The Year of Early

This year has been the Year of Early -- an early spring, an early summer, an early fall...and no real winter yet, just skiffs of snow and a brutal north wind, even when it's sunny.  Maybe especially when it's sunny.

And now, Christmas preparations all around me, all beginning far too early. Canned Christmas music on my doctor's office 'hold-the-phone' line.  Deflated Santas --  the kind that require a motor to pump up and $$$ to keep the motor going -- and a mediocre arrangement of shabby reindeer on a lawn around the corner.  Even Christmas trees in the occasional living room (spied in online photos).

Then...this weekend? Even before Grey Cup?  The Annual Christmas Market down at the Community Hall on Saturday, followed by the Annual Open House and Tea at the Mirror & District Museum that afternoon.

So, this morning found me baking shortbread cookies that insisted on being particularly difficult this year. (The photo above is from last year.)

I've divided the batch between the Museum and St. Cyprian's Anglican Church -- as my contribution to the annual cookies-for-shut-ins that the Anglican Church Women in the parish will be taking out on Monday afternoon.

Usually I make another batch for neighbours etc. but not this year.  I'm done in.  I have a bit of real butter left over that will be saved for the Christmas mashed potatoes or something.  It will freeze, too.  But no more shortbread cookies.  My kids don't like them and my waistline doesn't need them.

Oh, I'll still make a batch of fudge to share with family and friends, but that will be next month, when Christmas is right around the corner.  And if I get a hankering for it, I'll do a cranberry casserole bread, which never tastes right except on Christmas, when I enjoy it for breakfast with coffee, orange juice and later, another slice with some egg nog for lunch.

And next year?  No shortbread.  Maybe nothing else either -- at least, not before December 1.

Humbug!  ;-)

Planned to be Obsolete

Sigh. My two-and-a-half year-old bread-maker is having a problem. The parts that secure one of the bread-mixing paddles to the bread pan have come loose, and fall off during bread-making, with sometimes troublesome results -- such as incomplete mixing -- so that sometimes I end up with a full loaf, sometimes a 1/2 loaf, and sometimes just "cooked flour".

Sigh. I've hammered the piece back together 3 times now, and after yesterday's 1/2 loaf (I know; it's better than none!) thought I'd try to get it fixed. Dumb idea. I called the company's 1-800 number, and was advised that "we don't have those repair centres any more" and that I could buy a new part -- i.e., an entirely new bread pan, paddles and all for a mere $40.86 CAD, including shipping from Ontario. It'll be here within 10 days.

Sigh.