Pet Peeve of the day. I asked my Personal Shopper for candy canes last week, and he dutifully brought them. It took me until today, when I contemplated starting the peppermint chocolate bark project, to notice that they are CHERRY flavored candy canes. Have you ever heard of such an abomination?

Wren has made her rug choice. After two days of pondering and observing the swatches in various lights and various positions on the floor, I have to concur. I wasn’t planning on a wool rug, I really thought I’d choose cotton. But I’m grateful that I opened my mind beyond my preconceptions and tried a couple of wool swatches. I ruled out some based on their uniform lightness–in this house, a bright light rug will only show dirt and stains more readily. I keep a reasonably clean house, but it’s not an HGTV or Architectural Digest quality clean where a white rug would work. Between pet hairs, mud seasons, and who knows what else might happen, I need a mottled rug, so I’m glad that Wren chose the one she did. Of the three wool swatches I checked out, this was the middle in terms of foot comfort, but first in color and camouflage. I ordered a 5’x8′ rug and a natural rubber pad to hold it in place.

I’m also grateful for opening my mind to fermentation. There was a time when I thought it was beyond my capabilities, something best left to professionals. Pickling and making hot sauce over the past few years has given me some confidence in the process and the safety of the finished product; enough to try sauerkraut for the first time. And since my Personal Shopper (grateful!) brought me a gigantic red cabbage larger than my head (the average adult human head weighs around eight pounds), and I don’t want to waste food, I chose to pickle a big portion of it to preserve it through the winter. It will last up to six months in the refrigerator, though it’s recommended to eat it within three months. I was delighted (and grateful) to see a recipe call for juniper berries, since there’s an abundance right outside the door. Wren and I walked up to the driveway in the misty dark night and picked a handful; and I had caraway seeds in the spice rack. This half-gallon of sauerkraut came together quickly and easily. Three days in the pantry and five days in the fridge til I can taste it. And there’s still half a cabbage left! Coleslaw here I come.