Dear Gramma,

Today would have been your 95th birthday.

In your memory, I’ve made some cranberry bread. In my own unique way, I managed to leave out the sugar. I didn’t catch it until after I’d put the batter in the pan, because I was being good and hadn’t licked my fingers until then. I thought you’d have been proud — until I tasted the dough. I’d known something was off — I’d checked the wet ingredient list several times because it had seemed too thick, but those were correct. It was that sole tricky dry ingredient tucked between the stuff I was supposed to sift and the wet ingredients that I’d combined. So I scraped the entire thing back into the bowl and poured in the sugar and then stood there trying to get the sugar to mix in thoroughly and laughed. You would have, too, because it was such an important ingredient to leave out. And because I could imagine you laughing about it with me, I started to cry.

I know, I know. You’ve been gone almost a year, and by now you’d have hoped I’d have gotten past this stage. So, of course, I cried harder, because you’d have been impatient and fed up with my sentimentality, and I cried because I knew that, too.

A year ago, I called you from a hotel in Budapest to wish you a happy birthday. I don’t remember exactly what we talked about — probably how much snow was still on the ground in Connecticut and what Mum had made for your birthday dinner and then about what Rudi and I had seen so far. You always asked me what exciting things I’d been up to, declaring that you counted on me (and, I assume, Josh, since I’d guess you probably said the same thing to him) to do exciting things to tell you about.

So, let me tell you: I took this afternoon off from work to spend some time with Rudi before he heads out on a two-week road trip. (Yes, that is a long time. Yes, I am going to miss having him cook for me, but I’ll muddle through.) We walked down to look at the garden; it’s probably time for me to head out and start digging up the plot and get my peas in. (Yes, I remember your telling me that your father would plant his peas and his potatoes on Good Friday.) Maybe this weekend. Then we walked over to Georgetown and stopped at this cafe to buy cupcakes and hot drinks, and we took them down to the park by the river. There’s a spot where the steps go right down into the Potomac, and people were feeding the ducks, and a guy kept throwing sticks into the water for his dog to chase, and the rowing teams were out in their sculls practicing on the river. (Yes, I think Josh did do crew for a while in school.) And it was sunny and pleasant out and we sat there watching it all until the sun got low in the sky and the rowing teams went back to their boathouses and the dog and his person went home, and then we went home, too. So, no, I guess that wasn’t very exciting after all, was it?

I realized the other day that I don’t remember the last conversations we had. I assured Josh last year that time was kind and that we’d forget those last couple horrid conversations where you were out of it, and, for me at least, that’s been true. But I’ve lost any specifics of the good ones before that, probably in part because our conversations took much of the same shape every week, so they all blend into a whole pattern, rather than any one standing out on its own. So even though I can fill in your end of the conversation as if you were here, I’d still love it if you were the one saying your lines instead of my reciting them for you.

I would have poured one out for you today, but you wouldn’t have had any patience for that kind of waste. So, instead, I’ll leave a teaspoon or so of tea at the bottom of my mug when I get to the end of my cup. Despite the fact that you spent 60 years drinking tea made from tea bags, you still left a mouthful behind from your days as a girl drinking loose-leaf tea. We all thought it was weird, but now it’s just another one of those things that made you you.

I love you, Gramma, and I miss you. Happy birthday. I’m going to go eat a piece of cranberry bread for you.

love,
kase

This was a quiet weekend. I took myself bowling yesterday and spent last night and today being surprised exactly how many muscles in your butt you use to bowl. Other than some soreness, though, it was just what I needed to clear my head. It’s surprising how refreshing it feels to fling a ball as hard as you can at something that will clatter loudly to the ground. (In case you were wondering, it takes three games to clear my head and a fourth one to bowl a proper game.)

This weekend was the quarterly member sale at one of my local bookshops, so I headed there, as well. I bought myself a book and one for an upcoming swap out of the frequent buyer dividends we’d accrued shopping at Christmas, so it was kind of like they were free!

Today I acquired another book, this time a cookbook. My farmers market decided to institute a free frequent shopping program to drum up business at the winter market. Because I go the market every weekend we’re in town regardless of the season, and because I’ve had no travel plans this winter, they’ve rewarded me with a market bag and a book with recipes for cooking vegetable dishes for one. As Rudi is about to begin a two-week road trip with his skiers, its arrival really is quite timely. Maybe I’ll eat something for supper besides sandwiches or cereal while he’s away!

I also played volleyball and ran a couple of errands on bike share for the annual Errandeneuring bike challenge, read a bit, and knit on my Sock Madness sock. I’ll have to pick up the pace while Rudi’s away if I want to advance, but it’s not like I have any other plans later this week, so I’m not despairing yet.

Carole’s Ten on Tuesday topic this week was too enjoyable to resist: Who doesn’t want to write about some of their favorite things of the moment?

