Week 37

Sunday, Sept. 9, would have been our dear Oma's 114th birthday. Daisies were among her favorite flowers, and I relished the coincidence that mine rebloomed the day before.

It was a gorgeous start to the week - the weather could not have been more perfect for the annual Spokefest ride, which we participated in. I felt especially triumphant on Doomsday hill this year, but I'm certain the cooler weather had everything to do with it.

Happy hour at home

It was a busy week at work with new employees and getting things up and running for them, plus all the other regular things going on. I rode the bus Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and appreciated the time it afforded me to both mentally prepare in the morning and disconnect at the end of the day.

Making:

I all but finished my Francis sweater. I just have to seam up the sleeves, weave in all the little ends (no one loves this job), and then block and shape it. I'm thinking about doing something simpler next, like a slouchy hat.

Luna at Saranac Commons

Listening: I'm still listening to "The Daily" each morning on my commute (or walk to the bus), and this week's two-part "Lost in the Storm" episode, about one couple's medical emergency in the midst of Hurricane Harvey, was heartbreaking. Our cities are not equipped to handle these increasingly deadly storms.

Recipes: Joel continued with the Flavor Matrix this week with the tea-and-tomato sauce recipe, served on penne. The tea didn't really come through, though, so next time we'll try a stronger variety. But it was still a comforting meal as the evenings have become chilly. I remembered I have an Instant Pot and returned to a Melissa Clark recipe for smoky lentils and sausage for Friday night, one of my favorites in her Dinner in an Instant cookbook. I used the IP again the next day to cook dried chickpeas for hummus.

I put out a call for zucchini, and my coworker delivered, so I was able to make my very favorite zucchini bread of all time - it makes two loaves so I have one in the freezer to savor in the dead of winter. The curry powder is not optional for me. It's what makes all the difference.

And then I made a very sad, squatty loaf of whole wheat bread. It tastes fine. The recipe has been in my recipe binder for years, the second feature in a 2008 clipping from the New York Times for an even faster version of the now-famous no-knead bread by Jim Lahey. The online version of the recipe features a picture of the loaf I made yesterday, and apparently, sad and squatty is the way it is supposed to turn out.

Reading: I finished Less and loved it. Part travelogue, part love story, all fairly hilarious and poignant. I recommend it.

I read the first essay in The Empathy Exams and almost cried on the bus. Empathy is so much more complex than trying to feel another's feelings.

Then the library let me know the fourth and final book in Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan series was ready for me (The Story of the Lost Child), so I'm back with the characters I've spent the past year with.

Watching: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. I don't think Keanu Reeves made a finer movie than this, nor did Alex Winter's ever-exposed midriff ever look so good as in 1988. I am so glad I watched this again after almost 30 years.