Hi Darling Ones,

As you now, I’ve struggled through November. It’s rough. When people ask me how stroke recovery us going I say, “It’s difficult (or annoying or frustrating or a pain in my ass), but I’m lucky I got to be annoyed/frustrated, etc. I could have died!”

In my deep-dark, icy-robot heat I’m shouting “THIS IS TOTAL CRAP. NO FAIR!” and also, my old standby “WHY CAN’T ANYTHING EVER BE EASY.”

Empotionallly, things are getting a little bit better (see below) and I did find a few things to enjoy this crappy month.

Pink Pony Club (Chappell Roan cover) led by Waxahatchee

My pal Solace shared this on Bluesky and it made my week. In a month where I’ve struggled to find joy, this singalong with one of my favorites was a nice hit of it.

The 25 Most Important Recipes of the Past 100 Years

This is worth a scroll if you like to eat, and worth a read if you like to learn about food. There were some surprising omissions Schrödinger’s Meatloaf and any kind of hotish (though that’s probably older than 100 years). Though they do have something called “Green Bean Bake” that is a casserole and includes cream of soup (which is a necessity in my definition of hotdish). There’s also “Tunnel of Fudge Cake” which sounds like poop and I’ll probably name for bookclub because it uses my beloved bundt pan.

Holiday Prep

The winter holidays are pretty fraught for some people. I’ve done battle with them myself for a good portion of my life. Some of my most horrific childhood memories concern Christmas. Yes, memories, plural. Thanks, dysfunctional family!

As a grown-up I’ve taken back Christmas. With my friends and family we’ve slowly built much loved traditions.

Like lots of women, I put a lot of work into Christmas. Shopping, wrapping, cooking, hosting, crafting, etc. I used to get really stressed out about it, and in my weaker moments I still do. What I’ve realized, and what I yap about a lot now, is if you don’t find joy in doing it, don’t do it.

I legit love getting ready for the Holidays. I ordered 200+ chocolate truffles yesterday. There’s five different kinds of coffee creamer in my freezer. My sister mentioned how that’s one of her favorite parts of Christmas. The different creamers.

Tonight I’m gonna crochet my fingers off while watching a professional wrestling documentary my nephew told me about, and then I’m going to look for a vintage butter dish for my niece. It’s tons of my favorite things at once. I’m so lucky.

Ho-ho-hoping the holidays make it bright,
Jodi