Jultember: my 'not pleased' face...

i intended to talk about the interesting character i met on Sunday, however my current level of exhaustion does not allow for such a thing, so i will save that for another day.  for now, i am going to eat an incredibly early supper consisting of a slice of the gluten-free strawberry shortcake  i got from the market.

it is neither fancy nor special, but this is one of the few gluten-free cakes (or breads) that does not leave me feeling like i need to drive back to the store to give everyone who was involved in making the thing my not-pleased face.

and speaking of situations that warrant the not-pleased face...

i had to cheat a bit to get yesterday's post up before midnight, so i ended up hitting the "publish" button before i was actually done with the thing, then i went back and did a healthy amount of "editing" (a.k.a., adding most of the stuff after the fact).

this was mainly because the power decided to go out on the whole street (and probably through a larger section of the neighborhood) as i was in the middle of typing. this is a thing that happens far too frequently around here, and the usual Canadian response is a non-bothered "oh well... it'll be back on eventually", which is more infuriating to this impatient New Yorker than the power outage itself could ever be. i am fairly certain i was making the face just then, standing there, doubly-frustrated by the darkness and the ever-positive Canadian commentary

we lit a couple of my homemade candles to prevent anyone from smashing their toe into furniture or walking into walls, both of which i seem to do every now and then... even when the lights are on.

then we spent some time out on the balcony, staring up at the stars, the number of which had multiplied in the relative darkness of the unlit streets. we had a clear view, and i found myself thinking of my (maternal) grandfather who used to sit with me out on the porch at night and point out all the sorts of interesting things in the sky.

then there was a strange, screech-like noise from what seemed like less than an arm's length away from where we were standing, and i did not stick around to figure out what it was coming from. this resulted in him being shoved sideways in my haste to get back inside.

it was bad enough that time a bat was flying around my living room, but the absolute last thing i wanted was to find myself tangling with one (or more) of them in near-total darkness.

so, in i came, and i served us both a bit of ice cream so that we could get a head-start in eating it should the contents of the freezer start melting in the power outage.

then the lights came back on, and life went on.

the eagle has landed...

Spring is lovely, Autumn is divine, and i certainly own enough warm layers to feel cozy for a quick trip out on the briskest of Winter night. it should, however, be stated for the record that i absolutely, unequivocally loathe the summertime.

with the single exception of it being the  perfect season for gardening, there is nothing to like about Summer. it is hot, muggy, and soul-draining most of the time, and the air is constantly filled with the happy sounds of dogs and children reveling in joy. i hate the happy sounds of dogs and children reveling in joy. yes... i may have been Grouchy Smurf in a former lifetime.

seriously though, it was so cold just a week ago that we had to cover up the tomato plants overnight. now we are at the point where they issue warnings to keep pets, old people, and small children inside. seriously...? according to the forecast, we are expecting a high today of 32°C (90°F)... feeling like 41°C (106°F)! seriously...???

as if the hot, humid, sunny weather were not enough to ruin my otherwise cheery disposition, this also happens to be the time of year when i was born. there are some people who regard their birthday with the same reverence as the most sacred of holidays (cough cough... mom). needless to say, i am not one of them. the single exciting part of a birthday at this point in my life is that it is a guilt-free excuse to eat cake.

my favorite animator announced a couple weeks earlier that he had ordered a cake for my birthday. we are never that organized about anything, so that in itself was quite the surprise. he was taking a quick showering before heading out to get said cake, when the phone rang.

me: hello...?
voice: [momentary pause followed by a panic-laced] hello... uhm... can i... uhm... speak to ---?
me: he can't come to the phone right now. can i take a message, or would you like for him to call you back in a few minutes?
voice: [even longer pause] uhm... just... err.... tell him... that...uhm... tell him that his order is ready. 

there was a tone of extreme satisfaction when he said that last bit, like he had accomplished some great feat in getting the words out. i thought nothing of it at the moment, but when the call was done, i looked again at the name on the display and realized that it was the bakery... and that this poor creature probably thought the cake was meant to be a surprise. my favorite animator popped his head out of the bathroom at just this point to ask who it was on the phone.

me: it's the bakery. the eagle has landed.

he returned home a short while later with the cake in hand.

me: did you explain to the guy that it was not meant to be a surprise and that he didn't give anything away with his call?
him: are you kidding me? he was still talking about it when i got there. he was so proud of himself for outsmarting you, i didn't have the heart to tell him that you knew all along.

then we both had a good laugh before opening the box to admire said cake. it was the lemon-strawberry cake from the local Polish bakery. trust me when i say that Grouchy Smurf on his grouchiest day would love the lemon-strawberry cake from the local Polish bakery.

[and, yes... i believe in the fundamental right to privacy for cakes of all types.]

this cake consists of a barely-sweet, lemony mousse sandwiched between thin layers of the pillowiest sponge cake ever created, and a lovely strawberry gel that tastes like all those wonderful things other people say about the summertime. i am not a fan of custardy things, but this one is less like the eggy custards that i usually avoid, and more like a tart, refreshing Greek yogurt that tastes like happiness and sunshine. we tried a slice a few weeks earlier, and i fell in love at first bite, so it was a perfect choice for the day.

i ordered some cotton yarn about a week earlier, and it showed up that very day. it was not intended as a birthday gift for self (as i do not usually need an excuse to justify the purchase of even more yarn), but it did kinda make me smile just a bit harder when it arrived. i may have even clapped my hands a few times and uttered something that sounded like the noises dolphins make when they are happy, but i will deny all of that in a courtroom. it is a cotton-acrylic blend in two shades of blue and a silvery-grey that is so light, it may as well be white. i have enough to make two or possibly three items that i will actually be able to enjoy wearing. that part definitely makes me smile.

i took a super-long shower, then grabbed a cushion and sat cross-legged on the balcony in between the pots of veggies (that is only half of it) to soak up a bit of sun while my hair dried.

it was the perfect setting for knitting up a swatch while pondering what i might make with my new yarn.

i was joined at some point by an extra-fluffy cat, though she was (mostly) there to eat grass. watching that cute little pink tongue lick the edge of the bowl could melt the heart of even the grouchiest of misanthropes.

i sat there, daydreaming happily for a couple hours or more until the sun had disappeared behind the line of trees to the west, before picking up the cushion i was sitting on and going back inside. i challenge anyone to find a more perfect way to spend a birthday.