Holiday Cheer

Get rid of holiday blues

Be simple

Be kind

Make 

wreaths

fir branches, collect 

pine cones, eucalyptus, 

no poison ivy Toyon holly thornless

cactus is gorgeous but succulents are easy

green / red plants, wire, hangers, gloves, fishing line

bunches work same as cooking raw spinach, shrinks down.

Spruce, juniper berry, marjoram, pine essential oils no diffuser?

few drops on a plate cheer your soul

Be simple

Be kind

Hot soup - 

roast pumpkin cut in half 

(seeds removed skin on, soft face up to moon) 

generous olive oil in the pan, sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg

bake until the flesh is caramel brown and the house smells yummy

No pumpkin? Use butternut squash, fine chop: onion and garlic

portions unmentioned, saute in olive oil in big pot until clear 

add stock, salt, pepper, curry, add roasted gourd in the pot 

and simmer. Check and smash as it steams

To put in bowls use a spoon

of Greek yogurt

or go ahead

add heavy 

whipping

 cream 

Share 

with 

great 

bread

Melting Hat Story

Woman waits for her ride,

brown bag covers white hair.

Sorrel melts in the rain.

Linda asks, "You need a lift?"

"No, my friend is in route."

Inside the Pack and Ship store

lights shine on bubble wrap.

Linda enters, buzzer rings.

She's on camera overhead.

"May I ask a favor?" 

Man looks up from his T. V.

"No." he answers.

"See the lady out front?"

"Yeah, she sent a package."

"May she wait inside from the storm?

He looks up queerly, "Sure, You know her?"

"No but thank you kindly, really thank you."

Linda returns to the barrage, shouting over noise

of traffic and hail.

"Come inside. I'll wait for out here your friend."

"She might miss me?"

Linda insists, the old woman explains 

the make and model of the driver's car.

Windshield wipers of Linda's car keep

time with music on the radio. 

The woman now inside the store, 

with the man,

he  leans forward over the counter.

They smile.

Tamale Share Story

Rose waits in line at the mercado for masa. 

Grandmother's gone, but she holds 

 traditions of preparing tamales for 

Christmas Eve. 

The opportunity gathers teenage children 

as a binding party before the holiday. 

Ten dozen tamales 

pork, chicken, and pineapple

The recipe takes 120 ojas (cornhusks) and 

fifteen pounds of prepared masa. 

Rather than mix cornmeal, shortening oil, 

baking powder, and salt by

hand she orders pre-made dough. 

Braised and pulled meats steam at home. 

Daughter stirs the fillings and juices.

The mercado cannot locate the woman in front of Rosa's order. 

"Sold out, perhaps tomorrow, after six, we'll have extra to sell."

The woman ahead of Rosa looks down as if to cry.

"The bus doesn't run tomorrow, I planned to make these

tonight for my Bisabuela in the rest home with extra for nurses."

"Sorry, tomorrow, next in line."

Rosa interjects,"how many pounds do you need?"

"Five, it's okay, I'll buy the dry ingredients and start right away, maybe

I'll have them ready for lunch tomorrow.

"Cut a third off my order." Rosa says.

Caroline Gerardo copyright 12/25/2016

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

Carson (my son) and I helped a friend yesterday. Well, we attempted to assist, but the boon doggle turned into a comedy. Sometimes being me is a bit cloudy.

Bob is my friend for twenty some years. He has a gruff voice. In 2009 he bought a condo for his x-wife (not out of legal obligation he has paid in full and then some). She had been unemployed for more than two years. Bob paid the bills for the condo and supplemented her income saying, “I will never allow the Mother of my children to fail.”

The x-wife decided to move east and found employment leaving the condo, unfortunately due to economic times, underwater. Rather than sell the condo for a loss, Bob decides to rent the unit. His new tenant does not want the refrigerator she left in the unit.

I’m handy, I have a refrigerator dolly and a teenage son who is strong. We volunteer to help move the refrigerator from the second story and give it to the Habitat for Humanity house being built in San Juan (thus offering assistance to several people as the Habitat house is being donated to an injured Marine and his family).

We load the dolly and strapping material in the back of my car and go pick up Bob. He fuddles around trying to locate the keys for twenty minutes.

While we are waiting I come up with the brilliant idea of the day, “Let’s move the refrigerator first to the downstairs garage before we go and rent a truck to move it.”

After an hour of shuffling the refrigerator we come to realize the thing is not going to make it down the narrow, freshly painted stairwell. (This is discovered with the three of us half way down and the right side gouging the drywall). We vote to move the box back up. In doing so I see my iron dolly is all rusted on the bottom and we have tracked rust shavings all over the carpet and stairs. Now it is time to go drive back home, get the vacuum, patch the wall, call the ex-wife to find out how that refrigerator ever got up the stairs and make new plans.

Hours later we come to understand, the only way to get something this large on the second floor is with a lift over the balcony. New tenant can keep this refrigerator upstairs and install his own double wide one in the downstairs garage. The cost to rent a lift far exceeds the value of a silly ice box. I call the Habitat people and tell them, “no gift.” They happen to have the equipment to solve the problem and will do it for free.

Every cloud has a silver lining, or thank heavens we didn’t rent the truck before we found out the dang thing can’t make it down the stairs. Hope your day is happy.

Sunflowers In My Garden