Making the Most of a Month

Whew! Let me catch my breath. Hard to believe another month is almost history. Before we turn the page on the calendar, I should attempt a recap.

First, though, here’s a photo of the boyz to bring a smile to your face:


Ok, so we started the month of October off right by celebrating Missy M’s birthday.



I cannot tell you how much we are enjoying being close to her. We have brunch together almost every Sunday, although today’s meal was supper of M’s yummy potato soup...which was perfect on this first truly chilly day of Fall.

That same week, I got to attend my first Georgia Master Gardener Association’s annual conference in nearby Buford. Spent a great couple of days devoted to classes, workshops, and meeting new folks. Even had some good fortune with the Silent Auction items. Fun!

I think I told you that we have joined the Oscher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Georgia. I signed up for several classes this Fall, and we joined several of the Special Interest Groups (SIG) including the Lunch Bunch, the Supper Club, and the Lady Dogs Basketball group. While that last SIG won’t begin until basketball season, the other opportunities are keeping us busy.

I’ve been to two classes so far: Growing Blueberries and Figs in Georgia and World War I Military Training Camps in Georgia. The first one will help us as we plan our garden here (more on that in a sec); the second one gave me some insight into Papaw (Grandfather Keaton)’s boot camp experience at Camp Gordon as well as his service at Fort Oglethorpe (where he was a Quartermaster). 

We enjoyed two lunches at a couple of Athens restaurants (that we probably would never have tried) with the Lunch Bunch. And we met for a lovely dinner with the 6 other members of our Supper Club. Our hosts made a pork loin roast and asked that we bring sides with the theme of Autumn Harvest. I made an apple pie for dessert and baked yeast rolls as a special treat. 

We volunteered to host the November dinner...which will actually be a Sunday brunch instead. (More on that in my next post.) Now, you may be wondering whether I’ve gone ‘round the bend by asking people to come over to our house...you know, the house that is still being moved into? Actually, I thought that might give us just the nudge to get things wrapped up before the Holidays are upon us.

Soooo...we have finished the unpacking of boxes (for the most part)...and are beginning the hanging of pictures and curtains and shelves and what not. And you know what? Casa 303 is really starting to feel like our home. 

We did take a break this weekend to travel to NC to go to the Southeast Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) and stay with Bro J in Asheville. I took a class on Beginning Spinning on a Takli, and Mr. T took a beginning wood carving class and made a Spirit Stick...cool! 

From the drive through the mountains to the Fair itself to the time we spent with J & J, it was a really great weekend! 

As we begin this last week of the month, I am staying the night at Missy M’s house with the dogs, since T will have to rise-and-shine to welcome the workers who are coming at 0-dark:30 to install our new garden shed tomorrow. It’s the same shed that he and I built from a kit in HPNC (the one with the purple doors), but we decided we had enough on our plates and could get a crew to do the heavy lifting (we’ll still have to seal, caulk, and paint, etc., ourselves). And after the shed is in place, we can get the garden going.

Oh yes. It truly is feeling like our home.

Just in Time

We're back at the roost...apparently just in time for the next round of arctic blast and blowing snows.  May I repeat myself?  I have had enough of this...!


Just Enough Ruffles Scarf
for Missy M, 1/2011

We made the 8-hour trek over the mountains and up the WV turnpike ($6 in tolls, each way...) to Missy M's house in Louisville last weekend.  There was still a good deal of snow on the side of the all the roads along the way...as the old saying goes "waiting for the next snow storm."  I delivered the Just Enough Ruffles scarf (photo, left), and we had a pleasantly uneventful visit with her and the pups, Ella Rae and Dixie. 

This was our first time to meet Dixie, who is a bea-U-tiful Basset girl.  She is a tad on the smallish side for a Basset, weighing in at "only" 53 pounds when she went in for her snip-snip operation and teeth-cleaning last week.  [While 53 pounds is indeed a large dog, remember our Drool Gang for reference: Gus weighs about 63 pounds, Duchess tilts the scales at 74 pounds (!), and Elmo comes in at 54.]  She has an almost silky coat and gorgeous coloring, that being white and red, a lot like Elmo's.  She and Ella (all of 18 pounds...and looking like a pup in her "new" haircut) are still working out the new living arrangements, but all-in-all it appears they may become best of buddies...except when they are vying for Missy M's undivided love and attention...and food.  Naturally.

