Kitchen Calendars

I am not one of those people that obsess about a new calendar. I don’t stand in the mall oogling at one of the many calendar stores that pop up during the end of each year. I don’t have to look daily at a pet, a farmhouse, a favorite sports team, or even 12 monthly wine suggestions (although, that’s not totally a bad idea).  No, the calendar that will hang on the side of my refrigerator for the next 365 days only has to have one thing; a great December photo.

It is true. As one holiday season is ending, I am (in a very small way) already looking to the next one. So the first thing I do when purchasing a new calendar is go to the back page and make sure there is at the very least a landscape of snow. Come next December,  I do not want a palm tree mockingly staring at me when the rest of my kitchen is twinkling in lights with the hope of flurries falling against the backdrop of a grey winter sky outside of the window over my sink.

I am not particular about many things in life. I do not have to have the latest in fashion (pause here for a collective “no kidding” from people who know me). While I can navigate somewhat, I am not the most up-to-date in the world of social media. Trying to figure out who is tweeting who on Twitter is kind of like watching football on the Red Zone channel with my husband….the ball gets hurled in the air from a quarterback in Philadelphia and lands in the hands of a receiver in Denver. It’s all over the place.

But there is one domain, I hold my own. I am the queen, sometimes the king, often the jester, but always, always; the ruler of my kitchen.  Like so many kitchens across this country, it is the hub of family activity. I love to cook. Soups are my specialty and often friends and neighbors will stop in on a cold Saturday afternoon to see what’s in the pot before heading home with a full Tupperware container. It is where my sons confided in me as little boys and continue to do so as men.  It is where my husband sits at the center island and tells me weekly how important it is that we find ways to put more money into our retirement accounts.  It is where I sit weekly with my husband and try and act like I am paying attention. Life may be created in the bedroom, but it is definitely celebrated in the kitchen.

 ……So back to the calendar.  This year’s was a freebie from a local pizza place. And, of course, December 2012 is a winter wonder of snow covered trees and mountains. So, it gets to stay.  But the intriguing month on this year’s supply of dates is actually January. Yep, the page exposed to a room that serves as a catering office preparing for family celebrations, or as ground zero in handling a family crisis, is one of a lake surrounded by mountains. And in the middle of the lake is a large rainbow that seemingly goes off the page and into, well, my kitchen.I am excited to follow that rainbow through each turn of the calendar page while telling stories, sharing recipes and allowing those following me into the intimate details of kitchen conversations. Let’s go through 2012 together!