#cooksoftumblr

A better day with the balance. I’m getting better. When I’m sick, it feels like I’ll never get better and I go through bouts of terrible thoughts that I’ll have to live with whatever is going on forever and I’ll never be able to enjoy life again. Dramatic, I know. But being laid out like this has made me also reflect on people who are sick who truly have no prospects of getting well. And that’s led to my feeling gratitude, for every day, every precious moment I have with my children, for every breath I can take with ease. I know these episodes of Meniere’s will return, but at least I know they will also eventually pass.

I drove today, and tonight Billy and I will go on a walk - my first walk in about a week. I sat in our garden today and had tea. It was beautiful! I enjoyed that hour so much, just sitting, talking with Billy outside, enjoying my tea and cookies, of course, and just being outdoors. So wonderful. There are buds in our yard.

Around 6:00 I got on dinner. I had pork chops but no recipe. I looked for some online, then just decided to chuck the recipe idea. I can do this! Smeared the chops with Dijon, dipped in flour, egg, and panko w/ oregano, and fried in a little olive oil and butter. We were all kind of swooning over the delicious smell. I made some garlic green beans and Billy mashed the garlic potatoes. YUM.

Lady Gaga, you got me at “.....our flag was still there.” And down came the tears.

What stood out was the dignity of those present and the relief, that our country is moving on from such a terrible phase. The poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, whom I had never heard read before, was a symbol of rising up and moving on, of power and of youth.

Celebrations mean cake! Also, Inauguration Day calls for a special dinner. Special to me is “Spag Bol”, as the Brits call it. Spaghetti Bolognese may be one of my favorite pasta meals. If I see it on a menu at a restaurant, I have to order it. Years ago, I scribbled out my British friend Sarah’s recipe, and today I dug it up and it’s now simmering on the stove. Smells divine. 

Amazon Chocolate Cake just came out of the oven. Later on tonight, we’ll have that with our champagne. Anger, divisiveness, meanness - good riddance. You are not welcome at this table. President Joe Biden, VP Kamala Harris, I’m happy for the normalcy and the respect you will bring to your offices, and for the tone that you’ve already set to help bring us back from the brink and back on to steady ground.

Good food, starting with chopped chicken liver, an old family favorite. (Butter, onions, liver, s&p, red wine sauteed then pureed.) Spread on a warm bagel for lunch, with a cup of hot tea.

Spag Bol:

Amazon Chocolate Cake, from Cafe Beaujolais Cookbook:

Let’s celebrate a new chapter.

It’s wonderful to see both my kids excited about their sports. Gabe came home today from football telling me all about a great move (is it move?) he made. I basically have no idea what he’s talking about, but I’m happy for him. Interception. That’s what it was. The coach cheered and told him afterwards that those are the kind of moves (that word still seems wrong) that will get him starting. I have no idea if I’m using the right lingo here. I feel like I’m speaking in a foreign tongue when I start talking about sports. 

After dinner, he put on his helmet. He likes wearing that thing. Billy asked him if they’ve started concussion training yet. We’re laughing now.... Anyway, I’m super happy for him because he is happy. There are worse things he could be doing than playing football.  

And we haven’t seen Ethan so excited about running in such a long time, too. He did his long run the other day, eleven miles. And today he met with his team. He came home saying that he left the other guys in the dust. He has such a funny, modest way of bragging. He’s so humble, he doesn’t brag, except when he does brag it’s in such a fun-loving, sheepish way. He is completely quiet, and he surprises people by his sudden bursts of talent. 

I was so glad that we were able to have a healthy meal with so little effort. I put three whole sweet potatoes in the oven around 4:45, made a glaze for the salmon (1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger, 1 t soy sauce, 1 tea mustard), and suateed a zucchini w/ garlic, and gave the boys some peas. Dinner done. 

Tomorrow I have my PT appointment. I’m expecting miracles. I know I shouldn’t. 

We took a drive down the highway today to meet up with a couple of friends for a hike. Beautifully sunny, terribly icy. Plus, we couldn’t find them. My bad. I didn’t follow the directions properly, got a bit confused, and we ended up a good 20 minutes away from each other. She showed a lot of grace in being OK with my begging off, and telling her we were just going to go home. If it weren’t for Billy and I both feeling some work-related stress and if it weren’t for the ice, we would have forged ahead. I was glad she was so forgiving. It’s a lesson to me - be forgiving of people when they need to back out. If our places were reversed, I don’t think I would have been as OK with a friend backing out of a plan. So, a good lesson for me today. Listen to our friends and loved ones, and be forgiving.

On the way home, Ethan called to say he’d fallen on the ice. It was his day for a long run, and down he went, not two minutes out. He hit his head and shoulder, but he was alright. It was a good day to stay indoors. 

I did some school planning, a little writing in my bedroom, then around 6:30 I started wondering if the family was getting hungry. Good thing I had a plan. Huevos Rancheros, with sauteed spinach and garlic on the side. Perfect comfort food, and what we all needed. After dinner, Billy told us the entire story of the UNA bomber. Grim.