When we arrived so late on Friday night that I think it may have actually been Saturday morning, Dixie would have nothing to do with me.  Absolutely nothing.  Barked at me even.  Me!  The Momma.  She let Mr. T (Not-The-Momma) pet her and give her a belly rub...showing off her operation stitches with pride.  But with me?  She drew a line and wouldn't cross it.  Broke my heart, of course...but, what are you going to do?

Well, here's what I did.  Next morning, I got up early to fix the dogs their breakfast.  (The humans in the house could fend for themselves...:)  I opened a can of tuna to mix with their dry kibble, and voila!  I'm the Queen Mother!!  It also helped that Missy M and Mr. T headed out to see a movie in the afternoon, and since I was nursing a sinus problem, I stayed home with the dogs.  While I sat on the sofa, knitting on my Slanting Lace Scarf and enjoying several cups of hot tea with lemon, Dixie (after some help up with the hind-quarters) cuddled up next to me in the center, with Ella balled up like a cat on "her" pillow on the other end.  We bonded.


Missy M's new office at
KFC

Some of the conversation centered on Missy M's new promotion.  She's headed across the parking lot to the "Big White House" to work her Instructional Design magic with KFC.  Her first four and 1/2 years with Yum!Brands has been spent on a training team working with Long John Silver's and with A&W.  Now, she goes to play with the Big Brand, so to speak.  Her favorite part about the change so far?  She got an office with a door and a window out of the deal (photo, right).  Woo hoo!

Just ahead of the next KY snowfall, Mr. T and I hopped in the Endeavor to head out of town.  We took a giant detour around the city, though, in order to meet up with Brother T (minus SIL LaD, who was stuck at home because of the cold weather and the ice concerns) at Cracker Barrel in LaGrange.  Great town, by the way, with an active train track running right down the middle of the main street.  M and I love the yarn shop there, Friends and Fiber, and we once had to wait to cross back over the street to our parked car while the train went through.  Uh, no...we didn't get to the yarn shop this time, darn it.  But, it was lovely having a couple of hours with Bro T, along with a big CB breakfast in front of a roaring fire, all the same.

BTW, Missy M reports the latest snowstorm dumped another couple of inches of snow on her in the city, and SIL LaD reports almost 6 inches of the stuff on their mountaintop in Northern KY.  We joked that she may not get off the mountain until Easter...or, as she says, until Derby Day in early May.  Ha ha?

Back home in NC, we had a nice day on Wednesday (temps reached the 50's, believe it or not). All the snow melted, and the ground is ready to receive some more. Thursday brought a return of the cold, so I decided to heat up the house with blackberry cobbler and some homemade bread (photos, center/below; recipe, end of article). We are in the twenties here today, with snow predicted for Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday; accumulation predictions are mixed. We'll see...




Blackberry Cobbler




White Bread




Mr. Squirrel and the new Critter Feeder

 Mr. T made it home from the highlands, and his first task on Friday was to refill the feeders, which were slap-dab completely empty.  He also put two new dried corn ears (photo, right) on the newest critter feeder (from that last trip to Tractor Supply...:); believe me when I tell you that there's nothing but cobs there this morning. 

So, if we are to believe the creatures, we've got weather on the way.  Big time.  Hoo boy.






===========================================================
Easy Fruit Cobbler

2 cups fruit (blackberries, pealed peaches, apples, whatever you have)
2 cups sugar, divided
4-8 T. butter (the more, the richer taste - I use 6 T.)
1 cup milk
1 cup self-rising flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  While the oven is preheating, put the butter in a loaf pan and into the oven; allow the butter to melt, then remove the pan. 

Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of the sugar over the washed/prepared fruit; let sit for a bit.  In a large mixing cup/bowl, mix the milk, the other 1 cup of sugar, and the self-rising flour together into a batter.

Time to assemble!  Pour the batter mixture into the melted butter in the loaf pan.  DO NOT MIX.  Then, spoon the fruit (and any syrup that has formed or sugar that remains) on top of the butter-batter in the loaf pan.  Again, DO NOT MIX.  The fruit will sink below the batter, which will form a dough and crust around the fruit while baking.

