Another year has passed, and now I understand the aphorism "the days are long but the years are short." It seems that last Christmas, with all its zoom calls and covid restrictions, was not that long ago.
The Christmas Kahlua turned out pretty good. I suppose that was one of the few bright spots about this holiday. Mid-December brought heavy rain, and a roof leak which led to water damage in the garage. Turns out that roof leak created a large section of dry rot on the roof sheathing. Insurance will pay for most of the repairs, and the adjuster's estimate clocked in at $4,900 (less the $1,000 deductible).
The roof was repaired yesterday, just in time for the next rounds of rain. Apparently, Northern California is in the middle of "atmospheric river" and could see significant rain over the next 10 days. The meteorologists from the 90s used to call it the Pineapple Express, given flow of moisture from out in the Pacific Ocean.
I'm babbling, and feeling ungrateful for all the complaining about the holiday season. I am not one to make New Year's resolutions, but beginning January 1, 2023, I will attempt to post once per day here on this site. Even if it is simply an image, or a quote, I hope to reflect daily on the positive things in my life. Maybe that will get me out of this funk of feeling the weight of everything that is happening in my life.
The past several holiday seasons, I have made limoncello to give as gifts to friends and family. I perfected the recipe and it received wonderful reviews. But, it is time for a change. This year, I have decided to make Kahlua. So, yesterday while it was lashing rain all day, I simmered about two gallons of water, instant coffee, brown sugar, and dark brown sugar for over three hours.
Now, it's bottled with a whole vanilla bean and some vodka. The recipe calls for letting it sit in the dark for weeks, with agitation daily. And, that is a perfect metaphor for my life right now. I feel like I am sitting for weeks on end, but agitated daily. Meanwhile, I am looking forward to the results.
