Sometimes, it's not just the food that remains in your space, to be reheated and savored at another time, another day. Sometimes it's the memories, the dangling unfinished holiday details, the lost voice (that was my yesterday's surprise -- inflamed vocal chords!), the huge need for a catch up sleep, the treasured photos in your file, and yes -- the stale but delicious Sacher Torte. Bits and pieces of my holiday of family, still with me, lovely reminders filling my head on the day after it all ends.
I wake up, test my voice -- still missing! -- and slowly make my way to feed the animals. Leftover snow! That too. It will melt soon enough, but for now it brings back those images of kid play outside. So wonderful to have lingered long enough for them to get that pleasure out of it. This morning, the chickens are out and about, looking for scraps of food that I often bring out for them after a big eating frenzy at the farmhouse. Sorry girls, not today! I'm keeping the leftovers for Ed and me.
Breakfast, with the last pieces of the nut stollen, and a sliver of honey cake.
Because it's a long holiday weekend and I dont want to get really sick in the thick of it, I go to my clinic to check out this latest nutty inflammation. I get a couple of meds out of the deal and a "stay hydrated!" verdict, which is just a tiny bit funny. This is my one outing for the day. I return to the farmhouse, take out my sheep blanket, spread out on the couch and fall asleep.
Lunch? Leftover Sacher Torte.
And the big project for the day? Take down the tree. For me, Christmas ends when the family disperses. The tree itself lasted a really long time and it probably had another week in it, but looking at it now seems so wrong (even as I understand that Christmas traditionalists would be appalled at my timeline). Down it comes.There's always a small amount of sadness that comes with the emptying of our living space in this way. We were all here yesterday, very much immersed in holiday play. And here I am now, vacuuming up the last fallen needles as Ed carries the tree out. That finality can hit you right in your emotional gut. And yet we all have a lingering closeness that firmed up even more out of those days together, with the kids, over foods -- and that stays.
Dinner? Chili and chocolates.
With so much love....
