I’ve been so busy with work the past month that the only time I’ve had for the blog, and interacting with you, was during the time we were in the kitchen. In between sauces simmering and pasta dough resting, desserts being prepared or the coffee pot piping, I tried to respond to whatever comments I could or write back to the messages I received in the contact form. (This is why there has been a sudden uptick in gourmet food related posts – my actual day-to-day responsibilities have been non-stop so I don’t feel like talking about more finance when I have a few moments to focus on something else. I’ll probably be up most of the night going over our finalized 2012 personal Federal tax documents before I give the sign-off to the accountants on Monday morning so they can get it all in before the extension deadline. It’s the last step since the business filings were done a month or two ago.)
This Sunday was wonderful in every way. It was one of my favorite types of days – cold, strong winds, and dark skies. I was working in a guest room and suddenly smelled the scent of warm pumpkin bread; the fragrance wrapping around door posts and down hallways like one of those classic children’s cartoons. I made my way toward the kitchen and heard a symphonic version of The Legend of Zelda soundtrack being played through the speakers, noticed that the autumn decorations had been brought out, and the house was now filled with pumpkins, leaves, and other signs of a Midwestern harvest. The windows were open, the fireplace was burning … it was just life. And good. And beautiful. And comforting. It made me realize, as I do every day, that I married the best person in the entire world. I can focus on what needs to get done and this stuff is just taken care of without me having to think about it.
We jumped in the car a bit later. We grabbed mini custards at Culver’s (you all should try them – they’re good, might not be on the menu depending on where you are, and about half the size of a small) and ran errands to look for some items to finish the decor for the season. Then, we returned home and began working on dinner, which was a classic pesto (Basil, pine nuts, olive oil, butter, salt) over homemade fresh pasta (in this case, Fettuccine). At one point, my mother-in-law stopped by for an hour or two, grabbed a plate, and hung out with us, catching us up on her job search, a recent concert she attended, and other members of the family, enjoying a bowl for herself and taking some wrapped pumpkin bread back for my father-in-law.
It was a good day. This is what life is about – spending time with the people you love, enjoying the simple things.
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