I got a tree today — I’ve been kicking around whether or not I wanted one this year — but there I was at the grocery store, and there was a perfectly lovely little tree for fifteen bucks, and so, I have a tree again. I have a little issue with my inner Martha Stewart — and it sometimes manifests itself in the desire to create my platonic ideal right here in my living room. This year’s tree is about a six on the Martha-meter — it’s not as elaborate as some trees I’ve decorated in the past, but there’s…
-
-
This year’s rodeo just wasn’t the same — last year the rodeo was the highlight of the summer. This year was a little tough. Rodeo was one of the things Patrick and I did together — we grew up at horse shows back east. I went to my first horse show at six months old, tucked under the bleachers in a basket while my mother ran the old Lake Forest Horse Show, which like the stables at Onwentsia, is now long gone. From the time we could talk we were told by various grownups to “watch that” as a horse…
-
So, Easter — there were eight adults, two children, and more food than any of us needed. I think it’s because we all love to cook — or maybe because when you get a lot of people together for holidays, everyone wants their traditional holiday foods. So we wound up with one leg of lamb, two roasted chickens, a ham (borne on Easter by the one Jew in the group, which caused all of us great merriment), the green-bean-and-crunchy-onion casserole, a big tray of asparagus, roasted potatoes, a potato gratin, a big salad, and a fluffy cake made by your’s…
-
Just a quick entry before I take off for California (to deal with Patrick’s two storage units). The Birthday Party was a wild success — everyone came, they ate almost all of the Ham As Big As Montana, they drank everything, and fun was had by all. Robert-the-Painter made three cakes — a tray of carrot cake cupcakes, a flourless chocolate cake, and a lovely lemon curd and blueberry tart. Jim and Geri and Tim and Linnea gave me a rhinestone tiara, which I may never take off. There was champagne. And then there was Julie, who I have known…
-
I turn 40 next week — on Wednesday, the 10th. Patrick and I talked a lot about what to do for my 40th — for a long time I wanted to go to Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. As some of you know from earlier posts, I have a deep and abiding love of rodeo. The NFR is the rodeo of rodeos, and it’s in Las Vegas, a place so fabulously weird that it seemed appropos for a 40th birthday. But then I moved here, and I have so many nice friends that I didn’t want to trek to…
-
A weekend spent with new friends and old — people who allow me to be in exactly the space I’m in, whether that’s having a good time at a party, or getting the thousand-mile stare at the Bar and Grill because we’re sitting right where I last saw Patrick. People who say “how are you” and don’t mean it as code for “are you over it yet.” People who when I say that I currently feel like a house that’s had all the windows and doors blown out, just nod and hug me and we all keep going. Eating delicious…
-
When I was thinking about moving here, almost two years ago, I called my cousin Elizabeth for advice. This house, the one I bought, was on the market and they’d dropped the price into the range I was looking for. Problem was, it was April, and I couldn’t afford to move until our lease was up in August. I couldn’t afford house payments and my half of the rent. Now, Elizabeth was a realtor for many years, which is one reason I called her, but she also practices Jin Shin Jyitsu, and has become, over the years, a pretty spiritually…
-
Home in Livingston tonight and so grateful, that like the Pope in his spryer days, I got off the plane and wanted to kiss the very ground. Instead, I threw myself into the arms of Wendy-the-Buddhist, who came to pick me up, and surrendered to the comfort of a good friend who was there when I arrived exhausted and brewing a viscous cold (I sound like a frog). So now I’m on my couch, both dogs sprawled asleep beside me, the cat in my face purring in her semi-aggresive “where did you go for a week” kind of way. The…
-
Summer is really over I finally spent some time on the Yellowstone River this weekend — went boating both days, actually. Unfortunately, summer is most definitely over — We got rained on both days. Saturday was just sort of gloomy weather, with little sprinkles, and Sunday was gorgeous until the thunderstorm blew up. Oh well — next year I’ll have to try a little harder to get on the river in that short season between the time the floodwaters recede and the weather turns cold. Saturday my friend Wendy-the-Buddhist, who has just returned from a year’s exile in California (they…
-
Rodeo Week in Livingston Fourth of July is a big week here in Livingston — the rodeo comes to town, there’s a parade, and everyone I know seems to be having parties. Friday night was the Art Walk, or Art Swill as some of us have come to refer to it — the whole town strolling up and down the street stopping in art galleries and drinking too much cheap art gallery wine. It was one of the first nice warm summer nights, and people had their party hats on. Then last night was a gorgeous potluck barbecue outside of…