You can get a Little Caesars pizza for $5. You can buy a Boboli crust at the grocery store for about $4.90 and add your own stuff. Or, you can learn to make your own! It wasn’t that hard or time consuming, and this recipe came out light and softy with a little crunch. It also cost pennies to make.

Jay’s Signature Pizza Crust

Consider the Lichen. Lichens are just about the hardiest visible organisms on Earth, but the least ambitious.

-Bill Bryson (A Short History of Nearly Everything)

I sent the following in a note to a friend. Not that she can fix it, but she’s empathetic, and that will have to do for comfort.

Lately I feel I am a Riedel wine glass, and the world is a soprano singing a note that is nearly unbearable.

I want, somehow, to be removed from it, wrapped gently in a soft cloth, and put away someplace safe and quiet.

That’s not going to happen, but I wanted to mention it because I feel you’ll understand.

My best option is to slow down, drop agendas, and breathe.

That’s my answer for today. And you?

I asked this on my Facebook wall. I’m curious what my readers think.

Serious question: Am I doing wrong because I take surreptitious videos and photos of Bean? She loudly objects if she’s aware of me; she says, “That’s not nice!” I tried explaining why I do this — it helps family and friends stay connected to her. It’s also for remembrance when she’s older. Too abstract for her 2-year-old mind. So I do it on the sly. Yet she has a right to privacy too. Yes?

I woke up with no voice today. Had a sore throat yesterday. My husband is insisting I not speak. Do you know what a challenge it is to parent a child and communicate with her and Husband without a voice? Anytime I use my voice, Husband gets very annoyed with me. He says I need to give up the need to control what’s happening in the household. Arrrrrrgh.

This will probably last a few days, as all bouts with laryngitis have in the past. Most inconvenient.

This came out exceptionally well, and it was a great way to use a random pack that I’d bought; I wasn’t feeling ambitious enough to make gumbo, etc.

Lentil Soup with Andouille Sausage
Ingredients

• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 4 1/2 cups beef stock or canned broth
• 1 1/2 cups dried lentils
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped carrot
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 6 ounces andouille sausage, halved lengthwise, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (I used 12 ounces; it made a richer soup)
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning (I skipped this)

Directions

1. Combine both stocks and lentils in large pot over high heat. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat medium skillet over medium heat. Add fennel; sauté until seeds are light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove seeds from skillet.
3. Heat oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add celery, carrot and onion; sauté until onion is translucent and celery and carrot are tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Add toasted fennel seeds, sautéed vegetables, sausage, thyme and Creole seasoning to soup. Cover and simmer until lentils are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over medium heat, stirring occasionally.)

Happy birthday, Sunshine Girl!

Since her birth, Husband has sung a Beatles a love song to Bean. He sings it at diaper changes, during baths, and just because. Tonight as she bathed and I sat in the living room, I heard her singing the chorus along with him, and she was even on key sometimes!

Falling, yes I am falling,
And she keeps calling
Me back again

Click here if the embedded video doesn’t work.

Bean will tell you all about that if you ask her what a circle is!

Another gratuitous egg photo.

fitting into a pant size that I haven’t been able to wear for ten years.

The cuteness continues, and so does the assimilation of knowledge. Bean now sings “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and has recently begun to sing Old MacDonald. She also counts to 10 but for some reason skips the number four. She sings ABCs but skips the middle part and after E heads straight to Q. She’s got her colors down pat, and most of the shapes (ovals and circles and pentagons still confound her).

The other day as I rocked her before nap, she said, “Mommy loves Bean.” What a thrill it gave me to hear this. She knows she is loved.

——

I feel fantastic. We purchased a recumbent stationary bike that I have used since its arrival. My legs feel stronger every day. I feel like a new woman. I have found that two 20-minute sets on the bike is manageable in terms of finding the time as well as the motivation. I still have physical therapy the rest of this month. I’ve also lost a couple of pounds, and I hope to see the numbers on the scale gradually get smaller and smaller.

Oy. I baked eight mini-loaves of Yummo Bread (pumpkin bread) today as Bean is plowing through the stuff. Right now I’ve got sweet potatoes baking for the next batch. I have laundry to fold, clothing to wash, and a shower to take before crashing. Oh, as for National Poetry Month and my intention of writing daily, well… never mind.

It’s April already?!

To say that “prayer changes things” is not as close to the truth as saying, “Prayer changes me and then I change things.”

–Oswald Chambers

I suppose this is the essence of meditation, as well.

This is how I spent the morning. Bean had an unusually early nap at 9:45 and slept 90 minutes. Typically she makes it until noon, but I think she’s fighting a cold and/or teething and is also a little off-kilter with what’s going on with me. She crawled into my arms and fell asleep immediately.

This is how I plan to spend the rest of the day as well. I’m typing this with closed eyes and in a daze of painkillers. Toodles!

Maybe. This is a portion of San Jose. This map does not include foreclosures and short sales. I searched for a house or townhome that’s listed at less than $650,000 with three bedrooms and 2 baths. It’s bad around here. You’d think house prices would be even lower, but they aren’t. Most of these homes are less than 1700 square feet. There’s gotta be something we’d like. We hope!

Please go take a look. Puts things in perspective.

My love.

It was a great visit! I’ll reflect on it more in another post. Right now I’m feeling schmoopy and sad from just having dropped Aunt E off at the airport. Bean is in the kitchen playing with a game that plays banjo music. She is stomping her feet to the tunes and shouting, “Run-ning! Run-ning! Fast! Slow!” Her comprehension and vocabulary continue to grow at a rate that amazes me.

Aunt E arrived and Bean took a shine to her almost immediately (after an hour of getting acquainted). We’re busy playing, cooking, and baking (well, Aunt E is doing the cooking and baking), so posts will be sparse. However, here is some evidence of their happy relationship.