Now, the cold is here.  Just when I should be walking the dog, I am curling up with a heating pad and quilt, instead.  Hard to get motivated to do much of anything.  “It’s Sunday,” I tell myself.

Yesterday, took my sister grocery shopping and the place was an absolute mob scene – supposedly because of the football playoff game that would be aired later (Okay, Mr. Pious, kneel down and thank god for THAT!).  It took me the rest of the afternoon to recover.  I hadn’t planned to sit with K. and watch the game, but he lit a fire and I had my fat, fat novel to read (“1Q84”) and so, it was nice.

And today?  It’s one of those days where I can’t remember WHAT I’ve done, or even, if I’ve done anything at all.  Crossword puzzle.  Drug store run.  Pages.  Prep for Thursday’s class.  Wandering around studio looking for something.  Somehow, it feels like a whole lot of nothing.  Perhaps if I make the chicken stew I have on the menu for tonight, and the ‘Wellesley Chocolate Cake’ recipe I picked out, there will be something more tangible (and delicious, hopefully!) to point to.

I HAVE been making some of the world’s most delicious winter salads.  Really.  What makes a good winter salad, in my humble opinion?  Some crunch (cabbage shreds, radish slices, celery, for example), some bitter greens (frisee, arugula, to name two), something onion-y (diced shallots, if you’re feeling fancy, or diced red onion or chopped scallions) and then your filler (usually, chopped romaine in this house) all dressed with a super-tangy vinaigrette (I have long been a fan of 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 acid — lately, I mostly use white vinegar — and then of course, garlic, mustard, and S&P).  One night, I added sunflower seeds (raw), along with dried cranberries and Granny Smith chunks (heavenly!).  So, so, good.  Last night, with both boys out and having had a heavy (but delicious) tortilla pie for lunch, K & I had a Winter Salad, Sweet Potatoes, and Green Beans and Brussel Sprouts for dinner — yummmmmm.

Well, maybe that’s all the day needed – to talk about food for a minute.  Definitely perked me up!

I am reminded, posting a drawing, that this time last year we were bombed by a snowstorm, and I spent Martin Luther King Jr. day getting my Sketchbook Project well underway.  I can’t imagine having that kind of energy tomorrow, nor can I imagine being bombed by a snowstorm.  I can hope, right?