Flourless

I made it myself!

Still Smitten with Albuquerque

Duran’s, our drugstore (!!), serves the best Mexican food and has the most fun gift shop (see above).

Our Stalwart Neighbors

The Open Space Division not only shares plans for the Rio Grande Nursery, but donuts too. Mine was the chocolate frosted with sprinkles (lower left).

Lotty and Katy

Lotty and Katy are Felix’s incredible nieces who came over from England to help with Felix’s estate. We hit it off during a sad time.

Email Exchange

Aggle: Made a batch of cinnamon pecan shortbread bars. They are pretty good but not exactly what I had in mind. Mom had a great recipe but it appears that I didn’t save a copy so now I’m questing for it.

Me: I don’t remember this cookie! Tell me more about it.

Aggle: This wasn’t a cookie we grew up with. You may have already gone off to Centre College when Mom started making them. They were a bar cookie made in that little 7” x 11” pan. They weren’t that gooey ‘pecan pie bar’ kinda cookie. Instead they were kinda crisp and were dusted w/ lots of pecans & cinnamon sugar. Mom cut ‘em into rectangles about 1” by 3”.

Me: NOT FAIR.

Aggle: Honey, there are many things in life that are “not fair.”

Me: Name a worser one.

Aggle: Alas, I cannot. There is no worser inequity.

bones

My friend Anne had an accident, which she describes below. I designed this book for her, of the paintings she did during the time she healed.

On the evening of October 21st, Peter, Maya and I were enjoying our beach walk when we met two of Maya’s dog pals whom she joined in play. Their exuberant play became a game of chase. Suddenly, I was tossed into the air by the dogs running into my leg, and I landed hard. The impact fractured my tibia bone and injured my knee. That moment of dog bliss became my three months of pain and healing. I was on crutches and wore a full-leg brace 24 hours a day. The most painful part was not being able to walk the beach–my daily joy and release for over 30 years.

These 20 Bone watercolors were painted during my convalescence in the order they appear. I was fixated on bones breaking and bones healing while being debilitated. Painting is how I heal my mind. I am most grateful to Peter for taking care of me with patience and fortitude.

Anne Marguerite Herbst, December 2021

A painting from the book that I particularly love

Christmas Eve

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone… -Christina Rossetti

Advent Calendar

Deb gave us this gorgeous advent calendar from Harbour Sweets. (Thank you, Deb!) But we were so tired and hungry last night when we got home––look what happened.

Advent Calendar, December 1

Advent Calendar, December 9

Email from Aggles (December 12): Should I wait a few days to send your package? It’s just a few little happies so that you & Tom will have something to open on Christmas morning. (Everything inside the box is individually wrapped.) I saw how you demolished the chocolate advent calendar - perhaps I should wait ’til Thursday to send your gifts.

Georgia O'Keefe Museum

We visited the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, and after we walked out of the building I felt like I saw every little thing around us in sharper detail.

Work in Progress

Did I tell you that we all read poems on Thanksgiving? Amy read one by Anna Swir. I had never read her before, so I looked her up and found this poem.

It’s translated from Polish by Czeslaw Milosz and Leonard Nathan

 

Happy as a Dog’s Tail

by Anna Swir

Happy as something unimportant

and free as a thing unimportant.

As something no one prizes

and which does not prize itself.

As something mocked by all

and which mocks at their mockery.

As laughter without serious reason.

As a yell able to outyell itself.

Happy as no matter what,

as any no matter what.

Happy

as a dog’s tail.