Blizzard...not

Tomorrow is going to be a very early day. I need to do a load of laundry before I leave for the VE session so I can get some done since the rest of the day I'll be running errands. We were supposed to get a blizzard, but down here in the valley at the foot of Pikes Peak, we got a bit of snow (and very pretty it was) but not much at all on the roads. Most of it was gone fairly early even in the weak sun that winked now and again through the clouds. It's cold outside (good thing, too, since not even cold showers are cooling my spring fever) but not too cold.

The landlady called this afternoon asking me if I wanted some food. She'd been cooking and baking again and needed to get rid of some of the food. I couldn't very well say no. Besides, she makes very good vegetable soup and black beans. I even got some sweet and sauerkraut into the bargain, and I love sauerkraut. The only thing that would make it better is kielbasa, but I won't quibble about that.

Because of the landlady's attack of kitchen fever I only have to get nonfood items at the store--and the fruit I've been craving: apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, pineapple and bananas. Grapes would be nice, too. And I was going to get some nice portobello mushrooms and fresh salmon to make a dish I saw in the monthly magazine I get from the health food market. I'll have to stop at the liquor store and buy a bottle of wine that, except for one cup I need for the recipe, will sit in the fridge until the next time I decide to make the recipe, but that's not a bad thing. I might even splurge and buy a bottle of hearty red wine and chicken to make coq au vin. Who knows? I could decide to buy the ingredients to make cheesecake and thank the landlady with a food gift of my own. She might have company next weekend and it would be nice (if she can stop eating it even when it's frozen) to share a little dessert with her spring fever dessert companion.

It's days like this I remember how good it is to seize the moment and enjoy myself, to just let go of all the excuses and rational thinking and embrace the simple pleasures: good food and time with good friends. Moments like those are fleeting and opportunities like that don't come along every day, so whenever a chance presents itself I throw caution to the wind, close my eyes, take a deep breath and let myself go. I may regret it tomorrow or next week, or maybe I won't, but I will at least have another delicious and enjoyable memory to savor.

I could run into someone this weekend who would like to share a little dessert. I have plenty and I'm fond of sharing.