November's Letter

Maggie Mae & the turkeys, frost swirls, a pumpkin colored book

Monday - The trail dumped us out at the rocky riverbank, and there was old man Jack, wobble-walking over the stones, cane in hand, eyes on the water, “looking for fish,” he said. “Is your cabin okay?” we asked. He’s in his nineties and lives alone in an off-grid cabin in the canyon where the fire roared through. “Oh, yeah, those firefighters did a hell of a job. Fire came close. Real close, but my cabin’s just fine.”

Tuesday - Frost swirls through the air, glinting in the morning sun, etching every leaf, every blade, every stone, everything.

Wednesday - Maggie Mae blasts around the corner of the house, full tilt at the cluster of wild turkeys she knows will be in a bunch beneath the bird feeder. In an explosion of fright and freaks and feathers they leap into the air just ahead of her nose and crash-land into the cottonwoods far overhead, a shower of golden leaves falling around the dog below who’s now on her haunches, tail sweeping the lawn, eyes on the marauding birds, daring them to come back down.

Thursday - Autumn evening, pizza for dinner, and the jangle of the cup, the roll of the dice. Three rounds of Yahtzee.

Friday - Like I said, I have the yarn (in frond green, heather), I have the kneedles, I just need to choose the project. It’s down to this or this. Help me choose!

Saturday - A screwdriver in hand, lefty-loosey until the screws are loose and the two-arm hooks are no longer hanging. In their place, brass ones with three arms each. Righty-tighty, and they’re up. Tiny change. World of difference.

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Moments Lately

These photos of the canyon, taken last fall, I’m posting as a memorial to the beauty that was lost in the recent wildfire. All of this was burned.

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Reading Lately

A Thousand Feasts by Nigel Slater. This book is, as Nigel says, “Small moments of joy, a memoir of sorts.” Within the pages are his delightful snatches and word sketches, some only one or two sentences long, descriptions of life in travel, in cooking, in gardening, in living, first tumbled by pen into a leather-covered journal, then put into a pumpkin-colored book for us. This, from page 196: “An old tree laden with walnuts in an apple orchard in Gloucestershire. The soft-green shells have cracked open; pale-brown nuts peep out.” On page 202 he writes about his wooden spoons, “…decades old, worn down at the tips…” After reading page 234 he’ll have taught you how to listen to a cake.

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Eating Lately

Lentil and Chickpea Salad with Tahini and Feta

Smitten Kitchen’s recipes keep winning. I like to make a dish that’ll serve me in days of lunches. You know this. It saves precious midday time. For me, it’s often green salad, salmon or chicken salad, or soup. As the temperatures fell along with the leaves outside last month, I wanted an autumn salad. I landed here. It’s so delicious.

Note: Don’t overcook the lentils!

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Favorites Lately

• For holding the nibbles (or in green)

• For holding the light (or in green!)

• For keeping time (analog life)

• For the holiday (and everyday) table (I found mine in a local shop)

• For quiet moments

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