The Beauty Of A Dark Winter Day

 

"At this season of the year, darkness is a more insistent thing that cold.

The days are short as any dream."

~E.B. White

Essays Of E.B. White

Tired. It's been a long couple of days, and I am tired. But I have even better news, and I will share soon. But today I want to enjoy some football games, and not think about things that are too much for my tired brain.

So for now, don't you just love cold, dark January days. Naps. Hot Chocolate. Snuggles with cats, and really good days with a camera, birding, these are some of the things keeping me sane.

Autumn Leaf Of The Day #11

 

“For art, she had thumbtacked hundreds of autumn leaves on one of the cracked walls.”

 
~Eleyne-Mari Sharp,

Inn Lak'ech

 

The Rain is falling, as are the beautiful colors of autumn. The smell of damp earth, and the sight of the earth tones of the trees, just about fills me up, but add in wearing my favorite autumn sweater, and the first taste of a big mug of hot chocolate, or a tangy Chi latte, and I am in a dreamland.

 

 Life in autumn. 

 

 

Dance Of The Starbucks Sugar Plum Cheese Danish

 

“Dessert without cheese is like a beauty with only one eye”

 
~Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin 

 

 “Spring is the name of the interval between two autumns, and autumn is the name of the interval between two springs.” 

 
~Wasif Ali Wasif,

   Segue of Spiritual Whispers: Baat Se Baat

 

Yum. That right there is a picture of just one more part of Autumn I look forward to with great passion, the return of Starbucks Sugar Plum Cheese Danish. It's a simple pastry, sweet and creamy, and it's paired with a buttery flaky crust. There is just nothing not to like about it. My former Autumn craving was the, Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar, but once I tried this bit of loveliness, there was no going back. I discovered the Cranberry Bliss Bar, years ago, and every year it was my tradition, and delight, to pair it with a peppermint hot chocolate, when we went to either Union Square, in San Francisco, or the Holiday Merry-Go-Round in Tilden Park, in Berkeley. It just helped to make everything even more festive. Alas everything changes, right? We moved, fairly suddenly, to Stockton, and we no longer went to the city, or to Tilden Park. A 79 mile trip requires a lot of planning, so visiting could be dicey in the late Autumn and early Winter.

With our new hometown, came new tradition, Christmas eve colds, flu and most recently... Covid-19. But in-between sneezing disasters, came opportunities for holiday shopping, and errands. And what goes great with those things? Starbucks and pastry. So, one rainy autumn day, just past Halloween, and just prior to Thanksgiving, off I went to Trinity Parkway to shop, but one my way I stopped at my nearest bucks, salivating for a Cranberry Bliss Bar. To my disappointment they had none of those, but they did have the Sugar Plum Cheese danish. Huh? Shrug. I agreed to that, because what the hell? Why not? I love cheese danish, and this one has sugar plum whatever on it to make it even more sweeter than it already is! Why not?

OMG... oh my... something very, very evil began on that day, because I began to sing, JOY TO THE WORLD, A DANISH IS BORN... . I kid you not. A new Autumn tradition was born that day, and with it, visiting the absolutely gorgeous Sandhill Crane of Woodbridge road, later in the day, as they return home to their resting place, and taking this delectable snack with me. My hot cocoa has evolved to Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce, and the two together is nothing short of life affirming! Who doesn't need something like that once in a while? I have always had a sweet tooth, which is probably really bad at my age, but they holidays only come around once a year, and Autumn is sacred, so what's a girl to do?

Everything about the two pastries is perfect, however they are both a bit expensive. Shrug. What isn't expensive anymore? if $4 for a cheese danish seems pricey, I found a recipe hack that could make indulging more often reasonable, and of course, it can be customized as you like. You can find the recipe here. I haven't tried it yet, but I hope to soon. I have a few other treats ahead of it, waiting to be made. Hubby wants some chocolate cinnamon biscotti, and I want to make some Cinnamon pecans. Not to mention baked apples and perhaps even a holiday pavlova. I love this time of year! Autumn is the sweetest time of life.

A Photo A Day For 6 Months: Day 137~ Hot Chocolate

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt."

~Charles M. Schulz

A truly well done Hot Chocolate is a thing of beauty. :) One of our favorite traditions in autumn, is to spend the day after Thanksgiving in San Francisco, watching the mad dash of holiday shoppers going here and there in Union Square. Alan and I consider that day, known in shopping circles as, Black Friday, one of our favorite holidays. We have our turkey feast the night before, pass out cold by 7:30 pm, and get up in the wee early hours of the day after Thanksgiving, to get a head start on watching the shopping crazies try to beat their fellow shoppers to Macy's or Bloomingdales or even Walmart, with the goal of getting one of the specialty priced... oh... say... left-handed monkey pliers for Great-Aunt Mauggie. You remember her... right? She is your aunt 17 times removed. LOL But she always remembers you during the holidays by sending you an over sized, musical Christmas card, with postage due.

