The Sandwich Life

Malcolm Holcombe. No Words.

I usually write up something after a house concert. I don't think I can this time.

Malcolm Holcombe mesmerized the room and stole all my words.

I felt like he ripped me open.

You can't have a favorite house concert....they're like children....you love them all for different reasons.

But last night?

No words.

Much love to Matt Brandabur for helping to make this happen and for the great songs and for being Matt. Much love to everyone else that makes these things happen, to all of you that came from near and far....

No words.

 

Malcolm even brought home made hot sauce. And guess what? I was too selfish to share it.

photo by Richard Hill

If anyone has any video/photos please share!

 

 

And So It Goes: Malcolm Holcombe, iMacs and Teenagers

We gave Leo his birthday present a few days early. I couldn't resist. He turns 14  on Tuesday, and thanks to the trust that Judi left for the boys, we were able to get him what he wanted with ALL his heart: his own computer.

They got home from school and Owen claimed the computer, Leo clomped upstairs sadly but then a few minutes later we called him down. We said we wanted to talk to him. Big sighs.....and then Owen pulled the blanket off the computer box.

My baby is so happy.

They raced upstairs and set everything up with no help from me. Sniff. They cleared his desk of Lego and put the iMac, in all its glory, in place. You know what my favorite thing is? That Leo then went and got two of his favorite train engines and set them next to the computer. It's the nerve center of Leo....and when I stuck my head in to see, he just stroked the Big Boy engine with one finger and said, "See what I did?"

That boy just kills me.

He's always good with sweet kisses and 'I love you's' but we got quite a few extra last night. Nothing better than a happy Leo. The whole family felt light last night.

So now when you want to bother him at a house concert you'll have to go upstairs to do it.

Tonight, for the rest of us? MALCOLM HOLCOMBE, WITH MATT BRANDABUR! There's still space left and a beautiful batch of ratatouille if I DO say so myself.....

 

Sola Gratia 2.20: Season Two, Week Twenty

September stew.

That's what I call ratatouille in my head. It's good any time of year but come September, when the colored peppers and eggplant are abundent....it just seems perfect. It's also better if you make it ahead, and it's good hot, or warm, or room temperature....which is exactly why I'm making a big vat of it for our Malcolm Holcombe/Matt Brandabur house concert tomorrow.

Ratatouille

2 eggplant, chopped in 1" pieces, skin left on
3-4 zucchini, chopped in 1" pieces
3-4 peppers, assorted colors, chopped
2-3 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 lg can tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes, peeled

I roast the eggplant and zucchini on sheet trays, drizzled with salt and olive oil at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then I saute the onion and peppers til starting to soften, add the garlic, add salt and pepper and whatever spices you like...I add some dried thyme and basil and then I threw a stem of fresh basil in. Once the onions and peppers soften I add the eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes. Stir together and cook over low heat, covered until done. Taste for seasoning...you can throw some black olives in if you like.

Of course there are a million recipes for it....that's just how I do it. Anyone have a different version?

Random Notes from the Sandwich Life

1. Tomorrow I will have assorted Vertebrats in my living room AND Malcolm Holcombe. Life indeed is good.

2. I don't see Matt Brandabur all that often so sometimes I do still think of him this way:

3. Of course I still see myself this way:

4. Owen has been asked to play bass in the jazz band. Congratulations to me sweet pea!

5. Some Malcolm Holcombe to warm you up... As Hippie Jack says, "my heart is full, Malcolm Holcombe is here."

 

6. I can't WAIT to hear Matt's new songs!

7. One of my all time favorite Mark Gerking posters! I'll have a few extra to sell for a few bucks but if you definitely want one let me know asap!

 

 

Off Balance

We were at the Cancer Center yesterday morning. For some reason I hate being there in the mornings. We normally go mid afternoon and finish up the day there. It's just a different feeling. There are a lot more people there in the mornings it seems....more gray people sitting quietly in chairs covered with blankets and hooked up to poison. Sometimes it's hard to process. We didn't have one of our regular nurses. Ernie did a crossword puzzle...I tried to get a bit of work done on my ipad.

Before the infusion however, we met with the oncologist first. Ernie's PSA is fine. It goes up and down a bit which always stresses me out but it is still below .1 so I really can't complain. Our oncologist then told us he was leaving Carle. It sounds like it's a good move for him; I certainly can't begrudge him for it. Somehow though it made me feel kind of empty. The oncologist we will see in the future is (of course) one I've seen a few times with other family members and I liked him very, very much. He seems to be a very kind man and while that may not be the most important trait in an oncologist....it's one I value.

