March 13, 2021
I just love him (squeal)! When a recent celebration had us toasting the good things in this life, I couldn’t resist the play between an aged fortified wine and a master Jedi.
Christmas this past year brought some of my favorite books to life with perfect gifts like my Yoda lamp, my Lord of the Rings hand made book ends, my…ahhhhhhh – story joy:)
So, it just felt right to include my Master Jedi in the festivities. My family and friends are accustomed to my madness and I am grateful for them every day.
Wine tasting made fun by learning and delicious food. We are not frequent alcohol consumers. However, our Golden Egg and her husband have intermittently gifted us some expensive and thoughtful wine choices over the years. So, I decided I would enjoy their gifts better if I had a better understanding of wine. In my typical learn everything you can learn habit I pursued the knowledge that would help me appreciate wine. I guess technically I can say education has led me to drink. Hahahaha
This most recent celebration created a learning opportunity that included a twenty-one year old Amontillado paired with a complex cheese appetizer with topping variations from orange & fig to maple & bacon. The appetizer was followed by a salad drizzled lightly with a house vinaigrette and paired with a 2020 bottled Fino. Then dinner was served with a delicate four-year old Riesling. The grand finale of lemon and blueberry cake topped with candied lemons and crafted with Limoncello, gifted straight from Italy by an incredible friend, left me sated and content.
Even now the Limoncello reminds me of the lemon orchards of Italy along the Amalfi coast mmmm….happy memories.
The Amontillado was also a gift from a friend who came across it in a most peculiar way. The serendipity of the find at a time when I was beginning my learning experience with wine made the gift a beautiful discovery in my journey. This particular Amontillado is usually aged in casks for approximately nine years before bottled. So, the additional aging of twenty-one years as it found its way to me made dinner feel like a pause in time. A moment we chose to savor.
As a writer, ideas bounced all over my brain as my knowledge of the way the wine was made, the details of where it was born, the unique taste of the fortified spirit, and the word ‘Character’ on the bottle combined with the company I shared it with to weave a pattern of enjoyment through the evening.
Note: Edgar Allan Poe got it wrong (wink). Amontillado is not for vengeance.
On to Updates: The lemon tree survived 2020 harried and tested, like the rest of us, but bearing fruit.
The manuscript for book one is in my editor’s hands for copy edits even as I type this and I am excited to say that I have completed book two in the series. I was sharing with Superhero this morning my recollection of asking an author once how long it took to complete a rough draft. The response from the author was “three months.” At the time, I couldn’t believe it. The time seemed impossible. Especially for someone like me who tends to have numerous projects causing my time candle to burn at both ends and in the middle.
It felt good to complete a rough draft these last three months. Granted, I know my three month rough draft is a much rougher draft than what more experienced authors generate in that same time frame, but it is one of those small successes that I’m celebrating along the way:)
Christmas in 2020 was different for us as it was for the world. However, we managed to create some new traditions and I worked on my cookie decorating skills.
Work for me has several branches or maybe rather multiple trunks. So, 2020 was a year of extremes requiring my root system to reach deep into the soil of my stored happiness, peace, and joy to find the nutrition needed to keep the branches bearing fruit. Reading and writing have been a retreat for both refuge and revolution. One of the books included a biography of Chien-Shiung Wu. Cool to see her on a stamp now.
2021 is here and I hope each of you are finding strength in the connection with those you love and who love you. May any loss be remembered for the joy it gave while it was tangible and may the memory find extension in a love paid forward.
