Practicing Hygge

 

No, not yoga…hygge…pronounced either hue-guh or hoo-gah. I read an article about this. The word is from the Danish and Norwegian for a mood of coziness and being comfortable and content. It’s how they get through those harsh winter months without getting cabin fever. Since the winters in California are so mild in comparison there isn’t that problem. But I love the idea behind it. Some of the suggestions I think can be incorporated not matter what the weather is. Here are just a few.

 

Spend quality time with family and friends

TURN OFF THE TV AND PUT YOUR PHONE ON SILENT. Talk to each other. Eat at the table instead of in front of the TV. Linger over the meal. Maybe play a board game after you’ve cleared the dishes.

 

Candles, candles, candles

I love a candle-lit atmosphere. Whenever the power goes out here, I have several candles that I light and place all around the house. It’s hard to read or play games by candle light, but that’s where the talking comes into play.

 

Sit by a roaring fire

Not everyone has a fire place, and in some areas wood fires are prohibited. Decorative logs with a gas fire or LED are just as cozy looking. And in the summer you can do this without getting too warm.

 

Keep meals simple

I’m a huge fan of soups and stews and I love my slow cooker dearly. You can even make desserts in them. Fewer cooking dishes and less clean-up.

 

Pick up a book

Seriously! Of course, if you are not a recreational reader you’re stuck. Don’t know how to advise you on this. I guess audio books would serve. My brother, his wife and their daughter used to gather at the table each night for their bedtime snack and read to each other. I loved that! I wish we had established that routine ourselves.

 

And now I wish it were snowing hard outside…

 

Thanksgiving Aftermath

 

Turkey Day has come and gone, but the calories last forever...

Sarah & Co. came up for Thanksgiving and I loved it. It was very low-key and laid-back. I did a roast and potatoes in the slow cooker instead of turkey. Sarah made sweet potatoes for her and Marv. She also made Red Lobster cheesy biscuits. Lia helped us make a pumpkin pie/cake that is to die for. Sarah also brought up a HUGE pumpkin pie that someone had given her. Kevin had made shredded brisket for BBQ sandwiches. He also made mac & cheese with bacon. OMG. He also made scalloped potatoes. So we had plenty of food.

 

Thursday I did something I hadn’t done in years. Went for a walk. Sarah, Lia and I took a short stroll in the neighborhood. Short was all I could handle. We walked up to the stop sign at Ashley and Campbell and I took a breather. Then we continued on to the corner of Ashley and Stanford where I took another breather. Then up to the end of Ashley to Calvary Chapel where we sat on one of the benches for a bit. A beautiful white dog came out of the RV in the church parking lot, barking until she decided we were friendly. The pastor came out of the RV and we had a really nice chat. It gave me a nice break. Then we went back home. On Saturday we took that walk again. Definitely needed the breaks on this one. The weather was flat out gorgeous the entire weekend.

 

Sunday morning Marv went to church while the kids packed up. It’s always a melancholy task getting ready for the leave-taking. I hate saying goodbye. After they took off I went back into a VERY quiet house. I even miss my granddoggers…

 

Going For A Drive

When he was in a nursing home, I would frequently take my dad out for car drives. Most of the time he would just fall asleep, but that was OK. For a while he would be back out in the world and away from the dreariness of Country Crest. It was nice that we live in a relatively rural area, so it was easy to just meander around. Go past fields with horses. Little country roads. I wouldn’t have a set route but would try to vary it a bit. Several places had landmarks that I could point out to Dad. A really unusual bird house. A house with a lot of lovely stone work on the front. Going up to Kelly Ridge and finding deer. Just tootling along. Not a lot of talking. I’d keep the drive to about a half hour and then head back to Country Crest.

After he died I found that I missed those meandering drives. It’s really not that much fun when you’re alone. I’ve never been one to drive just for the pleasure of driving. I did enjoy the drives with Dad, though.