I Want a Cow

Huh? I am knee deep in this book by Darina Allen called Forgotten Skills of Cooking: the Time Honored Ways are Best. It has 700 recipes and chapters called things like Foraging, Beef, Poultry. Ah, but you are thinking every (non veg) cookbook has a chapter on beef, but I am talking keeping your own cow, how to butcher it, how to breed it, how to use the milk. I read somewhere that she teaches a 12-week class and it costs $13k. I thought that was nuts, until I got the book. I swear if I had $13 and didn't have to go to chemo every two weeks, I would be in Ireland learning to cook Snipe and Woodcocks, and I would be happily foraging in the hedgerows.

But I am here and it's pretty great to be here too. Bennett will not, repeat will not, go to bed. Pat is keeping an eye on her while Bennett putters around with her toys. We have not yet figured out a way to force her to bed. She is the most stubborn person I have ever met. My Dad would think this is fitting punishment for a daughter (me) whom he thought was one of the most stubborn people in the world. True.

We had a nice day today. Aunt Ruth came over to play so I went to the grocery store. While I was there some punk kid stole the money box from the ancient veteran who collects money by the front door. I was putting my groceries in the car when I saw him run by. I abandoned my groceries and sort of skip-walked after him until I saw him ditch the money under a car. Some guy (who could actually run) got the money together and then started to walk off with it, until I yelled at him that I could see him and the vet was on his way. Other people were dealing with the kid. I was more interested in getting the money back to the old man. The ironic thing is, I have told this old guy about 100 times that I will give money once Don't Ask Don't Tell is lifted- and here I was worried that he wasn't going to get his money. Who likes to see an old man get robbed? Not me. Stupid kid. I hope he finds some direction and maybe a little love in the process.

After that adventure, Pat, Bennett and I went to the Holyoke Canoe Club. That is our new pool and tennis club. Before you get too excited, I have to say that it is a Holyoke-style club, and by that I mean it's a tad run down. The pool is excellent and that is why we joined (I can't swim in natural bodies of water). There is no snack bar, but there is a toddler pool (which I have dubbed "the Swamp"), and lots of nice people. So we will go there, and I will sometimes look at all the white people and ask Pat "what year is this again?" but we will enjoy it because Bennett was thrilled with a capital T to be able to swim with me again. And I liked it too.