Delicate and dangling, reflections of light. (Click picture to enlarge) 
“Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when--the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven . . .” ~ Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), The Little Match Girl
My brother brought several of these mobile-like ornaments from Germany a couple of years ago. They are intricately die cut of a thin brass and are so light and airy, they move with any small puff of wind and reflect the lights of the tree. This is what we call our "international" tree as it contains ornaments from Poland, Germany, Austria, Norway, and Japan. All the lights are clear or white and sparkling glass stars and teardrops finish off the array of straw, wood, glass, paper and painted egg ornaments. Each time I see these tiny trees I start hearing the refrains of "O Tannenbaum" running through my head.
I tried to find a source of these online and either I am completely off in my Google search or they are not the most common ornaments. A few vendors had the thin cut brass ornaments, but nothing as intricate or complex as these.
(end of post)
'Tis the season for Potica Bread! "I am going to make bread to-morrow. So you may imagine me with my sleeves rolled up, mixing flour, milk, saleratus, etc., with a deal of grace. I advise you if you don't know how to make the staff of life to learn with dispatch." ~ Emily Dickinson, American poet (1830-1886)
I have been making this bread for Christmas for 32 years now and started while still in residency. A woman brought this heavenly nut and cinnamon filled sweet bread to our Christmas dinner and I never managed to get the recipe. Thankfully, the Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas issue from the next year... 1978... had the recipe. This was before the advent of the bread machine, back in the dark ages when the milk had to be warmed to just the right temperature and mixed with the yeast mixture to activate it... back when you could still easily find actual blocks of yeast in the grocer's refrigerator section. It was labor intensive to add the flour a bit at a time and keep the sticky dough off the beaters and the sides of the bowls. It took time to go through the long and arduous kneading process with flour strewn all around the kitchen and the waiting for the bread to rise, only to beat it down again and knead some more.
Now, the bread machine on a dough setting has rendered this a much easier task. The ingredients for the bread are thrown in and the machine does the rest so that I can proceed to making a two to three or even sometimes four times batch of the filling. These days I can comfortably make three potica breads a day... four if I really get up a bit earlier.. and the yeast failure rate is almost negligible. I made 25 to give as gifts a couple of years ago and though I am not planning to do that many again, it is time to start because neighbors and friends have given not too subtle hints in that direction already. It is THE family tradition here... Christmas morning breakfast with eggs, bacon, potica bread and coffee.... before opening presents... and sometimes WHILE opening presents too. You cannot eat just one slice!
Since I posted the Potica bread recipe with the pictures and extended notes... that post has without any doubt become my most visited post in history. I notice an occasional visitor almost every day throughout the year... but beginning in late October, these numbers skyrocket and continue on through New Years. So this year I thought I would remind those who might be interested in making this heavenly bread that the full instructions and recipe are here....Potica Bread As Promised from October 2005 and may you enjoy it as well! I can almost smell the baking bread and cinnamon right now!
"If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens." ~ Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet
(end of post)
A winter moonrise... just minutes after sunset. Virginia Beach.
(Click pictures to enlarge) "Look how the pale queen of the silent night
Doth cause the ocean to attend upon her...."
~ Charles Best, "A Sonnet of the Moon"
Sometimes the final minutes of sunset coincides with the first minutes of moonrise in the eastern sky. When this occurs on a cold early January night with almost clear skies, there is no more magical place to be than at the beach; with a fairly thick coat and a good set of ear muffs to fend off the constant breeze that blows from the east, of course. Very few people venture out to the water when it is this cold and when the sand is blowing and often you are essentially alone with the seagulls, the sand and the stars... and moon. The sound of breaking waves never stops but the white crests are lost in the setting sun.
At first, the moon is a pale orange disk hovering low over the water and still reflecting the orange rays of the setting sun; but slowly and deliberately it ascends in tiny increments... higher and higher... and as it does so, its light seems to intensify and glow, almost to the point of being "icy hot". This seems to be an impossible oxymoron, but look.. the light of the moon turns blue and cold and icy... and yet seems bright enough to burn. This light dispels the darkness of night, just enough to see actual color of the sky and transforms the rolling ocean waves into a swath of dancing diamonds.
The moon ascends to her throne with a mantle of sparkling gems trailing behind.
"How like a queen comes forth the lonely Moon
From the slow opening curtains of the clouds
Walking in beauty to her midnight throne!"
~ George Croly, Diana
(end of post)
Carmi's Theme ~ Night
Skywatch Friday
Dried magnolia leaves make up the bulk of this wreath with dried cocks comb accents. (Click picture to enlarge) "When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things - not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness." ~ Bob Hope
From complex to simple, the wreaths adorning Colonial Williamsburg are breathtaking. The cold front has pushed on through and now, instead of being warm and humid like an April day, the air is crisp and cold... or at least cold for coastal Virginia. It is a great time to visit Williamsburg.. the students at William and Mary are busy with final exams, visitors are moderate in number and the decorations are in place. The small stands along Duke of Gloucester street are selling hot cocoa and hot apple cider... I highly recommend the hot apple cider.. especially when the day is cold and the breeze is a little stiff. The smells of baking gingerbread hover around the bake shop... these really go nicely with the cider too. These pictures are from a previous year, but when my daughter gets home, we will take our yearly walk into history and she can visit her alma mater at the same time. It is something I do look forward to each year.
(end of post)
Theme Thursday ~ Brown