Bake for one hour, or until brown on top and bubbling all around.  Remove to a rack to cool for at least 20 minutes.  Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.  Enjoy!

What a Christmas!*

*To explain the significance of the title: 

...as said by the incomparable Sydney Greenstreet, playing Mr. Yardley,  at the end of one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies, A Christmas in Connecticut...the 1945 original, starring Barbara Stanwyck as Elizabeth Lane.  Don't even speak to me about the remake; it doesn't exist in my universe.  BTW, I really want to be Elizabeth Lane when I grow up.

Anyway.

I do hope you've had a wonderful, marvelous, heart-warming, and soul-restoring Christmas, too.  One that just took your breath away.


Coconut Cake with Ambrosia Filling

I finished up my baking with a three-layer coconut cake (photo, right), made with 7-minute icing and ambrosia (pineapple, orange, and coconut cooked in a sugar-syrup) filling.  My step-great-grandmother, Ner (who was married to Nananny/Ed Lee Stewart and whose "real" name was Nelle Rhea Stewart) used to make fabulous coconut cakes and ambrosia at Christmas, and I inherited this labor of love.  I just can't grate the coconut by hand like she did, so I've modernized the recipe by using the Cuisinart to do that part of the chore.  Thank goodness for progress!

Missy M, who had to drive her Honda-sleigh down the toll-road and over the mountains, arrived on Christmas Eve.  As the temperatures dropped after dark, I heated up some apple cider, and we sipped the comforting beverage from the Christmas china cups (you remember, I wrote about that Christmas china last year)...knowing that our child was home safe, our family complete.



Christmas Tree on Christmas Morn
...and Gus with his toy

Christmas Day 2010 began with the smell of Creme Brulee-laced coffee and cinnamon rolls, hot out of the oven.  We traditionally "open" our stockings first, then have coffee/hot chocolate, juice, orange slices, and rolls before distributing and opening our gifts from under the tree.  That's a "before" shot of the tree (left), along with Gus and his toy that Santa brought Ella Rae:  you see, in Gus' universe, all toys are his toys.  You'll notice a multitude of sacks on the hearth:  those are the stocking-sacks, since the stuff is just too heavy to put in the stockings and still have them hanging from the mantle.  Santa was very generous indeed, and we were all in a festive mood when I went in the kitchen to preheat the oven for the sausage casserole for brunch.



Ella Rae on the deck with the first flakes of
Christmas Day snow

As I paused at the back door to open it for Ella Rae to go outside (right), I shouted "it's snowing!"  A real, live White Christmas was coming to life, right before our eyes.  When Brother J called from Nashville, he said they already had 2 inches on the ground...and more falling at the moment.  Brother T, who lives in Northern KY, said they were still snowed in from the last snowfall, and that it required a 4-wheel drive vehicle for them to drive down their mountain.  For the first time in years, we were all going to enjoy (more or less...:) a Winter Wonderland, regardless of what state we were living in.

Well, by the next morning, we were living in "a state of emergency," as Gov. Perdue declared the Old North State.  We never lost our power (thank goodness) like many did, but it didn't stop snowing at two inches for us.  Or, at three or four inches either.  By the time we called it a night, we knew we were headed for a pretty deep "dusting" of the frozen stuff, as you can see in that photo I took, looking out the bay window in the back, over the deck steps (where Ella Rae had been sitting in the earlier photo) toward the swing (below, top).

Then, check out the same location-shot I took the next morning (above, bottom).  We had over five inches on the ground in HPNC then, with more falling.  By Sunday night, the final official total was given as "between 7 and 10 inches."  Yowza!  A white Christmas, for the first time in over 40 years.



Rudolph Cake, made for the Reindeer Games

The Christmas Day Snow topped off a wonderful holiday season for us.  We had had such a good time a weekend earlier when we journeyed to L'ville for the Lunn Family Christmas get-together, hosted by Missy M.  She had sent out invitations for all to join her for "Reindeer Games," and we had a blast playing Scrabble, doing a Christmas movie quiz (for "fabulous prizes") and Christmas-themed scratch-offs with Brother J and SIL J, who drove up from Nashville.  M made two big pots of chili (one hot, one mild...:), which we enjoyed before a roaring fire...courtesy of the Yule Log channel on DirectTV!  (Brother J said he'd lived to see it all...:)  I made a Rudolph cake for dessert (left), and we baked reindeer slice-and-bake cookies, too.  For favors, M created tins of "extra reindeer noses," which turned out to be little red-hot candies.  So clever!



