The Art of Being Alone ... and Good Supper

 

When you have good soup and warm bread and really good butter, it's okay to be alone for supper. Just sayin' ...

 

What do you do when you have an unexpected day of solitude?

I was so tired last night. I went to bed and slept hard ...  so soundly that the dogs snuffling at bedside never awakened me until 7:30 this morning. I traveled to see my Mom and Dad yesterday and didn't arrive back from the daytrip until late. The late night and this morning's leaden skies made me slow to jump into the day. Too boot, my plans to travel Concord-way for a snuggle with a great-nephew fell through ... SB was going to a poker party with his brothers et al at the family farm and there were 'no hens invited'. Pfft! Guess we got put in our places ... respectively.

 

So here I have been, all day ... queen of the roost. I've quilted through the best light of the day on a lovely Christmas stocking, collected seeds from my pretty little calendula flowers and dead-headed the zinnias, thrown the stick and the Frisbee for Pete and Mimi, collected some arugula for a lunchtime salad while walking the backyard in my old flannel nightgown and bare feet, spent entirely too much time in a hot soothing shower, and wrote a letter (Yes, a real one!) to a dear friend in Germany.

 

Mimi and Pete, dear dogs, took me for a walk down the dirt road, mid-afternoon. We strolled back past the grey cottage to the neighbor's house to meet the newest neighbor, a little Golden Retriever ball of fluff named Sadie. We lollygagged through the goldenrod on our way home and found ripe jack-in-the-pulpit berries sitting atop a bare stalk. I gathered the berries and scattered them in 'likely spots 'along the roadside and over some of the stonewalls.  Next year, I'll look to see if they've sprouted new little plantlets. Fall gives us such chances with nature!

 

Home again, I looked through old photos, sipped some good red wine and poked around on-line while the dogs snoozed. I checked the post from my other blog - Buch Handling, hence the picture above.  I love that picture of Saint-Gaudens'  rustic studio.  On reflecting, it seemed that when I contemplated work spaces, I thought of my humble kitchen. Oh, how I love this space ... yes, I'm typing right here at the kitchen island, as we speak ... respectively.

 

 

So ... this evening, as the grey clouds build toward some rain, I'm making a soup and a half-batch rye flour soda bread loaf. I'm also whipping a little bit of butter with dill and shallots to slather on that bread ... the queen of the roost can indulge herself as she sees fit. I love it. It's just me and dinner tonight and I can make a soup that may not be SB's fave ... a soup with lentils, farro, onions, butternut squash, and a strong chicken broth that has been dosed with spicy curry powder. I've got a small dish of lemon-scented yogurt to dollop over the soup bowl, simple soda bread wedges for dipping ... and a bit more red wine.

 

 

An 'alone day' can be so restful ... what do you do with your windfall days?

 

 

I am currently slurping a soup with a satisfying 'pop', courtesy of those farro kernels and a perfect hot spicy curry broth. Screw the lemon yogurt ... didn't need it. I have eaten close to three wedges of that rye soda bread with a PERFECT savory butter spread ... all courtesy of my goddess of all things natural, Heidi Swanson. Excuse me, while I genuflect. God, I hope I don't slip trying to get up when I brace myself with my buttery fingers!

 

Woof woof! That's Mimi letting me know that I am NOT alone, thank you very much! She must have heard me type 'bread and butter' or maybe 'buttery fingers'! Did I tell you how smart Corgi dogs are?!?

 

 

 

All recipes can be found in Heidi Swanson's cookbook,  super natural every day. If you don't have the cookbook and want one of the recipes, leave me a comment with an email and I'll send you the recipe. Good supper ... just sayin'!