Good Tidings and all that....

WELL, Christmas has come and gone without our soon-to-be-diagnosed clinical depression/separation anxiety rearing it's ugly head. Er, heads. Whatever.

It was rotten being away from family, just as I predicted in the last post, but there were bright points that took our minds off of how much we miss everyone back home.

One point of questionable brightness was the age-old Christmas Tradition of "Feeding Chickens that Live in Our Yard."

Here's a little vid of me and "Le Coq Monsieur," the young rooster who seems to be the only one that realizes that we're vegetarians and can be trusted. And we're slow-moving.



He's actually the half brother of ""Pomme," the little chick featured in an older, but equally boring post.

Their mother, Frenchie, is growing more and more trusting by the day, and we hope to be able to hand feed her soon.

You know we don't have a TV, right?

Anyway, I was worried that we wouldn't see the Chickens for Christmas. They have been coming around less and less, seeming to take offense to the Holiday album I've been playing.




We received a call from Mr. Chowtee, Maitre D'Hotel of "The Lighthouse at Breakers" (our favorite restaurant on the planet) on Sunday. He advised us that they would be offering a limited seating for Christmas dinner, and that "Someone" had called in a Gift Certificate for us.

I asked if the sender was supposed to be a secret.

He said "I don't know, your Dad didn't say."

We made our reservation and got seats on the patio, where we were able to witness the Christmas Sunset over our insalata.



For dinner, I had a gorgeous Baked Pumpkin Gnocchi with Asparagus and Petit Ripali.



Kristi had Pumpkin and Leek soup with Sunflower Seeds, and I think she liked it.... I was too busy cramming the gnocchi into my face like some Haute Cuisine Homer Simpson to pay attention.

For dessert, we always share the Beignets with Vietnamese Cinnamon. I think they're low carb or something.



They're served with Creme Anglaise, fresh fruit, and Strawberry Coulis, and I think that they're proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

They're so good, I think they merit another pic.



We'll have some when you come and visit. So, COME ON!!!! And tell my folks to phone in another free dinner for us.

The old Red Bay Estate puts on a pretty spectacular Christmas Light display, which we photographed from the car, as we were too stuffed to get out.



I think they're just over-compensating for the fact that they didn't do ANYTHING for 4th of July.

After hauling ourselves inside, I flopped walrus-style back out to the porch to cap off the evening with an exquisite Cuban Partagas Lusitania, one of the benchmark double-coronas of the world.



Coupled with an equally exquisite 8-year-old Angostura Trinidadian Rum, it was a fitting end to a perfect meal.



Two hours alone in the dark gave me a lot of time to think of everyone about whom we care so much.

This is the first Christmas I've ever spent away from friends and family, and I'm not anxious to repeat it.

I was able to make peace with the sadness I feel in the realization that if the people in our lives weren't so incredible, I wouldn't be so "mashed up" over not being with them.

So, while Christmas is an incredible time, there's no reason that the next time we see you can't be just as special.

Togetherness is cause enough for celebration, and it can't come soon enough for us.

Anyway, Merry Christmas, and thanks for reading.

I promise more marginally amusing tales in the New Year, if we make it that far.

Peace.