Suzy Says

For some reason, the Powers That Be decided that it would be a good idea to show the latest season of Emily in Paris in two parts, one in August and one in September. Megan and I could not have agreed less. We had been waiting a long time to find out what happened with Emily and her friends, especially after the cliffhanger ending of Season 3. Also, I am not known for my patience.

But the Powers That Be seldom, if ever, care what I think, so we had to go along with their schedule. On the other hand, it did give us two chances to hang out and spend time together, which is always good.

Before settling in with Emily and pizza, we took a tour around the garden, which was looking lovely:

I checked in on Clyde, who is sleeping peacefully under the chinquapin tree, his spot marked by a beautiful hand-made yellow glass marker. In late January or early February, his resting place will be covered with a blanket of yellow daffodils planted by Megan. I miss my sweet boy so much.

Back at Megan’s place, we cracked open some very good local champagne:

and toasted Emily and each other. It was delicious. I love champagne.

Megan decided that we would move our Emily watching activities to the bedroom, where we could relax on the bed as we sipped our champagne and delighted in Emily. It was definitely more comfortable, though being somewhat height-challenged, I was less than graceful getting on and off the bed, which is much higher than mine.

We had a great time. I love sister time!

A YEAR AGO: Enjoying the Fair.

FIVE YEARS AGO: You guessed it: at the Fair!

TEN YEARS AGO: Fun at the Fair.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Fleeing the heat.

The Grange Fire, July 25, 2024

July 25 turned out to be an eventful day. Just after I got home that day, still reeling from the news of Duchess’ litter of seven kittens, my sister texted me to say there was a fire in Boonville and that people were evacuating.

Faithful readers may recall that Boonville is where Erica and Jessica used to live (and where fire also claimed the life of Erica’s mother); where we go to the annual County Fair; and where I like to pick up pizza and sometimes scented candles and dessert. It’s about a 40 minute drive from my house, or about the same length of drive as my daily commute to work. It is around 30 miles from Hooterville.

Megan suggested getting ready to evacuate just in case, though our brother did not think it would be necessary and it seemed that the fire was moving east, away from us. Progress was made during the night, and the evacuation orders were lifted the next day, but it was too close for comfort.

A YEAR AGO:  Having some fun.

FIVE YEARS AGO:  Doing some cooking.

TEN YEARS AGO: Of backs and trees.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Taking a look at a new house (now my old house). So glad I moved to the country!

TWENTY YEARS AGO: O is for…

The Duchess of Navarro Ridge

I didn’t know which prospect was scarier: her giving birth outside, or in my house. I contacted a local cat rescue, and they said they would get back to me, but it took a while. As I waited, I got more worried.

I finally heard back from the Executive Director of the rescue, and she said that she herself would look after the Mystery Cat, who I had started to call Duchess. All I had to do was catch Her Pregnant Grace and bring her to the Village.

I managed this by putting a little dish of food in the cat carrier and then slamming the prison door as soon as she went inside to eat it. I expected her to complain the whole way, but she was completely silent. I, on the other hand, talked to her the whole way, just as I did with Clyde on our final drive.

Arriving at the foster home, foster mom Shelley was just coming out of her house. She was charmed with how beautiful Duchess is. She said that the vet was on vacation for a week and she would take Duchess in once the vet was back.

The appointment was slated for July 24, but Shelley couldn’t get Duchess into the carrier. She was finally able to catch her the following day, and while Duchess was waiting to see the doctor, she gave birth to seven – yes, seven! – kittens, five black ones (I knew it!) and two orange. Shelley is sure this is not Duchess’ first rodeo, but it will be her last.

My house is not equipped for taking care of kittens, especially while the other cats go in and out. So Shelley, who loves kittens, agreed to keep Duchess and her brood until they are weaned. Then Duchess will be spayed and come home to me. I won’t get her back until October, which seems like a long way away. I’m also not sure how to handle this with my landlord. Is it better to ask for permission or forgiveness?

