Here is about half of the neighbors/friends who came to hear the two with guitars and voices in the background give those invited a small concert. I was given earplugs and a chair by the door when I reached my limit of plucking and strumming. They were not only brave to do this but not too bad. I did not leave early and enjoyed the gathering enough to keep it going at another neighbor’s house as we all walked home.
The next day my doctor/friend came over to try out making a brie encrusted appetizer while we played cards. It was pitiful. See below.
We went by a recipe that said to wrap the brie wheel in puff pastry after topping with raspberry jam and almonds…then bake for forty minutes at 350 degrees.
All we could taste was the punky skin of the brie and uncooked dough of the puff pastry. It was suggested that I should not have put it into a pie plate to heat but a metal parchment lined pan. And the temperature should have been 400 or a bit higher for less time. Also that maybe an egg wash would have been better than the melted butter I brushed on. All we can say is that it tasted as bad as it looked. Any suggestions from those who actually served one of these appetizers with confidence would be welcome.
When I had my party a couple of weeks ago, a neighbor brought me these fresh eggs. Aren’t they lovely?
I might make a quiche this weekend.
My watch now tells me that I am over 7,000 steps so far. I might just have another glass of wine and find an interesting bit of writing to make this blog post a bit longer.
Here is a bit from a new short story titled, Shadows. A woman in her seventies has found herself now living alone in a cabin by a lake. I like how she thinks about going into the new surroundings of her home….
“The place is smaller than what I’m used to. Most notably there is no entry. Did you know that entryways/foyers are a needed place to drop off where you came from and prepare yourself to enter the personal space beyond.
But, here, when I opened that cabin’s front door, I was confronted with all the changes I have made. I now walked right into one big open area of living/dining/kitchen. Once inside I felt somehow exposed in the openness, and I glanced into the corners before taking my next step.
For the first few weeks of living here, I would back out, close the door and sit on the porch bench until I was ready. It helped.
Then I started picking things up from out there and bringing them in. I had to walk across the room to place each one in a large wooden bowl on the table. And by doing so my new home slowly wrapped itself around me. I began to feel the caress of familiarity.”
And this about her observation of the shadows in her home…..
“Some of the things one thinks about in solitude should not even be discussed in the company of others. Consider this. For some months I thought about the lives and movements of shadows. What are they actually capable of as they move slowly away from the object that gives them life and a light that makes them mobile. I took notes as thoughts came to me on their behaviors while I kept an eye on those shadows.
Whenever I went out, I’d try to be home before the shadows came inside. I wanted to be settled in my bed when I sensed them scurrying about to find a suitable spot to spend the night. Sitting up in bed and clutching my pillow, I’d listen to the shadows brush past each other to get comfortable in the darkness. Once all was quiet, I would lay back and fall asleep while keeping my own shadow tucked safely under my body.”
Interesting isn’t it? Here, with shades to block out neighbors’ houses and sun, I have few shadows sneaking into the house. Certainly nothing as this woman has invading her cabin in the woods by the lake. Anyway it is an adventure to follow her thinking.
Now for that nice cool Sauvignon Blanc.
Til later….