Life of Wry

It just occurred to me that since I re-started blogging on January 1, I don’t have a photo record of the just-completed holidays. So, Imma gonna post a few Thanksgiving and Christmas photo highlights, just to remember those.

I’m aware that 2022 is not the only year, or holiday season, I’ve missed documenting in Life of Wry. But going backward in time to pick up all those undocumented moments is a slippery slope; I’m not sure where that would end. So let’s just be reasonable here! I’ll allow myself to reach all the way back to November and December, and call it good.

…and with that, holiday season highlights from 2022!

The Thanksgiving week started with two thirds of the Peterson boys, and Chris’s girlfriend Pam, arriving in time to celebrate Chris’s birthday.

(Note: Jim and I started hosting Petersons for Thanksgivings in 2011 and have done so every year since — minus 2015 when we went to Florida to be with the James Frames for Thanksgiving and celebrate Marty’s 60th birthday, and 2016 when mom was too unstable to travel, so we went down there.. and then she passed away a few months later. If you’re counting, then, that makes 2022 our tenth year of hosting the fam!)

Some cooking shots … Pam made Chris’s birthday cake, tons of Thanksgiving day appetizers and a whole bunch of Thanksgiving day dishes.

The red foods.. these are Peterson family Thanksgiving staples — cranberry sauce and Harvard beets. I’m the only Frame who eats these things. (Actually, Peter likes cranberry sauce.)

In the baked goods category, I made cheese crackers, pecan pie, and pumpkin bread. (I also made a pumpkin pie, not shown.)

Jim’s the gravy guy. He takes the lead on the turkey, as well, and eats neither. He forgoes my dressing, but does eat my green beans. (One wonders what he does eat on Thanksgiving… ).

Here are the 2022 Thanksgiving day feasters. Paul and Janet joined us this year. Janet made a salad, Pam made ambrosia and a very rich potato dish PLUS a sweet potato praline dish. And, as mentioned, Jim and I made all the usual stuff.

There were games…

and conversations…

walks in the Arboretum…

That’s Matt on the bridge near Spafford Lake.

After Chris and Pam left, Matt hung around for another three days. One day we headed up to Capay Valley and went olive oil tasting at Seca Hills tasting room. This is taken outside the tasting room.

It was a lovely, very low stress Thanksgiving. Missed Peter terribly. It’s only the second time we’ve missed him on TG.. the first being during Covid, when he stayed in A2 and celebrated with Claire and Lisa. This year, he was with Maya’s family in Bloomington, as he’d attended his annual American Physics Society conference in Indianapolis, which just precedes the holiday.

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And then there was Christmas…

There was the prep phase… we got the lights up on December 2 (and they’re still up today (!), even as the rest of Christmas has been put away. We’re waiting for the rains to stop… if they ever do). We’ve now figured out it’s easier /safer for Jim to get on the roof to attach the lights. In years past, it’s been three different ladders. Not sure how long we’ll let Jim be on the roof.. but for now he’s good up there. The man can sure focus on a task!

I love these lights.

I’m in charge of the interior decorations (obvs). This was a new thing this year.. putting all the xmas chotchkies on the mantle. They’ve moved all over the place, but I think this will be where they go from now on. I’ve now ordered matching stockings for Peter and Maya to replace these fill-in stockings (Peter’s original one is lost somewhere in his A2 room).

Home For the Holidays is a must attend event each year. This was their 19th or 20th… We’ve attended all but one or maybe two over the years. This is a bit of a Way Out West mash up… Bill Edwards, Tracy Walton, Joe Craven.. with Rick Lotter (from Mumbo Gumbo) playing a version of drum.

Janet, Jim and I went on a walk to check out lights one night….

Now on to baking… I decided on cheese crackers this year as an alternative to the deluge of sweets we always give and get. As far as I know, most people really liked them (thanks to Susan’s mom for the recipe!). What’s not to love about butter and cheese.. with a pinch of cayenne?

Peter and Maya were a HUGE help. They rolled and pressed and we ended up with about 24-25 dozen crackers. We were a well buttered operation. They also did all the deliveries. So grateful!

I forwent my favorite gingerbread muffins in favor of Jim making a babka! Since nobody ever eats my muffins, this was a good alternative. It had some issues, but was fabulous and next time’s will be even better!

I made my usual pumpkin and pecan pies.

Sign of the times. It was another year where we all needed to test before gathering.

The only Christmas pic I have of these two… my loves.

It was our first year of hosting the Frame clan. When Uncle Dean died at the early part of 2022, it left everyone feeling a bit rudderless. Monica and Dror didn’t feel inspired to host this year (as they usually do) so we offered and everyone came to Davis! Everyone contributed their usual dishes, we supplemented with a honey baked ham and bunches of other things and had a ball. Thirteen of us at three tables. Cozy, but definitely manageable.

And that was our holiday season.