All I know is, I can’t turn my back on a living creature who came to me starving and in need of help. She needs me. Dodge loves her. They used to spend time together and he would bathe her head. I know he misses Clyde. And the timing of her arrival and the fact that I had never seen a stray cat at my house the whole time I’ve lived here makes me wonder…

A YEAR AGO: I seem to be immature on the outside as well as the inside.

FIVE YEARS AGO: I went to the movies! I think that is the last time I went.

TEN YEARS AGO: It was good to be home. Side note: pictures of Clyde still stab me in the heart. I don’t think I will ever stop missing my beloved boy.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Remembering how I first became a coffee addict.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: Farewell to the Hamptons! Unfortunately, the photos have been lost in the mists of time.

Happy Friday!

It was a happy Friday at the real Happiest Place on Earth. Megan’s, Monica’s, and my schedules all aligned and we met for dinner at our favorite seaside bar.

Those among us who are not fans of being slightly chilled, like a fine Chablis, decided that we should sit inside. We were delighted to see that the inimitable Aiyana was tending bar, and she both made the delicious concoction you see above and gave us big, wonderful hugs. It was so good to see her.

We turned our attention to the wine list, following Dad’s edict to choose the wine first and then select the food. Megan decided on a rosé that was new to me, from nearby Fathers and Daughters. Drink local! It was delicious, refreshing and bright, with notes of tropical fruit without being too sweet.

We shared a delightful cheese platter as we contemplated the menu:

That’s quince mebrillo in the middle, along with Brie, Shropshire Blue, and Gruyère. Monica ordered the salmon special of the day, and Megan had soupe au pistou, which reminded me of the long-ago summer when I was 17. I spent it on the French Riviera, where I first encountered soupe au pistou and pesto, not to mention other delicacies that it was better not to know what you were eating. After finding out that bouchées à la reine had sweetbreads in it, and further found out what sweetbreads were, I stopped asking.

My salad was garnished with beautiful, edible flowers from the restaurant’s garden:

And was the perfect accompaniment to the light gnocchi, garnished with pine nuts:

Somehow, we managed to save room for a flight of desserts to share:

It was so great to spend time together, catch up on each other’s lives, and just be together. More and more, I realize that time is the greatest luxury.

FIVE YEARS AGO: Settling in to the beautiful new house.

TEN YEARS AGO: How to make faux pho.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Heading back to the City from the country (where I now live).

TWENTY YEARS AGO: It’s harder to get a cab in New York than you’d think.

Faithful readers (or even the casual ones) will not be surprised to learn that my attempt at growing a moss rose plant from scratch – I mean, seeds – was an epic failure. I asked Megan to see if she could grown some in the greenhouse for me to transplant, but instead, she brought me this plant:

It’s supposed to be deer and rabbit resistant, and this has proved to be the case so far. I think the sign looks perfect in the Clyde-shaped planter. The green is very close to the color of his beautiful eyes. It makes me feel a little better to have his plant close by and know that he is always remembered and always loved.

The Mystery Cat is still hanging around, and is still hungry. I feed her twice a day now. I am pretty sure she is a girl, since I caught her in flagrante with another cat and shooed her suitor away, hoping it was not too late. Like every other parent, I also hoped that they didn’t resume their activities as soon as my back was turned.

Here she is, lounging on the back porch where the Clyde Memorial Plant is:

Rolling around on her back remains her signature move, like Dodge’s hopping, and it is adorable.

I am able to pet her a little when I feed her, though petting makes her wince a bit and she seems to be unfamiliar with the concept. She definitely prefers wet food to kibble. I am now able to close the door when I let her in the house in the morning to feed her, though she does eventually get nervous and want to go out again. I have started to call her Duchess.

A YEAR AGO: The unlucky 13th.

FIVE YEARS AGO: Unboxing the ancient grandfather clock.

TEN YEARS AGO: A busy Sunday.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Things were less than exciting.