Lunn Family Christmas at M's in L'ville
12/18/10

Unfortunately, Nana/Momma/Edith couldn't make the long trip, and then Brother T and SIL LaD couldn't join us as the cold and snow aggravated her breathing issues...and we missed them all terribly.  Still, it was so good to be with J and J and have such a great time.  As Mr. T said, "we need to get a photo of this (right)!"

I have a few photos of Finished Objects (FO's) that were given as gifts.  Plus, the snow has provided us with hundreds of opportunities for photos.  And, one of Mr. T's presents was a Bird Camera, which is now set up outside, clamped to one of the feeder-poles...and set to automatically snap shots when it detects motion (and warmth).  We should have mountains of photos generated by that! 

I do believe I'll save those until the next post...or two.  I wouldn't want to bury you in pixels.  Tee hee.

So, until then, a Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!

The Baking Begins

Diabetics beware!  Do not come within 5 miles of our house for at least the next couple of weeks.  It just isn't safe.

OK.  You've been warned.

Although the high winds we've endured as we entered the Red Zone before the Holidays have done their best to destroy...or at least rearrange...all the outdoor decorations, I'm happy to report that we have escaped relatively unscathed.  It took some hasty hammering of stakes to anchor the Reindeer, but they are still standing as of this A.M.

The one casualty is Santa...he of the blow-up variety.  His chimney filled with water...from the rains and wintry mix...and that turned to solid ice when the temps dropped into the teens.  I attempted to free him from the frozen chunks, and in the process managed to hopelessly entangle one of the motors in the folds of the fabric.  Arrrggghhh.  So, Santa is currently unplugged and in triage, awaiting the arrival of decorating specialist Dr. T from his Baltimore/DC trip on Thursday.

Anyway, it's time to move the action back indoors...or more specifically, to the kitchen!



Making first batch of Christmas Cookies:
Toll House Chocolate Chips

 I asked Mr. T (before he left last week) what the first batch of cookies should be:  chocolate chip (with pecans), oatmeal raisin (his favorite), or butterballs (my favorite).  Diplomatically, he selected the compromise:  chocolate chip (photo, left).

I use the original Toll House recipe from the Nestle's bag, which I have taped inside one of my upper cabinet doors.  To the letter, no changes, believe it or not.  Well, I stand corrected:  I do make larger cookies by using a cookie scooper, so I get fewer cookies for each batch than the recipe says.  No matter.  I love that scooper!  Use it for all the dough-type cookies.  My cookie sheets (2) can each hold 13 cookies (in a staggered pattern of 3+2+3+2+3), so I get 26 cookies per recipe...plus 6 more to freeze for the Emergency Bake.  Like when Mr. T is on his way home...and I've eaten all the cookies in the house...and he wants one/some when he walks in the back door.  Ahem.

Next up after the cookies came the first batch of Nuts 'n Bolts.  That's Mom's name for Chex Party Mix, which she's been making during the Holidays since I was a child.  That link is pretty close to her recipe, although she used Wheat Chex (I didn't this time), and we always use broken pieces of bagel chips instead of the croutons.  I didn't have any Cheerios, but I did have a box of Crispix; I substituted cup-for-cup, and it turned out fine.  Of course, in our family, we are rather heavy-handed with the Worchestershire sauce in everything, and we always use more than a dash of Tabasco.  Tee hee.

First a sweet treat, then a salty.  Next up:  a little bit of both!

I microwave-melted a cup of Nestle's White Chocolate Chips with 1 T. of Crisco (don't try this with anything other than Crisco; not butter...not oil...not margarine) in a Pyrex measuring cup.  Then, I dipped pretzel sticks in the melted chocolate, one at a time.  Let these cool/harden on wax paper-lined cookie sheet.  When I got down to the bottom of the cup and could no longer dip the sticks, I threw in some pecan halves.  All good!



Bread...and really neat bread keeper
with slicing guides

 On Monday, it was a couple of loaves of bread (photo to right).  I used a basic white bread recipe and added 1/3 cup of mashed potatoes to the dough, just before the first kneading.  Oh yes...!  Bread is good, and the house always smells fantastic!

