THERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE THE PLEASURE OF SLEEPING IN YOUR OWN BED, rising in the morning and resuming some of the rhythms and routines of daily life. There is a measure of comfort in doing those little things that have gone undone for ten days. I always experience a certain amount of expectancy when returning home after an extended absence. What is new in the garden? Are all of the houseplants okay? What will the weather be? What do we yearn for after 25+ meals not eaten in the comfort of our own kitchen? This last question is always the first one we ask ourselves–what’s for dinner?

Rain began overnight and continued into the early morning, so yard work is out for today. But, there are many surprises and we hope for a break in the afternoon for the ceremony of a yard tour. Between showers I went into the vegetable garden to gather some escarole, endive and the red oakleaf that comes up without much help after all these years. So, part of the dinner question is solved. Add a simple pasta with garlic, oil, herbs, parsley, and maybe some anchovies–it sounds right. Only thing missing is the bread! Not enough time to refresh the sourdough starter and still have bread tonight, but I think I can turn out some kind of foccacia type bread.

Hoping that tomorrow there will be a little less rain so I can snap some photos and we can take that tour to see what’s happened while we were away.