Text 8354, 74 rader
Skriven 2013-12-29 21:24:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Christmas, beyond 675
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Christmas. During Annie's trips to the airport during the day
I was AWOL, she chatted with all the people there; there is
one gate run by one airline (US Air) with three flights and a
TSA staff that goes home between flights. One time she went
through (Annie used to be even more of a traveler than I and
after Billy's death is getting back into the swing of things)
she had cookies from Tony's Deli all wrapped up for a gift, and
she asked the screener if there would be a problem taking them
as carryon. The screener said, oh, we always confiscate Tony's
cookies, which led to some joking around, and ever since when
she shows up they ask her, where are the cookies. So this trip
she decided to make Christmas cookies in the shape of an airplane:
back in the civilized old days, Billy used to get a Christmas
bottle of Scotch from the club, so Annie would bake these cookies,
but now there's nobody at the club to give airplane-shape
cookies to, so she baked a batch and gave them to the screeners
and the US Air desk. Which led to discussions about Christmas
plans, which led to the discovery that Jackie, one of the
US Air workers, had no invitation on Christmas day, so Annie
of course invited her. So we got a 3 1/2 lb standing rib and
were going to do that, only it turned out that Jackie had got
a last-minute invitation from her daughter a few hours' drive
away, so there were only the two of us. We postponed the roast
beef in favor of Annie-comfort food: Asian-style chicken wings
and scallion pancakes. I guess they were good enough, but
beef is always preferred by me.

Meanwhile, Jupiter got into my bedroom, leaving lots of cat
hair in the bed and in my suitcase; he also shredded a
Kleenex and knocked one of the pillows on the floor. All in
a day's work.


-

Next day I made fried rice with leftovers, Annie being kind
enough to save them for me. She refused to eat this, though,
preferring breakfast food. We both went easy, though, as that
prime rib was beckoning, and it was near its use-by date, a
number that Annie watches religiously, ever since I got rid
of a couple bagfuls of old herbs and spices and pasta and
rice last year or so. She missed the fact that I did this not
based on expiration dates but because the things had either
lost flavor or acquired bugs.

I retired to my room for e-mail and rest, when there came a
plaintive bleat from downstairs. Will you please drink with
me? She had gotten a card from Billy's favorite uncle Al,
in which it was reported that Billy's favorite aunt Marge
had died. That killed the day for her, so she opened a bottle
of Dr. Frank Blanc de Blancs (I think mostly Chardonnay) 07,
which I guess was comforting.

For dinner I cooked the beef nice and rare, with Annie of
course getting the end piece and me the far middle, which
was pretty much the perfect piece of meat. This was a Choice
piece from, thank you, Weggie's. I stuck the leftovers in
a warm oven for a while so she could get sandwiches out of
them later.

Creamed spinach in the most hurry-up way - bag of frozen,
blob of sour cream, salt, pepper, microwave. It was okay
but is much better when made with cream cheese.

Annie wanted a baked potato, which I made for her; I didn't
make one for myself.

I had a glass of the rather nice Dr. Frank Cabernet Franc
10 with the meat; she was suffering a Champagne headache
and passed.

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