1. Christy, Carol, Paul, Molly, Debbie, and I hadn't enjoyed a family dinner together since our New Year's Day beef roast dinner. For starters, Debbie and I swooshed off to Eugene for about two weeks and soon before we arrived home, Christy, Carol, Paul, and Molly were all ill.
Today was the Chinese New Year, a day Paul and Carol felt connected to after their work teaching Chinese children online.
So, we all chipped in some money and ordered a bag of appetizers and entrees to go from Wah Hing. When Debbie and I arrived for dinner, the to go boxes were all lined up on the dining table and we dove into the buffet. Just as we've done at other times during the pandemic, we ate in Carol and Paul's living room so we could be spread out and a pretty good distance from each other. It worked great.
I might not remember this completely accurately, but, as I remember, our order included pot stickers, crab puffs, Chicken Lo Mein, Seafood Lo Mein, Vegetable Szechwan Style, Orange Chicken, House Special Fried Rice, Kung Pao Beef, rice, and cups of Egg Flower Soup.
Dinner conversation ranged far and wide. Everyone who'd been sick got Debbie and me caught up on what they'd been through and how they recovered. Paul and Carol hit a huge pot hole on the freeway near Smelterville and they told that story, the aftermath, the repairs needed, and how they still made it to Fiddler on the Roof in Christy's car on time (a miracle!). We talked about books and articles we've read. Christy told about a puzzling mix up with a picture order at Walmart -- how did part of her order end up at the Hayden Walmart?
Christy, Carol, and Paul told me about how well things went for Copper and Luna while Debbie and I were gone and I expressed my relief by calling this great news a miracle. Their reassurance that Copper and Luna were content in our absence further sealed in my mind that Copper, especially, is slowly and surely accepting our house as his home and is feeling secure and happy to be here.
2. I didn't have far to go and finished reading The Soul of Baseball. I won't give away the ending -- well, I will say that Buck O'Neil is alive when the original book ends. I'll just point out that right to the end of this book, Buck O'Neil maintains his positive attitude, his refusal to give in to bitterness, and his gift for inspiring others with his generosity, openness, and eagerness to bring joy and comfort to everyone he meets.
3. I'm going to continue to exercise caution and spend a lot of time at home. I'm not quite sure when I'll decide to get out and about a bit more, but until I do, I'll keep reading. When Debbie and I returned home, we yakked for a while. I fixed myself a small cup of hot chocolate laced with a bit of dark rum. When I retired for the night, I started reading Stanley Tucci's food memoir, Taste: My Life Through Food to bed and started it. Oh, my! Already I'm it the book's grip! It's going to be fun reading about Tucci's life and I am already enjoying the recipes he intertwines into his stories about himself and food.
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