Pi(e)!

I've been rather domestic the past few days. I feel like Swamp Thing in hibernation - sedentary long enough that tendrils and vines creep from my toes and begin to twine themselves in the loam. I can't let myself gather moss here, though. I'm off in T-minus 5 days to my next destination.

In the meantime, however, let's try on the floppy chef's hat that would make this a food blog: I made pies.

I know, right?!

There was a lemon meringue in honor of Mom's ##th birthday (she's aging backwards now, so the numbers are irrelevant) and a Katie B.-inspired ginger-peach pie with cornmeal crumb topping in honor of me not really liking lemon meringue. There was also a roasted veggie/corn salad which I'm quite pleased with, but didn't photograph well.

The scientist and the lady-perfectionist in me are already compiling notes and data for the next iteration of this experiment (more solid lemon layer; waiting longer before making the meringue; something else in the peach pie -- nuts? cayenne? Can you tell I'm homesick for cast-iron-cooked goodness?) but all in all, it wasn't too bad. Mom liked it:and that's what's important.


I just (well, about a day ago, but it feels like I just now) figured out my leaving Portland timetable. And the big rubber band that is my heart has twanged in the opposite direction so suddenly that it knocked me off balance. I reached down to find this concave shape, so recently convex, and warm to the touch from the friction of stretching against itself.

I kind of don't want to go. It was so great to be enveloped by my family, and I've had some lovely, quintessentially Portland days of late. And every once in a while, the rain hits some early leaves and it smells like fall should. At least, what it has smelled like for so long. Through this process, I've alternately been: scared, frustrated, unsure, excited, impatient, optimistic, etc., etc.
But now I'm just a bit sad. Still those other things, but the flavor that comes through the most is that last.There's a lot of precious cargo I can't take with me in a readily-accessible fashion. And I know, I'll buck up and be strong and take these things into my heart and carry them with me. And I'll be fine. I know. But in this moment, in my old room with Mishu snoring softly behind me, I just need to sit with it for a while. 'S a right shame, that.