Christmas

Well, we did not light our candle chandelier in the dining room for Christmas dinner. And therein hangs a tale.

The eight-candle chandelier had been a feature in our Connecticut dining room for several years. Since the chandelier was such a favorite, we stipulated when we listed the house that it would not remain with the house. When the packers and movers arrived, it was clear that if the chandelier were to come down, I would be the one to do it, so I hauled out the ladder and enlisted the help of one of the packers to catch the fixture as I released it from the high beams in the dining room. There was no problem in the transport, and the chandelier arrived safely. We removed the electric chandelier in our new house (placing it in the entry hall) and mounted the chandelier--soon decorated with a Christmas garland--all ready for the big day.

And then it was Christmas--with a houseful of 20 awaiting Christmas dinner, and the temperature steadily rose outside (and inside). We opened up windows, turned on ceiling fans, and still it was warmer and warmer. There was no way we could add to the heat of the house with all those candles! Finally, in desperation (though I know the Connecticut contingent will be incredulous) we turned on the air conditioner.

I did manage to capture a picture by candlelight on a cooler day!

The San Antonio Riverwalk

One of the most famous attractions in San Antonio is the walk along the San Antonio River, which winds its way through downtown San Antonio. With family from out of town and with this being our first Christmas in Texas, we were anxious to spend an evening along this colorful river, lined with restaurants, shops, and hotels. On the weekends there are thousands of luminaria along the river banks, but the schedule did not allow us to come to San Antonio on the weekend, so we paid our visit on Tuesday, 23 December. It was seasonably chilly--coats, hats, scarves, gloves all felt appropriate. The picture gives an impression of how colorful the river is with Christmas lights and milling crowds of happy families.

Afterwards we went to the Mi Tierra Restaurant in the Mercado. This is a huge establishment (which never closes) with many dining rooms, a very large display case full of Mexican pastries (postres) and decorations galore--all year long. The entrance to the restaurant has a shrine that combines the popular Mexican holy day Dias de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a commemoration of Mexican culture. The picture does not do it justice but does show something of the effect.

The New York Times

All the News that Fits, We Print

Today we got the New York Times delivered--hallelujah! And therein hangs a story.

When we went through all the steps in separating ourselves from Connecticut, I called the Times and canceled our Sunday subscription. (In spite of the relative closeness to New York City, we were unable to get daily delivery in Canton. Sunday only was all that was available).

The subscription lady asked why we were canceling and I said we were moving, so she asked if we would like to see if we could get the paper in our new home. I said, “you mean mailed the next day?” (I was imagining the pony express or something.) She came back and said indeed they had Sunday delivery in New Braunfels. I was incredulous but cautiously optimistic.

Well, after the third Sunday with no New York Times, I called to make sure that we were not being charged for the non-delivery of the paper. My complaint was so meek and mild that the circulation lady said that she would throw in three months of daily service for free. Daily delivery? Of the New York Times? In central Texas? In the spirit of “what the heck?” I agreed. The paper was to start on Thursday. Sure enough, Thursday came, and there was no paper. I was more convinced than ever that it was all a shell game. And then, today, Friday, as I took out Sammy for his morning constitutional, there was a plastic bag at the end of the driveway. Could it be…no, no way. There is no way I am really going to get a daily Times here in central Texas. And then I opened the bag. Hallelujah, indeed!

My children say that I just like the Times because of its liberal editorial bias, which is only half right. I like the New York Times for its coverage of news. Today’s edition contains stories about the first proposed capital punishment in New Hampshire in over half a century, a list of all the big donors to the Clinton Foundation, and a story about the first ever human rights declaration to decriminalize homosexuality debated at the United Nations. Sixty six countries supported the declaration. Sadly, the United States was not one of them, joining with Russia, China, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference in opposition. That’s the kind of story I think will probably not appear in our local paper. Don’t get me wrong—I am a big supporter of local papers, and I am sure we will soon get around to subscribing to the New Braunfels Herald Zeitung. I don’t think, however, it will ever become a major source for us for news.

What's Different in Texas

Things That are Different

Wine in the grocery stores.

Gas pumps that still let you click on the gas flow automatically so that you are free to wash your window while the tank fills.

On the other hand, gas pumps that require you to enter your zip code at the pump if you plan to pay at the pump (and the pumps do not like out-of-town zip codes).

70 MPH speed limit on the interstates.

A mailbox (letter drop) that can be accessed from the car without getting out (haven’t seen one of those since 9/11).

