9:47 p.m. - 2012-11-25
Again with the three weeks...
So!

1. We are back to what passes for normal here...I never did have to wait in a fuel line.

2. Mr. Dog is back to normal, actually he is quite perky and back to his usual bossy self. I cannot tell you how relieved I am for that.

3. Thanks to my Guardian Angel, I am working at the library, which is quite nice, and I am grateful for it. I realise that it might take me a much longer time than I know to get back to Orking, but in the mean time, there are lots of lovely things to do for working.

4. Did I ever mention what I was?

5. We went to my Mum and Dad's for Thanksgiving. It was a lovely time. I knit my Mum a scarf using the Knit Witter and I even put fringe on it. Wheee!

6. I have not gotten a bartending job yet, but I had a crazy interview chasing day and that is worth a bit at cocktail parties.

7. A friend may let me behind her bar for experience, though.

8. Here are two drinks that I have invented, to the best of my knowledge. Oh, no, three.
a. The Winter Holiday---a guilty pleasure. Equal parts Bailey's and cheap thick egg nog. Put in the eggnog first, then float in the Bailey's (fake or real, doesn't matter.)

b. The Staven. I batched these so the ratios might not be exactly right but---bourbon 4.5 oz, sweet vermouth 2 oz, a generous splash of Foxon Park cherry soda all go into your mixing glass filled with ice. Shake shake shake! The soda will sort of explode the mixing glass and shaker apart, but no matter, reset your seal, shake again until icy cold. Serve in in a v-shaped cocktail glass. I didn't make a garnish on these. But--delicieuse!

c. The Apple Snap. This was what I was working on tonight. It is not perfect yet, but---it is served in a highball glass. On Ice. Put in 2 oz Laird's Applejack (Calvados should work just as well, but I like the idea of Applejack) Add just a splash of Goldschlager. It is very cinnamon-forward so you don't want to overdo or you will lose all of the apple character. Fill with apple cider (the not hard kind) and then take two slices of fresh ginger, spear them on a cocktail pick, stir a few times and then leave as a garnish.

9. Did you know that bicycling is a lot harder in the cold? I am finding that out. Yikes!

10. I am still fulfilling my mission to add as much beauty to my life as possible. I have been able to go to rustic country markets for my grocery needs, and orchards as well.

11. Wednesday I will go into Philly to the Art Museum. Now that I am working, it seems important to use any off time carefully.

12. Today I went to a holiday sale at an alpaca farm. I bought a hat to wear under my bicycle helmet, some roving, and some insoles. I have some woolen clogs that could use the insole. MMMM! Warm!

13. I finally learned to bind up my hair in what is called a French Braid here. Basically it is how you plait your horse's tail for a show. Not so easy on one's own head, but think of the toning that my arms will get!

14. I saw yaks today. They are really quite beautiful!

15. I had to get more Angostura bitters. I suck that stuff down. I have many other kinds as well---orange, cherry, lemon, Peychauds, Pimiento, and Falernum. Oh, and some unidentified kind...hmmmm, that needs looking into...

16. Ach, how I miss the Swedish store. Still. After eight years. Oh, yes, I have my connections and can get whatever I need, but... I miss the actual store!

Well, I do want to let you know that I still read you, that I am sorry for the gaps in updating, but that I am doing well, and am actually quite happy, aside from the anxiety of not having a good picture of the future for more than a month or two. But I am learning that I am very adaptable, flexible, and a marginally nicer person than six months ago!

Ecks Oh!

Cavalry - Apache