Dear Friends,
Happy New Year 2021!
Welcome to my blog. I’m so glad you are here.
What a year 2020 was! So glad it’s over. Hopefully 2021 will be better, and you are healthy and safe, and didn’t suffer financially.
Teaching was crazy. Oddly, some students flourished in the distance learning environment. These were the self-motivated kids that didn’t like the social aspect of school. But I teach at a continuation school where most students aren’t self-motivated. Hence, most of our kiddos didn’t do well.
The good news of 2020 was that the members who got Covid-19 made a recovery. We also welcomed a healthy new grandson to our family on November 16–baby Maverick. That makes three sons and two grandsons.
The bad news was that my son lost a job that he absolutely loved when the company collapsed due to the pandemic. I wasn’t able to do much traveling. Although I was able take a trip to the east coast cities of Nashville, Asheville, and Louisville, my flight to Europe was cancelled which was a big disappointment even though I knew I shouldn’t go.
I don’t know about you, but I was anxious. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a worrier. But when the Covid numbers grew and schools closed, stores ran out of basic supplies like flour and toilet paper, and protestors flocked to the streets…well, it wasn’t anything I’d experienced before.
Three things really helped during this crazy time: baking bread, going for long walks, and The Great British Baking Show. Somehow watching the contestants crying over under-proven bread, stodgy cakes, and biscuits that didn’t snap put me in a better mood.
I’ve always enjoyed baking, and made my first loaf of bread at the age of ten. It wasn’t fabulous, but we ate it anyway. For many years I was too busy to bake bread. For a time I even convinced myself I had gluten sensitivity issues. After a trip to Paris, where I saw people devouring baguettes the size of baseball bats in one sitting, my thinking changed. There is nothing better than a fresh loaf of bread, and baking is downright therapeutic. Here is a link to the easiest, most versatile bread dough.
Here’s to a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Love, Cindy