Since I had kind of pre-celebrated my birthday on Megan’s birthday, I didn’t really do much to mark the great day itself. I did give myself a couple of days off, though. My birthday fell, inconveniently, on a Tuesday, so I took Tuesday through Thursday off, working on Monday and Friday. I later discovered that this is pretty much the ideal work schedule.

Another drawback to the Tuesday birthday* is that many restaurants, including the beloved Ledford House, are not open for business, even for Me. But who wants to cook their own birthday dinner? I solved this problem by getting take-out dinner from Luna, which was, as always, magically delicious.

I finally had the sparkling wine my healthcare provider/co-worker/family tenant gave me back in February to mark the return of heat and light to my humble abode after 5 days of cold and darkness following an epic storm. It was still festively beribboned.

I wasn’t feeling all that festive, probably because Clyde’s birthday was just four days after mine and he didn’t live to see his. I miss my sweet boy so much. The house doesn’t feel the same without him. I still can’t believe I will never see him or cuddle him again.

Despite Clyde’s eternal absence, I enjoyed my days off, waking up in the light and not having to put on faux adult armor or drive anywhere. Sometimes Doing Nothing is the best.

*I was born on a Monday morning. Which explains why I’m fair of face. In more ways than one.

A YEAR AGO: An outdoor wedding.

FIVE YEARS AGO: Getting internet for my birthday was a pretty good present.

TEN YEARS AGO: Car repairs for my birthday.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: A round-up of fabulous handbags.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: Defeated by a book.

You may remember that the last time Megan and I went to our favorite seaside bar with our friend Monica, Megan temporarily lost her wedding ring. She found it right next to her chair in the garden, but it was clearly time to get it resized to avoid further, and possibly permanent, wedding ring loss.

She took the ring to our friend Chris, who has a jewelry shop in the Village and who also restrung my 30th birthday pearls a few years ago. It took him a little while to repair the ring. It turned out that the ring was no longer round after years of wear, and that parts of the setting needed to be strengthened and some of the small diamonds re-set.

It was worth the wait, though:

It looks better than it has in years. And like Megan, it is unique. We both really like it after all these years.

It was great to see Chris and catch up on each other’s lives. I admired the view from the shop on the way out:

It was such a lovely day that we decided to stop off at a café for a glass of wine and some nibbles. We were intrigued by the Honig Sauvignon Blanc, which neither of had tried before. Megan pointed out that two glasses would cost almost the same as a bottle, so we got the bottle:

It was delicious, and lived up to the description of “Bright, inviting floral, pear and citrus aromas lead to a lively and harmonious palate. Resplendent with jasmine and citrus notes that range from grapefruit to lemongrass and kafir lime, delightfully nuanced by tropical notes”. It must be be fun to be a wine writer.

It was so nice to sit in the pretty garden on a sunny spring afternoon, enjoying the flowers, sea breezes, and just being together.

FIVE YEARS AGO: In limbo.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: Being stalked by a pigeon. Yes, a pigeon.

When I arrived at the family estate for dinner, Megan poured us a glass of wine and then took me on a tour of the garden. It reminded me of how Dad and I used to tour his garden before dinner, glass of wine in hand.

First, I stopped by to visit my beloved Clyde. He is resting peacefully under the chinquapin tree. There are still boards and cement blocks over him to keep the marauders out, but I think it will be safe to move those soon. I put his little yellow marker up, and it will be good to plant cheery yellow daffodils there this fall.

I miss him so much. Every day. I talked to him and told him how much he is missed and how much we love him, including Dodge. I just want to hold my Clyde once more and bury my face in his satiny black fur. I guess you always want more time.

Back in the garden, things are off to a great start:

Peppers are growing in the pepper houses:

Strawberries are flourishing in their (hopefully) raccoon-proof beds:

As soon as I saw this tool, I knew it was something Rob had made. Why not have something that is useful and also a work of art?

This year, my siblings are trying thornless blackberries for the first time:

I didn’t even know that was a thing.

The raspberries are already buzzing with bees:

And tomatoes and hot peppers are growing in the greenhouse:

Spring is such a beautiful time of year!

