The last few weeks were filled with multiple vet appointments. Big Cat turned nineteen years old at the beginning of the month, and he has developed an eye ulcer. His right eye started to develop an odd spot on it. He wasn’t rubbing at it or squinting, but, as it got bigger, I sent in a picture to the vet.
She was worried it was hurting him, and we did some eye drops for a couple of weeks. The spots shrunk a bit, but the vet wanted me to take him to an ophthalmologist. We are now trying a couple of different eye drops, and I’ve been able to reduce his pain meds. The eye doctor doesn’t think it is hurting him. Unless he starts squinting, I’m lessening the pain meds to what I have found to be optimal for his arthritis.
Everyone who sees him still says he looks good for his age. Considering that a cat half his age would still be considered almost geriatric, that is not saying much. He promised me at least twenty years – we had a heartfelt cat-person conversation. I would be happy if he at least makes it through this next summer. Since he can’t run away as much now, I’ve been taking him outside in good weather, and he has loved lounging in the sun.
Big Cat has been my companion for nearly half my life. He moved out of my parents’ house with me. He cried and laughed with me through my relationships. He accepted my husband when we all moved in together, winning him over despite his reluctance to become a pet owner. I want to make sure he is as comfortable as possible for however long he has remaining.
Schedules were more congested than usual this year, so we ended up packing a lot into the Christmas weekend. Every year, sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas, our group of friends has what we call Thanksmas. It’s a formal holiday dinner for us and our families that we do potluck style. While it is usually more centralized between the two holidays, this year, it needed to be all the way out on the 23rd.
My husband and I hosted both Thanksmas and Christmas with my family on the 25th. For both events, we prepped and cooked a turkey, meaning two events were hosted and two turkeys were cooked in three days. We dry brine our turkeys, so they don’t take up as much space as a liquid brining. This was essential with all the stuff we had to pack into the refrigerator.
I think these were some of our best turkeys to date, coming out very moist and flavorful with the nice crispy skin. The gravy also turned out very tasty. Some of my other favorites were the stuffing, sweet potatoes, and – of course – my family’s traditional noodles.
With the two carcasses, we made a bunch of turkey stock. Some stock from the first turkey was used for the noodles on Christmas day, but we also ended up canning some of it. A couple of the cans did not seal in the pressure canner, so we put those in the refrigerator instead to use for soups over the next week. We’ll store the sealed ones for use later.
One of the coolest gifts I received for Christmas was from my sister. She is big into crafts (knitting, sewing, etc.) and started doing some basic quilting this year. She made some small quilted items, a handful of potholders, and a small table runner. They have some heat stuff in the middle, so we can use them all to hold hot items, and most of them have a summer theme with watermelons and other such images.
To friends and family reading this, thank you for all the gifts, food, and companionship this holiday season. And, to everyone, happy holidays and get ready for the new year!
It had been a while since I spent Thanksgiving at my in-laws until this year. Between COVID and their frequent trips to warmer weather in the winter, most recent years were spent with my side of our family.
This year the other side was hosting a larger gathering, including us. We brought some asparagus to contribute to the family feast of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and the rest. I’m not a big pumpkin fan, so I went with the apple pie for dessert.
My family ended up having ham instead of turkey this year. I approve of this, as it means we can have turkey for Christmas, and that is my preference. The only thing I regret about the switch is that I couldn’t snag some of our family noodles to go with my turkey leftovers.
I’m sure I’ve mentioned the noodles before. They are a family tradition for the holidays. The recipe is like an old spaetzle recipe transformed with more of an Italian pasta-making process. Either way, we cook them with turkey stock and drippings to use as a side or in place of gravy. Since they had ham instead, I’m stuck using the packaged poultry gravy for my leftovers instead. I’ll have to rectify this for Christmas lunch.
I hope you were all able to take some time for family and friends. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
The last month or so has been a significant struggle for me. I have felt overwhelmed, depressed, and at a loss for how to move forward. Many factors have contributed to the situation, and not all are entirely negative. The combination has driven me to the point where my emotional cup is full and every additional trigger sends it overflowing.
