Thank goodness for the arrival of fall and the flavors of pumpkin everywhere. Yesterday I told Louie that I have the itch to make pumpkin pies. And as my Don Francisco coffee supply got down to the last tin, timing could not have been better to place another order because DF just released its seasonal Pumpkin Spice coffee. When I go to bed, I look forward to waking up so that I can get the coffee percolating – just to inhale the delicious aroma of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other yummy spices.
It’s the small things that make a difference and keep us going as our emotions are tested every day. Like waking at daybreak to let Lola out so that she can take a tinkle. This morning I saw other early risers taking a walk in the solitude of the early hours – before smokey air reminds us all that fires are still raging. Looking east, I’m mesmerized by the spectacular light of the rising sun.
In the last 48 hours, the skies have told a fast-moving story as the Bobcat Fire retreats northeast into the Angeles National Forest. I couldn’t believe my eyes yesterday afternoon when I opened my backdoor to catch a glimpse of a helicopter flying overhead – then to see feathery cirrus clouds floating above the mountain top underneath clear, blue skies – a sight not seen since early September. And this morning, within minutes, I was treated to a show of rippled clouds giving way to fluffy cumulus clouds, all with the dramatic backdrop of the rising sun.
So, last night I offered to make dinner again. This time, my delicious BLTs that Louie and Jacqueline love. Louie didn’t even try to offer his variation of the bacon sandwich. The star ingredient is the thick bacon that I buy in individual slices from our local butcher at Taylor’s Market (three slices for Louie, two for me). I made my sandwich with Cranberry Walnut bread while Louie nixed my frou-frou bread for “Golden Wheat” bread. Topped with green salad mix and sliced tomatoes and sides of salt-free tortilla chips, kosher pickles, red grapes, and wine to dress up the meal, we were good to go.
Then I told Louie about a text photo I had received from a dear friend on the east coast with the message: “A hazy sunset caused by the west coast wildfires. Hope everyone is safe and well.”
“I thought it was a joke,” I told Louie. “…until I read an article about the fires reaching Europe. Goodness, no one is spared.
And it’s a no-brainer that we can’t step outside without donning a mask to keep from breathing the dangerously polluted air filled with carbon dioxide and particulate matter. Good thing Covid got us into the practice of wearing masks. That is, most of us.
If one thing won’t get deniers to wear a mask, something else will.
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