Farewell 2017

Capture a moment in time.  A photograph can do that, but the memory associated with it lives in our hearts.  With the passing of my mother-in-law, I’m finding myself cherishing each moment a little more thoughtfully.  Even simple tasks take on new meaning as memories pop up of past experiences. Last weekend I was gazing out the window at the snow remembering past winters and holidays spent at our cabin.  Some with friends and some with family, but mostly cherished by all.

I tend to compartmentalize moments in my life I guess to preserve the joyful times and to soften the difficult ones.  Our cabin was built in the 1920’s.  The walls here have seen their share of all that families have to offer.  The family that lived here before we moved in raised Arabian horses.  Before that, the residents owned and operated the hardware store in town.  Our barn is still filled with lots of hardware.  Little baby food jars with nails and bolts sorted just right.  Sometimes when we need to repair something, I’ll head out to the barn and say, “Mr. Baker…do you have what we need?”  9 times out of 10 it’ll be there in one the old baby food jars.  And so, they remain…

I have a few “go to” meals at the cabin.  While we’re all still in the holiday spirit, I’m gonna throw a pumpkin cranberry scone recipe your way.  I like to make these and freeze them, so they are ready whenever I need to put a delicious pastry on the table. Take them out of the freezer while the oven is preheating, and they will thaw enough for them to bake through.

While we make our way through the last few days of 2017, take some time to savor the special moments.  Take some time to let go of mistakes.  Take some time to honor those we lost this year and hug the ones we love.

Peace