A YEAR AGO: The loss of a long-time friend.

FIVE YEARS AGO: A flood complicated my moving preparations.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: The horrors of an SEC audit. I hope you never experience this.

Although Monica closed her shop a couple of years ago, she still holds pop-up events now and then. One of them coincided with a time that both Megan and I were available, something that happens all too rarely, given her ever-changing night shifts and my never-ending day shifts.

Monica has recently been partnering with a friend who has access to unique vintage items, which are artfully mixed in with new things. Monica has not lost her touch in arranging things beautifully and creating a welcoming and comfortable space that inspires one to linger:

In the back, she set up a little bar, with infused water and delicious wines from the winery where she now works:

Since Megan was driving, I got to taste the wine, and it was really good. Megan and I are beginning to plot a trip to Monica’s winery and a couple of others inland in the next few weeks, before it gets boiling hot. Stay tuned on that.

I was unable to resist a little turquoise ceramic bird, which is quite at home at my office:

and a little pine-scented candle for home, because you know how I am about scented candles.

We had a wonderful time before heading back to Megan’s place for pizza and GirlTV(TM). It seemed like a long time since we had hung out, and we enjoyed every moment.

A YEAR AGO: A wonderful trip to the Valley.

FIVE YEARS AGO: The horrors of being crowned.

TEN YEARS AGO: A busy and fun weekend.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: An Easter care package.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: Judging the rather degenerate contents of my recycling bin.

So…

This little guy or girl (while I am excellent at detecting the actual sex of humans, despite their outward appearance, I am notoriously bad at determining the sex of cats, where I am consistently incorrect) just appeared one day recently.

In all the years I have lived in Hooterville, I have never had a stray cat show up at my house. It seems odd that about six weeks after losing Clyde, a cat turned up.

He or she is fluffy and pretty:

and a little shy, though s/he has an endearing habit of rolling around on his/her back, which also suggests a certain lack of fear. Dodge seems to welcome the newcomer. I have seen them sniff each other and touch noses, and Dodge will sit quite near the Mystery Cat:

Dodge clearly misses Clyde, and I think he would welcome a companion. He seems to like the interloper. But I’m not sure I want to take on another cat. It seems too soon after losing Clyde, and I just assumed that Dodge would be my last cat. I don’t want my cats to outlive me. Also, I’m sure my landlord does not want me to adopt this cat. Or any cat, for that matter.

You will not be surprised to learn that I have started to feed the visitor, who is very hungry. I am hoping be able to catch him/her and go to the Humane Society, where I can learn if he or she is microchipped or listed as missing. I have put out notices on the local listserv and Facebook with no response.

So we’ll see what happens. In the meantime, I will keep Mystery Cat supplied with food and water and hope that he or she can stay safe out there.

A YEAR AGO: A mid-week celebration.

FIVE YEARS AGO: An unexpected funeral.

TEN YEARS AGO: The horror of bureaucracy.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: The horrors of house hunting. And traffic.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: The horrors of maintenance. They never end!

Sunset

and our drinks, of course:

It was peaceful in the garden, and the waiter was wonderfully attentive. Monica joined us after her hostessing duties were over, and we had a great time catching up. We also talked about Dad a bit, since it was his birthday weekend. Monica asked us what things we each inherited from Dad, but I had to tell her Megan’s and Megan had to tell her mine. We were both correct and didn’t even have to think about our answers. For Megan, it was her science/medical mind, and for me, it was a love of art and literature. It was fun to think about and share our memories.

When we got to Megan’s car, she put her hands on the wheel and realized that her wedding ring was gone. She ran back into the bar and looked through all the paper towels in the restroom trash before going back to our table. There was her ring, glittering in the gravel in the last of the sun’s rays. Whew! She put it her pocket and is going to get it sized as soon as possible. So lucky she found it!

A YEAR AGO: A beautiful drive to the South Coast. Is there any other kind?

