May 23: Mocha Shortbread Wedges

Let me start by reporting the sad event in our lives this week: the passing of our dog, Misha.

Misha was a quiet little guy. He never gave us any trouble, other than needing weekly baths and a trip to the groomers every other month. He rarely barked--and then only at the squeaky toy du jour. He'd grown grey and lethargic in the last year or so and, in the past few months we noticed he'd gone quite deaf. Silly old dog. He fell ill a few days before his death. By last Sunday I knew it was time for a visit to the vet, something Misha hadn't needed in more than 10 years. He died at James' side in the waiting room. I'm glad he didn't have to be poked and prodded by strangers or stuck with a needle.

It's strange around the house now. Every morning for more than 12 years I've gotten out of bed and gone to let Misha out. I still head for the back door first thing. Sometimes I think I hear him snoring in the corner of the family room. James says he still looks for him when he comes home from work. The house seems so empty without his quiet little presence.

Of course, Ian immediately asked if we could get a puppy, which James and I answered with a unanimous "NO!" Someday, when the boys are older, maybe. But not for a long while. My mother-in-law has a puppy, Sammy the Havanese (or, as I call him, "Sammy You Little Shit"). Puppies are fun to visit, but we don't want to live with one. Besides, our 17-year-old cat, Kizmet, would probably have a stroke.

In other news, I baked Mocha Shortbread Wedges (p. 133) on Friday night. They're super-easy, and I needed easy. They contain espresso powder, so the coffee flavor is pretty strong, and they're not quite the same consistency as true shortbread. But they're cookies, and they're from the book, so they qualified for a blog post.

It's Memorial Day Weekend. Summer at last! We celebrated by taking the boat out on Lake Washington. Seattle native that I am, I warned James that the lake would be pretty cold yet. I grew up swimming in it, and I know that it's not tolerable for me at least until July at the earliest. That snowmelt run-off is still keeping the water pretty damn cold in May. James didn't believe me until he jumped off the boat just off Mercer Island. The look on his face was worth the trip.

But Christian inner-tubed almost the entire length of the west side of the island. We were surprised and proud of him. He loved it, which is a big change from last summer's tubing experiences. Ian, who normally loves swimming, jumped in, then jumped right back out. I laughed from inside the boat, nice and warm in long sleeves and sweats. I'm no fool.

We cruised all the way from Renton to Fisherman's Terminal in Seattle. There's so much to look at on Lake Union and in the Mountlake Cut. The boys loved it. We pulled up to the Fisherman's Memorial in Salmon Bay and had a great lunch at Chinook's. We learned that Ian loves clams and that one Copper River Salmon lunch is worth $27.

I have a day of housework and yardwork ahead of me. Maybe a walk on the Cedar River Trail with Ian, since James and Christian are out trailriding on the motorcycles. At the moment, Kiz is sitting next to me watching me type, probably gloating about being the Last Pet Standing. She never did like Misha. But we human family members will always miss him.

May 10: Peanut Butter Cookies, Part V

Midnight, May 10

Phone: "Ring, ring!"
Me [after much running around looking for phone in the dark]: "Hello?"
Phone: Silence.
Me: "Huh."

7:21 a.m., May 10

Phone: "Ring, ring!"
Me: "Hello?"
Sam: "Kristy! Did Laura have her baby last night and not tell us and then announce it on Facebook?!"
Me: "Huh?"

Yes, folks. That's how it happened. That's how I learned that my nephew, August Russell, had entered the world, 10 days before expected. My poor sister Laura tried in vain to reach all of us in the hour before and the hours after his arrival. Without telephone success, she went to the next most obvious vehicle of communication: the Web.

Although I visited August the day he was born, I will blame my extended blog silence on my patient wait for photos. No photos, no posts.

Nearly two weeks later, I had to resort to stealing one off Laura's Facebook page.

That makes this my most overdue blog posting to date. I did actually bake peanut butter cookies for my mom the night before Mother's Day. I also took some to Laura in the hospital. But what's a baby post without pictures!?

