“A soup like this is not the work of one man. It is the result of a constantly refined tradition. There are nearly a thousand years of history in this soup.” Willa Cather, Death Comes for the Archbishop.

WINTER SOUP

Climate Change haters are at this very moment cooking up bogus tales to mask their stupidity. Senators are shuffling the health care deck. The ‘some-of-my-best-friends’ racists are telling impolite jokes. Homophobes in Houston are holding their breath. The voter turnout was, after all, only 16 per cent. They may not have voted but they’ll have their say. English friends will be divided on The Royals and once again I will wait for any sign from The Mister that he will listen to the Queen’s Christmas broadcast. Soldiers in the military, misguided say I, will continue to bomb the crap out of places where humanity is seemingly not an issue. A prisoner will be put to death and still not sway the revenge seekers. Movies will be argued about and neither side convinced. The God is Great God Is Dead argument will carry on. But even the disagreeable agree on one thing: soup in winter.

“In the soup.” Generally the phrase brings to mind a difficult situation. The job is lost, the rent is late, the toilet’s backed up, or the dinner burned. But the unpleasantness in life can be turned around. “In the soup” can mean something entirely different and very beneficial.

THIS RECIPE FOR WINTER SOUP IS EASY AND HEALTHFUL

Ingredients

Gallons of water, hot but comfortable to the touch

1 cup of Epsom salts per gallon of hot water used

1-2 tbs. each of essential oils, like lemon, eucalyptus, lavender, geranium, etc.

1 glass of red wine (or white if you prefer) set aside.

Directions

Clean, wash, rinse a large tub.

Fill to brim with the hot water, dissolving the salt under the running water

Add any amount and combination of essential oils

Remove clothes

Submerge to the neck

Simmer for 20 minutes or so, adding hot water as necessary.

Check fingertips for pruning.

Remove the meat (you) from the tub.

Dry off, slip into something comfortable, and raise that glass of wine.