Yesterday was my completely cozy Hygge day here on the Ponderosa. I set out to enjoy the day with the intent of finding joy in the mundane moments instead of feeling cooped up for yet another cold and snowy day. Making a habit of finding joy in the moments of our lives makes things easier…not only on ourselves, but also on our life mate if we have one. I remember doing the same thing when I was alone and joy always makes life a little easier.
We didn’t have the massive ice storm they predicted. I was awake during the night and looked at the weather radar. At about 1:30 yesterday morning, the storm seemed to break up and move on. There was just a little ice on the branches. Not like my friend Gail up in northeastern Ohio. She woke up to 2-3” of ice coating everything. We were very blessed we didn’t lose power here, unlike many other areas south and west of us. As a matter fact, our kids had a lot more ice in town than we did.
We have a gas stove in the family room and it keeps it nice and warm in there. I brought my lap desk in and sat with my laptop, working on genealogy most of the day. I took a break and made a batch of Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies. The recipe called for half semi-sweet and half milk chocolate chips. I had to use all semi-sweet so maybe the chocolate flavor won’t have the same depth of flavor, but I’ll bet no one will turn them down.
Just before Christmas, a couple of neighbors stopped here at the house to leave us some cookies. I sent the first one off with the only tray of cookies I had ready. The other one got a fruitcake and I’ve felt guilty ever since I found out (after she left) she is our new next door neighbor. There are always sweet treats around at the holidays, so I decided the first time I make these extravagant chocolate chip cookies, they are getting a tray of them!
The cookie dough has to rest in the fridge for 24 hours, according to this recipe. That allows the flour to fully absorb the moisture and develop the flavors. There are a few unusual ingredients in this recipe, like malted milk powder and a little molasses. I’m really looking forward to tasting them. I’ll bake them this afternoon and we’ll take the Christmas tree down. I noticed last night it was still fully light outdoors at 5:00 so I won’t miss the twinkles quite so much. Besides, I want to get it all put away before the end of the month. It’s time.
Last night, I put the computer away and got out my knitting. I always knit up dishcloths after supper because I don’t have to think about a pattern and I can watch the news and maybe a couple of episodes of The Big Bang with my sweetie before I go write. I heard him in the kitchen puttering around and pretty soon, here he came with a bowl of sliced strawberries with a little maple syrup drizzled over them. Ohhhhh, that is so yummy. I’ve had to cut out coffee and ice cream lately because it wreaks havoc on my stomach. These little gems were a delightful dessert…just what the doctor ordered!
We got the call to schedule our second Covid vaccine tomorrow. I will be so happy to get that behind us. I know we will still have to be careful because we can still carry Covid to others who may not have their shots yet, so we will continue to wear masks when we are out. However, the sooner 70% of us are vaccinated, the sooner we can get back to a more normal life. I’m more than willing to be patient and continue to wear a mask to protect others.
I hope, wherever you live, you are able to go outside and breathe some clean, fresh air today. Treat your lungs to some healthy oxygen!
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“Then someday, I will heal this place and my people as well, and let them enjoy unending peace.”
Jeremiah 33:6 CEV