Plastic straws in fast food restaurants that are not individually wrapped.

Freshly-made tamales for sale everywhere.

Soul food is not pizza but barbecue.

Weather that changes dramatically from one day to the next.

Undoubtedly, more to come....

Saint Lucia's Day

We have celebrated St. Lucia’s Day (13 December) for as long as I can remember as a kind of reminder of the Swedish heritage on my side of the family. I have never really understood how the commemoration of this Italian saint (Santa Lucia) ever migrated to Sweden, a Protestant land that does not have the calendar of saints of the countries of the south, but nevertheless St. Lucy’s Day is an important part of the pre-Christmas festivities in Sweden and has been in our family for many years.

Since the feast day comes on a date close to the shortest day of the year, it is inevitably associated with light, and involves the oldest daughter of the family bringing a plate of warm buns to her family members while wearing a wreath with candles in her hair. These buns, called Lussakattor, are one of our favorite taste sensations of Christmas. If you look up Lussakattor, you will inevitably find them characterized as flavored with saffron. The recipe N has used for years, however, features cardamom. As we have lived in various places—Kansas City, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Connecticut—she has shared these delicious treats with many friends who first learned about this delightful celebration from us. We hope that there are families across the country who remember St. Lucia (and the delicious taste of her buns) from hearing about the feast day from us.

There have been many years that there were no “eldest daughter” to do the honors on the morning of 13 December, but this year we had an eldest granddaughter, G (age 7). E and K’s three oldest children (G, C, and S) came to our house for their first ever sleepover. N kept them busy! They made ornaments for their parents, made chocolate-covered pretzels, and made bread to take home (and, of course, played with all of the special toys kept at our house while managing to watch some Christmas specials on TV). And, G served as St. Lucia early on Saturday morning.

Texas, Part 1

Returning to Texas brings a flood of memories—often memories of things I have not thought of for a long time. What kinds of things? Well, the weather, for instance. Tuesday was warm—really warm. Like 85 degrees warm (and I am wondering why did I bring anything made out of wool). That evening N and I drove to San Antonio for a production of “Oklahoma!” by the high school troupe at the San Pedro Playhouse. A has been associated with the San Pedro playhouse for years as musical director on a number of productions. We had always wanted to see one of his productions and we finally got the opportunity. The presentation was polished and delightful, with a number of the young thespians belting out those Rogers and Hammerstein numbers like pros. It took us back to the productions at Shawnee Mission East when our kids were in high school. When we came out of the theatre, it was snowing! We had sleet and snow all the way back to New Braunfels. We had big temperature changes at times in Connecticut, but I had forgotten how the temperature could drop 50 degrees in a matter of hours.

And then there is the Texas wildlife. N went down to the cluster of mailboxes that serve our rural area and found a sign posted by a helpful neighbor warning that rattlesnakes had been spotted in the community pavilion and restrooms! Needless to say, that was a good reminder that we were no longer in New England.

Finally, the Texas boast about everything being big in Texas. We went out for a quick bite with A at one of his favorite diners in San Antonio that has won the community award for the best chicken fried steak three years running. There was no way that I was going to pass up an award-winning chicken fried steak. Imagine my surprise when I saw what came out of the kitchen! Not having a tape measure with me, I did a quick mental calculation and determined that the steak (hanging over the sides of the plate) was approximately 12” by 8” ! That is a lot of chicken fried steak. In fact, it was dinner two nights in a row. A said that the diner was also famous for its cinnamon rolls, so we ordered one to go. See for yourself what a Texas-sized cinnamon roll looks like.

Travel with the Animals

We knew that Sammy the dog would enjoy the trip to Texas. After all, his favorite activity (after eating and barking at native wildlife) is riding in the car. After four days on the road, I never wanted to see a car again. Sammy was ready for another four days at least. Just let him stick his head out of the window periodically, and he can travel forever.

We had our doubts about Molly the cat. She had never been in the car. In fact, since the day she first came to our house she had never left it (except for one day when she slipped out the slightly open sliding glass door onto the deck) and even then she looked confused wondering what she was to do next. Our last car trip—nine years ago—was with a different cat, Katie. In spite of a dose of tranquilizers, she moaned and meowed all the way from Minnesota to Connecticut. We were not looking forward to having Molly on the road for four days. What happened? She was a model traveler, nestled down in her little travel case during the day and plopped out on the motel beds at night.

Sammy is happy in his new home. As you can see, Molly is, too.