i don’t remember exactly when we bought this pitcher but i know it’s at least 10 years old. i can still see sky blue paint splatters on its exterior from when we painted our condo. the pitcher still works but perhaps not quite as well as it used to. (unfortunately, the new one works about the same but at least it’s a bit more useful in size and shape. and the lcd display on the new one doesn’t work like it should but that’s not a big deal to me. so, really, the new one is not much better than the old one and i just fed into the capitalist machine of replacing a perfectly good item with one that’s newer but of lesser quality…or something like that.)

we just baked baguettes – getting ready for thanksgiving rillettes and fresh baguette – both made at home. boo-yah!

we are stepping outside our usual and actually making something for thanksgiving *before* thanksgiving.

m put the dutch oven in the oven before i could take a picture. here’s a url for you instead: pork rillettes

now i have photos:

highlights of evening:

• bahn mi at le cellier
• baccala, cod spread on crostini at hostaria del piccolo
• house cured duck prosciutto at piccolo venice
• veal short ribs at bank of venice
• squash terrine at barnyard

• caesar salad at hal’s
• fried pickles at pork belly’s
• soppressata and white pizza at local 1205
• fried chicken at willie jane
• homemade potato chips, bacon popcorn, and olives at joe’s

i’m finally putting anna’s scrapbook together, culling photos from 2001 and recording memories collected since we decided to start this project. i brought my printer out of storage, found photo corners leftover from previous scrapbooking projects (london and baby g), and spent most of my lovely sunny saturday afternoon being creative with colored pens and layout ideas. and i realized i really love scrapbooking, even if i don’t consider myself martha stewart. it must be that archival thing again…

now that i have a yard, i am much more aware of all of the different insects and other living beings present in nature. i have now identified black widows, jumping spiders, lacewings, katydids (they lay the flat eggs in a shingle pattern – when i first saw them 6 months ago, i destroyed them…apparently not necessary. plus, i should know better, nature will always win.), earwigs (some eat aphids), termites, ants, slugs, digger wasps, etc. i found (and killed, sorry!) a winged insect in the house this morning and cannot yet identify it. will update on the next episode of wild kingdom.

i’m sitting on our front stoop by myself this time. i have a raspberry lemonade in hand along with the November issue of Dwell: “Small Spaces, Big Ideas” and the sun sets in 8 minutes. there is a lovely breeze and if you’re not going to sit on your front stoop and watch the sun set accompanied by an ocean breeze, then why bother with a house with a front stoop. hence, i am here.

in 45 minutes, there’s supposed to be a 40% chance of rain. i’ll keep you posted.