A Day of Firsts

Today I made homemade dulce de leche ice cream and baked bread from scratch. How domestic goddessy is that? The ice cream is to die for. I had to order the dulce de leche from a Mexican grocery on the web because I haven't been able to find it in the Boston area. With gas $4.00 a gallon these days, it's certainly cheaper to pay the postage than to run all over town.

The bread is my regular food processor recipe and we ate the better part of a loaf for dinner, which was green salad and pasta Amatriciana.

Tomorrow night is tacos night.

My small guest and I saw "Kit Kittredge, America Girl" today. The film was set in 1936 during the depression and brought back so many stories I heard as a kid about those times, still in everyone's memory when I was young. I had two uncles who went "on the bum" as young men, and rode the rails. One became a very successful businessman who always loved travel. Maybe catching those freight trains got into his blood. My grandma took in boarders and sold eggs and made pajamas out of the feed sacks just like in the movie. It isn't often you see a period movie that doesn't get something wrong, and except for Kit having money to buy film for her camera (my mom took a lot of photos, too), everything seemed believable. My grandpa always fed any hobos who came to the door asking for food.

I have to confess that I would be completely banboozled if anyone came to our door asking for food. Give your local food pantry an extra donation this month.

Managing to write a bit in spite of the domestic commotion. My garden grows more beautiful and lush (good rain today) with each passing week. We're going to have serious tomatoes this year, and the beets will soon be ready. The astilbes joined the flowers blooming this week. The clematis is a star this summer.

Off to write a bit more. I am enjoying this book.

Grapeshot