I’m working through the challenges. My husband has been an immense pillar of support, taking on more in the home and providing administrative support for the business. He and my sister were also extremely helpful with the Renaissance Faire over the last three weekends. I would not be where I am today without their help and support.
My blog posts and social media have not been as reliably regular as in the past. The timing will continue to be a bit sparse for a while longer. Something has to give while I recover my time, but it will not last forever.
To shift my focus, I want to highlight a few of the good things that have happened recently.
The Renaissance Faire was an immense success. I met many wonderful people and received overwhelmingly positive feedback on my books. On top of the faire, I have also received five more reviews on Amazon, hitting the fifty mark, and more people are reading through the series.
My business is going well in most areas. While I have felt back at square one, it is well beyond that point with potential upside remaining.
I took some time last weekend for myself. I went to a family lunch, watched TV, sat with my cats, and made some jam.
I will continue to push forward, focus on the positive, and take my counselor’s advice to apply the skills for emotional management. One day at a time, I will work to get back on track and find my balance. In the meantime, everyone please give my alpha readers some encouragement as they work through the draft of Hidden Strength.
(If you are curious about the muffin picture, I have also treated myself to chocolate muffins.)
No, this post is not about Bavaria, but about the little slice of Bavaria nestled in the Cascade Mountains. I spent the 4th of July week in Leavenworth, Washington for a much-needed vacation. This one we took with my sister and her kids, sharing a VRBO and planning some group activities.
The first day was horseback riding. Everyone was interested in that one, and we had reserved the early morning spot so we were out on the mountain before the heat of the day hit. I have been on rides a few times before, and I love meeting the horses and having a relaxing ride along trails through the forest.
Horse selfie! I had to borrow my niece’s jeans because I packed last minute and forgot my own.
While the adults rode in the last three positions, my nephew and niece were toward the front with the guide. Our horses started to fall back from them a bit. We think it was because my niece’s horse had gas the entire time, so Duncan, my husband’s horse, stayed back a good horse length or more. Then we slowed down further because Splash at the back had to stop to pee so many times.
I love it, though. I find a ride through the woods relaxing because you are away from the stress of life. It is the same with the hike we did on the 4th, which was probably my highlight. Usually, my favorite part would have been the ziplining or rafting, because I love those fun, exciting activities. This year, I have enough thrill in my everyday life that I needed the away time.
We made it to the lake! There were actually two lakes on this hike, but the kids were getting tired, so we turned back at the first one.
As for the rafting and ziplining, the rafting was tame compared to my single prior experience. It was late in the season with the water running low and slow, but the ease was perfect for my nephew’s first time rafting. He now wants to go again with us in May. He is not fully processing how much rougher and colder it will be at that time of year, but we will likely not be going for at least another year or two.
Ziplining is always awesome and something we try to do on every vacation. Each location puts its own spin on the experience, and this one had a clever duck hunt. They had over 200 rubber ducks hidden along the course and gave the group a target of how many we needed to find to earn our stickers at the end. There was even a giant duch made out of floaties in a pond, and we had a contest of who could throw a little rubber duck inside of the floating duck as they zipped across. Only one of the guides made it, but I think I was the closest otherwise.
Along with activities, if you head to Leavenworth, you should make sure to check out a few of the Bavarian attractions. Andres Keller was my favorite German food during this trip. The schnitzel with spätzle was wonderful, and they had an accordion player there during dinner. For shops, the cheesemonger is not to be missed. They know their cheeses and have samples to try. Cured, the butcher, and the oil and vinegar shops are also top on our list. If you prefer sweets, there are a few chocolatiers along with handmade ice cream available.
We walked everywhere, and I probably still ate more calories than I should have. Regardless, I had a great time. The hot weather soaked into my bones, and I took some time to relax and have fun. Now, it’s back to work!
Before work, we did have D&D with a potluck dinner yesterday. But, NOW, it’s back to work.
Tiffany Shearn 
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