Mine include (and I’m taking this at face value and not including people):

1. My volleyball teams: I’m having such fun playing twice a week. If I screwed up every other part of my winter, I at least got that right. My weekday team will be back together for our third season in a row this spring, which is exciting. And if my Sunday team wants to play again in the spring, I might agree to spend the money to rejoin them, as well.
2. Real mail: Karen and I have been exchanging correspondences recently, and it definitely adds a level of excitement about picking up the post.
3. Sock Madness: The annual sock-knitting competition begins again next week. I’ve been in a knitting lull/rut/funk, so I’ll be pleased to have this kick off soon.
4. The Book Ninja Swap: I’ve had a fun time doing swaps this last year, and I’m looking forward to this one as well. I’m particularly excited about the person I’m sending to, since we have several things in common.
5. The library: I can’t tell you how much I love that they just let me request books and dvds and then give them to me for an extended period of time. I’ve been making my way through the Marvel back catalogue on the movie front, but also have out a ton of the highly recommended titles of last year. I visit at least twice a week (once to the main branch by my office and once to the Georgetown library on the weekend) to show my appreciation (and greed).
6. Sumo oranges: We discovered this sweet, giant, seedless orange at Whole Foods a couple years back and now I start haunting their produce section as soon as Christmas is over to get my fill. (You can see a picture on Margene’s blog, where she also lists it as a favorite.)
7. My remaining fairy lights: We put up Christmas lights around the perimeter of the living room before the holidays, and with the exception of the week we were out of town in December, they’ve been on non-stop. They’re non-LED lights, so they die out with use (even with replacements from all my other defunct strands), and I’m now down to a segment of 20 lights I expect to have go any time now. But I appreciate them so while they’re still lit.
8. Bulbs: With the exception of those flowers outside the Smithsonian a couple weeks back, none of the bulbs that I’ve seen in the area have bloomed yet, but all the shoots are above-ground and I know it’s only a matter of time.
9. Orchids: Two of my three orchid plants at work are still going strong, and I compliment them on their fortitude and beauty every morning when I arrive at the office. Apparently some people have difficulty getting them to bloom once the flowers pass by the first time, but I’ve been lucky.
10. Jam: The open jar of choice is plum, but I’ll be opening the one I bought for my birthday later this week: it’s red fruit (raspberry and strawberry) and rose.

This weekend, I hope to:

• Make lasagna/soup/guacamole.
• Bake cookies/bread/pie/cake/granola.
• Finish the local baby knit so baby can arrive unhindered by my unfinished project.
• Take down the Christmas cards. (Clearly my missing held holiday mail is never going to turn up.)
• Knit on my shawl.
• Read a book. Or two. Or three.
• Sleep.
• Mail cards.
• Write blog post(s) about books. (!)
• Go to the farmers market.
• Buy stamps.
• Pick up holds at the library.
• Watch movies.
• Clean the bathroom.
• Drink tea.
• Phone a friend.
• Change the sheets.
• Attend a yoga class.
• Set up my ukulele class.
• Do laundry.
• Soak up some rays.
• Listen to music.
• Wash socks.
• Clear off rocking chair.
• Breathe.
• Cuddle cats.

My weekend included:

• Working late on Friday to put a dent in the work that got put off by two unexpected days off at the start of the week.
• Preparing an egg sandwich using eggs that had frozen in my fridge (they’d been sitting against the fridge roof for a couple weeks).
• Sleeping in on Saturday.
• Having brunch with Sarah.
• Meandering my way home and finding a giveaway pile (city folks leave unwanted items curbside in hopes you might want their junk; I’ve brought home a bread maker and books and gotten rid of furniture and a spare blender that way) that included Billy Crystal and George Harrison dvds and packets of seeds.
• Making sandwiches for Rudi’s and my supper.
• Hitting the farmers market today.
• Attending the annual meeting of my community garden. (This will be my ninth year gardening!)
• Playing volleyball.
• Watching the live performance of Grease.
• Talking to family and friends.

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Weekending along with Karen at Pumpkin Sunrise.
Category: life -- uncategorized. There is/are Comments Off on weekending.

This long weekend included:

• Attending the Wizards-Celtics game, which came down to a shot taken so close to the buzzer that it had to be reviewed by the officials:
  
• A pre-cold snap visit to the garden to pull the last of the stakes and cages out of the ground (and any veg I hoped to salvage)
• Reading (I finished three books)
• Homemade tomato soup and paninis
• Knitting
• Hanging with the cats:
  
  
  
• A trip to the farmers market
• Enjoying the final weekend of the Christmas tree
• Watching the snow
• Playing volleyball for the first time this winter
• Sleeping in
• Eating homemade waffles with Rudi:
  
• Going on a chilly walking date with Rudi that included a stop for veggie tacos and one for hot drinks
• Putting the Christmas decorations away