FIVE YEARS AGO: Farewell to our beloved Erica and Jessica. I miss them so much!

TEN YEARS AGO: A local production of The Breakfast Club.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Thinking about moving.

Dad’s birthday weekend dawned sunny and surprisingly warm. It was the first really nice day of the year, and especially welcome after what seemed like a pretty tough winter, full of storms, power outages, and cold temperatures.

It happened that our friend Monica was hosting a wine tasting at a lovely inn in the Village:

Because this town so is small – sometimes, its teeniness can still surprise me – the inn used to belong to my friend Richard (the local one, not the San Francisco one*), but I hadn’t been there since the current owners took it over.

We were greeted graciously by Monica and the couple who I later learned owned the inn, and supplied with a glass of wine to go with an exquisite charcuterie platter:

I don’t think I had ever seen a salami rose before.

We headed to the beautiful garden:

which had a charming gazebo:

and enjoyed the wine and the sunshine and the view. We toasted Dad as he had asked us to, long ago: “The old man wasn’t so bad.” He wasn’t. And he would have loved to sit in the garden with us and feel the sun while enjoying a glass of wine. At least we have the memories, and he is always in our hearts.

*Though SF Richard is an older friend in terms of years of friendship, local Richard is older in years.

FIVE YEARS AGO: Celebrating Dad’s birthday.

TEN YEARS AGO: Enjoying time with friends.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: The battle of the boxes.

The day after we buried our beloved Clyde, a huge storm blew in, with torrential rains and high winds. It didn’t take long for the power to go out. And stay out.

On Monday, despite the still-bad weather, I attempted to go to work. The Ridge was carpeted in several inches of debris: twigs, leaves, bark, branches, small trees, pine needles, etc. A couple of times, I got out of the car to move small trees. There were several inches of debris, and I should probably not have driven over it, especially with a low-riding car.

I made it to the Albion River Inn in the pouring rain, only to find a PG&E truck across the road. The worker told me that many trees and power lines were down and that the road would be closed for some time. I made my way back to my cold, dark, Clydeless house, getting a branch stuck under my car as I did so. I was finally able to remove it when I got home, but it made a really loud and unsettling noise while it was stuck.

There’s no heat when there’s no power, and I was just dreading the long, dark night. I made it to work the next day, where I recharged all my devices, if not Self. I stopped by Megan and Rob’s place on my way home for a shower. It felt really good, and it was nice to shower under the skylight. I forgot to bring a hair dryer with me, though, so the total effect was not all it could have been, but at least I was clean.

The power outage dragged on. On the fourth day, I just sat on the couch and cried. I was so tired of the cold and dark and not being able to cook, and by then, the water in the water tank had run out, so things were a little more on the third world side than I was really comfortable with.

The lights finally came back on after five days of being out, and I ran around cleaning up and basking in the joy of heat and light. The next day, I was at the grocery store in town, chatting with an employee I know about how long our power had been out. When I told him that mine had come on the night before and explained where I live, a guy passing by said that he worked for PG&E and that he was the one who had gotten our power restored. So I was able to thank him in person.

We are supposed to get another storm next weekend. I really hope it’s not as bad as this one was. I am so worn out by the loss of Clyde and the stress of the last outage. I don’t think my solstice dumplings did a damn thing.

A YEAR AGO: Things were getting a little brighter.

FIVE YEARS AGO: Some snow days.

TEN YEARS AGO: Getting some rain.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Traveling by train.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: My first visit to Florida.

I met my local friend Richard (not to be confused with my San Francisco-based friend Richard, who has been my friend since we were in high school) at Ledford House. It was after work on a Friday, so I was relegated to the overflow parking lot. At least the view was nice, even on a rainy day:

I arrived to find Richard perched at the end of the bar, where Megan and I usually sit. Here’s the view from my bar stool:

Despite the chilly rain outside and the rapidly departing sun, it was warm and cozy in the bar, and as always, everyone seemed happy. I could feel myself relax and thought, “This is the real happiest place on earth!”

