Second to last day of 2022

Well, let’s make that the last day of 2022; I started this the 30th and didn’t get very far.

My plan was that me and my bum knee would accompany Mark on his walk – that went OK, 4.5 miles. I walked sans orthotics, since I have not been wearing them for about the last 10 days on the advice of my PT, who confirmed what I thought, they’re not working; don’t fit right. I came home and ate breakfast (Jarlsberg with coleslaw on some oat rolls I made Wednesday and 4 baby ruggelach), and then had an appointment to get the orthotics adjusted. The PT who fitted me for them had me stand in them, and is sending them back to get lowered 1/8 inch, and also smoothed right under the arch of my foot. But this PT, even though the orthotics are her specialty, also thought maybe they were not the best treatment for me. It’ll take about a month for the adjustments, so I can continue my experiments in no-orthotics walking, which have been largely successful.

I went grocery shopping after the orthotics appointment, stuff I needed at the regular grocery store & Target that I hadn’t gotten earlier in the week at the co-op. It was nuts, both Target & Metcalfe’s were packed, with full parking lots. This was about 2:30 in the afternoon, so I guess everybody took off work early and was doing their holiday shopping. I tried stopping at Whole Foods for some extra out of season fruit for Mark, and his (and the cat’s) vanilla yogurt, and couldn’t even get a spot in their parking lot.

When I got home, I sat down at the computer and did my year end donations, but then didn’t finish this post. I spent some time reading and almost dozing off at the kitchen counter – still recovering from my cold. I wanted to finish the ebook I’ve been reading, Louise Penny, the Madness of Crowds, but didn’t quite make it. This was the first of her books that I’d read – Susan says I tried one a long time ago, but it was Penny’s worst one … nobody liked it. And I guess Inspector Gamache is a TV series now I can watch on Amazon.

Way last Monday, Boxing Day, we went to Chicago for an overnight trip to celebrate our anniversary. The usual group of friends we see there, my mostly retired archivist & architecture history pals, were mostly all either sick or away, though we did manage lunch with Joan. And John and Megan were still in California – they didn’t get back till like midnight on Tuesday. We went to the Art Institute to see David Hockney and the Language of Beauty in African Art. There were some videos in the African show that struck me a bit too much like white anthropologists saying, “Behold these primitive cultures and their rituals”.

And visited Jenny’s favorite O’Keefe and went down the stairs by the clouds, too.

We had dinner at Nico Osteria, which was good but I feel no need to go back. I think the burrata appetizer and the warm greens salad were the best; I had a mushroom pasta that had too much feta for my taste; I would’ve preferred a different cheese, less salty and sharp.

In the morning we got coffee at Dollop and then went to the Sears (Willis) Tower food court to supplement the bakery from Dollop with a bit more, and wait for the train. We ate breakfast with Baby Yoda.

On Wednesday I had coffee with Heike at this new hipster coffee place. We thought they need more staff, plus the coffee is in one part and if you want bakery you need to go over and get it at the bakery part. And there’s beer there someplace too, but maybe not open in the afternoon.

We’ve been having a string of leftovers dinners; Tuesday I was hungry when we got back from Chicago, and ate then, 4:00 in the afternoon, so I made a salad and heated up some pesto pasta and the Christmas Eve pizza for Mark. Wednesday we had leftover cauliflower curry (made with the cauliflower that people didn’t eat with dip at the party) and naan. Thursday we had leftover turkey almond soup and ranch dip and peanut dip with carrots and other dippers, and the last of the waffle potatoes from Christmas morning. Last night there were still 3 pieces of pizza, so I heated those up and made some hamburger buns I’d brought home from the food pantry into pizza buns and made a big salad. I had my salad with toasted almonds and grated cheese and raisins, and we both had avocado, cut up with this fancy OXO thing Mark got me for Christmas. Last night we tried the pit remover part – when we started the avocado the other day we only ate half so of course I wanted to leave the pit in before storing the remaining half in my fancy Williams Sonoma avocado box. Let’s hear it for single purpose kitchen tools – avocados do seem to spawn a ton of them.

So I think we are finally done with leftovers and tonight we get new food – a selection of party apps plus Mac & Cheese (I debated whether to do leek greens mac & cheese, or this crazy rich sounding French onion mac & cheese and went with the latter; I did cut back on the cheese a bit and divided it into two pans so Al & Emma can have one) and leftover cookies for NYE: cocktail meatballs, potato puffs, deviled eggs.

I started today with coffee with milk & honey, and finished Madness of Crowds sitting at the kitchen counter while still in PJs, before doing anything else.

After I finished my book, I went to the pick up Farmers Market – the only one happening today – and got eggs and honey and pork tenderloin and potatoes. Some future winter dinner for two: pork tenderloin and mashed potatoes and something green. Then I went over to Whole Foods and got strawberries and kiwis and the yogurt and some sweet potatoes to roast and eat with our black-eyed peas tomorrow.

Then I had a hard time deciding what to have for breakfast. We have a couple of nice ripe bananas so should I have one of them on cold cereal, or cooked into oatmeal?

And it’s only 2:36 but it seems like it’s getting dark already so I better head out for a walk before I move into full on app production. I can’t say this has been the happiest of holiday seasons, for me at least. The continuing knee pain and crawling down the steps every morning stiff and sore has been a bummer. And so many people are sick – I really feel more locked down than in 2020. I hope for a brighter 2023 for everyone and more time with dat baby for me, who is supposed to come over Monday for our rescheduled Christmas brunch.