Happy 4th!

Sadly, though today is my sweet Jack's 7th birthday, he woke with a 101+ fever and has felt lousy all day. He couldn't even stomach a bite of his birthday blackberry pie. Fortunately, new Legos, books and a Harry Potter wand have kept his attention! Jack/Harry

We had T's parents over for a birthday lunch of Balsamic-glazed baby back ribs, corn on the cob, Mark Bittman's potato salad, hibiscus iced tea and blackberry and sour cherry pies. I'm full as a tick! The sun has come out, and we're making our way through a lazy, lovely afternoon. Hope you're all well.

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Pies, pies, pies

Earlier today, with six pounds of ribs and 6 ears of corn in one hand, and Percy on the other, I got flipped off by a lunatic woman who had stopped in the pedestrian crosswalk instead of just before it. A stop sign! A crosswalk! A bus stop! Benches! Was it really a surprise that a pedestrian might be walking by? Because she deigned to stop (the law), I and my dog-n-parcel entourage opted to cross the street in front of her car (my right) at which point she started gesticulating offensively, and as soon as Percy's paw had cleared her wheel, she roared off in a fit of rage. I gave her the go-and-die look and hoped she didn't kill someone before she got home. The kids were on the wrong side of fantastic early this morning so after getting effed off by a crazy lady, I decided to throw in the towel and stay away from all people as best I could for the remainder of the day.

In the meantime, I made two chocolate-almond cakes and while they cooled, two pies. I LOVE PIE!!!

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Jack asked that blackberry pie be his birthday breakfast, and I felt that a 4th with sour cherry pie would be superb. So, both! While they cooked, I iced those gorgeous Reine de Sabas and then tossed them in the freezer. Et voila!

Presently, curried cauliflower is roasting in the oven as are some collard green and chorizo handpies. At 7:44am tomorrow morning, my oldest little sweetheart, Jack, will be 7. Aah. Have I ever told you the story of the night he was born? I had my first contraction at 2:10am and we quickly realized they were like a minute apart. We called the doula, she said "go to the hospital." Tom went to wake my parents, I plugged in my curling iron. My Mom came up and said, "what on Earth do you think you're doing?!" I unplugged the curling iron, and we left. T smuggled White Star in that evening, and that was that. Wasn't he a beauty? Still is, inside and out!

just-born jack

The vexation that is finding a good haircut, cherry jam

This morning, I had a haircut appointment with a new stylist. In my opinion, finding a good hairstylist is as hard, perhaps more so, as discovering a great bra or feeling you look terrific in your bathing suit. I am ever-hopeful of meeting the next Eddie, my genius, preposterously affable hair-cutter in Boston; twice since we moved, I've scheduled appointments with Eddie during visits back. That's how seriously thankful I am for a good do. In D.C., I've hobbled grudgingly from one maybe-we-can-date kinda stylist to the next. There was the tall, thin, Latin Flamenco-type in Virginia; the Scottish gal in Georgetown who I liked quite a bit but who always ran at least an hour behind, and really I just don't have that amount of free time and if I did I wouldn't want to spend it in a salon foyer suffering from a slight air of pretension; most recently I've entrusted my locks to the skilled but surly Vietnamese woman in Bethesda. She is one of those negative black holes that you just want to tear yourself away from lest you get Dementored by her gloom. But on the flip side, she could cut my hair, though I always hated it on the first day which is kind of de rigueur with many trims.

Whatever is a girl to do?!

Today I ventured to M Studio in Bethesda for an appointment with Michael. One of my dear friends, L, who always looks gorgeous, sees him, and really, the promise of any sort of copy of her hair was enough for me. People, it was a delight, and I left feeling updated and chic. Also, I laughed a lot, bought some products, was then inspired to come home and throw out all of my decades-old products that I never did know how to use, and I look forward to a return. Sayonara, surly lady. Welcome to my life, M!

This is epic. I won't have to count the years until my next visit to Eddie.

After my return, I flitted about my kitchen, stroking my smooth hair and working on the sour cherry jam. I did add the black pepper and a bit of super-aged Balsamic, and this is a complete gem of a jam. I will post the recipe for you soon! This would be killer on some goat cheese or Brie, a bagel smeared with cream cheese, atop a cheesecake (catch the underlying theme here?).... Mamma mia!

sour cherry, black pepper and aged Balsamic jam

Then a walk with Percy because I needed some bacon to make the black beans the kids have been wanting and Wagshal's sells this great Amish bacon that cannot be beat. On said walk, I leaned over to scoop poop and my enormous, jute, "summer bag" slipped off my shoulder and onto a rogue bit of poop. Disgusting but it did not deflate me!

We got back home to start the beans, then to pick-up to get the boys, a random "field trip" to Target, success at Target, home to make the rice. I watched Jack swoon over his rice and beans and died a little bit when he said, "Mom, you are a better cook than a professional one." I had a glass of rosé, am trying to be zen about the ocean of markers and "confetti" (cut up paper for no reason at all) all over my floor, and am about to embark on bath- and bed-time. Whew!