These weeks are blurring together and, in all honesty, I’m not sleeping all that well. In an effort to try and hold it all calmly together I find myself spending an awful lot of time pacing at night…or laying there staring into space. We’re on the countdown for Kid #1 being able to leave where he’s been planted for the last four or so years and while I’m trying super hard to not concentrate on worldly affairs (for my mothering heart) that hasn’t been the easiest thing to do of late.
But, if things stay quiet for the next few weeks on that end of the world, he’ll be home. I’m counting the days.
Meanwhile, I pace and stare and pace and stare. Puzzles help too…as does the binge watching of Gilmore Girls. Seven seasons and four movies takes a little bit of time to get through and is a great time waster. And before you think I don’t, I do pray – quite a bit actually…but even those words are hard. I trust God. Plain and simple. But my human self is just that…human. And I’m struggling.
In other happenings, Spring has settled into SoCal. The weather varies from 97 to 50 and everything in between, but the time change has brought sun – glorious, radiant, warm sunshine. The house might be little but the light is big.
Cooking has been hit and miss lately. I’ve gotten into a groove of quick and easy and while there is nothing wrong with that, it just hasn’t been overly share worthy. I did find a new, and pretty affordable, butcher (in my never ending hunt to shop local, shop small…aside from my beloved Costco, that is 😎) and that has me trying whatever they have on hand. Last weekend I made an oxtail stew – delicious as long as I didn’t think too much about the fact that it’s a….well, you know. I cooked it long and slow with red wine and beef stock and it was fall apart tender. No one talked through the meal…so it must’ve been ok. 😊
There was also a day of braciole…I say day because it’s not necessarily a last minute meal. I do tend to make mine more simple than most…garlic, a few bread crumbs, parmesan, pine nuts and parsley – rolled up and tied and simmered in red wine (shocker!) and passata. The whole house smelled like old world Italy while it cooked all afternoon – and again, it was eaten pretty quickly which is always a good sign.
That’s the latest around these parts. I’m looking forward to getting the garden prettied up and to start having people gathered around our table. Garden season is my favorite season (along with Autumn and Winter – it’s so hard to only have one favorite) and we’re almost there. Patience is a virtue…albeit a hard one.
Little House, Big Table 