Thanks, Henri

There are a few authors that express things that I have thought or maybe haven't even consciously thought but have felt at some deep level.  When you see the words on the printed page you recognize the deepest longings of your soul expressed in a way that you can't.  It's a little eerie, but also wonderful to know that you are not alone in what you long for or think about.  For me right now that author is Henri Nouwen.

Food for thought....

We'll miss you Tig

We lost our sweet kitty Tigger this week.  He was a member of the family for 16 years. During that time he survived being dressed in doll clothes and pushed in strollers,  being loved by overly affectionate toddlers, and even a raccoon attack.

Tigger was always friendly and happy and pretty much purred his way through life. I'll especially miss his company while I'm gardening.

Happy things

I LOVE these!

They were  written out for me as a wedding present from Gail.  She wanted me to have a few of Ron's mom's recipes.
I keep them in this lovely little book:

made for me by--you guessed it--Gail :)

A life well lived

Stan lived ninety years on this earth with integrity and kindness and love for his family--what a legacy  to leave for your children.  He will be deeply missed.

The briefest of interludes

Ron has been spending much of his time care taking his dad.  It's very difficult because he still has to go to his very demanding job, but also so good for him  to have that precious time that will never be regretted.  He came home briefly tonight, and we had wine and a 'nibbly dinner' on the deck (it was a little cold but we tried not to notice) and then we drank more wine and listened to John Mayer by the fire.  It was a lovely little interlude in a sad season.

Is there any dilema my cast iron skillet can't solve?

Oh, probably.  But, to my delight, I keep discovering its hidden talents.  Mark got Ron started on cooking steak in it, starting on the stovetop and finishing in the oven.  A brisk and tidy process with apparently happy results ( I'm not really a steak fan.)
I was home alone for dinner tonight and happened to have a bag of Trader Joe's whole wheat pizza dough in the fridnge.  I decided to make a small pizza for dinner.  But when I turned the oven on the preheat, I was reminded that the oven had been sending out an ominous natural gas smell, and that I was going to be calling the repairman in the morning.  So no pizza for me.  But then I started thinking about how much better pizza is on the grill than in the oven, and I wondered if my cast iron skillet could produce results similar to the grill, without needing time in the oven.  I googled 'stove top pizza'.  Would you believe someone actually posted a recipe for pizza that involved stovetop stuffing??  But I also found this:http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/tips-techniques/weeknight-dinner-how-to-make-pizza-on-the-stove-top-095403 much more useful link. Before I knew it I was enjoying delicious sausage, olive and tomato pizza with a glass of wine and the Gilmore Girls.  Lovely!