Day Thirty Eight - a lovely Saturday with Riley

Isaiah 55:8-9

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. 

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways

And My thoughts than your thoughts."

Riley and I had today all to ourselves. We were a little slow in getting going, but that's what Saturday is all about. We had our usual oatmeal for breakfast. Riley probably worked in the yard for a while, but I'm not sure. Is this chemo brain? But I do remember that we finally headed to the Pearl Bakery for lunch. But I guess we were a little late, because all the ham and fontina was gone. It was hardly 12:30 for goodness sakes! So we opted out of lunch there, and headed to Powell's, where we bought four books. I found just what I was looking for, a book by Yvonne Porcella called Magical Four-Patch and Nine-Patch Quilts. No I will admit that that's a dumb title, but it's a good book. I already had her book called Art and Inspiration, and this new one was a more technical illustration of the techniques the author uses to make her unusual quilts. I think I bought the first book twenty years ago, so I was glad to find the second one, which was of course used. On impulse I also bought Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser. I talked Riley into buying a book on Lebanese cooking by a man I know to be a well respected Lebanese chef in London: the Lebanese Cookbook by Hussein Dekmak. I chose this one because I like Lebanese cooking so far. Who knows, in two weeks I might hate it. We'll see. Riley needs inspiration and guidance when it comes to making dinner.

"Then the LORD God took the man and put him 

into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it." Genesis 2:15

My garden in June of 2008 and then in June of 2009

I was going okay, but slowing down. We left Powell's and headed for Pho Van on Hawthorne for a bowl of bun thit. That's a cold noodle dish with lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, and sprouts, topped with three skewers of grilled pork. I love this dish, and thankfully it still tastes good. We are friends with one of the originators of this restaurant, back when it was located in a converted Arctic Circle, and he was passionate about nutrition. I've read more than once that their food is not quite authentic, but I think it is probably all the better for it, as our friend worked at seeing that the food was healthy. I had half my dish left, and we got it to go and headed home. I was ready for a nap, and Riley wanted to work some in the garden.

When I woke up we went to New Seasons, a truly amazing grocery store. They have more organic food than anywhere else. I got cherries and water mellon and cantaloupe. And then we discovered organic frozen foods, and we bought some. Riley tried to talk me into fish or meat, but I didn't even want to look at it. I also bought broccoli and rainbow chard. I'm thinking to make baby food out of the chard and freeze it in little cubes that I can add to food in a disguised form, because I find most veggies to be rather yucky.

Back home we had one of the organic pizzas for dinner. It actually came from Italy, but it was rather ordinary. I think I'm absolutely spoiled by Ken's Artisan Pizza. We also watched Jeopardy and then a great baseball game. I don't know which day was the game, but I think we were on the right one. The Mariners were playing with definate handycaps. The really terrific left fielder Chavez had been seriously injured by accidently running into, or was that being run into, by Betancourt and will be out for the whole year. And Lopez was on leave to visit his seriously sick sister. So there were new guys in the line-up, but they all did a great job. Then after the game I took an Ativan and went to bed. What a pleasant day it had been.

Isaiah 55:12-13

"For you will go out with joy

And be led forth with peace;

The mountains and the hills will break forth 

into shouts of joy before you,

And all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 

Instead of the thorn bush 

the cypress will come up,

And instead of the nettle 

the myrtle will come up,

And it will be a memorial to the LORD,

For an everlasting sign which will not be cut off."