Pre-occupied

My mind has been pre-occupied---pre-occupied with three friends who have serious cancers, pre-occupied with a mother who is declining, pre-occupied with acquaintances who lost their only child at 25, pre-occupied with . . . well, the rest of it doesn't matter, does it? Work doesn't matter; the financial mess doesn't matter; the presidential campaign doesn't matter. What matters is that people, friends, and acquaintances are hurting and we can do so little except to pray and to let them know that we care.

October

October may be my favorite month. We feel the first cool mornings; we see the blue, clear sky. We smell the fields of freshly dug peanuts; we rake the new fallen pine straw; we take notice of the slower growth in our grasses and plants; and yes, we sneeze and sputter a little, too.

Robert Frost liked October, also.

"O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away."

Waaaaaaaaaaaarr Eagle! Hey!!

Friday Night with Neighbors

Do you have neighbors? Think about it. You may live in a neighborhood, as I do, but do you have neighbors? We have lived in the same house since 1981, and we have one neighbor. Our driveways are across from each other---is that what makes neighbors? They see us coming and going; we see them. They know when our cars are home; we know when theirs are home. We hear and see each others dogs. We pick up each other's papers on occasion. The guys enjoy quail hunting and Auburn football. She is young enough to be my duaghter, but she is a working girl like me, and, we all enjoy spending time together.

This afternoon---Friday---I noticed that all their cars were in the driveway, so I called, "This is Kay; I know it's late notice, but you know how we are. If you guys don't have plans for tonight,we'd love to have you over for heavy drinks and light dinner. Call me." It was 3:30 pm and I didn't have a plan. The phone rang shortly, "sure, we'd love to come; I'll bring a tuna steak." So, we had the beginnings of a plan.

I didn't buy anything special, didn't even go to the grocery market except to buy two yellow squash. Here's what we pulled together:

Buckwheat Blinis with Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche
Seared Tuna with Cracked Black Pepper and Light Soy Sauce

Romaine Lettuce with Pears, Toasted Pecans, Maytag Blue Cheese
and Apricot Vinaigrette
Yellow Squash Stuffed with Spinach, Barley, Chicken, and Andouille Sausage

Various Wines

Yes, it was an incredible meal--a meal shared with neighbors, a meal planned at the last minute; a meal enjoyed at the kitchen island; a meal consumed with wines and laughter and conversation. What a delightful evening!

Three Busy Weeks

Whew! I've not come up for air since Napa. Too busy at work. But tonight, the wine wind down begins. For dinner---buckwheat pancakes; Robert E. Long syrup from Two Egg, Florida; eggs; and sausage. How good does that sound! What wine, you ask? A 2005 Rosemount Shiraz from eastern Australia, of course! Now, bring on the weekend.

RR and PLU

We enjoyed an evening with new friends last night. We had cocktails here then went out to late dinner. The conversation was fast and furious; we had plenty to talk about. We discovered similar interests and mutual friends and different experiences. We also discovered areas in which we could learn from each other. It was just a fun evening. "They are PLUs", Tom said as we returned home.

A friend of mine, a businesswoman who is one of the most dynamic people you'll ever meet, is one who has interviewed lots of people over her career. She interviews to hire for her own business, and she also interviews to give experience to young people who are just entering the job market. She told me that she has some little codes that she puts in the corner of some applications. One code is RR. It stands for "raised right". She uses it when she discovers young people with manners and values and work ethic and respect for others and other traits that she considers essential. Later, when she reviews that application, with RR in the top corner, she knows that person was someone that she would want to hire.

Another code she uses is PLU---for "people like us". Again, she uses that code to identify those people with traits similar to her own and those of her other employees---smart, congenial, hard-working, creative, enthusiastic. It might be a vendor or a potential client or an applicant for a position in her company.

I think those codes work in lots of situations. While it might be a little tricky to define RR and PLU, we all know what those traits look like. At the College, I come in contact with all kinds of students---some young, some not-so young, but I can tell you if I think they are RRs. I know it when I see it. (I surely hope that my friend would use RR to describe our children were she to interview them.)

We use PLU a lot---as we did to describe our new friends last night. PLU has nothing to do with their color or socioeconomic level or education. Instead it has to do with how comfortable we felt with them, how easily the conversation flowed, how many experiences and interests we shared, and whether we wished the evening could last longer. As it turned out, we overstayed our welcome in the small Japanese restaurant. We were talking so intently that we didn't notice that we were the last customers and the staff had begun sweeping up. We apologize, Sakura!

We enjoy meeting new PLUs!

Black Raspberry, Tar, and Earthiness

Wine tasting was a big part of our Napa trip. Of course it would be. The valley was dotted with acres and acres of grape vines that were loaded with luscious fruits ready to be picked. And in the caves at each vineyard the old oak barrels held even older wines just waiting for their debut. We tasted many. At each winery, we sampled four to six wines. My favorite was the Von Strasser Winery, and there we sampled, among others, the Von Strasser Sori Bricco Cabernet 2005. The steward assisted us with tasting notes. The notes for the Sori Bricco: "the wine is extremely dark and extracted with tremendous depth and concentration. The aromas are of coffee, black fruit, licorice, chocolate, and eucalyptus. Very chewy and viscous on the palate, with flavors of black raspberry, tar and earthiness with a long and impeccably balanced finish."

Did I taste those flavors? Did I catch that hint of eucalyptus? Could I identify the licorice? Could I articulate the sensations on the back of the tongue or describe the delicate finish? Not a chance. But did I enjoy the wines? You bet!

My descriptions of wine, however, would be very different. My description would be something like this: "a hearty red wine to be enjoyed on Sunday night, on the porch of an old farmhouse, with six friends and lots of laughter." Or this: a light red best served with Copper River Salmon prepared in a great kitchen with friends keeping company with the cook." Or this: "a great little Tuesday night wine enjoyed after a long day at the office with neighbors who dropped by to say hello." Or this: "a crisp, refreshing sauvignon blanc just right to enjoy on a hot August evening with grilled cheese sandwiches and a salad and the couple you invited on the spur of the moment."

You see, wine to me is about occasions and friends. It's about good times and hospitality, old stories and laughter. It's about sunsets and cool breezes and moonbeams and stars. It's about good conversation and discussion and poetry and literature. It's about history and shared experiences. And yes, it's about good food enjoyed with others.

I probably won't ever get a job writing tasting notes; yet, somehow, I think lots of folks feel the same way I do.