It is always lovely to walk into the completely clean kitchen the day after an event. It won't stay that way long, but for now it's a gift to me.

I will be transporting a 55-gallon industrial black barrel (I used it as a rain barrel for ages) to my daughter at work next week (we meet for lunch and transfer stuff between our vehicles). There wasn't room to take it yesterday in a small SUV full of people and gifts. She needs a rain barrel and had one on the Amazon wish list but those are very expensive and all she needs with this is a pump or to install a kit for gravity feed. I have the same thing setup in my greenhouse (though the pump seems to need a gasket, probably an easy fix.)

The new friend with the yard full of plants to transplant invited me over to dig more today. I didn't contact her because of the holidays but this is perfect timing. The little trees I dug a couple of weeks ago are thriving in their pots. This morning I'll heel in a few of the bulbs I dug there then I'm ready for more. Also transplant some asparagus (that's my own yard thing, though she also has asparagus).

The last two days have had much higher carb counts than usual, but only one incident of wheat. Excellent outcome on the holidays! I'm going to halve the recipe for that apple spice cake next time I make it. It's good but it's too large. In another cooking front, yesterday our daughter and ex and I discussed the rice I made the day before and I conclude that it comes out best with the team effort, even if we bicker about technique, because I can't be left to do it by myself. It's edible, but we'll get together to take another run at it with the correct recipe (the one I used called for too much water, and that was the biggest problem, mushy rice.) Made properly, a crust forms on the bottom that is brown and at least a half in thick. Called pegau, it is a delicacy with many Puerto Rican rice dishes. If the rice is too wet, that doesn't form correctly.

Patty, did the eBay sale that was being refunded ever resolve itself? I'm waiting to hear that the box of purple Gibraltar (Libby) glasses I shipped last week has arrived intact. During the holiday season who knows how boxes were treated. Glasses going through a postal tumbler - risky. I padded them even more carefully after one broke in a box a couple of shipments back.

So glad to be past the holiday music season. This morning Ancient Airs and Dances was music to my ears after all of the orchestral versions of traditional medleys. :)