Three Beautiful Things 12-24-20: Anniversary Vacuuming, Christmas Salad Prep, Gift Exchange with Christy

 1. Back in 1997, Debbie and I dropped into the Hitching Post Lakeside Chapel in Coeur d'Alene and in the most private ceremony possible, got married. We then bolted over the 4th of July Pass and descended into Kellogg, arriving about an hour earlier than planned. We pulled in front of the house and Mom had not changed into her day clothes, had rollers in her hair, and was vacuuming the living room. 

That image, of seeing Mom, through the picture window, on our wedding day, spiffing up the house has been an enduring source of respect and good-spirited laughter between Debbie and me ever since.

So, as a tribute to Mary Idell West Woolum, this afternoon,  I vacuumed the living room. I don't have any rollers to put in my hair, but I did vacuum in my pajama bottoms and a hooded sweatshirt and thanked Mom for making her home such a welcoming place for Debbie and me to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas as newlyweds.

2. I'm going to stay home on Christmas Day and join other family members, including Debbie from New York, on Zoom for gift exchanging. Family members will deliver gifts and the Christmas breakfast to me. Later in the day, family will deliver Christmas dinner to me as well. We're having oyster stew. I am contributing a salad and this afternoon I bought the last ingredients I needed for the salad at Yoke's (and purchased the prime rib we'll have on Sunday for family dinner) and cut up the vegetables, put them in containers, and, on Christmas Day, I'll follow the recipe's suggestions for how to prepare these veggies before combining them into a salad and send my contribution to the afternoon party. 

3. Christy and I exchanged gifts this evening shortly after 7 p.m. I fixed Christy an Old-fashioned and mixed myself a dry gin martini. Christy gave me a four pack of Glenlivet single malt Scotch miniatures -- oh my! --, six different kinds of dry rub from Gustus Vitae -- which promises some fun experimenting in the kitchen --, and two terrific books: first, the anthology of Native Nations poetry that our current U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo edited, with assistance from an editing team, entitled, When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through and James Shapiro's historical study of Shakespeare's presence in the U.S.A. from 1833 to the present, entitled, Shakespeare in a Divided America. Both books look fascinating.