It felt like spring for a couple of days before Christmas, so I thought to check the solitary bee house on the south side of the solitary person house. The previous unit filled up, and didn’t seem to be getting reused, so I hung that in the desert willow just in case, and installed the new unit last summer on the south window buck. I’m pleased to see a few bee nests occupied.

My dear Yarden Helper brought his Norwegian specialty bake when he came to work on Christmas Eve, äpplekakke. I enjoyed a slice for Christmas breakfast. Then I enjoyed another perfect slice of potica for elevenses.

And in between, I set to work on the pie. I used Vaughn’s laminated pie crust, and had mixed the crust the night before, leaving some big blobs of butter as directed. I froze half, and let the other half sit in the cold mudroom overnight. It was perfect after about an hour in the kitchen, and rolled out as beautifully as any crust I’ve ever made. Maybe more so. See the Thanksgiving pie disaster with the same crust, different approach.

Speaking of the Thanksgiving pie disaster, it’s what inspired this classic pecan pie, with an old-fashioned Karo-brown sugar filling instead of adding cornmeal — yuck! It was perfect: so sweet it made my teeth hurt.

I took the pie, and a loaf of bread, and some citrusy roasted cauliflower, up the driveway to share a casual midday Christmas dinner with the Honey Badger family. The fog was so dense on that short drive I turned on my headlights on the off-chance someone might be heading down my driveway. From their house, you couldn’t see the neighbors’. But by the time we’d finished our delicious meal and overdue visit, the unusual fog was breaking up, and the drive home — two driveways worth — was equally beautiful.

Clearly, I am still catching up with myself, since it is already a week past Christmas. Only a few more posts til I am up to speed for the new year. And then I’ll tell you about No-Buy New Year…