2019-12-23 - Holiday Prep
Where Christmas baking happens hopefully without the house burning down, along with the wrapping of presents and possibly even the exchange! (Old log from Christmas)
IC Date: 2019-12-23
OOC Date: 2019-08-30
Location: Bayside Residential/5 Bayside Road %R%RThe winter morning starts out briskly chilly, promising a cool afternoon. Winds howl and snow drives relentlessly.
Related Scenes: None
Plot: None
Scene Number: 3364
December 21st
The temperature drops dramatically overnight, as if winter was trying to make some sort of point. Shortly after six in the morning, the first flakes start to fall. By eight in the morning, when traffic on the last Saturday before Christmas ought to really start picking up, so has the snowfall. By noon, traffic in the city grinds to a halt under a whopping three inches of snow. (It's a lot for the west coast, okay?!) The one plow in town can't even keep up with the major streets, let alone side-streets. GHPD and the GH County Sheriff's Department advise against travel, and chains are mandatory on all roads and bridges into and out of the city.
Between noon and early evening, a further five inches of snow drops, and it's better to just stay buttoned up. As of midnight, eleven inches of snow blanket the city.
December 22nd
At eight in the morning, there's officially a record amount of snowfall at twelve inches in twenty-four hours. Intermittent snow falls throughout the day, accumulating another three inches before sunset. By midday, downtown is at least partially plowed and drivable, but it's probably faster just to walk at this point.
December 23rd
Flurries throughout the day don't add much accumulation of snow, but they sure do look pretty. The plow-driver works overtime, and most of the city streets are plowed by the end of the day.
December 24th
Intermittent snow showers freshen up the lingering snow juuuuuust in time for Christmas, with the flurries thickening to add another inch of powder over the icy slush lingering since the 21st. Most of the city remains passable, but some of the outlying streets won't see the plow again until the 26th.
December 25th
The morning starts out with a little fresh powder, with the snow shower giving way to flurries by noon. Those taper off so that, by three in the afternoon, there are occasional patches of blue sky. Throughout Christmas Day and into Christmas Night, a flurry here and there persists, but the storm really gives up the ghost completely by midnight.
December 26th
Overnight, the clouds disperse, leaving behind a VERY COLD day-after-Christmas. In fact, it's a new record low for Gray Harbor, at 5° F / -15° C. The temperature will stay below-normal for the next few days, finally warming back up to average temperature by the 29th.
The invitation had been issued, and now the snow was already beginning to fall and Erin had filled her refrigerator, her cabinets and her freezer with everything imaginable, taking the advice of one of the elderly ladies she has come across in the Safeway. Old Ms. Grainger who had won many a baking contest in the county fair as well as boasting a prize win in the Pillsbury bake off. Ms. Grainger had walked her through the store and Erin had purchased every recommended item, even collecting a few recipes from displays in the store. Peppermint candy cane sugar cookies she'd searched on the net and hopefully she had all the ingredients for that. Marshmallows, chocolate frosting, not the whipped kind, nuts, almond extract, sugar, flour, biscuit mix and sausage for sausage balls or something. Just everything! Turkey and things for pies and even a cheesecake (already made) sampler, because you had to have something to eat while doing all the baking!
Lots of hot chocolate and spiced cider and egg nog. Putting it all away had been quite a chore. The popcorn was both to munch and make a last minute garland for the tree, just for the experience. Food for the days leading up to Christmas too, meals, since the snow was quickly piling up outside.
The fireplace was going, the house warm, Christmas music playing. The tree was partially decorated, it had the lights and garland and there was a mistletoe on the mantle just for decoration. Scented candles added to the festive mood. Erin is wearing a pair of yoga style pants and a cashmere sweater in red, she looks festive. Christmas wreath earrings adorn her lobes. Her feet only have socks covering them. Everything was ready for the holidays!
Jack has what he has. T-shirt and jeans. But, whoa, what's this, Christmas t-shirt and Ford even (https://image.spreadshirtmedia.com/image-server/v1/mp/products/T1197A2MPA2551PT17X47Y58D1016501641FS3690/views/1,width=550,height=550,appearanceId=2,backgroundColor=F2F2F2,modelId=1970,crop=list,version=1550234612,modelImageVersion=1550649373/ford-merry-christmas-ford-sweater-mens-5050-t-shirt.jpg). He's all ready, but bare foot, no socks even. He's looking comfy for the start of Christmas activities. "Looks like we can go wrong Lady. You went all out here. Fixings and everything." He'll walk from his room saying that but ignoring the cookie ingredients in favor of going to give her a hug. It's a good squeeze nothing token about it, the real deal. "What're we fixing up first? The best one to eat right out of the oven?"
"Oh but I bought us some cheesecake as a starter, all sorts in the sampler. Turtle, strawberry, cherry, chocolate, chocolate chips. A few of each kind in the box." Erin is surprised by the hug.. and his t-shirt, which she can smell when he is close and giving her that hug. She inhales deep, just leaning into that embrace, those strong arms around her. "Mmm," she sighs softly. Safe. She felt safe for the first time in.. so long. No hurry to break from it, she holds him gently in return, nuzzling softly against his neck where it meets his jaw. "Fudge is quick, so we can make that last. How about we make two kinds of cookies first? We can make plenty and so once they we are finished, if we can get out on Christmas day, we can go to the nursing home and deliver cookies." Her eyes widen and she lets go of him, looking up. "I should work in the nursing home! I've been debating so much where I should work, the hospital, the doctors office, but it just now came to me. The nursing home. I can give the patients care, because I will really care."
