Christmas Letter 2008
Dec. 17th, 2008 12:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
abracanabraLio by Mark Tatulli
Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas! (Or other winter holiday of your choice.) As I write this, it is blizzarding outside, but I am inside my house, warm and cozy, listening to Christmas music. Being cozy really is the best part about winter!
At the beginning of this year, I went in for surgery to replace the torn ACL in my knee. Most of the first couple of weeks of my recovery was spent on the couch (I'm really pleased that I have a fantastically comfortable couch.). After that, I went from hobbling with crutches, to relying heavily on a cane, to walking slowly with a bad limp, to where I am now--which is mostly normal. I'm finally approved to start being fully active again, as long as I wear a knee brace for anything strenuous for the next year. During most of the recovery process, I would think, "Wow, I'm feeling so much better! I'm practically normal now," only to realize how untrue that was a week later, because by then I did feel so much better.
Phil's employer, GE, selected him to be part of a small group from the water filtration division that was sent to Pennsylvania for corporate leadership/skills training. This is a Big Deal, and he feels very learned now. He's looking forward to a trip to Singapore next year.
At the end of autumn, we were able to get a temporary reprieve from Minnesota winter when we vacationed and attended a friend's wedding in Georgia. We went to the Georgia Aquarium and saw otters and whales and sharks and manta rays. We went to the World of Coca-Cola and tasted all the different beverages Coke makes around the world. We learned that Atlanta drivers all go 20-30 miles over the speed limit, that kudzu vine is winning the battle against the trees, and that the most popular phrase is, "C'mawn."
We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on April 1st--by playing absolutely no jokes on each other whatsoever. Instead, we had a wonderful, fabulous dinner that I still reminisce over. The savory flavor of the fig reduction, the mellow tenderness of the acorn squash orzo....
Ahem.
This has been a year for adventures in food. We signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share, which means a local farmer delivered us a box of fresh vegetables weekly. We chose a farm that seemed to offer good variety and a long growing season, but did not quite realize what we were getting into. I have learned how to cook a number of things I would not previously have recognized as food--burdock root (from the plant that produces the burrs that stick to your pant legs) and stinging nettles, to name two. It was a great experience.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year,
Phil and Abra Staffin Wiebe
Dear Friends and Family,
Merry Christmas! (Or other winter holiday of your choice.) As I write this, it is blizzarding outside, but I am inside my house, warm and cozy, listening to Christmas music. Being cozy really is the best part about winter!
At the beginning of this year, I went in for surgery to replace the torn ACL in my knee. Most of the first couple of weeks of my recovery was spent on the couch (I'm really pleased that I have a fantastically comfortable couch.). After that, I went from hobbling with crutches, to relying heavily on a cane, to walking slowly with a bad limp, to where I am now--which is mostly normal. I'm finally approved to start being fully active again, as long as I wear a knee brace for anything strenuous for the next year. During most of the recovery process, I would think, "Wow, I'm feeling so much better! I'm practically normal now," only to realize how untrue that was a week later, because by then I did feel so much better.
Phil's employer, GE, selected him to be part of a small group from the water filtration division that was sent to Pennsylvania for corporate leadership/skills training. This is a Big Deal, and he feels very learned now. He's looking forward to a trip to Singapore next year.
At the end of autumn, we were able to get a temporary reprieve from Minnesota winter when we vacationed and attended a friend's wedding in Georgia. We went to the Georgia Aquarium and saw otters and whales and sharks and manta rays. We went to the World of Coca-Cola and tasted all the different beverages Coke makes around the world. We learned that Atlanta drivers all go 20-30 miles over the speed limit, that kudzu vine is winning the battle against the trees, and that the most popular phrase is, "C'mawn."
We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on April 1st--by playing absolutely no jokes on each other whatsoever. Instead, we had a wonderful, fabulous dinner that I still reminisce over. The savory flavor of the fig reduction, the mellow tenderness of the acorn squash orzo....
Ahem.
This has been a year for adventures in food. We signed up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share, which means a local farmer delivered us a box of fresh vegetables weekly. We chose a farm that seemed to offer good variety and a long growing season, but did not quite realize what we were getting into. I have learned how to cook a number of things I would not previously have recognized as food--burdock root (from the plant that produces the burrs that stick to your pant legs) and stinging nettles, to name two. It was a great experience.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year,
Phil and Abra Staffin Wiebe
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Date: 2008-12-18 05:09 am (UTC)Craziness!