Notes of a Middle Child

Oh, to live on Happy Street!

Happy Street, where flowers bloom, doggies romp, and every day is your birthday.  Oh wait, today IS my birthday! 

The big 3-4 which is actually feeling pretty old right now.  I can no longer claim "early 30s" and have to adopt the "mid-30s" moniker.  I don't know about you, but most of the time I feel about 14.  My favorite thing about birthdays is not answering your phone.  Then, at the end of the night, listening to all your well-wishing messages.  I especially like that a lot of people sing you Happy Birthday 0 sometimes well (like my musician brother-in-law and sister), sometimes not so well (everyone else). 

I used to try to plan a big birthday outing with all my friends - bowling or a bar - but found that organizing it stressed me out.  So now I try to do nothing for my birthday except get taken out to dinner by my husband.  And I pamper myself a little.  Today I'm going to walk a few extra blocks to get my favorite chai beverage before work.  And I'll probably spend at least 20 minutes this morning debating the merits of my favorite takeaway lunch spots before treating myself to a nice lunch.  Of course it wouldn't be a birthday with presents, so I also picked up some on-sale Superbuzzy fabrics as a gift to myself.  I am the best gift giver ever!

 

Etsy softies

As long as Sophie doesn't do her business on my small stump, she can stay.

I've been fulfilling my love of sewing and crafting vicariously through some Etsy buys.  Sophie is the sweet creation of Mirkah.  The Ciancosi family down the street from my childhood home had a Dachshund and, between you and me, I never liked her.  To my knowledge she never bit anyone, but you always felt like she might.  Or she at least wanted to.  But Sophie has been perfectly behaved since her arrival. 

My small stump (made by, who else, Small Stump) reminds me of a stump that was halfway between my childhood home and that of my best friend, Margie.  No matter which direction we were headed, we always met at the stump at the appointed time - after ensuring the clocks on our microwaves were in sync of course (it was, after all, 1.5 blocks away).

And I'm one day late wishing you a Happy October!  It's always been my favorite month - the month of my birth, but also the month of sweaters, pumkins, falling leaves, and cider.  Have a happy one!

Alone in the Kitchen with Pickles

Oh, wait, that would be my book.  On my bedstand at the moment is Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.  It's a compilation of essays about cooking and eating by yourself.  The title comes from a Laurie Colwin essay which also kicks off the book.  She's one of my favorite feel-good authors and I was also happy to see that Eggplant concludes with an essay by her daughter, Rosa Jurjevics.  It's the perfect book to read before bed because you can flip randomly to an essay rather than read them in order - shorter ones on nights when you can barely keep your eyes open.  Jeremy Jackson (a college classmate of mine) writes of his love for the simple black bean; Colin Harrison details his quest to replace his familiar lunchtime spot after it closes; editor Jenni Ferrari-Adler describes her meals for one and as she attempts to elude loneliness after a move to Michigan for grad school. 

Some days I miss cooking for just myself.  When I moved in with my now-husband, meals became more of an event with a protein, a starch and a vegetable whereas single me thought cheese and crackers and a sliced apple was a perfectly lovely dinner.  I revert to my old ways when my husband is out of town and either cobble together a meal from whatever's around or be sure to make things he doesn't like - pesto, for example (who doesn't like pesto I ask!).

Confess, what weird thing do you make for yourself when you're all alone (with or without an eggplant)?