Black-eyed peas and ham

If the way you spend New Year’s Day predicts anything about the coming year, I should have a good year—I spent the day mostly reading. I am a devotee of Sara Elias MacNeal’s WWII series about SOE agent Maggie Hope. The new one, The Queen’s Accomplice, has turned a little graphic and brutal about Nazi practices—don’t know if I’ll make it or not. The plot also focuses on a Jack-the-Ripper imitator who is terrorizing London. Strong stuff, but the war story behind these novels and their expose of the role of women and their treatment intrigues me—all these years later we’re still fighting the equal pay battle. Other than that I occupied myself, not happily, trying to get to files buried deep in my computer.

If New Year’s Day does have significance, I’m not sure what kind of year my brother is in for—he and Cindy spent the morning fighting feral hogs.

We had our requisite ham and black-eyed peas for supper. Christian requested plain ham and peas so there went all the inventive, one-dish meals I could have made. Jordan and I added corn and mashed potatoes to the menu—I love to mix corn and peas into my potatoes (thanks to Melanie McKay Alter for teaching me that southern trick). I am itching to be back in the kitchen these days but when it comes right down to it, I realize cooking from a wheelchair is difficult unless you have a custom kitchen. When we planned this kitchen, we had no idea I’d be in a wheelchair, nor do I plan to be in it forever. But I am once again clipping recipes like there was no tomorrow.

Jacob is with his other grandparents until Tuesday. He doesn’t go back to school until the 9^th or 10^th. So for one more day we’ll be on semi-vacation, not that it makes that much difference to me in daily life. But I miss knowing he’s around. He’s been so sweet lately about coming to the cottage to give me a hug.

As my surgery date draws closer, I feel like I’m living in suspended animation. We are at the point where we say “After the surgery” about a lot that needs to be done. I pray for strength to remain calm and strong as the day approaches. People praise me these days for the progress I’ve made—Colin in particular says I’m so much stronger, healthier looking, etc. Such words are unbelievable encouragement to me.

So what did you do today, and how would you like to spend the year doing it?