Sunny Sunday and a lovely meal

Today was beautiful. The sky was bright, fully illuminated, alive. A definite briskness remained, but the nascent spring's softer contours rounded out what stubbornly remains of our elongated, deeply chilly winter. Despite the fact that I don't put much stock in weather forecasts, I took the mid-70s proclamation for Sunday at word and wore shorts to Jack's baseball game. This was a slight overreach but by the time it wrapped up, my goosebumps had subsided and actual warmth was penetrating my epidermis. Brava!! My little boy and his teammates were darling to watch and though they lost 13-0, I couldn't have been more proud. Room for improvement! Four of the women in my writing class and I really clicked and decided to forge ahead as a group, teacherless and fearless. This afternoon was our first "class" and not only was it great to hear each of their voices but also wonderful to be back in the student saddle. And then back to the boys, the evening routine and dinner. Most everything was from our trip to the farmers market this morning, the produce at the height of just-picked freshness, the turkey from a happy bird slaughtered humanely, well as humanely as slaughter can be. It was light, flavorful, simple and good.

I grated these carrots for a Moroccan salad: raisins, olive oil, fresh ginger, cinnamon, honey and lemon juice. It's always good.

I oven-roasted the leeks, with just some olive oil, salt, pepper and two small pats of butter. And with the turkey breasts, I heated up the good-old cast iron skillet and made a quick piccata, minus the breading, heavy on the lemon and capers. Bellissima!

And now, the Mad Men season premier. Aah!!!

Farmers market fun

When he remembered the chocolate eclairs Bonaparte sells until it's too warm, Ol eagerly accompanied me to the farmers market this morning. Jack stayed home to practice bike riding without training wheels but requested a raspberry palmier, "a big one please."There were just a few eclairs left so we snatched one up quickly, and Ol devoured it in one sitting.

We got a great assortment of goodies including these beautiful baby leeks.

We are now at Jack's baseball game which is darling in such a clueless, little bobbleheaded way!

Today.

Got to sleep in, in the basement. Bliss. Men were at Home Depot when I awoke. Surely this wonderful zen will last, I think. It did. For 15 minutes after the men returned home. I did shower but hair had to go into a ponytail. Tae Kwon Do. With both boys. Then to store. Bought 4 pounds of strawberries. Threatened children repeatedly re their banshee-like behavior. Didn't really work. Thought I'd go into immediate shock due to quickly sky-rocketing anxiety due to incessant talking and wild-animal'ness due to innate maleness that is any young boy regardless of seeming disposition. Got home and passed children off to hubs. Went outside to bask in sun and eat lunch. Put cat on leash after hearing him mew pitifully at the screen door. Watched pug collapse like fat slug on deck alongside me. He's cute. When he doesn't pee in and all around our basement. Went with fam on family playdate at good friends' house. Felt vaguely self-conscious as boys fought mercilessly with light sabers while their girls looked on with vaguely WTF expressions. Sent T home early because he only got four hours of sleep last night. Walked home with boys and could not get over talking. Really, y'all, I'm not exaggerating. The talking is OUT OF CONTROL. Just imagine two highly- and precociously-verbal youths narrating their each and every thought, move, fart, burp, step, action, consideration, sensation. I just don't care about all of that. I really don't. Steve Moore should be hamstrung and gagged for the rest of his life. What an annoying, nerd-stricken, WSJ-shilling ass. I loathe him. And when did the President become the only person in the country to affect/effect the number of jobs created each month? Why in god's name would he be the only one culpable for job loss and/or responsible for job creation? Shit, you idiots. It is UNbelievable to me how Republican mouthpieces can excuse Bush but blame Obama for everything. As if the Texas moron (and his cronies) didn't lead us into unsubstantiated wars and stupid tax-cuts. As if the Republican Congress isn't stonewalling everything that comes their way from the Left. And then blaming the President for not trying to "reach across the aisle." Shit! And then Steve Moore spouts nonsense like, "cut funding for snail research" (which is $2M a year (like anyone even notices $2M a year) which is so offensively stupid and sanctimonious that I want to die. Drank some wine. Ate yummy pasta with shrimp and pesto. Who is still denying climate change?! Why? And tomorrow is Sunday.