Nine years. We've been seeing our current oncologist for nine years. Nine years ago the boys were still in preschool. My parents were alive and doing o.k. Judi was fine, settling into South Carolina. Later, when Judi was dying and she moved in with us, he is the doctor she saw. Nine years ago feels like a lifetime ago. I was a different person.

We finished the appointment and he walked us to the check out area. I think we shook hands. I can't quite remember. It felt kind of impersonal. I felt off balance the rest of the day.

Three Things I Believe.

1. Stoves should last 20 years. Don't you think? Our stove is dying....and it's only about 13 years old. Isn't that too soon?? I think they should last a MINIMUM of twenty years. Isn't that how long my parents' stoves lasted????

2. You should come see Malcolm Holcombe this weekend. The man is a force of nature with brilliant blue eyes who likes to drink pineapple juice. I looked at his reverbnation page and where it says "sounds like" they list David Olney, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Well yes sir thank you. And yet he doesn't really sound like any of them....he sounds like himself....and like nobody else in the world.

 

3. My friend V'ron brings FANTASTIC hostess gifts.

 

Look at this thing of beauty....a blueberry pie with a CORNMEAL crust. Oh MAN.

raspberries from her garden!

 

All Is Right

Friday afternoon I left work after an extremely busy morning and I felt all giggly driving home. I suddenly realized I felt as though I was 19 years old, done with a day of classes, and waiting for Ernie to come see me after his day at Record Service. I even thought about digging out my unused mascara and putting it on in honor of his arrival (I didn't). I raced through the kitchen trying to clean up the disaster the boys and I had left. I know Ernie'd only been gone since Monday but good lord we missed that man, in every way imaginable.

Ernie called to say he wouldn't be home in time to pick up the guys from school so I fortified myself for the task. GOOD GOD...it's a WHOLE NEW WORLD OUT THERE! Ernie always leaves at what seems like an absurdly early time for this but now I realize why....it's like a serious race to pick the best spot along the street by the school. Cars flooded in from all over and then everybody parks and immediately pulls out their phone. I was wide-eyed. Leo showed up, plunked his stuff in the car and said in a tone of utter disgust, "Owen has some TRUMPET test he has to do and we have to WAIT for him." God I love that boy. We sat there and had a delightful time chatting (well, I did anyway). I think I got more words out of Leo right there than I had the entire previous week! I told him how amazed I was by the whole scene and said, "No WONDER you guys expect us to pick you up!" He agreed and said, "Yeah, see why you need to pick us up?" and I said, "No, that's not what I said...I said I see why you EXPECT it." He rolled his eyes and snickered. It was Friday so I think he felt he could give me one. Owen eventually showed up, trumpet in tow. They were a little disappointed that Ernie was later than expected but when we pulled onto our street Van's car was in our alley. Owen practically leapt out of the car, flinging trumpet, backpack, etc. to the ground and raced into the house to fling himself into Ernie's arms. Leo followed more sedately but he had a huge grin on his face.

All is right with the world.

Ernie's back home.

Ernie and Amelia White

Sola Gratia Farm 2.19: Season Two, Week Nineteen

My week as a single parent continues. Boy, would I need to get better organized if I did this all the time. I fully acknowledge that I am spoiled with Ernie but this sure brings it home. Did some late night googling on laundry detergent substitutions because there was no way I was going to put my bra back on and go to the store by that point in the evening. Things seemed to get clean. This morning I actually made time to eat breakfast but unfortunately it was accompanied by a tween freakout because my "let me know if you need something washed for school" had been interpreted as "well, everything I need was in the mountain of dirty clothes and I just assumed you'd stay up all night washing everything." 

I wanted to experiment with some eggplant recipes despite my children wanting dinner the moment I got in the door. So I confess I fed them, then got myself a claritin, some ibuprofin and a glass of wine and relaxed before I proceeded. I must say though....despite the chaos of the evening this recipe was WONDERFUL!

I don't cook with eggplant enough and I don't know why, so I have been delighted with the beautiful eggplants we've been getting in our Sola Gratia shares. One of the recipes we had looked at in Owen's Izakaya cookbook had been for red miso glazed Japanese eggplants so that had stuck in my head. I, of course, was using a standard Italian eggplant and didn't have red miso so I went exploring. Most of the recipes I found used white miso and that's what I had open so I went with that. The miso I bought at Green Onion is kept in their coolers towards the back on the left hand side of the store as you come in. I like it but I'm not expert....you can get it at any Asian grocery or probably at a lot of supermarkets as well..

