This Weekend

On Thursday Sr. H and I sneaked away for a date night at the Granary (excellent, the standout for me that most unassuming of barbecue sides - bread & butter pickles - housemade and wafer thin and so sweet) followed by two scoops (milk chocolate and vanilla bean with honey) of ice cream at Lick, the newest restaurant at Pearl. Luke took a bite and said 'I'll do a guest post about this' - which he never says - but since he's in a plane over the Atlantic right now for a week of golfing in Ireland (lucky duck that he is, lucky duck Emerald Isle edition) I will transcribe the contents of his guest post:

It's not good. Too icy. Even your mistakes [making ice cream at home] are better. Fat-free Breyer's is better.

Sorry Lick, I have to agree, too icy! Not the right mouthfeel. At home we watched I Know That Voice, a documentary about voice actors, to round out date night.

On Saturday morning Pat and I went to yoga class (I can recite the gym childcare hours by heart) and then to Morgan's Wonderland. I will have to get the photos of C off of Pat's camera, I'm certain there are some framers in there. 

I was really in the mood to cook this weekend and wanted to try out the spiralizer. I made a big batch of marinara to serve with zucchini noodles (zoodles) and meatballs and these pumpkin stuffed shells.

Sunday was Central Market for brunch where I found the Iced Beverage I've Been Looking For (chocolate milk with tiny bit of coffee flavor over ice) - iced mocha with almond milk. Almond milk makes everything calorie-neutral, if not virtuous. I was about to read the paper but at that moment Josie decided she needed a bottle so both the Times and my fried egg sandwich sat untouched.

Brunch buddy:

Are you going to share that iced mocha?

Zoodles.

Central Market, you've gone beyond first world with your yogurt selection. Not pictured: sheep's milk yogurt, goat's milk yogurt, carrot/butternut squash/lavender acai varieties, in addition to the plebeian offerings of Dannon and Yoplait.

Sunday evening I spoke to my grandfather, now in hospice care. I told him all the words C knows, how many animals she can point out in her Animals book, about Josie's sleeping. He is the most kind, gentle, dignified, decent person I have ever known. By giving a baby someone's name, you are hoping to transfer or imbue or engraft their qualities to the newborn. Clementine's middle name is my grandfather's middle name and if she has just a percent of his goodness she will be a very fine human being. I love you, Grandpa.

May 2014

                     

One of Clementine's books is Opposites, with side by side illustrations of a bunny up close and then far away, a worm driving slowly then zooming away, a bird flying up, then down.

That is how life feels these days. Moments of frustration and moments of glee. Thinking about the case at hand, thinking about the direction of my career. Big and small, fast and slow, birth and death, ennui and energy, dissatisfaction and an embarrassment of riches, back and forth, staring at a wall of yogurt, staring into my baby's face when she wakes up from a nap. Wild swings of perspective and feeling. Goodbyes and hellos. Silliness and somberness. Grief and joy. Annoyances and nuisances and calamities. Phone calls to schedule appointments, a phone call to say goodbye.

via @maryengelbreit on Instagram