Oh... I kid the strange aunt. LOL. Alan and I don't have anyone all that dramatic to deal with, in fact except for his parents, that's the only family we have. Otherwise we are just us in this world. Gosh, I miss his brother this time of year. Daryl passed away in 2008 at age 50. We talked a few times a year, especially during the holidays, so I think of him and miss him, but I also smile because of all the games of Monopoly we played on holidays when we were kids. I met Alan and Daryl on Memorial day in 1977, and after that when our families got together for Christmas breakfast, or New Year's celebration, the three of us, and whoever else was there, always played board games after dinner. But that was back when I was a kid, and could eat a heavy Thanksgiving dinner, without succumbing to a carbohydrate coma.

Daryl was a great guy, it doesn't hurt to think of him anymore. In fact, this might sound strange, but sometimes I swear I can hear him laughing. Especially during those times when I trip or some other self embarrassing moment. LOL. He and Alan were the only ones who could get away with teasing me about my stumbles. LOL. We were the best kind of family, family you wanted to have as opposed to the ones God, in his odd sense of humor, gives you. I have a lot to ask God about. LOL. Daryl was a gift to everyone who knew him. He knew Alan and I were in love long before we did, but he let us come to that realization on our own, and in our own time. The day we got engaged, we called to tell him, and in a voice soft with happiness he asked... "What took you guys so long?"

Daryl would have loved Black Friday as much as we do. I can almost see the three of us, sitting at the shiny silver outdoor table at Emporio Rulli Il Cafe in Union Square, laughing at all the shoppers fighting over the awesome bargains. LOL. Is there anything more relaxing than finding your zen in the middle of complete Chaos? LOL. But it's just Alan and I and our memories of all the holidays, and laughter, and wild debates about whether or not Alan and I make up our own words when playing Password. LOL. If I had a nickle for every time Daryl said... "THAT'S NOT A WORD!"

I hope Daryl knows that when we meet again one day, the Hot Chocolate is on me! LOL. And I can already hear my friend/brother laughing about it!

~Me :)

Now go check out what my pal JR is up to with his camera!

JR
http://jrclinephotography.blogspot.com/2012/09/apadf6-132.html

A Late Autumn's Daydream

From For Ellipsis

"The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world, and wake up in another quite different, and id this is not enchantment, then where is it to be found?

-J.B. Priestley

It snowed last night. Come have a look...



South Park Drive at Grizzly Peak Boulevard

From For Ellipsis

Near The Steam Trains (Tilden Park)

From For Ellipsis

Water Fountains In Tilden

From For Ellipsis

There might be a few more snow showers later today, but tonight is supposed to be even colder! Perhaps as low as the high teens. I LOVE it! I am already missing my beautiful autumn leaves, but the snow is so lovely, and so much fun. Is there anything better then grabbing a Hot Chocolate, and watching it snow outside?



;) Carly

Update: My local ABC affiliate KGO 7 published one of my photos on their website slide show! Click here to view it!

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Get Mugged

"Don't laugh at coffee. Some day you, too, may be old and weak."

-Unknown

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take a picture of one or more interesting coffee mugs you might have. Because it's my experience that people have coffee mugs with interesting stories behind them. At least I do.

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

Coffee mugs. Tee Hee. Why am I laughing at coffee mugs? Well, see, coffee mugs, and I, have had quite a past! I am sure you remember the story of how, at one time, I had a deathly fear of ceramic coffee mugs. LOL. True story. It was so bad, that my heart would pound, my skin would become hot, and I would feel dizzy, if I even saw someone drinking from one. Sheesh. LOL. I can laugh at it now, but at the time, it was high drama! :)

That was back in the mid 90's, and I have since been cured of that fear. Thank goodness, because I have come to know the joys of a good, solid coffee mug. I am not a coffee drinker, I much more prefer Hot Chocolate, Herbal Teas, or my very favorite hot beverage, Caramel Apple Cider, but I also enjoy having soup in a big mug, like the one in the above photo. I got this Friends, "Central Perk," mug, when the show was in it's 6th season.

It was a gift from Alan, for having successfully completed the "Unreasonable Fears And How To Overcome Them" workshop/support group. LOL. True story. Now, I consider that mug among my favorite things. Oh, if the house were on fire I probably wouldn't go running back into the burning building to retrieve it, but I would sure miss my mug. It's a friend. :)

-OndineMonet
"Got Hot Beverage?"
Berkeley, California
September 11th, 2007
Afternoon