So we didn't actually make it to the mountains.

Even though we had planned this for months, D had a monkeywrench at work that put us into last-minute booking for a cabin. We couldn't find one that would take a five month old border collie, and we didn't want to board Charlie. So, for the second time this year, we reluctantly stayed home for vacation. And had a great time anyway. Blizzards and work issues -- not equal acts of God, but equally inexorable. We have got to just get in the car and travel somewhere soon. It's getting desperate. Can we hold out until Christmas in New Mexico?

I do have a secret weakness for lame, stay at home vacations. It is just so nice to sleep past dawn and open one eye to watch D take Charlie out of his crate to go outside. He makes waffles, and the smell gets R out of bed and downstairs. I can sleep as long as I like. On Friday we went to a pumpkin patch and ran into her school friend. They were driving by and saw us, and his mom backed her car through the intersection to come over.

Maybe it's because his mom is such a good friend, but I really love this kid. He is very serious--proud but goofy. He reminds me of Ralphie, the "you'll shoot your eye out!" kid from A Christmas Story. Only much more dignified and accomplished, of course--he does Karate, and he can rollerskate backwards.

It was cold and sleety this weekend,turning into snow. So Friday night, we camped out in the living room. We made a fire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and blew up the air mattress in front of the fire. These are aim-in-the- dark with the flash attachment photos. I love how you just point the camera into the blackness with no idea what will show up.

Charlie had more fun than anyone.

We read scary stories by flashlight and fell asleep. I am tired of the bare fireplace. We can't find a mantel we like, and can afford.

On Saturday, we went to the Highlands neighborhood in North Denver to an art gallery where R's art teacher had a show. We bought two of his prints as an anniversary present to each other.




Because Sunday was our 7th anniversary! We made Halloween cookies to celebrate.

This makes me think of Homer Simpson and his fondness for "floor pie." Charlie was happy about the floor flour.

Serious business. On Sunday, D also took my car to get the headlight fixed, and took Charlie for a walk even though it was snowing hard. What a prince of a man. Tonight I'm thinking about how fun our wedding was, in the basement of St. Joseph's Redemptorist, with the Irish band and the Guinness on tap. Everyone we both love in the same room for a night. Seven years later, not only no regrets, but each day has been happier than the one before. Sometimes cliches are hackneyed because they're true.

Four-Day-Week Bento

No school tomorrow, no work for D, we're off to the mountains!

First Snow, Fall 2009

It did snow earlier in October, but this is the first one that is sticking.





As usual, Charlie is focused intensely on D.

My shutter speed is no match for a border collie puppy, in the snow, from a distance.

He truly is a lunatic. But we were expecting that.

I don't know why this makes me think of The Little Match Girl. If the Little Match Girl had a dog named Crazy-Eyes.

This was one of the nicest days I can remember. D is off work today, tomorrow and Friday. I got up and made breakfast for everyone and lunch for R., and then he drove to school in the snow. I went back to sleep, in our big white bed with the snow falling all around. Then he took me out to lunch here. We had just enough time to walk through downtown Littleton in the snow. We went to this spice shop and this one , and bought lemongrass green curry powder, Vietnamese cinnamon, a "cake mix" blend with anise in it, and some amazing red Turkish Aleppo chile. It smells and tastes like an ancho chile, but fruitier, more vinegar-y and rich. Then we picked R up at school and came home and played in the snow. Of course the day ends with the usual dinner dishes and homework and ironing her dress uniform shirt for Mass tomorrow. We played Scarlatti during dinner and left it on all evening. Maybe that's why it still seems so much better than a regular Wednesday night.

Curly Carrot Bento

If I open up the thermos to take a photo of what's inside, a lot of the heat would escape. And lately she has wanted something in her thermos every day. So until I figure out a better way, I will just label the closed thermos.

Not-every-lunch-can-be-beautiful bento

The fog is thicker this morning than I've ever seen it in Colorado. Charlie was alarmed when we let him in the backyard this morning. R said "look at his tail, he is not feeling confident." It was tucked as far between his legs as he could get it. He tried to climb up me to jump in my arms when I went outside. He is such a little border collie. Don't we know, sheep get lost in fog like this! This is terrible! He got used to it after we walked around with him for awhile.

I had to take the lunch picture inside, with bad lighting. It was not the most attractive lunch to begin with. But it's nutritious, and I know she will eat everything that's in it.

Back to the Grindstone Bento

That was nice, Thursday and Friday last week without school. Teacher conferences, and then a teacher in-service day. It was the first snow and the first really cold temperatures too. Nice to stay in your pj's until lunch and read books together in bed.

I asked R if she was going to show her friends that she has a red pepper cat and dog in her lunch today, and she said "Mommy, no one cares about my lunch." At least with a six year old, you know where you stand. No subterfuge, no softening the blow.

Out of Uniform Bento

Today was a long-awaited out-of-uniform day at school. That is so exciting that it's ok if lunch is a little boring.

I am making headway on the baskets upon baskets of green tomatoes we rescued before first frost. We wrapped a lot of them in newspaper and set them to ripen in the basement where it's dark and cool. I've frozen batches of puree to make soups and sauces later on. I made and frozen green tomato curry sauce from this book.

I've also canned several batches of green tomato salsa, and made jam.

Canning salsa is tricky because for saftey, you have to use an approved recipe and keep the proportions of vegetable to acid exactly the same. This is from the National Center for Home Preservation website. Tomatillo Green Salsa

It's safe to substitute green tomatoes for tomatillos, lime juice for the lemon, and switch out some of the hot peppers for milder ones. Which I did because I am the only native New Mexican in my house. It has a very strong lime flavor. All that lime juice is necessary for safety. But it's great with chips, or pureed as a sauce for enchildas, or mixed with plain yogurt or a cream sauce to tone down the acid a little. It has such a bright flavor. I think it will be wonderful to open a jar one cold February day, and taste the summer tomatoes ripening on their vines.

Yeterday I made green tomato, orange and apple jam from
this book.

Canning at high altitude is frustrating, because the boiling temperature is different and you can't go by the time or temperature for gel set in a recipe. A few weeks ago I made Christine Ferber's Peach and Pinot Noir preserves, and they nerver set up. I ended up with jars of peaches in Pinot Noir syrup. They're really good, but they're not jam. This tomato jam, I cooked too long, and the set is too thick and sticky. I finally have a digital thermometer and a scale to weigh the fruit (maddening French recipes with everything in grams!), and I'm getting better.

And finally, here is Charlie as of about five minutes ago. He turned four months and had his last puppy shots. His rabies tag indicates that he has been domesticated and registered in the system. He belongs to The Man now.


We're so happy he's here. What did we used to do for fun before Charlie came along?