13 December St. Lucy’s Day

Yes, I made a plan. And as soon as I set it, life laughed. I was invited across the bay to visit friends, have dinner, and soak in the hot tub. Yes please.

Remember that wonderful menu list I put up in my kitchen? All those wonderful menus? I got home on Sunday and discovered that the freezer was filled with bags of frozen spinach tortellini, the bulk of which make it impossible to store anything else, gotta make a little room in this baby. So, pasta it was, not the polenta. I also didn’t get around to the tart. For some reason, I don’t know, it sounds good, but I don’t really want it right now. Never mind, I thought, when I cross the bay, I’ll bring the polenta sans sausage cause they’re vegetarian and the tart.

The following morning, there was a significant BART delay, making traveling back East less appealing and potentially a lot more difficult. It was suggested that I consider the ferry, and consider the ferry I did. Not only consideration either, I rode it. Wait a moment, a delicate tart will not survive such a journey. One heavy whiff of salty brine and it will wilt to sand in my helpless spread fingers. I began to rethink the polenta too. I imagined I was a portly Italian grandmother with a steaming cauldron of hot cereal in front of me, one hand stirring with a wooden spoon, the other grasping my headscarf to keep it from blowing into the cold sea. If I squint my eyes, I can see Lady Liberty, Ellis Island floating on the distant horizon. So, no polenta.

What to do? I wasn’t gonna show up empty handed. This is where that menu really came in handy. I looked at it and saw that I intended to make a carrot cake later in the week. I also remember that I enjoyed a wonderful carrot cake at my host’s birthday party several years ago. Carrot cake it is!

It was wonderful. Now I called this post Bending with the Road because of the funny little change in plans. The other thing of it is, this is the third time I’ve written this post. Something upset my computer or something, and the first two drafts were deleted. Since the original writing, I lost a little interest in this story, although I will say with great pride that I can make a cake that can survive harsh maritime conditions. I guess could say “she’s seaworthy”! Ha!! Anyway, I’ve moved on, and we need to get seriously serious about Christmas, which is chasing us like the devil.