5 things I like for breakfast

1. Red eye roast coffee with half n half
2. Plain whole-milk jersey yogurt with honey
3. Uncle Sam cereal with mixed berries
4. Strawberries & peaches
5. Emma's homemade French toast with banana caramel sauce

new mural outside the roxy

One more reason I love the Roxy, besides its great movie selection, is the new trend in outdoor murals (a.k.a graffitti) on its facade. Okay, the Simpsons display was kind of cheeseball and I'm not a big fan of aerosol paint. But this new mural we happened upon on Sunday (in process) is pretty cool. It adds interest to a normally bland concrete wall. It engages passersby. And it sends a message of respectful irreverence to the community. Plus it's a neat way to promote the theatre's business while supporting local artists. Cool.


In other news... Suki got spayed today. It was traumatic to say the least. I cried when we put her in the carrier and I almost started crying again when I dropped her off at the vet. But now that she's home and safe, and she's licked off enough of the vet smell so that Au Lait is willing to be in the same room with her, it's kind of funny. With the pain meds she's on—or perhaps because of a sore abdomen—she's taken to falling asleep upright. And crooked-like at that.

what's for dinner?

We were thrilled to walk by Smokejacks restaurant yesterday morning and see some bustle going on in there. Our favorite summer spot has been closed since the beginning of the season because of a kitchen fire. We (being Em, Kev, Col and me) called immediately to make a reservation.

"Yes, we're opening for dinner," the kind lady on the other end announced. "We can fit you in at 8. Can't wait to see you!"

"Sweet!" we gloated. We just scored a perfect dinner reservation on parents' weekend and during peak leaf peeping season. Luck was on our side.

But see them we didn't as we walked up to the corner of Church and Main at 8-on-the-dot only to find the dining room completely empty and the lights turned off. All dressed up and no place to go.

"Look there's a note taped to the door!" Emi said and walked up to read it. "'We'll be open for dinner on Sunday. See you then!'"

Huh? What happened to our reservation? Guess they didn't open. We were a little confused (but we hadn't left a number with the reservation either, so no wonder they didn't call!) We weren't eating at Smokejacks for dinner and we probably weren't eating anywhere else either. All of the restaurants were completely booked and we were hungry.

We could've gone home sulking. But we didn't. Instead, we tried to turn a (very!) unfortunate circumstance into a memorable night. "Let's get out of town!"

So we hopped in the car and headed to The Bearded Frog in Shelburne. We got there around 9, hunkered down at the bar and right there had ourselves a fabulous meal that included bison cigar rolls with dipping sauce, mussels with chorizo, lime kaffir caesar salad, stuffed artichokes, crusted salmon on corn pudding, and a fresh peach bavarian dessert with honey sauce and a yummy basil berry sorbet that came atop a candy tarantula. So cool! So yummy. And so fun.

peeping leaves

"So, what do leaf peepers do when they come up here?" Colin asked me this morning.

"They drive really slowly and take pictures. And they usually have white hair," I replied.

"So, do they go to Stowe and look at leaves and then to Warren and look at leaves and then Saint Albans and look at the leaves?"

"Yup, they definitely go to Stowe and the Valley. But they probably don't go to Saint Albans," I said.

"But they also come to Church Street and have lunch and buy knick-knacks," he observed as we headed towards the farmers' market. "Are they leaf peepers or tourists?"

I thought about it for a minute. "Leaf peepers are tourists. They are a specific kind of tourists, because they come here especially to look at the leaves, but they also like to do touristy things like drink apple cider and buy maple syrup." Then I thought, I feel badly for them this year. It's been so dry, the leaves are just turning brown and yellow. It's not the best year for leaf peeping. Kind of drab actually.

But then we turned the corner to City Hall Park and saw the most beautiful tree in mid-change--half green, half brilliant crimson-orange--as though its branches had just got up in flames. I just had to take a picture. And then paint one. Does that make me a leaf peeper?

time spent...

I've been spending too much time lately doing things other than writing. Like, perfecting my apple crumble recipe, for instance (tonight the almond crumb topping was divine). Or watching a whole season of Sex & the City in one sitting (it's that time of year, the nostalgia's setting in). Oh, and working. Which doesn't involve much writing at all these days, despite my job title.

It comes in waves. But lately, all I feel is regret for the hundreds of creative things I COULD and SHOULD be doing. The things that were always so important. Like writing. And drawing again. And sewing. And reading. And singing. And, and, and...

Am I lazy? Or just focused? To be fair to myself, the crumble IS getting good. And look, now I'm WRITING about my crumble.

Speaking of Sex & the City and food. I found a great quote for Eat Peas. It's from the Real Me episode in season 4. Carrie says:

When I first moved to NY and I was totally broke, sometimes I would buy Vogue instead of dinner. I just felt it fed me more."