Democrats, Liberals, Progressives: People With a Heart
With so many neighbors already gone, those of us still here were gathered by the fireplace in the great room. There were a few teenagers in our group, but rather than splitting into our usual two groups, we asked them to sit with us. We offered them some good, non-alcoholic sparkling wine so they could feel some of the festive mood we were in, and the adults had a drink that sounds terrible at this time of year, but is actually quite appropriate to the season, Hammer Horror, made with homemade vanilla ice cream, vodka and Kahlúa. Please don't think "homeade vanilla ice cream" involves turning on a switch: it involves cranking the old ice cream making machine that's been on the farm for probably fifty years.

We knew that tonight there was nothing young ears could be troubled by. Mostly, we just wanted to confirm how we feel about being Democrats, liberals and progressives. And for those of you reading the chronicles of our nightly gatherings, we just wanted to say thank you. Do you remember that beautiful song Peggy Lee used to sing: "You are The Wind Beneath My Wings?" Well, you, our readers and fellow liberals, are the wind beneath our collective wings; you give us purpose and you help spread our words and thoughts.

Also, don't forget in these next few days, those of you who are Christian, that "Jesus, meek and mild" was the most liberal being that has ever existed! Talk about a rabble rouser, wow! Puts us to shame. But it's a good example to follow, especially this particular rabble rouser's concern for the helpless, aged, infirm, ill and in need of love, human comfort and concern. We seriously doubt He would approve of these obscene tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% while most ordinary people struggle even to keep their homes warm.

There; the Christian part of being a Democrat, liberal and progressive has been mentioned, but tonight we are remembering that of the dozen or so faiths represented in our community, all have those same feelings of kindness toward towards others. Yes, for some of us it is Christmas, but it isn't for everybody, but fortuitously, myriad faiths at this same time of year make an extra effort to be kind to those who need it. I, for example, take great comfort from the Lakota people, who take in the neediest amongst their people and make them family, and take care of them.

Our Foreign Neighbors
As you've read in many of our adventures of our political "salons" and amazing dinners, we have two new couples who have just moved here from Iraq. A Muslim couple and a Jewish couple. Just a few weeks after moving into two farms within what we consider our "community driving distance" they have both, and their children, become truly beloved members of our "gang" and this is a season for them to celebrate as well. For us, out here where life can be rough sometimes, there are no distinctions for we are all neighbors and we all look after each other, in a way that is innate in those who label ourselves Democrats, Liberals and Progressives. Heck, it's just being humane human beings. So, to one and all, let the next couple of weeks be special.

Republicans Tonight: Bah! Humbug!
Tonight, the Republicans voted to severely curtail help for the aged, infirm, poor, helpless and mentally ill. Let's be different. Tonight, during what in the United States is generally called the "Christmas Season" the Republicans chose to stomp on those least able to protect themselves; on those for whom religions everywhere offer sanctuary. For shame. Let's be better, and certainly, more humane and work with all our might to effect regime change before more helpless people suffer at the hands of the Republicans.

No Dinner Gong, Just a Quiet Announcement, Our Dinner Was Ready
Max, who had once lived in Mexico City, long ago introduced us to an especially superb rye bread made there by an old German family, so, whenever we plan to have Rye bread, we have it flown in. It really isn't extravagant, it's just the best Rye bread available outside of Germany, so tonight we had a fresh batch. Lightly toasted, it was spread with some of our finely chopped chicken livers and garnished with chopped fresh dill from Art and Terry's organic produce farm. The younger set stuck with the non-alcoholic sparkling wine, and we had our Rye Bread and Chopped Chicken Liver with a dry sherry.

Tomatoes, not particularly at the peak season right now, are perfect for this Roasted Tomato and Pasta Soup we made as winter comfort food. Although the soup was a simple, peasant-style soup, it was chock full of vegetables. We had ours with little glasses of sherry.

Slowly cooked, the Marmite Dieppoise (soupy stew of shellfish and fish) was superb. Ours contained mussels, prawns, salmon and sole fillets. For seafood lovers, this is a magnificent, satisfying dish to comfort splendidly on a cold night. We served ours accompanied only by beautifully fluffy white rice with fresh parsely. Because of the richness of the dish, which contains a lot of butter and cream, we chose a White Burgundy tonight, a Domaine Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet.

Our next course, Rock Cornish Game Hens with Wild Rice Stuffing, was paired with Pine Nut Cornbread baked on the grills outside. The side dishes were grilled fingerling potatoes, artichoke hearts and mushrooms. For this course, another Burgundy seemed appropriate, and we chose a Red Burgundy, a Marquis d'Angerville Volnay.

This wasn't our main dinner for the season, but considering that we have fewer than half our usual number of neighbors, we think our dinner was pretty special.

For dessert, we had simple mango-peach tartlets with after-dinner coffee. Who could ask for anything better than that?

Winding Down
We'll be taking a short break from chronicling our discussions and dinners, while we wait for the rest of our neighbors to return, so please forgive us if you don't hear from us for a few days. But, we'll be back, probably quite ready to be venomous when dastardly deeds call for us to get our hackles up. Just a few of us are still around, which means that we'll have not only our chores to take care of, but we'll spread around our neighbors' farms and ranches and take care of their livestock and horses while they're away, so we won't have a lot of time to sit around discussing our favorite subjects. We will have one more magnificent dinner, what the French call Réveillon, at midnight on December 24, and we'll tell you all about it when we catch our breath after the other neighbors return.

And, if you catch our cartoon: don't eat like this at your Réveillon!

Summary:
Democrats, liberals and progressives have stood up for the principles that guide the general feelings of goodwill that abound at this time of year: compassion for the poor, the sick, the old, the mentally ill and all those who, through no fault of their own, are unable to care for themselves. That's only one half of the country, so we have a big task ahead, trying to change the current trend of being cruel to the unfortunate and being magnanimous to the already wealthy.
* Copyright, The Royal Pavilion, Libraries & Museums, Brighton & Hove