Richard sipped a glass of local pinot noir, and I had a delicious blood orange mocktail since I still had a 6 mile drive ahead of me. Even though Richard lives in the Village and I live in Hooterville, our drives home from the bar take about the same amount of time. It takes me about 10 minutes to get from my house to the highway.

It was great to catch up with Richard. At 76, he is still working and very successful. He has 5 trade shows lined up for this year, along with some personal trips. He took his grandsons to South Africa last year for a working vacation on a farm. He is very active on the local land trust board, and is still seeking new challenges. He is a force of Nature, so positive. He inspires me about life and also about aging. Time has not slowed him down, that’s for sure.

I really enjoyed spending time with Richard, and I smiled all the way home.

A YEAR AGO: Taking shelter from the storm(s).

FIVE YEARS AGO: Taking shelter from the storm(s) at my sister’s place. I’m noticing a theme here.

TEN YEARS AGO: Random thoughts about wandering dogs

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: The joy of Inauguration Day.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: My apartment in San Francisco had its own time zones

Though I don’t live in, or anywhere near, a city, and I don’t spend hours in gridlocked traffic, I do spend a fair amount of time commuting. It takes me about 10 minutes to get from my house to the highway, and that’s assuming it’s not pouring or foggy or both, or being trapped behind someone driving at a pace that would make a particularly underachieving snail impatient. It takes me close to 40 minutes to get to work.

It’s a beautiful drive, but it can be challenging, especially in the dark, which in my case, is most of the year, since I start work at 7 am and I have a long drive.

I’m used to keeping an eye out for deer, rabbits, foxes, and skunks, but I was surprised one morning to come across a couple of humans walking eastwards in the early morning darkness near the one lane redwood bridge. I stopped and asked them if they were okay, and they replied that they were going to watch the sunrise and they were fine. Not sure where they were expecting to see the dawn’s early light or how they got there, since I didn’t see a car. Just another mystery!

I have to admit that I usually drive down the middle of the Ridge, since it’s narrow. This technique also avoids some of the most egregious potholes, which blossom with the winter rains. They were getting pretty bad, but the County came by recently when I was at work and applied asphalt bandaids to most of the problem areas west of the redwood bridge. It was nice to not have to drive around them as best I could and/or flinch when I missed. Sometimes I cringe for my tires on the rough roads around here.

Heading to work, I look forward to seeing the lights at the historic Little River Inn, which is extra sparkly over the holidays, and the beacon of the red martini glass at Dick’s Place in the Village, the only neon sign allowed there, and likely the only one that ever will be. I also look for the flash of the actual beacon at the lighthouse.

On my way home, I look for the deer that often gather at Mallory House, where there is grass to nibble on, verdant green in the winter rains. And on the Ridge, I am always happy to see the wild turkey family:

I’m lucky to live somewhere so beautiful.

A YEAR AGO: Horrible dental pain, as the Bad Year got off to a terrible start.

FIVE YEARS AGO: Spending some time with the kitties. I am pleased to say that Dodge still does his hopping/rubbing against me quirk. I love it.

TEN YEARS AGO: I was under the weather.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: My genius idea for bathing suit shopping.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: Random fire thoughts.

First Day of the Year

I was glad to see the end of the old year. It couldn’t get out of here fast enough as far as I was concerned. It sucked from start to finish, with lots of horrible things in between. I am hoping that the successful completion of my dumpling strategy will help to make sure the new year is kinder to our heroine than the old one was.

The last night of the year was rainy and dark, but it was cozy inside:

I made my annual tourtière, and it turned out wonderfully:

I watched the ball drop in New York, greeting the arrival of the New Year with Paul Anka, who looked and sounded wonderful, wearing an elegant coat. I toasted the New Year:

I even stayed awake to welcome the New Year on both coasts, which doesn’t always happen. I am hoping for an uneventful year. As you can see, the first day of the year was beautiful. Maybe it’s a good sign?

A YEAR AGO: Things started out shitty. And they stayed that way.

