oh, hello

I'm a little blue. Nothing serious. Just a little out of sorts. Maybe it's because I'm in-between. I think that's part of the problem. In between winter and summer. In between projects at work (it's only fun to be not-busy-enough for a little while, and then...well, the work day becomes unusually long and tedious). Just barely in between 29 and 30. Which feels good - but significant.

We have a very nice little life, but sometimes, we have little crises of confidence that beg us to reevaluate and realign. Maybe that's not all bad - those moments of self-review that ask: "Hey, wait, what am I doing with my life?" But it can come with a side of blues and perplexity and big questions. You just have to ride it out.

So, in the meantime, I've been cooking and cooking...and cooking. I find cooking soothing, and if you have a bout of the blues, it's comforting to have something good to eat. I like the mindless methodology of cooking - it takes my mind elsewhere in the best possible way. And in the end, you've created something. Something warm and comforting. Something to share.

So, if you can work yourself up to nothing more, at least you've cooked something wonderful. And you've shared it with people you love and who love you. That's good balm for what ails you.

This weekend, I made Easter dinner, and we took it to Carlye and Steve's. Not a typcial Easter dinner, but a really indulgent, mismatched menu of favorites. Hot crab dip for Carlye - because she craves it. Trifle for Ben - because he requested it. Butternut squash lasagna for me - because I love it (and butternuts are just about to disappear from the grocery for the season). For some reason, I was also compelled to bake cinnamon rolls.

And tonight, it's still cold enough for soup. So, I'm making one of the last soup batches of the season: potato-chorizo-kale soup. (Sidenote: Kale looks extremely healthy, almost to its detriment. I can only hope the chorizo and olive oil will balance it out. I think so.)

My theory is: if you must be blue, then at least eat well. That's my tactic.