One a Day plus Iron

December 10--Larry took me out to dinner to Cooper's Hawk. The Thanksgiving holiday coupled with a nasty virus kept us apart for three weeks. It was fun, and sometimes I like the suburbs. People tried to steal tables in the bar (restaurant jam packed, of course, with little kids on their phones), and Larry joined me in Detroiting their asses.

December 11--party at Michele's. Super fun stories and games.

December 17--Hosted Ralf & Jim. Christmas lights and cozy fire and this wonderful menu:

Spanish Cheeses, English Champagne White cheese, Alaskan smoked sockeye, with Greek wine--Atlantis White. (Just remembered how much fun we had going out the night before to pick up the appetizers--hopping from one store to the next, just being easy and silly.) Then roasted beet salad with goat cheese and arugula. Then main course: roasted butternut squash in cayenne and brown sugar; Roasted whole chicken with ginger and pears (outstanding); potato and bacon torte. Roth Sauv Blanc. Then cranberry cherry cobbler crumble with homemade cinnamon gelato with Spanish Jumilla 2006. They raved about dinner. Made all the work worth it, and it took all day!

December 24--arrived in MI. Helped mom and dad in kitchen. Went to church with mom and Earl and family. Thought about how lucky I am to have a home at Christmas. Family. Memories. Traditions. And oh so many changes. Thought of all my chapters--Denver, England, Saudi Arabia, South Carolina, Utah, Indy, Memphis, Chile, Thailand. Talked with Jonny on the phone.
Dec 25 talked with Curtis, talked with Dave. Dad helped me fill air in my tires. Helped Dad in the garage.Watched the kids open gifts and play together.

Dec 26 and spent the week at Larry's.

Dec 31: dinner party at Ralf & Jim's. Rio de Janeiro New Year. Beautiful dinner, wine, conversation.

Jan 1: Did a walk with a couple of run-bursts in between. Trying to get my heels recovered. Can't not run for months again. Too hard to start again.
Shared "top 3" with Larry.

His:
1. Immediate family (Tom, Kendra, Tracy) this time last year all on the edge, life looking uncertain. Now: all are doing well. Recovery. Discovery. 
2. How much fun he had at the Milwaukee game. People around us congratulating him, talking with other fans, buying souvenir, taking fan bus from the Irish bar, me "Detroiting" would-be cutters, taking restaurant dishes on the bus--bus driver trying to object, me being oblivious, then he cracks up. Stashing dishes in bushes. After game, dishes gone. Someone stole my nachos and the dishes. Walking along the lakefront. The market. The Miller brewery. Driving home in a storm, eating at Baker's Square. Coconut Creme pie. 
3. He set best times in annual Wine at the Line race and triathlon. 
4. Our trip to Europe. Said it was so great because of me. Sweet.

Mine:
1. helping my mom and dad clarify a dream then watching them manifest it--buying a boat! And the joy of watching them start a new chapter at age 75. 
2. Watching Larry achieve a thirty-five year old dream of seeing every ballpark in the MLB. 
3. Our trip to Europe and three of the best days of my life in Corniglio, Italy; Chipas and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Lefkes, Paros, Greece.)

I made a really nice meal literally thrown together. Chicken with herbs de Provence (Ralf & Jim made it a couple of years ago); brussels sprouts with cranberries and bacon and balsamic; a new dish I call Tuber Hash--crispy baked yams, white potatoes, and yukon potatoes with chile powder; roasted carrots in lemon butter dill. Tuber Hash sounds like a total stoner dish.

Jan 2. I spontaneously purged a few things. I cleaned out drawers and collected all loose coins.  I rolled them and had over $120. I will invest it and see how much it's worth next year.  I cleaned out file cabinet. Found old emails from bosses, performance evaluations, test results, offer letters, business cards. It gave me an unexpected boost. Watched a good movie: Pride, about the miner strikes in England in 84 and the Gay/lesbian group who supported them.

Jan 3. Resumed my study of Pilates. I sustained injuries beginning of October, stemming from not stretching or possibly bad shoes.

Jan 4. Sky looked it was full of low-hanging grey ghosts.

Jan 5. Six swans in pond at work.

The pale blue light trapped by the snow that greets me at dawn and dusk--how can something so cold be so comforting?

Jan 6. Braved negative temps to go to First Friday--ideally because low temps would keep people away. The old vault in the Murphy Bldg is now a pinball arcade. Pay $1-5, play all the pinball you want. We did, plus drank a Fountain Square Pilsner. Lots of fun.

The art galleries are fading away, I'm afraid. I felt old, remembering summer nights, winter concerts, spring flings with friends, exploring the art of the fringe. It's pretty much dried up now. A few recording companies (maybe music will be the next thing here. It is currently overpriced boutique restaurants, of which I have zero interest.)

Jan 8. I made kick ass meal.
Sweet potato yeast rolls. (those were not kick ass. They were more like hockey pucks.)
Seared Ahi with ginger sesame soy on mesculin with oranges and zesty dressing
Buttery sea scallops on bed of risotto. This meal garnered slightly more praise from Larry than the previous night meal of grilled cheese and tomato soup.

(First and last time making risotto.)