April Snow

It snowed most of yesterday (if you squint you can see flakes in the picture), just a bit stuck last night, a dusting even, but today's supposed to warm up.  The sun's out and there isn't a cloud in the sky so maybe we'll have a fighting chance of Spring, for a day or two anyway.  It's got to start warming up a little more.  Everyone's staggering around shell-shocked at the weather.  I went to Woodman's and Home Depot yesterday and neither place was remotely crowded--and it was Friday.  I didn't have to jockey for a parking place at HD or dodge manic grannies (older than me) in the produce department at Woodman's AND I walked straight into a checkout line, no waiting.  I almost enjoyed being there.

While eating my lunch I glanced out to see some goldfinches at the feeder, goldfinches molting, goldfinches turning yellow like they believe that Spring might be on the way, so even though there was a junco out there right under them I'm believing the goldfinches.  Spring. Is. On. The. Way.  

As I said, Durwood's got a bad backache so I got to pick a recipe and make supper last night.  I'm more adventurous than he is so I picked out Chicken Bouillabaisse (but it didn't have any fish--why'd they call it that? I don't know) with Pimento-Garlic Sauce out of a WW cookbook.  It was basically chicken thighs in diced tomatoes with bay leaves, thyme, orange zest, and a teeny bit of Sriracha (hot pepper catsup) that I put over rice, with a dollop (our new favorite cooking term, not sure why) of the sauce which is pimento (or roasted red pepper), garlic, salt, 1/8 tsp. Sriracha whirred in the food processor til smooth and then 1/4 cup fat-free mayo whirred in too.  Deeeelicious.  The pimento sauce was too hot/spicy for Durwood but he gamely scraped it off and kept eating.  The cookbook's called Turn Up the Flavor so all of the recipes have strong flavors (duh) and bright colors which I'm all in favor of, he's more of a traditionalist, liking separate meat, potatoes, and veg or an old stand-by like shepherd's pie or meatloaf, and nothing hot/spicy, except Penzeys Sweet Curry which is more flavorful than spicy.  I'm not complaining, no sirree, I like coming home from work to find supper on the stove or in the oven, I just like stepping out of the norm every once in a while.

April 5--Courtois Freres, Cornet a Pistons in B-flat.  

Croon to me
in brass
tubes of notes twisted
into curlicues of jazz.
Press your lips
to mine, touch my ivory
keys to change the tune.
Winding breath,
syncopated pulse,
tapping toes...
take me, Louis,
I'm all yours.
~~~~~

It's about time to get all togged up to go meet Durwood's Census 2000 pals for breakfast so I'd better close this out and get a move on.  I feel an omelet in my future.  Hasta la vista, babies.
--Barbara