Wonder no more

I know! All of you have been wondering what happened! To the Traveling NaBloWriMo Masterpiece, of course! Well, wonder no more.

It's not done yet. Far from it! Almost all the Boulder/Denver bloggers have added their touch. Jen showed her love for the mountains and drew them right onto the canvas. Kitt added some lovely squiggly line art to the canvas and handed it to Amy, who did her thing and added bling. Once Amy was done, Danette drew a gorgeous palm tree on it and we're not surprised, given her love for Key West! We lost a couple of bloggers along the way but now it's on its way to Seriously Wonderful in Boulder. That will be the last stop in Colorado! It's taken much longer than anticipated but there's something called life that gets in the way from time to time.

The same thing happened to me! Nirmala is, of course, so right when she says that I shouldn't blog just for NaBloWriMo. Believe me, I considered doing NaBloPoMo again but it was time to acknowledge that I was in over my head with my commitments already. I did a quiet NaBloSiMo sans any announcements. (Enough with the links already? OK!)

November was a truly crazy month. I haven't met or entertained as many people in such a short period. And I cooked. A lot. Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures to show for it so I am just going to have to re-create those dishes one by one. But it's great when another food blogger is there for the meal because she takes all the pictures! And, honestly, when it's someone as talented as Jen, there's really no need to bother taking any as she makes everything look really good! A fun time was had by all at the Girls' Lunch I hosted. We missed Kitt as she had to bee elsewhere. She made up for it by taking herMom and I out to lunch at Louisville's The Huckleberry, a tea house and café.


I know it doesn't look very appetizing but this is the best burger in town. It's a veggie garden burger with all kinds of seeds, melted jack cheese, and slices of avocado. And, yes, I ate all those fries. Again, because Huckleberry's fries are the best thin fries I have ever eaten!

The horrific events in Bombay wiped me out as I watched my stomping grounds attacked, and innocent people killed and injured senselessly. Luckily, all my family and friends were safe but many others were not so lucky.


I feel guilty when life goes on like normal when others' world in what used to be my world has been turned upside down. When you no longer feel safe in your hometown.

Moments like this - a man wearing skis on wheels on a major arterial road - make me smile.


I look in my (dirty) rear view mirror and see the mountains in the distance, standing tall as if to say that all will be well. No matter how much I want to believe that, it is not all well, is it? The economy is spiraling downward - it has been for over a year now. A record number of jobs are lost on a daily basis and it has hit home with several friends being laid off. I pulled myself out of the general despair I was feeling to write an article for The Daily Tiffin called Nail Those Invisible Expenses. We survived the dotcom bust but this is worse as it is not restricted to just one industry. Being frugal and living a simple life seems to be the answer in these trying times.

I have been finding peace in working with my hands. My yard could have done with a good dose of that but I sprained my back a couple of weeks ago and that became the perfect excuse for not doing anything to prepare my poor neglected plants and trees for this brutal winter that is upon us now. I finally finished the lacy scarf I was knitting. Yes, I frogged it and started over with US #11 needles. I made a ton of mistakes along the way but the net result is a beautiful airy scarf that is going to my friend, Gabi.


I also made her a beaded bracelet that I am quite thrilled about.

The Holidays are almost here and my friend Dhana will be here with her family for a week. I am looking forward to her visit, and perhaps some snowshoeing in the mountains. I have a great excuse for not skiing - my back, you know!

I'm sorry I've been away for so long but there were too many things all happening at the same time and something had to give, along with my back. It's good to be posting again and I hope to be back with recipes, beginning with the yummies I cooked for the Girls' Lunch with four other fabulous women!