Thursday, December 02, 2010

Periodic Puppy Pics

In the snow! Callie loves the snow. Or at least she doesn't hate it. It's a curiosity for her. On our first snow walk this year, the snow was wet and heavy. I made snowballs to toss to her. When she missed them, they disappeared into the snow on the ground and she tried in vain to find them again. That was fun. For about five minutes.

Out by the end of the dirt road.

My favorite part of snow walks, and I think I've mentioned this before, is that Callie is clean when she gets home. No mud or dirt. Just little snowballs clinging to her fur. I pick them off and she eats them. More fun! When this snow starts to melt and the mud returns, we'll be back to our post-walk shower routine.

Take the picture, already!

The days are shorter and shorter as we move toward the solstice. But we have holiday traditions to look forward to that will get us through. All of them involve food. On the solstice we have steak au poivre in a cognac cream sauce with french fries. Christmas Eve brings our annual fondue savoyarde (cheese fondue). On New Year's Eve we'll eat huîtres (oysters) on the half shell. And on January 1 we'll ring in the new year with a pot of black-eyed peas.

That last one is a Southern American tradition. My research shows that it originated as one of many food traditions of Sephardi Jews in the fourth and fifth centuries. They ate the plentiful and nutritious bean on New Year's Day for luck and prosperity. Migrating Jews took the tradition with them to the American south in the early eighteenth century and it spread.

This reminds me of the (very politically incorrect) rhyme I knew as a kid:

Roses are red-ish, violets are blue-ish.
If it wasn't for Christmas, we'd all be Jewish.

Shalom!
And Happy Hanukkah!

11 comments:

  1. Callie looks beautiful in the freshly fallen snow. And I love the little poem, albeit politically incorrect.

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  2. It is 0 degrees at 1.30 pm according to your "current weather" on the right side. It is warming up.
    Happy Hanukkah! Maybe I should start the black eye pea tradition, with a side dish of collard greens and chards. The Japanese make soup with mizuna.

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  3. If you have trouble finding Black-eyed Peas in Paris, I can ship you some!

    I too am fascinated with the history of the Pea - another story links the history of the tradition to the Civil War. After Sherman captured Atlanta, he and 60,000 of his troops marched from Atlanta to Savannah destroying everything along the way......except the Peas! They thought only cattle ate the Peas, not humans, and this is how the South got a Second Chance after the Civil War!

    I now sell Black-eyed Peas and help other people who need a Second Chance! So fun to see the Peas are still a part of your holiday tradition while you're overseas. Check out my website: http://peasforprosperity.com/

    Peace & Peas,
    Christy

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  4. I just love it when you and the other bloggers I read post puppy pics. I miss my doggies so much, and the good feelings I get by looking at pics of your dog are wonderful and very much appreciated.

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  5. So cute that Callie. Georgie loves the snow too, he bites at it and tosses it into the air.

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  6. The snow here is up to Lulu's tummy. When she goes into it her legs disappear and she can only move about by doing a series of vertical take-offs !!

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  7. Very good pictures and very cute puppy. It's snowing here in the Bluegrass too! :)

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  8. Chappy Chanukah to you, too. Or, as we used to say at the Jewish summer camp I went to, Shalom, y'all.

    Hope all is merry and bright -- looks like you have the white part covered already.

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  9. rick, thanks!

    judy, :)

    nadege, it should be warming up a little more over the weekend.

    peas4luck, interesting.

    cubby, any more dogs in your future?

    tornwordo, I always enjoy the photos (and videos) of Georgie in the snow!

    jean, that must be fun to watch!

    writer, wow!

    starman, I wondered who else would know it.

    susan, thanks! Actually, I think it's the white part that has us covered! ;)

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