sorry for the long silence. There's this black dog that's been hanging around the house; I'm not feeding him but he just won't go away.
I also just haven't been inspired to write, in part because what meagre creative energy I had had has been going into a little side project of mind-boggling frivolity.
Let's see, what's been going on here?
Ruby's been settling in well. She's made a lot of new friends so she's been having a busy social life. Her parents (my aunt and uncle) are coming in for a visit on Saturday, so I'll be entertaining them for a week or so.
Ruby's birthday was last Saturday, so I made her a cake -- a white layer cake with lemon curd filling. It wasn't the most perfectly decorated cake I've done (the lettering came out pretty well) but I'm very pleased with the cake itself -- icing light and yummy, without being sickly sweet; cake tender; lemon curd yum. I love lemon curd, and it's taking up most of my self- command to keep myself from just sitting down to the leftovers with a spoon.
Hambet has turned four. Sometimes he is the cutest, smartest child in the Western Hemisphere and other times he is... not. He is trying to hard to learn how to read. Last month, when we were addressing cards for Valentine's Day, he scrawled out his first written words as I spelled out the letters for him: DEAR, DADDY, HAMBET. When we go for a drive, he begs me to play my Beatles CD and then insists that I play "Yellow Submarine" continuously.
We've been doing more work around the Prussian Green Money Pit, including yanking a nasty, ugly, misinstalled old woodstove out of our fireplace. Now we can have "real" fires. It's so cozy and pretty.
It's snowing out.
That's all I can think of.
I have missed reading your thoughts. I hope things get better soon. God bless.
I know where you're coming from, Peony. The black dog has visited me too from time to time. I have found that SS. Dymphna and Teresa of Avila are good intercessors when he does.
Will keep you in my prayers.
I think that dog's cousin is outside my door right now. (The best thing I can say is that is one dog that doesn't wiz on the carpet. )
Welcome back Peony!
glad to hear from you again. That black dog has been busy lately. I am curious as to how much hassle it was to remove the woodstove. We have one and I hate it, would much prefer the less efficient open fires (besides, I can cook in a fireplace if needed).
I also love lemon curd - have you ever made lime curd? That is also very yummy..