Saturday Segments

A little of this, a little of that...let's see what pops into my head.


Three course meal:

Yes, I've enjoyed a first, tiny harvest from the spring garden!  This was, in fact, all I had for dinner that night.  It was delicious, and so sweet it counted as dessert, too.

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I've decided my feelings about our Big Trip closely resemble a rather unhealthy obsessive romantic attachment.  Whenever I have the freedom to let my mind wander, it goes to London or Paris.  My leisure reading is Rick Steve's guide to London.  (Seriously...I take it to work and read it on my lunch break.  I'm past the Westminster & West End walks and into the museum section now.)   Everything I do, everything I buy, every plan I make (every cake I bake, every...), I consider in light of The Trip.  Should I pack these pants?  How many pairs of shoes can I get away with?  What are the in-flight movies?  I've been trolling the London forum on TripAdvisor and posting questions about charging my mp3 player and which museums are more essential.

Recently I've realized how deep I'm in.  I was was startled to acknowledge that, thanks to my buddy Rick, I'd expanded my list of Must Sees to a stress-inducing, can-we-see-it-all? level.  I'm not that kind of traveler.  Sure, I want to see Westminster Abbey, and I'm still pretty sure I want to climb the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral...but if I don't, it's not going to ruin my trip.  I read a comment online  from a woman who'd done the Must See Tour of London, rushing from sight to sight to check them off the list--and now what she really remembers are the times she and her husband deviated from the list and did something unplanned.  I needed the jolt of a reminder that traveling is not about "collecting" famous sights, but about just seeing what's around the next corner, stopping to look in a window, strolling through everyday streets to absorb the vibe of a place.

So I've started to try to focus on the here and now, especially trying to make sure that all my conversations with Miss Chef don't start out with "When we're in..."  Yes, anticipation is all fine and good, but what will happen when it's all over?  I don't want to feel adrift and alone, pining after the Big Trip because it erased every other activity from my mind.  Oh, sure, I can reminisce about the great times we had together, but then I'll be living in the past.  No, I think Big Trip and I are going to have to Slow Things Down a little bit.  Just for a few weeks.  Just so Miss Chef doesn't suspect, or get jealous.

I'm sure the jig'll be up once we're sitting on the plane and she sees the big ol' smile on my face, though.

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Miss Chef cooked last week:

The light wasn't very good...what we've got here is a pre-made couscous or tabouli salad, steamed asparagus (local!), wilted bordeau spinach (local!), grilled portabellos, and leeks and caramelized onions in the back.  The middle is a pot of homemade pimento cheese.  I didn't know you could make your own...but then, I'm a Yankee and pimento cheese is a southern thang, y'all.

I was going to write a bit more, but I've suddenly got dinner plans, and the house is a diZASter!  Happy weekend to everybody, and I'm trying to get around to your blogs a bit more.  I'm still reading!