Eight Blinking Functions

December 21, 2011

Christmas in Palm Springs
several years ago.
My granddaughter Avery in
the fore-front

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is less than a week away. Living here, it seems that one day just kind of melts into the next and after awhile, it has become more difficult for us to discern the day of week (let alone the specific date). This is especially true when the weather has been glorious for weeks now. We are heading into our summer season. Last year from June through end of November, it was unusually “cold” (well, 65-75 degrees), cloudy and drizzly with sunny days far and few between along our pocket of the coast) * … Many folks prefer that climate to the more hot and humid weather we have coming. And last year we went straight from unrelenting “cold” to sunny and hot within 2 days.  

But this year’s cooler season was milder, often bright, and since early November we have been enjoying balmy spring weather for weeks now. (It’s also been my observation that the weather has been pretty freaky across the globe for several years now, so we haven’t been the only folks on the planet going through unusual weather patterns for the last couple of years…Even after coming/being here for over 4 years, we’re still not that assured about our abilities to predict with any confidence “expected/usual” weather). But we certainly are not complaining.

I heard the “Omnisariato” tienda in Manglaralto was having a sale on Christmas lights, so I headed up there yesterday to buy a few strands for our house. My Christmas decorations are still in California storage, so I made do with what I could find from a pretty picked through Chinese imported selection, and our home does look more festive now. It’s been several years since I’ve had a chance to decorate for the holidays; I miss the traditions and celebrations of years past, especially when my girls were growing up.

One of the more difficult aspects of living in Ecuador is the distance from my loved ones. In particular, I miss my grown-up kids – Elizabeth, Katherine, and Kacie – and my granddaughters Avery and Clara, along with the rest of my family and friends, especially this time of year.

I confess, I’ve been in a little funk lately. Nine years ago (2002), my siblings and I lost both of our parents exactly 2 months apart (Mom died on October 9 and Dad died on December 10), to cancer. Though they had been divorced for 30 years, they lived only 5 minutes away from each other in Kansas City (Prairie Village, to be exact).  They handled the divorce well, got along fine, and we kids had the benefit of growing up in two wonderful homes….

Mom and Dad were just GREAT folks – smart, funny, kind people, and not a day goes by that I don’t think of them, but especially now. As anyone knows who has lost a loved one (harder too, when it happens near the holidays), there remains still a tinge of melancholy and hole-in-the-heart nostalgia (punctuated with the occasional grief sucker-punch, even after all these years) that accompanies the festivities since then.

The Christmas traditions in Ecuador, at least along our area of the coast, are very similar to our gringo customs. Most everyone has a dazzling-lit Christmas tree proudly displayed near the front door or window (to be seen from the street), and many have lights decorating outdoor balconies, etc as well.  Of course, all the trees are fake, because it’s not exactly like you can head over to the Christmas tree lot or tree farm and pick out a fresh Scotch or Douglas pine. Since we haven’t invested in our “tree” yet, I strung our two “8 blinking-function settings” strands around one of our indoor windows and had several extra lines to throw around one of our front yard trees…Our house does look more cheerful with them up, and my only prayer at this point is that they last long enough to make it through the holidays.

I was asking an Ecuadorian neighbor/friend yesterday more about the traditional food and customs typical of Christmas Day here. I felt kinda stupid for not already knowing, because my guess would have been some type of special coastal seafood dish(s).

He told me that if one can afford it, a turkey is served. Turkey (‘pavo”) is not cheap here. We’ve bought several over the years for the holidays, and the cost of a 20-or-so pound turkey is around $50-plus at the commercial grocery stores (not exactly like the days when I would do holiday grocery shopping/couponing at my nearest Albertsons or Ralph’s or wherever, and spend enough to get a turkey or two thrown in for “free”). Because ‘pavos” are expensive here, many substitute chicken (“pollo”) instead. Also, our friend Mario said that there is always a potato dish, salads, other side dishes served, along with sweets and beer/wine/champagne. It is very much a family holiday here, and most all will attend one of the church services offered. Gifts are exchanged, but without the obnoxious over-kill frenzy that most of us gringos are accustomed to. And like many families in the Estados Unidos, sometimes they open presents (“regalos”) on Christmas Eve, or wait until Christmas morning (or some combination of both).

One of the traditions I am determined to keep this year is to make Christmas cookies. I have a KILLER sugar cookie/icing recipe (see below) that I’ve had since around the age of 8-yrs, that came glued to a baking sheet bought then. Our family has used this recipe since, and always have had fun/special afternoons of cutting and icing them. Since all my specialty cookie cutters are still up in CA, (along with many of the sprinkle toppings/assorted dye colors that are not available here) these cookies are going to be round shaped (using a glass to cut) and less elaborately decorated, but addictively tasty, nevertheless.

A few of my girlfriends are coming over on Friday to help ice them, and then we are taking most of them with us on Christmas Eve afternoon to the Olon Orphanage party to meet up with the generous, warm-hearted Salinas expat group spearheading this wonderful event each year.

BEST EVER SUGAR COOKIES

I always triple the original measurements, because otherwise, you will not have enough, even if you just double.

COOKIE DOUGH

Original                 x3

2 cups                   6 cups                  flour

½ tsp                     1 ½ tsp                baking powder

½ tsp                     1 ½ tsp                baking soda                                          

½ tsp                     1 ½ tsp                salt

2/3 cp                    4 sticks                 butter/margarine

1 cp                        3 cp                    sugar

1                              3                      beaten eggs

2 T                          5-6 T                  milk

½ tsp                     1 ½ tsp                vanilla extract

½ tsp                     1 ½ tsp                lemon extract

In separate bowl - sift first four ingredients together.  In your main mixing bowl, cream butter/margarine and sugar till smooth.  Blend in eggs, flavorings and about half the milk.  Slowly add dry ingredients to mix, while continuing to mix – add the rest of the milk as needed.  Chill dough in refrigerator for 2 hours (or freeze and use later).

Roll dough out (flour up surface,etc) – Cut out cookies

Bake – Ungreased at 350 degrees – 8 to 10 minutes.

ICING

1 8-ounce pkg cream cheese – softened

½ cup butter or margarine

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups (1 box) of powdered sugar

Beat first three ingredients till fluffy.  Gradually add powdered sugar.  Mix – you may have to play with ingredients a little for right consistency.

Divided icing into separate bowls and add food coloring if desired.

* For one of the most current weather and tide information, for OUR area, please see the link: "Weather in Montanita"