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.