessert of their choice.

I tried to get a local turkey but they were all sold out. I was even laughed at by a farmer at the market, "We sold out in September..." Gosh. I know I wasn't thinking about ordering a turkey in September, but now I know. I put it on the calendar for next year. Get turkey in September! So the turkey will be from a pretty good place but not entirely local and I will pick it up from New Seasons, which is, after all, doing pretty well to help us buy as local as possible. The produce is all local except those satsumas we all love so much. I got salad mix, squash, potatoes, onions, garlic, brussel sprouts, celeriac (which was so neat looking that I thought about putting it into water so that it could maybe take root again. It looked like a pineapple when it showed up in the basket and that, with the brussel sprouts still on the stem, were stunning!) and then some from my produce basket this week and of course you all know how much kale we have in the garden and there are plenty of herbs still thriving back there and I found local cranberries and pears and apples at the market. As well as cider. I forgot to mention we will probably have brussel sprouts as well. So maybe no kale? Not sure. I do know that the little leaves and stalks on the celeriac are going into the stuffing. I still don't have definite plans for the celeriac root itself, although my guess is that it will fare better than the fennel, which is, by the way, still in there. And another was added this week. Maybe fennel for Thanksgiving? Probably not.

Eva and I just made some really delicious raspberry-blackberry sorbet (u-picked!) in Ellen's sorbet maker that we still have. She is, alas, taking it back tomorrow. Oh well. Maybe Santa will bring me one for Christmas? They have them at Macy's and they are quite reasonable, just in case he can't make one in his workshop.

It's funny, but for the last several days, including today, Eva has been very restless and we have done so many activities, puzzles, books, games, talks, puppet shows, baths, you name it. And there has been a hint of dissatisfaction surrounding her and the activities with her stomping her feet at me and wanting me to just sit wherever she is, irritation between the two of us at several points. Just now we made the sorbet together, both of us thoroughly enjoying ourselves and, just like that, we are connected again. Connection can sometimes be so elusive and other times right on. And it is, after all, one of the main processes of parenting and childing. Without it, people around here tend to run around yelling pell mell all over the house. Hmmm. Maybe it hasn't been stir craziness that has infected everyone around here. Nothing a little sorbet making can't fix. And sitting still doesn't hurt either. Just more parts to the process.