She's ALIVE!

...and well, and living in Colorado!

Julie and I exchanged e-mails today. She is happilly employed doing what she loves -- working in a yarn shop and teaching people to knit! (I'm not saying which yarn shop, since I didn't ask her permission.) Best news, though, is that she's coming to Chicago at the end of October and I am going to make good on my promise of a Moroccan feast! (I'm thinking couscous with a lamb tagine! My Moroccan carrots. Olives. Homemade pita. And I don't know what for dessert. With tea.)

E-mailing felt just like the old days when we would talk and talk and talk. And laugh. Myfanwe's going to laugh at us...again... 'cuz it's just like old times.

Oh, happy day.

EUREKA!

Many of you, Dear Readers, will recall my quest to reconnect with a dear friend, Julie, who had become lost to us for several years.

Imagine my happiness, shock, and tears when this morning these words appeared in the comments to a blog entry from last February:

"Aidan! It's me! Julie! Julie Pack. The one and only. (not the other 51) No, not the cattle roping Julie Pack. No, I would never do those things... but you might be surprised at what I AM doing... I've missed you too!! You have a son??!! Let's catch up! How do I get ahold of you? This is crazy- I thought of you also and wondered what you are up to... I feel very lucky to have found your blog! I'm trying to think of a way to contact you, I don't have any of your info... I'll keep watching your blog for an update! I love you! I'm hearing Tchaikovsky themes in slow motion right now! What a day this has been for me. The planets are really linin' up big time!"

I am so very, very happy. I can't find words. Except possibly...

JULIE: aidanknits AT gmail.com. (You probably know the spam-bustin' score -- replace AT with @) E-mail me RIGHT NOW!

Today is going to be a great day.

And to those of you out there -- Brenda Dayne not the least among them -- who assisted me in my search, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

YOU'LL HAVE TO SETTLE FOR SAUSAGE...

...CUZ MY FLIPPIN'-FLAPPIN' FINGER IS STILL ON THE FRIGGIN' FRITZ!

I've tried knitting. I can knit about a row of my lace or two rows of a sock before my finger starts hurting. I'm supposed to keep it taped to the next finger to give it support and protection, and when I do that, knitting is slow and tedious. I'm going to see an orthopedic physician who specializes in hands in about 10 days. He's supposed to be the best in the world, so I'm sure he'll get things in order. Until then I'm doing more or less what he told me to do...buddy tape, regular ice packs, and anti-inflammatory drugs.


In the absence of knitting to help maintain my sanity, I've been making more sausage. Today I put up 6 pounds of chicken sausage with chipotle pepper, cilantro, and dried cranberries. Delicious! Norbert helped my by cranking the grinder/stuffer, and it really turned out to be the best job I've achieved to date. Not overstuffed so that it bursts, yet firm enough to hold its shape and have a nice firm texture. What you see in the picture is approximately 5 pounds -- we had a little bit for lunch -- which I have frozen in anticipation of a trip to my brother's in a couple of weeks. I figure a fry-up is a nice treat.



Isn't this pretty? I saw these toadstools growing outside Norbert's school. They were so beautiful, I had to snap a pic.

Myfanwe has found the easiest route to getting me to do a little extra around the house. Bribery. She made a deal that if I cleaned out and organized the family room closet, she'd take us out for Korean. The closet is clean, and there are fried mandoo in my future.