A note:  I absolutely love this bread keeper we have.  It has a bread slicing guide, built right it.  A real handy-dandy tool.

Today, I'm planning on making Baltimore Butterballs.  (Mr. T is out-of-town, so I got to make the decision...:)  These are also called Snowballs, Crescent Cookies, Swedish Wedding cookies...among other names.  Whatever.  My recipe, which I have used for years...and the exact cookbook origins of which are lost in time...calls for finely ground pecans rather than walnuts, like that link says, but the result is similar.  Once you roll them in confectioners' sugar (twice!), you won't know which nut is inside!  Or care.

That leaves the following on the Christmas baking list:  oatmeal raisin, no-bake oatmeal, homemade fudge, Microwave Pralines, Anne's Cut-out cookies, and Hello Dollies.  Another batch of Nuts 'n Bolts. A Rudolph cake for this weekend's family get-together.  Some cheese wafers for Mom.  And, last but not least, a Coconut Cake for Christmas Day. 

Better stop blogging and get busy!

The Sun Returned, the Shed's Still Standing, So Let's Celebrate!

Good news!  The wind and the rain huffed and puffed on the new Garden Shed walls...but to no avail.  They're still standing after a long night of rough weather.  Whew!

And, today dawned bright and glorious.  Carolina Blue skies...red, gold, and orange leaves...clean and fresh breezes...just an absolutely beautiful Autumn day.  As Mr. T is still out-of-town, I'm putting away the hammer and nails and declaring this a no-construction zone day.  I decided to leave well-enough alone, as they say, and celebrate our good fortune.

A celebration calls for...cupcakes!

I have been craving a cupcake for the longest kinda time.  Devil's Food chocolate cake with creamy vanilla buttercream icing...and lots of it!  Hey, I'm making 'em, so I get to choose the flavors, right?

I checked the pantry and decided to do my best imitation of Sandra Lee...you know, the "Semi-Homemade" lady on HGTV?  "Keep it Simple, keep it smart, keep it sweet, and keep it semi-homemade."  I love her!  She advocates the 70/30 Semi-Homemade philosophy, which combines 70% ready-made products with 30% fresh touches, and she always plans the whole meal and a "tablescape" to match...along with cocktails and mocktails.  Of course.



Craving a cupcake

 I just wanted a cupcake...so I got a box of Devil's Food cake mix off the shelf (the ready-made ingredient), along with all the fixings for the buttercream icing (the "fresh touch").

I've gotten to where I don't always use my big ol' stand mixer...I revert to my childhood and the hand-held.  Since Missy M wasn't here to lick the beaters and the bowl, I washed 'em up after I got the muffin pans filled with the batter and all settled into my new oven on the "Cake" setting.

Did I tell you that I got a new stove?  I recall mentioning the refrigerator and the dishwasher that arrived, thanks to a little "stimulus" help from the state of North Carolina earlier this year:  they gave instant rebates of 15% for replacing your old appliances with Energy Saver models, and Sears matched that amount in savings.  Couldn't pass that opportunity up, now could we?  If you've been to our house, you know that the previous owners had a hodge-podge of mis-matched appliances in the kitchen...a couple of which probably pre-date the age of the house.



Cupcakes baking in the new stove



One of those would have been the stove.  Unfortunately, there is no such thing as an Energy Saver model of a stove (or a dryer, for that matter), or I would have gotten a new one when I got the fridge and DW.  Still, the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to cook another Holiday meal on the monster we had.  Then, it had a fit one day recently...heated itself up much higher than what I had dialed in...and burned yet another dish.  That had happened last Thanksgiving with the sweet potato casserole...and that did it.  I headed to Sears and pointed out the one I wanted.



Anyway, the new oven has settings for "Cakes" and "Breads" and "Roasts," oh my.  It is both convection and electric (I don't have a gas connection in the kitchen, unfortunately), and the cook-top has 5 burners, including a warming eye.  Woo hoo.  Now I'm cooking with gas  well, electric...!

While the cakes were baking, I whipped up the icing: 

• 4 cups of powdered sugar,
• 4 T. softened butter,
• 1 T. real vanilla,
• a pinch of salt, and
• enough milk to make it creamy, but still hold its shape when spread.



