A Touch of Fancy

Our annual convention in Chicago this year. Eight long days of problems to be solved, catastrophes to be averted, new personalities to mesh with the old. This is the eighteenth convention I've planned and for some odd reason this year I decided to make myself a special box for the odds & ends I keep at my work space. As the crates were unlocked today, there it was. My fancy box all shrink wrapped in blue. It had been several weeks since I'd seen it and as I unwrapped it and put it on the table, I felt so satisfied.

I wonder why it took me 18 years to introduce some art, some fancy into my long week.

Our staff office looks very dismal, waiting to be unpacked.









Here's the box that added some fancy to the room.

Office Environments

I'm in my office. Our new employee is in the office next door to me. She's an editor who whisper-reads everything she edits. She talks to herself in full sentences and this morning, I found out she's a whistler. If I have one more cup of coffee I may just scream at her.

Terrific Turkey

The temperature has dropped for a few days and it’s heaven. I have a hard time remembering what it feels like to be cold. It always surprises me how quickly I can forget heat and cold. I suppose that means I am in the moment. I like to think that anyway. I kicked off the cool weather with a new recipe called Terrific Turkey Chili, except I had to make it with lean beef. Apparently another turkey recall had the butcher asking, “May I interest you in some especially lean beef?” It was either that or buffalo and the price differential was significant. Still, it really is a terrific recipe. I had roasted some fresh Hatch chiles the other day, so those were used in lieu of the canned variety. Big hit! Tiny slices of zucchini sautéed with spices were also included. If chili can taste fresh and light, this is it. Robust with spices, but something about how things worked together made it taste so fresh. Maybe it was the zucchini, maybe the fresh chiles, maybe it was loving the 60 degree evening.