Manhattan, Extra Cold, Extra Dry

That's been the weather all week. The wind has been slicing and dicing its way through lower Manhattan. It's amusing to see everyone bundled up a la Nanook of the North. And it smells a lot better when the ubiquitous urine streams are either frozen or blown away.

I've been reading Lush Life by Richard Price. I've been wanting to read this gritty tale about a Lower East Side murder for a while now but never found it at the library. Last week it was sitting there under Staff Picks so I grabbed it. Turns out it's large print so I can read it from across the room.

Harry finished his first semester at Vassar and is taking the train to our apartment tomorrow. Mark, who's still got finals, will join us for a family dinner Sunday night, as will my brother Charlie. Friends from Rhode Island will also drop by. It will be crowded around here, but it will also be fun.

The best dog in the world is still at the animal hospital. I visit him every day. I talk; he listens. Sometimes he barks. Something is wrong with his balance and he can't stand up. An 80-lb. dog that can't stand on his own is a problem. We are facing a difficult choice in the next few days. Turbo is the last of our red hot bouviers. He's 13 years old and has lived a long and interesting life.

Family Reunion in the Boonies

We spent Thanksgiving at our cute little house in the country. Guests included Marty's mom, who served as my sous chef (small-knife wielding and endless chopping are among her talents), and my dear children. Here are some snapshots of the long weekend.

Wednesday afternoon, I loaded the car and we drove uptown to pick up Mark. There was little traffic once we left Manhattan. Once we arrived and unloaded, I picked up the turkey at the local market, along with some other groceries. Later that evening, Marty arrived, and then Mariel and Harry.

We had snow flurries on and off Thanksgiving day. Since I had made a number of dishes in advance, it was fairly relaxing for me. I quickly came to the conclusion though that my NYC micro kitchen is better for cooking in than my commodious country kitchen. Sure, you can dance a waltz in the center of the room, which is fun but does little for the relative lack of counter space.

Since our dining room has no overhead lighting, we used a couple of lamps and lit a lot of candles, which was actually quite lovely. The best part of the feast was the after-dinner chatter, which in my family can run overtime. Sometimes, it's hard to get a word in edgewise and you're forced to raise your hand so you can go next. It's nice to see that some things don't change.

Nephew Mark and his wife Brie joined us for lunch Friday. Our friend Doug drove over from his country place in PA and joined us for dinner Saturday. There was much drinking and chatting and eating and laughing.

The dishwasher was begging for mercy by the time we left on Sunday.