and now we return to your normally scheduled broadcast

No matter how you celebrated, I hope your holiday was/is filled with love.

Our Solstice Eve was shared with my niece and her husband as well as our daughter, son in law and grandaughter. Later in the evening after coming home from my niece's, my twin sis, her husband and our friend Bill came out and spent the evening with us, rounding out the day.

On Tuesday following Solstice we met our daughter in law half way between our homes and brought the two older (5 and 7 years) grandsons home with us, after a nice lunch with all three and their mom. Tuesday consisted of playing games, making chocolate dipped pretzels and having pizza for supper, followed by ice cream!

On Christmas Eve, with boys in tow, we drove to our daughters to house to spend the afternoon and evening with our family and to return the boys to their parents as well as bring our grandaughter home with us in order to get her to her biological dad's this morning for his holiday visitation. It was late when we got back home last night, about 10:30. When I let the dog out I found a note stuck in our front door. It read, "Don't Delay" on the front. I thought, what the heck? It was from our Amish friend Sam letting us know they had butchered a hog and no matter how late, we should get over there and get what we wanted because tomorrow may be too late, it was first come, first serve. We had told them we'd take some of the pork when they butchered, but thought we might get more notice than that!

So, with the car still warm and the money in his pocket, Coop headed the mile or two to Sam's to see what he could get. He came home with a bag containing over 20 pounds of casing sausage, a couple of pounds of bulk sausage, plus loins and a bone-in slab. Oh yeah and a slab of pork belly to make into bacon. We stored it all in the garage overnight to stay cool and this morning I got to work. First cutting appropriate sized links of sausage for freezing...


then taking these loin pieces and slicing some thick chops as well as a roast. The bony piece was cut in half for roasts...I'm thinking pork and kraut here. I made a dry cure of salt, brown sugar and freshly ground black pepper for the bacon. I've never cured bacon before, so hopefully this will turn out well. Once cured we'll smoke it on the grill or dry it in the oven.

I had planned a more productive day, but after lunch a nap was just too irresistible. After the busyness of the past week, I guess there's nothing wrong with that and finding myself happy to be here at home where it is just the two of us with our dog and cats and the peace and quiet and nothing needing my immediate attention. I admit, no matter how I miss them and how happy I am to spend time with my family, I am always happy to return home as well. Tonight there are dishes to be done and a floor to be swept among other things, but these things will still be here tomorrow. For tonight, I think I hear the sofa calling me back, along with a good read and a cup of tea. A peaceful night awaits. I wish you the same as well.