To Catch a Cloud

Last night we had more mountains in the sky.  This time, I saw them when I was leaving work and they hung around long enough for me to catch them with my camera.  I don’t think any of my photos really do the clouds justice; I can’t capture the way the sky seems so limitless here or the way the clouds rise up from the horizon with such majesty.  It’s really something special.

The clouds this week are a gift from Hurricane Alex, the first one of the season.  I have mixed feelings about hurricanes.  On the one hand, the storm has brought cooler temperatures to College Station, which is such sweet relief from the heat.  So far, it’s also bringing wind and clouds and grey days, none of which I mind.  I’d even go so far as to say it reminds me of Chicago, land of endless gray days and cool weather.  How funny that bad weather reminds me of home!

The downside of the hurricane?  IT’S A HURRICANE!  I’m just a little freaked out by the idea of it.  We don’t have hurricanes in the North.  I wasn’t raised to deal with hurricanes, so I’m concerned about them.  I am told that we’re so far inland here that it’s unlikely to do much damage—supposedly we’ll just get wind and rain.  Okay, fine.  That I can handle.  But I wouldn’t mind having a basement right now, just in case. 

Hurricane or no, I am having a good week.  I learned that frozen peas work just fine in this recipe instead of spinach.  This is good news—I’m kinda tired of spinach.  Last night I made my peas into a pasta dish by tossing the finished peas with cooked curly pasta and topping it with toasted almonds and a good handful of grated cheese.  My dinner and I curled up on the couch to watch the beginning of Season 2 of True Blood—now on DVD!—and it was like having a Friday night on a Tuesday.  I think I needed that.

Today was a particularly good work day.  I’d been waiting almost a week for an enzyme to arrive, and this morning it did!  With all of my supplies on hand, I was able to set up the next-to-last step in a really important experiment.  Now I’m basking in the sense of accomplishment.  It’s good to get things done, don’t you think?

In a moment, I’ll start making dinner.  Tonight I’m having eggs in a basket—eggs baked in ramekins lined with foccacia bread and topped with cheese.  Eggs, bread, cheese: it’s a trinity I often invite onto my dinner plate.  I love simple kitchen suppers.  I am tempted to bake cookies tonight, but I might instead finish up the leftover banana bread pudding that surprised me with its almond-laced yumminess.  I can’t wait to tell you more about the recipe because it’s a total keeper.

See you on the other side of the hurricane, friends.