FIVE YEARS AGO: A delightful evening.

TEN YEARS AGO: Arriving home from the City to enjoy the arrival of the New Year.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Christmas trees and kittens do not get along.

TWENTY YEARS AGO: Nurse Suzy is a scary thing!

The death of Her Majesty the Queen darkened the end of 2022. The shadow deepened with the sudden and untimely death of my beloved friend Melanie on a beautiful, bright May day. Just as 2022 will forever be the year we lost The Queen, 2023 will forever be the year we lost Melanie.

It’s also the year that Megan had surgery for her thyroid cancer. Her life changed forever that day. Recovery has been longer and more painful than either of us would like, and I can’t help being concerned that there were not clean margins. It seems super unfair that she should be going through this at the young age of 52.

On the bright side, Jonathan and Rio had some fabulous adventures on their first (but not last) trip to Alaska.

It was a long, cold, stormy winter, with lots of power outages, including New Year’s Eve, five days in January across two outages, two days in February, one in March, and a late-breaking outage in May, caused by a human driving into a power pole instead of the weather. We even got some snow this year, and for the first time I can remember since I have lived in California, it lasted a day or two. So weird to drive on snow!

I watched some great TV shows this year, including: Daisy Jones & the Six; Your Honor; Poker Face; Florida Man; The Last Thing He Told Me; and Beef. Perry Mason Season 2 and Bosch Legacy Season 2 were also excellent.

I read 124 books this year, beating last year’s 110 and my previous record of 118 in 2010. Standouts included: Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History by Tracy Borman; Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane; The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay; The Forever Witness: How Genetic Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder by Edward Humes; Desert Star by Michael Connelly; and Somebody’s Fool, by Richard Russo.

January: The crappy year started out appropriately crappily, with a power outage and a staggering rent increase. Unhappy New Year to Me! The hits keep coming, with giant storm after giant storm, including one that prevented me from getting home. They inspired me to stay in town for the dreaded monthly board meeting. A delightfully social weekend.

February: Winter was beginning to lose its grip. But it was still chilly. And winter wasn’t done with us yet.

March: Snow gave way to hail. Is there such a thing as torrential hail? The loss of yet another Queen, as Queenie closed her fabulous restaurant. This development did make me up my weekend breakfast game, though. My eggs Benedict and skillets are restaurant-worthy. A terrifying drive home in yet another storm. I never want to hear the words “atmospheric river” again. Celebrating Dad’s 92nd birthday with my family. A break in the seemingly endless storms inspired me to take a drive down the beautiful South Coast.

April: Celebrating some milestones in the middle of the week. A beautiful trip to Anderson Valley. My blog turned 22. Another lovely visit to the Valley.

May: My longtime friend Richard adopted a kitten! It was love at first sight for both of them. And we lost beloved Scout, Jonathan’s adorable mini cat. Truly, this was a year (and month) of loss. Melanie died on a bright, beautiful afternoon, just three weeks after being diagnosed with lung cancer. She left on her own terms, in her own way, and I am thankful for that. We will carry her bright spirit with us always.

June: Jarrett and Kalli got married at the family property. Megan had her surgery. The 13th seemed particularly unlucky this year. Megan started the long (and so far, not all that successful) recovery process. Jonathan and Rio enjoyed their Alaska adventures.

July: The Imperious Empress Audrey turned a less than sweet sixteen. Long may she reign. A heat wave for the long weekend. Visiting the local farmers’ market.

August: Real estate stalking is extremely unwise. Some miscellaneous updates. Missing Dad on the anniversary of his death. Getting my hair cut, and having some fun with Megan.

September: Garden goodness. My annual peach pie. Enjoying the County Fair. Attending a vineyard wedding.

October: A lovely staycation and dinner in town. Kitty updates, and a kitty intruder.

November: Megan’s and my outing did not go as planned. But we still had fun. I missed the annual family cider pressing. Megan and I shared a lovely evening. A quiet Thanksgiving.