There are other causes for my long silence. Most notably:

1. The day after Mother's Day I ended up sick with a fever. Normally, I enjoy a good fever. But it was hard to enjoy this one with two kids screaming and fighting and carrying on. Mercifully, I have very little knowledge of what when on during my long day in the guest bed. I will say, however, that James found green jello in our bed that night. I blame Ian.

2. My family will not leave me alone. Any time I sit in front of the computer for more than five minutes, someone is calling for me. It reminds me of when I try to use the bathroom. So, short of updating my blog from the office (which seems unethical even for me), I don't know what to do. Today I'm relying on video games to distract them.

3. The weather has been fabulous. So I've been outside a lot. Those of you who may have been worried about my clematis, I have good news: It's back with a vengeance. And you were worried.

I swear, I'm back too. Back to cookies and back to blogging. Tonight I'm baking a new recipe, so watch for updates tomorrow. I hope it's good. I know the peanut butter cookies were "divine" because even Sam loved them. I know because she texted me to tell me so.

May 2: Chocolate Charms

After two martinis at Wild Ginger and two hours of David Sedaris at Benaroya, my sister Sam and I found it hilarious to discover her name in lights on the corner of Second and University in downtown Seattle. Granted, after two martinis, we found swine flu, breath mints and the Benaroya seating chart to be equally hilarious. Nevertheless, there we were at 10:00 last night, standing on University like a couple of dorks, taking photos with our camera phones.

We're so easily entertained. And such fun when tipsy!

Although, apparently only one of us looks young enough to be carded. (Sam, you whore.)

After our evening of Girls Gone Wild Ginger, I'm now doing the domestic thing at home with Ian. James and Christian are on their annual fishing trip, and here I am, baking Chocolate Charms (pg. 110) for my sister Laura's baby shower tomorrow. They're not too bad--less sweet than I expected, but very chocolatey. I was going to make umbrella-shaped sugar cookies. But, apparently, one needs meringue powder for the frosting details. And, apparently, meringue powder is a specialty item. One not carried in Southeast King County--the freaking boonies where I live.

It's 10 p.m., and I'm very tired after my late night. But after a three-hour power nap, Ian is all revved up for the evening. So cookies it is. I sure wish he'd go play with some toys. At the moment he is staring at me across the desk and sporadically singing a song about lizards and monkeys in a tree. I think he made it up.

I realize now that I neither baked nor blogged last week. I wish I had a fabulous excuse, but I don't. Just been busy. Lots of kids sports, as usual. Lots of work. Lots of housework that I no longer have any enthusiasm for. But I have a vague feeling that happy things have happened in the past two weeks. Kind of like when you wake up with a foggy memory of the feeling of of dream, I sense that good things have been going on. I guess there have been some things to be glad about.

Things like:

1. My CD course on Languages of the World. I LOVE it. And I think I have a crush on my linguistics professor.
2. The Cedar River Trail. My goal is to walk on it at least once a week through the fall with a friend. Or, if I'm hard up, my family. Failed this week. I blame the rain.
3. Expedia.com! Their jobs are cooler than mine. Denise and I attended a meet-and-greet there last Thursday. She was trolling for job leads and I was her wingman. We went away with a vague sense that we are old and we are losers. Why is everyone on Twitter, and since when did Social Media become a function of Corporate Communications?
4. My new solar-powered garden lights. Now my backyard twinkles just like Renee's!
5. Jill Soloway, author of Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants. I love me a Chicago hoor.
6. Southland. After 40 years of watching cop shows (anyone remember Adam 12?), I think I could actually be a cop. Or successfully date one.
7. My new Victoria's Secret Wave bra. Now I understand how those skinny models can look so stacked!
8. Dave's new album. Pre-ordered and eagerly awaited. But I'll never be able to say Grugux. I keep pronouncing it Grugrux. That Dave. He's so deliciously odd.
9. The whole concept of drinks after work.
10. The "21+11 Run." More on that later.

But I'd say that, consistently, my favorite thing has been sharing a laugh with my favorite funny people. And there are so many! What a bunch of wackos I hang out with. Do the crazies gravitate toward me or vice versa?

There's something to think about. But then again, I'm not the one whose name appears in giant blue lights just a few short blocks from the Lusty Lady and the Deja Vu Triple X Club for Gentlemen.