Twelve cupcakes for now, twelve to freeze for later



I made 12 of the cupcakes for "now," and baked the other 12 in Christmas-themed liners to freeze for "later."  I imagine they will taste good with a cup of tea or hot chocolate on one of those really cold December days...when I don't have the time to bake something special.

As I was putting the ones I had frosted for "now" in the cake stand, which is on the low-boy chest in the bay window in the morning room, I happened to look outside at just the right moment.  There on the suet feeder was a fat Eastern bluebird!  I haven't seen much of them lately, but as I watched, I noticed another one on the bird bath.  Get the camera!



Eastern bluebird returns to the suet feeder



I took that pic (right) through the window, since I didn't want to take a chance on spooking the pair by stepping out on the deck to snap the shot.  Doesn't do justice to its colors, does it?  Still, it's so good to see them back in the back!

Tomorrow will be a busy day.  We have to get up early and dismantle N/M/E's bed because the Medical Supply store is delivering a hospital bed.  At the visit with her pain management doc last week, we received a prescription for a bed, hoping it will relieve some of the pain and pressure she has with her torn rotator cuff.  "Aging in place" means having to get just-the-right-mix of care, medications, and equipment.  Her beautiful cherry-finished Lillian Russell bedroom suite and double bed have served her well for nearly 60 years, so it will be like saying goodbye to an old and dear friend.  Still, she has a good attitude toward this change...and is hoping for good things to come from it.

Meanwhile, let's all have a cupcake!

Christmas Kitchen: From Chaos to Candy, Cookies, and Cocoa

You know me, right?  Never can do just one thing at a time...gotta multi-task.  It's genetic...or, possibly a character flaw.  Or both.  No matter...not gonna change at this stage of life.

So, (and that's something I picked up from living in the STL area..."they" seem to begin every single sentence with "So...") yesterday was Baking Day here in HPNC.  I got the Family Cookbook out (actually, it's never really "put away"), and gathered the ingredients for a few of our Holiday favorites...and one new addition.

As you can see in the photo (left), I got several goodies going at once:  Louisiana Microwave Pralines (ab fab, only takes 13 minutes to make), Delaware Butter Ball cookies (you may know them by other names like Crescent Cookies, Swedish Sugar Balls, etc. -- they are those yummy cookies that get covered in powdered sugar), and Pumpkin Raisin Muffins (that's the new one for 2009).  The photo to the right shows the Pralines cooling on the counter.  Later, after the bowls and beaters got washed for the first time, they were used for Chocolate Chip cookies, Rice Krispie Treats, and Fudge.  By 10:00 last night, I was pooped...but on a sugar high...:)  Had to sit and knit for an hour to relax enough to go to bed.

I didn't have the time or energy to make one of my favorite mixes last night, but as you can see in the photo to the left, I'd better find the time...I'm down to my last cup of Peppermint Hot Chocolate mix.  I found this recipe years ago at The Container Store when we lived in ATL area.  I checked their website, but they no longer publish it for some reason, so here are the ingredients for a small batch, as promised in my Christmas newsletter this year.

Enjoy!

Peppermint Hot Chocolate mix

Ingredients:

3 (4 1/2-inch) soft peppermint candy sticks
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup instant nonfat dry milk
3/4 cup powdered nondairy coffee creamer
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
Mini marshmallows (opt.)

Preparation:

1. Place peppermint sticks in a zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal bag, and crush candy with a mallet.
2. Combine crushed candy and remaining ingredients in an airtight container, and store at room temperature up to 1 month.
3. Add 2-4 T. mix to a cup; fill with boiling water.  Add milk to cool and make beverage even richer.  Mmmmmm.

Note: I like to use King Leo Peppermint Sticks.  They always remind me of both my Papaw (N/M/E's dad) and his youngest brother, Uncle Smiley.  They both loved King Leos.

OK, after I make the perquisite Hello Dollies and No Bake Cookies tomorrow, I'll assemble the goody bags to deliver to neighbors and service-givers.  I'm also wrapping up boxes to deliver to further-afield zip codes.

Tonight, I'll pause in the busy-ness of the Season to attend the Winston-Salem Symphony's performance of Handel's Messiah.  That always makes my soul soar, especially when we stand for the Hallelujah Chorus, just like audiences have been doing since the mid-1700's.  If it's good enough for King George II...