Thank you!

Thank you to aine_willows for my Heart of Glass!

Thank you to betsycontent for my gift certificate to Molbak's!

Thank you to craigp for my new IKEA futon I've been wanting and needing for many months, and the sushi lunch at Rikki Rikki, despite your illness.

Thank you to lotusdragon for my packet of rosa bianca eggplant seeds.

Thank you wytchcroft for the virtual hugs.

Dinner tonight was the loveliest, considering none of us were especially attached to today. It just came together in a harmonic flow. I had a burst of inspiration as I made the lamb. I marinated it in red wine, tarragon, paprika, and cinnamon.

It cooked in the pan, covered for nearly two hours. I added water a couple of times. When I went to put the cauliflower and carrots into the oven, I decided the lamb sauce was missing something. So, in went a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste, a dash each of cumin and chili powder, and just a tiny pinch of chipotle powder.

I served the lamb in tiny bowls alongside the roasted vegetables and bowls of salad with lemon tahini dressing. Each plate held three petals from the white rose my daughter gave me, and in the middle petal, a morello cherry from Germany.

We ate, watched Amelie, drank sparkling pear cider, and I brought out the individual desserts I bought: crème brûlée cheesecake for Ana, an eclair for Craig, and a wheat free Alaska Silk turtle pie for me.

Afterward, Ana (in her red cancan skirt and matching top with red roses) and I danced the waltz in the kitchen.

Not too shabby for a day no one was attached to . . . it rather reminded me of my childhood, and how my mother worked very hard to make this day special for me. ^_^