December: Getting ready for Christmas. And getting prettier. Attempting to stave off woeful misfortune in 2024. I really, really, really hope it works. A quiet Christmas.

This year, I survived. Next year, I want to live.

It was a quiet Christmas at Chez Suzy this year. After everything that happened this year, I wasn’t feeling particularly festive, despite the sparkling tree and a four day weekend (almost long enough!). I did manage to make a wonderful Christmas dinner, though.

I tried a new recipe for ham. You roast some clementines with the ham for about half an hour, then puree them whole and mix with brown sugar, mustard powder, mustard, and olive oil. You apply this to the ham, which you have studded with cloves, and bake for a couple of hours until the glaze is sticky and fabulous.

I made my annual cheese biscuits to go with the ham:

I learned that you can’t reuse parchment paper. The second batch stuck to the previously enjoyed parchment paper, and the whole point of parchment paper is that it stops things from sticking. Lesson learned on that one.

I also made a salad of bitter greens with roasted pears and a dressing of shallot, honey, cider vinegar, and olive oil:

It was a wonderful mixture of flavors. And just to make things extra festive, my medical provider (and co-worker, and my brother’s girlfriend’s tenant, among other things) made me this beautiful seasonal arrangement:

It even got the Dodge seal of approval. It was nice of her to think of me.

A YEAR AGO: A south coast Christmas.

FIVE YEARS AGO: A chilly and not particularly festive Christmas.

TEN YEARS AGO: A wonderful Christmas.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: A merry Christmas.

Little Salon in the Big Woods

It was way back in the long-ago summer that I had my hair cut by the incomparable Angelika. It was in the spring that I had my highlights, so I was overdue for some primping.

I allocated some of my Christmas bonus for beautification, and left work early to head to Angelika’s little salon in the big woods. Getting my hair done is a lengthy process, partly because my hair is lengthy and partly because Angelika takes very small sections of hair for highlights, the secret to it growing out so well that you can get away with getting it highlighted twice a year without looking like you have several inches of dark roots.

It was so great to see Angelika and catch up on her news. Being Angelika and living up to her name, she gave me a bag of Christmas gifts when I left. I felt bad that I didn’t give her a gift, but I hadn’t thought of it and money has been tight since I had to get the new (to me) car and my rent went up by 25%. Sigh. I don’t think she minded, though. The bag is under my tree, waiting for Christmas Day. And in the meantime, I am thankful for the gift of friendship.

A YEAR AGO: Having to get a new car and a new phone did not make me happy. At least they are still both working! So far…

FIVE YEARS AGO: Dodge impersonated Houdini.

TEN YEARS AGO: The twelve dogs of Christmas.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: A Christmas memory.

TWENTY YEARS AGO:

I’ll admit it: I didn’t wait until the first Saturday in December to put up my Christmas tree. I put it up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. At least I didn’t do it the day after Thanksgiving. I just felt in desperate need of need of sparkle and some light in the darkness.

So I plunged into the depths of the Closet of Doom, which, in my current mood of confessing my many sins, is almost certainly never, ever going to be organized.

I managed to extricate the tree and my box of ornaments, and set to work. I applied the lights first, and this turned out to be a good thing, because they had retired at some point between last Christmas and this Thanksgiving, and remained resolutely unlit. I removed the dead lights, buried them unceremoniously in the trash, and headed to the Albion hardware store, where I cornered the market on Christmas lights. I heartlessly bought the last three boxes of lights and headed back home, trying not to snicker Grinchily.

I am pleased to say that the Albion hardware lights worked just fine:

They are LEDs, so I can feel good about them using a little less electricity. It was so fun to rediscover my ornaments, from the plastic snowflakes to the glass icicles to the Eiffel Tower:

and my special ornate S and the Wedgwood acorn:

I put the wreath on the door and I was done! Every day, I am enjoying the beauty and sparkle. I wish the holidays were just a little bit longer. It’s such a magical time of year.

TEN YEARS AGO: A busy day.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Getting ready for Christmas. I still use that same wreath!