A Season of Gentleness

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The column is online at cookslibrarywithpatsy.com. I hope you’ll go check it out when you get a chance.

This column is focused on this time of year, which I hope can be a season of gentleness for all of us. This has been a difficult year for many people I know. As we bring 2016 to a close, it’s a good time to remember everyone has struggles.

Maybe with a little grace and some good fortune we’ll find 2017 to be a spectacular year.

A Time for Thanksgiving

I hope you had a spectacular Thanksgiving holiday. Some people spend holidays surrounded by large groups of family and friends, some at small gatherings and some enjoying the peacefulness of solitude. However you spent it, I hope it was perfect for you.

I usually spend Thanksgiving in Joplin, Missouri at the home of a dear, dear lady who I affectionately refer to as “Miss Joy.” The last few years I have cooked Thanksgiving dinner there, and I love doing that.

By this point I have it down to a science with a shopping list that I follow every year, recipes that we repeat and a system that simplifies the process. I start on Tuesday with shopping and being prep work that evening. I continue that Wednesday and by Thursday there’s very little left to do. It makes for a relaxed day for all of us, including me.

The last couple of years I have also prepared Christmas dinner for her and her family and left it in the freezer. It’s wonderful to be able to give the gift of preparing food to people you love.

Sharing

For many years I’ve been collecting vintage pins. I wear them regularly. I’m so fortunate that I started buying them decades ago, when I was the only one interested.

The local museum is using some of my pins in an exhibit on collections people have. It’s neat to see so many of them gathered in one place. They couldn’t use all I took them and I kept some to wear over the next six months.

The Purr-rom

In other news, I attended the Purr-rom – an adult prom to support a local group that is devoted to managing a feral cat colony. It’s a great organization and this was a fun event.

I took the opportunity to wear a vintage hat and carry a vintage purse. Of course, truth be told, I’m always looking for such opportunities.

I can’t quite figure out how to work vintage hats into my every day wardrobe like I did with pins. But, maybe I’ll come up with something. It’s a shame they don’t get to see the sunshine more!

Connections

I hope you’ll check out cookslibrarywithpatsy.com where you’ll find the column, the recipe that will appear in publications, and some extra goodies.

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There is also a Cook’s Library with Patsy Facebook Page, too. You can like it here. I post occasional food related items there throughout the month.

Thank you, again, for sharing this time and space with me. If you have friends you think would enjoy Cook’s Library, please feel free to share the newsletter with them. I will see you in a month!