Rainy Weekends and Comfort Food

Just like last week­end, we went out, despite the pour­ing rain, for sev­eral errands (try­ing to locate some replace­ments for some unusual light bulbs that had burned out, a trip to the mar­ket, etc.). It doesn’t usu­ally rain like this here, or so I’m told. The water comes in driz­zles, show­ers, maybe even a cloud­burst or two, but not drench­ing, pool­ing down­pours that keep going all day and the next. It’s another bit of cli­mate change, I sup­pose. Aus­tralia is still suf­fer­ing from a hor­ren­dous drought, so we end up with our water plus theirs. I had even read or heard some­thing about the soot from fac­to­ries in China chang­ing the storm pat­terns on the Pacific ocean, which I watch the way that Papil­lon watches the waves com­ing in toward the island, look­ing for a pat­tern in the chaos. The best I can do is note that lately the cir­cu­lar whorls make their way to about Hawaii, at which point a straight line of clouds points right to us. Some­one referred to it as ‘The Pineap­ple Express’.

With these sod­den week­ends, I’ve taken to culi­nary solace. Last night, at Pam’s request, we had clas­sic French Onion Soup with melted Emmen­tal and Grueyère on top. Tonight I’m mak­ing some fresh Fusilli and Meat­balls. Tomor­row night it’s chicken with mush­rooms; 3 kinds, includ­ing some gor­geous shi­itakes I saw at the mar­ket — I guess all of this water is good for grow­ing something.

I know that this wet patch will end soon. Then I’ll switch to all of the spring foods. Bring on the aspara­gus, fid­dle­head ferns and strawberries!