use real butter

We have returned from the Land of Hot, that being New Mexico. Mind you, it’s a dry heat. And despite everyone who rolls their eyes when someone discusses dry heat, 100 is definitely tolerable dry than humid. Jeremy, being a native son of New Mexico, used to wax nostalgic for his homelands all the time. But these days I think the romance has faded just a little for him. I think Colorado is what puts an extra spring in his step, not to mention the immensely long ski season. There is something to be said for coming home to 58 degrees in the mountains to have the rich smell of pine forest fill your nostrils as you hose the dog down for a bath.

It was a bit of a mental shock to go from Grandma Darling’s lack of short term memory and endless repeat of the same 7 stories (at least it was 7 and not 1) to fully engaged discussions with my aunt. I’m lucky to have her in my closest circle of friends. We talk about food, relationships, professional issues, politics, gardening, more food, our family, raising children, raising pets, cultural issues, diversity, all sorts of stuff.

Elena and family have lived in Los Alamos for almost 5 years now. We drove down 2 years ago when they were in the midst of overhauling the backyard. It used to be a bit of a mess from the previous owners and Elena had a master plan. The woman has impeccable taste – classy, elegant, unique, beautiful. It shows in her art, her clothes, her house, her garden. In two years, I’ve let my yard grow more weeds. In two years, she transformed a dirt and grass yard into this:

The weather hasn’t been too great for sailing since we’ve been here. That’s alright with me. I love to sail, but at the same time, I don’t need to sail the way my dad does. Funny thing, my dad was blaming everything on global warming: the weather, the fact that the local market didn’t have blue crabs today, that Jeremy got sick. We actually took the morning easy and spent time talking, watching a movie, eating (of course), checking the fishies, and selecting appropriate gifts for my parents to take to folks in China.

Jeremy was full fledged sick this morning, so he slept and I brought him hot homemade ginger tea and meds. Meanwhile, I was conscripted into helping Dad drape netting over, across, and around the fish pond. I think my parents were really attached to their fishies and feel tremendous guilt about losing so many.

My parents prepared some of their specialties tonight – old family recipes Jeremy and I love. Dad made Lion’s Head, which are giant pork meatballs with loads of vegetables. He fries them, then steams them in a broth for a few hours. My mom made my grandma’s smoked chicken recipe. Mmmm, so good!

**Jump for more butter**