“Cheesecake,” he ponders as they enter that embrace, “I’ll have to get up even earlier to work out after this hoiday.” She can note he’s joking or teasing more than anything else. Jack being in no hurry to separate from that embrace either, enjoying the feel of her within his arms. His neck pressing to her nuzzle, wrapping about her head even. “Your good at organizing these things, people, supplies and such. Work there or get in managing it. See if there are non-profits in need of directors or something. You’d be a shoe in I’m sure.” He does turn towards the ingredients a little, “We coud do two at once, I just want to work with you on whatever you’re making. Help out, or you help me.”. Either or is good.
”Cheesecake,” he ponders as they enter that embrace, “I’ll have to get up even earlier to work out after this hoiday.” She can note he’s joking or teasing more than anything else. Jack being in no hurry to separate from that embrace either, enjoying the feel of her within his arms. His neck pressing to her nuzzle, wrapping about her head even. “Your good at organizing these things, people, supplies and such. Work there or get in managing it. See if there are non-profits in need of directors or something. You’d be a shoe in I’m sure.” He does turn towards the ingredients a little, “We coud do two at once, I just want to work with you on whatever you’re making. Help out, or you help me.”. Either or is good.
“Cheesecake,” he ponders as they enter that embrace, “I’ll have to get up even earlier to work out after this hoiday.” She can note he’s joking or teasing more than anything else. Jack being in no hurry to separate from that embrace either, enjoying the feel of her within his arms. His neck pressing to her nuzzle, wrapping about her head even. “Your good at organizing these things, people, supplies and such. Work there or get in managing it. See if there are non-profits in need of directors or something. You’d be a shoe in I’m sure.” He does turn towards the ingredients a little, “We coud do two at once, I just want to work with you on whatever you’re making. Help out, or you help me.”. Either or is good.
Erin considers his offered suggestions and gives a shake of her head. "While it sounds interesting, I would rather be hands on. I'd rather work more one on one with the patients, I think, than be a director and do paperwork." Though she does consider it still, even after declining it. "But maybe, I wouldn't know what all would be involved." Walking to the kitchen, she tugs open some cabinets and smiles at him. "How about we make your peppermint cookies you mentioned? And I saw a recipe for peanut butter cookies with a twist."
A look at him as she smiles. "What would you like to drink? I've got milk, orange juice, Pear cider, apple cider, egg nog, soda? Beer or water? Anything."
“Sure, you know what you want,” he returns regarding the job ideas, “I get wanting to be hands on. Just more options.” He follows her to the kitchen, to start the activities that are panned. There is a pause on cookies, “Oh, I didn’t know my cane cookies came with peppermint. Maybe my mom didn’t use that, it was the sugar dough only, one part red and twisted. We can try both. What’s the twist to the peanut butter cookies?” More options, all sorts of drinks to choose from it seems. “Cider now, maybe some egg nog as we get going. Where are cups, I can pour us both drinks.” SO he’s doing something too, learning her kitchen, that and looking over at her in socks, yoga pants and that thicker top. It seems to accentuate her figure leaving the area her legs end near her waist a mystery.
"I didn't mean we would add things to them. I called them peppermint because of the shape. I should have said cane. I was thinking candy cane." Erin does look a little embarrassed at the mistake, "I don't even know how to cook. I didn't buy any peppermints or even peppermint abstract. I saw it but I didn't get it."Reaching in the fridge, she gets a mossy green bottle out and offers it to him and gets one for herself. "Pear Cider or Apple?" Reaching for a frosty red colored one too, letting him have the choice. "Glasses are over there to the right of the top cabinet after the sink. I'll just use a bottle though."
Turning to face him, she opens her bottle, "You make peanut butter cookies and put them in a mini muffin tin and when they bake, they make little mini cups. Once they are finished, you take them out and press a Reeses peanut butter cup, one of the mini ones, into the little cup. Ms. Grainger told me the recipe. It sounds simple enough. We'll see."
“Got it,” nods Jack to the correction of the name only versus actual peppermint in the cookies. He reaches over to take the mossy green one, “This is good.” Whichever the green bottle is and he’ll open it as she does, avoiding the glass. “Gotta let me help a little.” As she got the drinks he was offering to help get. Instead he moves to the cookie ingredients and starts to look them over,. Grabbing what may be needed or peanut butter cookies, and seeing if there is a recipe handy. “Those do sound good. Let’s give them a try, your seniors may like those. We’ll have to make sure they’re just right first. Then the sugar cookie candy canes.”
It's the Pear Cider, locally bottled. Erin's favorite. The red bottle goes back in the fridge for another day. "Well, I didn't have a peanut butter cookie recipe so I had to get it from Ms Grainger. She pulls it up on her phone and places it on the recipe stand. "There we go. I can get the muffin tin while you mix the ingredients? She said in a pinch you could use packaged peanut butter cookie mix, but she made sure I knew not the refrigerated. So I bought the packages too, if you'd prefer. Just add eggs and water to them I think." Bringing out the mini muffin tin, she grins a little. It's huge, boasting 48 mini cups. She sprays them with cooking spray and sets it aside. "Which do you prefer?"
When Jack responds, Erin laughs. "You got it, from scratch it is! We're going to have so much food!" (Scene faded due to real life.)
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