It seemed as though most of the recipes followed a standard formula of 2 parts miso to 1 part mirin (or rice wine vinegar) and 1 part sugar. I used 1/4 cup of miso and 2 tablespoons each of mirin and sugar and it made much more than I needed but it should keep well.

I cut my eggplants in half the long way and scored the flesh. I drizzled them with sesame oil and a bit of salt. Some recipes say to salt and let sit but I'm not patient enough. Your choice. Then I cooked them cut side down in a roasting pan at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes....just until softened and cooked through. I turned them cut side up and smeared the miso mixture over it and popped them under a broiler. Absolutely delicious....I couldn't stop nibbling it as it sat in the pan! A wonderful mixture of delicate eggplant and the salty/sweet earthiness of the miso glaze. It was quick and easy and I don't need to look at a recipe for it...which means I am far more likely to make it again.

Miso Glazed Eggplant

1 eggplant cut in half, skin left on
sesame oil
1/4 cup white miso
2 tablespoons mirin (you could substitute with rice wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons sugar

Score the flesh of the eggplants, drizzle with oil and roast cut side down until soft. Mix miso, mirin and sugar and stir til smooth. Flip eggplants cut side up, spread with miso mixture to taste and broil til carmelized.

Well Then

O.k.....I realize that if I truly were a single parent I would be A. better organized and B. thinner. I haven't had time for breakfast and I run around a lot more. This morning I had the parenting triumph of telling one of my children to look through the dirty clothes and pick the underwear that seemed LEAST dirty. Now I will say, in my defense, that I told the boys last night that if they needed anything washed for school the next day to put it in the bathroom and I would wash it. No takers....and for God's sake these creatures aren't toddlers any more. I suggested that he just go WITHOUT underwear but I was told he had to change for gym class which did pose a problem....and that's where we got to the least dirty underwear. Yeah.

I had to stop at the grocery store after work for the third day in a row. Owen texted me throughout and rejected my first suggestion for dinner. I went along with it because I kinda agreed with him. I walked in the door at 5:26 because I'd left work a little early and the first thing he said was, "Can you make dinner NOW?" Maybe normally Ernie just shoos them away...I don't know. Eventually I gave in and pan fried a pork chop and gave him raw broccoli (he likes it that way) and some watermelon. Done.

I decided it was my duty to do a Sola Gratia post so I am in the midst of playing with eggplant and miso and I gotta say I have no desire to eat anything I've made. See what I mean about being thinner? Hmmmm. Gotta think this through. Maybe I'll have miso glazed eggplant for breakfast.

Thank sweet Jesus that Owen did not have homework today.

Owen reportedly now loves Daft Punk. Just thought you might want to know. He just told me, "WOW, these guys go way back.....they have an album from 1997."

My sweet husband called me and sounded happy and declared fist pumping victory because Kenny Vaughn saw him last night and said something to the effect of, "I know you, don't I? I've seen you around." I don't know how the fuck that boy does it but he is my sweet pea.

Malcolm Holcombe in a week and a half....pay up now guys or I'll have a heart attack. And I've still got school lunches to figure out for God's sake.

Hanging On

I'm tired.

I have a headache.

I think it's a sinus/allergy kind of headache since I have been stuffy and headachy for the last few days but don't seem to have a cold. Hmph.

I suck at being a single parent.

Math homework. Geesh.

Owen is sleeping in Ernie's spot but he kicks a hell of a lot more than Ernie does.

I miss my husband.

I really like him.

My husband is in Nashville for Americana week and hasn't sent me one damn picture. No cute little texts to make me jealous either. Jerk.

I have a super busy week at work and I just realized that I am busy every weekend from now until November.

I don't like that. I must be lacking a good work ethic or something.

I screwed up Leo's lunch. His sandwich got all wet. Evidently Ernie handles it differently.

They didn't like the route I drove them to school today either.

Owen has to be at school a half an hour early tomorrow for his chromatic scale test on the trumpet or something like that. Leo and I are appalled.

Ernie better send me a damn picture soon. He's at a show with Rod Picott, Jon Byrd, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper, Kevin Gordon and Tommy Womack, Amelia White, Irene Kelly and Bill Freaking Lloyd. Can I get another "jerk?"

Of course I'm the one that sent him there....because he deserves it.

I still wish he'd come home and make the school lunches though.