1. Over in the ZOOM zone this afternoon, Bridgit, Bill, Diane, and I talked about music and musicians, poems and poets, family complications that can arise at holiday time, the changes Diane is experiencing as a relatively newly retired person, and Bridgit's vision of her retirement in a couple of years. We also talked about respiratory infections/viruses and spent some time reviewing the past nearly three years and the illnesses we've experienced and ones we've witnessed. I think we agreed that as we age, our health and well-being becomes more vulnerable and that having illness descend upon us, even if we are doing all the right things, is unpredictable and possibly inevitable.
2. I made a quick trip to Yoke's and was of little help when I ran into Christy who was looking for a specific kind of port wine. I did, however, decide to try a cornbread mix I'd never heard of called Uncle Dave's. I returned home and baked a pan of cornbread for family dinner and, as has been the case with several things I've bought at the store, I was disappointed with how much sugar was in this mix. From now on, I'm going to take the extra time of baking cornbread from scratch and assert more control over the cornbread's amount of sugar and sweetness. (By the way, and thank God, those who commented on the cornbread at dinner said they liked it. That was a relief. Nonetheless, in the future, I'm staying away from cornbread mixes.)
3. Paul, Carol, Molly, Debbie, and I invaded Christy's house for family dinner tonight. We started with cucumber slices topped with cheese and a red pepper that made the food look like Santa's hat and with a bourbon and cinnamon whiskey and pomegranate juice, garnished with a cinnamon stick and an orange slice. I never caught the name of it, but I enjoyed mine. I drank it very slowly. It was the first cocktail or any alcohol I had consumed for over three weeks.
Christy baked a ham and fixed our cousin Derek's cheesy potato recipe for dinner. This was Sunday night comfort food for sure. Debbie roasted baby carrots and added fresh spinach leaves to this side dish. I brought cornbread and Carol made a tasty fruit salad.
Our conversation tonight was wide and deep as we discussed different ways of understanding and experiencing Christianity, the kindness of strangers and neighbors, and some of the things that are dividing people one from another in the USA. It's a relief to me that the six of us are not in conflict about these matters and, if fact, find support in each other as we discuss our observations and offer up our analyses.
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