Bright Lights, Big City

As I was creaming butter, cream cheese and sugar together Saturday morning it occurred to me that I am an immigrant now. Landing at Austin-Bergstrom Airport was akin to landing at Ellis Island in many ways. Since my arrival I have had my identity challenged several times by various city and government agencies and as of Friday morning, had my only remaining tangible identification as a person from Maine taken from me when I applied for my Texas driver's license. I had to surrender my Maine license after having my photo taken and my thumb prints digitally scanned. In return, I was given a piece of paper documenting the surrender and another piece of paper with my temporary license. The real deal will arrive in the mail in a week or two. I wasn't expecting to have to give up Maine quite so demonstratively but then I realized heck, I still have to pay Mane state income tax next month so cripes, get over yourself.

Last week was a fairly quiet one. I've been making cards and a few presents to send home so I've been busy with glue and paper and tape and listening to tales of snow from the north. I received an early holiday gift from Jeff quite by accident on our way to the video store Sunday night. Jeff has definite feelings about the whole Christmas/Santa thing and suffice it to say, it's not a warm and fuzzy feelings. It's come up in conversation several times over the past few weeks and whenever I'm tempted to use the word Christmas, I quickly stop myself and substitute the phrase "Pagan Oriented" whatever for absurd effect. So as we were driving to the video place on Airport, I commented on a street of pretty pagan holiday lights. I have a love of Christmas lights that goes back to childhood, riding in the back seat of a station wagon or van with my brother, Ed, while dad chauffered the family through the neighborhoods of Portland. We also had tons of lights at the farm. It's just something I love. But it surprised the heck out of me when Jeff said:

You want to ride around and look at lights? I'll take you to Zilker Park and the Trail of Lights.

http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/tol/

It was a darn chilly evening. Wendy had her sweater on for a little while. Jeff had picked it up for her at Bark and Purr, though it's a dog sweater. The condescending woman at the cash register had said they didn't carry sweaters for cats and we'd have to look at dog sweaters. She was obviously a dog person. But Jeff found a small, pink cable knit number and kept praying for cool weather so he could let Wendy wear it. Things went about as well as you can imagine, given it's a cat in a dog sweater. She kept it on for a little while but reckoned she'd brave the cold.

Thanks to that Chevy Caprice Classic still lodged in Jeff's leg, we got to park not too far from the trail AND after a bit of a wait, we got to ride in a golf cart that was adorned with lights. The trail is nearly a mile long and there were tons of people out. It was quite a spectacle and very festive. The gal driving us weighed more than the cart so we were a rag-tag bunch of celebrities in our electric limo. Jeff had the hood on his sweatshirt pulled over his head. We had an afghan over our legs which was good because I had on capris and no socks (I was in video store garb, not hiking gear!), Wendy kept hopping from Jeff's lap to mine looking at people and the displays, much to the delight of anyone who noticed her. The lights were awesome and it was a fun night out. We stopped at the video store for The Big Lebowski and went home to watch the movie and drink hot chocolate.

Before I went up to the Fortress of Solitude for the evening, I asked the boss why he had taken me to a Christmas event, given the fact that he didn't partake of the holiday. His answer was that he didn't celebrate the holiday but that I did and so he went for me. Plus he had not been since he was a kid and had enjoyed seeing all the lights. Oh the old softie....

Thus, with Christmas just a week away now, I spent yesterday making cookies to give to folks here who have been kind to me. I found my favorite Cranberry Rugelach recipe that Tammy Wilson, my baker friend, introduced me to years ago and I tried a snickerdoodle recipe out of the Junior League of Austin cookbook that Jeff had ordered for me from a friend of Stix's who was selling it as a project for a marketing class. I didn't have allspice or nutmeg but fudged it by adding orange peel and dipping the cookies in dark chocolate.

It was the cookies that got me to thinking about immigrants and traditions. I'm a native Mainer of Welsh and Scottish stock living in Texas baking Polish rugelach cookies on Guadalupe Street. I've brought my traditions with me from a far off land to the north. I have a lovely wreath that Dave and his mum sent down and it scents my apartment like the woods I grew up in.

When Jeff found out I was baking cookies, he came for a visit. Of course the place smelled heavenly and he said that me baking for the holiday was very girlie...very Sharon. And ya know, he was right. It is very Sharon. Tonight, I packaged the cookies up in cellophane bags for the boss to give out as corporate thank you's to our valued customers. Ok, so it helps that it's Bill and Stix and Larry & Holly, all friends, but it sounds funny and silly. I even put little gift tags saying Happy Holidays from EJL World. Martha Stewart isn't the only one who knows how to keep her customer base...

To blow off a little of the craziness earlier this afternoon we went for a walk at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and then on the grounds of the Capitol. It was in the mid-50s with not a cloud in the sky. Wendy got to investigate all sorts of sights and smells and I got to see a little more of Austin.
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That last picture was taken at the downtown branch of the Austin Public Library. I was doing some work on the Reagan Diaries and Jeff was writing. Wendy, as always, was on duty.

Heaven only knows what the week ahead holds. I hope all the Maine folks are taking care of their backs after all the snow you've had. Wish I could tell you that shoveling sunshine is hard work but so far, it's not. Cleaning the apartment, small as it is, is another story all together....

Texas-sized hugs and kisses all!

sharon