I see you quiver

in which our plucky heroine scales back holiday baking...

A year ago, it was with great anticipation time to start preparing the sweet and savory treats for my Saturnalia guests... This year has been beyond anything imaginable, and there is no real need for me to be busily bustling about the kitchen. There will still be some seasonal cookery - I want to make candied citrus peel so I can send some to my father, and may consider if I want to make the very smallest of fruitcakes for 12th Night...

Reading this article clarified for me the importance of having "things to look forward to". Being robbed of the opportunity of our regular anticipations is a hard hard thing  (even moreso for my Aged Parents), and finding small future-possible joys is an ongoing effort

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Andy Goldsworthy does not disappoint, ever... lots of gorgeous winter sculptures here

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Looking up the ketchup recipe (since my persimmons are ripe enough that I'm thinking a batch of smokey barbeque sauce might be a good use), when I noticed grape ketchup on the very next page??? How did I miss this possible use for Feral Grapevine's fruit... maybe 2021 will be a chance to try it out.

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December SMART goals (x=extra)

#	THINGS MADE	THINGS FIXED	THINGS GONE
1	tiny patchwork	Nandina's nose	recycle bin
2	2 Kiki biscornu	worm bin rebedded	yard waste bin
3	2 sample masks	dainties bag patched	yard waste bin
4	spiral tea towel	x	recycle bin
5	new spice rack	x	knitting sets
6	10 wire stitch markers	x	moar cardboard!
7	x	x	x
8	x	x	x
9	x	x	x
10	x	x	x
11	x	x	x
12	x	x	x
13	x	x	x
14	x	x	x
15	x	x	x

today's gratitude - My mother taught me how to knit when I was five, but my developing patience was a much more extensive timeline. Replacing my beloved Nightsky Partlet is a creative challenge for sure! I have been trying to get a similar shaping to whatever I did prior (which was one of those accidentally perfect lucky guesses, which I did not bother to write down) Hoping for third time is the charm, since my first try was too straight, my second time which I almost finished last night was too ruffle-y, and I have to tink* back about five or six repeats and try again... sigh. I may have it done by the time my yarn-from-Iceland arrives for the new fractal cardigan...

*tink = un-knit (as opposed to "frogging")