Christmas 2006 and Maggie

Some time in September, one of our neighbours cats adopted us. Her name is Maggie and one day she just started sitting in the middle of our main floor or on our back terrace. Essentially she just moved in so we agreed to take over feeding and caring for her. Austin and Andrew are in love with her and she is a wonderfully tranquil kitty. She meows only when she needs out and this only happens in the night sometimes if she can't wait until 6:00 a.m. or so when we open all the doors. Andrew has newly christened her Magnolia but Maggie or Mags remain her nicknames. Here is a picture of her under our Christmas tree having a nap (one of her most favourite pastimes!). This week she has moved onto our kingsize bed where she now takes her rests both day and night. She likes John's side of the bed the best.

Christmas in the tropics has been quite different. I managed to do all my usual baking while substituting various ingredients depending on what I could rustle up here or in San Jose. I went on a shopping trip to San Jose mid December and was able to get a can of whole cranberries, some baking chocolate and some sweet yams in a can that can be made into some semblance of a pumpkin pie. I used butter toffee candies for toffee bits when I made the Skor bars and I ground my own almonds. I made my own pastry for the butter tarts and because the brown sugar here is less refined with more molasses in it, the tarts have a distinct flavor but delicious all the same. Anyway, it was quite the adventure and I'm now renowned for my baking delights! Our neighbours threw a Christmas party on the 23rd which was great fun and we invited our new friends and neighbours from the Toronto area for Christmas dinner. They have a son who is a bit younger than our boys but they all get along great together and enjoy each others company. As turkey's here are an import and cost around $80.00 U.S. we opted for two good sized chickens instead. As long as you have the stuffing, (poultry seasoning and sage compliments of our Cdn. friends who brought me some) gravy, etc. it's still a great Christmas dinner. I brought my tree, ornaments, about 10 treasures and our deer family with me from Canada. Having these familiar items made it seem more like home; especially at night when everything is lit up. So, here is a picture of the tree, some of my treasures displayed on top of the cupboards and a few of the house now that we are more set up.

Cheers to all, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.