Keeping the Taps Running

Man, is it cold! The kids don't have school today because it's -4 right now and was probably considerably colder before the sun started shining on us. So, I have all the taps in the apartment running, trying to make sure the pipes don't freeze. The cold water in the kitchen won't come on, which is worrisome. When I was a kid, the landlord wouldn't fix the furnace in our house and there was no heat or insulation on the second floor. It was always really cold when the temps got like this and we would leave our home and go stay with my grandparents until it got warmer. I think, though, that living in that house made it easier for me to stand the cold now. I just put on more clothes and deal with it. I am happy, though, to be able to afford to crank the heat a little higher when the mercury dips. Not everyone has that luxury, or even the luxury of heat or shelter at all.

We did not just hibernate over the weekend, although we did plenty of staying in. Friday night, Boot was released from his grounding and went to the movies with his buddies. We took Pie to the same movie. I hate that we only ever go to the movies to see things the kids want to see because odds are not favorable for me liking the movie. Such was the case this weekend. I made shrimp creole (recipe at www.lunacooks.blogspot.com), then we went to see Epic Movie. I wouldn't say it was horrible because I did laugh a few times & it was certainly better than the Garfield movie. However, if you are over 15, it will probably be a waste of time and money for you. It's pretty stupid. Next weekend, though, I think we are going to see Pan's Labyrinth. That should be really good. Yay, an adult movie!

Saturday, we took the kids to the West Side Market. Pie was very unhappy about being made to leave the house when there were video games to be played. However, we wanted him to see the market and spend time with the family. We picked up all kinds of goodies at the market: handmade pierogies, kielbasa made by a family that's been in the business since 1912, a chorizo & potato empanada, cabbage, green beans, asparagus. After our shopping jaunt, we dragged Pie around some more, on a quest to find a boxing gym for Boot. We drove into some fairly iffy neighborhoods, spotting in the process a little Dominican restaurant I am hot to check out. One boxing place looked abandoned, with dark windows and bars over the doors. Another had closed, replaced by a gym called Jarheadz, which only offered kickboxing & only as a self-defense course. None of that for Boot, who doesn't think that's macho enough, apparently. Pie and I waited in the car, wondering what on earth possesses him to want to get bopped in the face. Or why he would want to bop others in the face. Finally, it was Pie's turn to do what he wanted to do, which was to go to Target to buy a Star Wars video game he had saved up his money for. He never saves his money and I was very proud of him for doing it. Boot is a master at money saving, but that's not one of Pie's talents. At all. Saturday night, we stayed in. J & the kids watched t.v. and played video games while I read and looked at cookbooks. J made us a wonderfully homey meal with kielbasa, pierogies and sauerkraut.

Sunday morning, we stayed in bed instead of braving the cold to go to church. J made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast while I made the scones she was longing for. We did some errands in the afternoon, but mostly just hunkered down in the apartment. She started cooking for the Super Bowl in the late afternoon. I don't care a whit for football, so I headed out into the cold to go to the contemporary service at a nearby UCC. It was a great service and I spent a few minutes afterward talking with the tech director, who had delivered the night's message. It was a good one, and one I needed to hear right now, about how we may not understand the detours and weird routes our life takes, but God knows the way just fine. We also sang nice, reassuring songs about how everything is in God's hands and an adaptation of The Eagles' "Take It Easy." I was really glad I went, even though it meant time away from J. I worry so much about the house not selling, the custody case, whether I'll be able to find a church after I get my degree, whether I'll be able to stay healthy until I have insurance again, how we're going to afford the house taxes which are due this month, whether Rosemary's little boy is healthy...and on & on. Getting the message to relax was good for me last night. Sometimes, I get so worried, I can hardly breathe. Yet, my worries & problems are nothing to what a hell of a lot of people are facing every single day.

Once home, I made the guacamole and blue cheese dressing. J & Boot did the rest of the cooking, all Super Bowl food like hot wings & potato skins. I had suggested a nice pot of chili, but Boot said that's only for when teams like the Patriots or Packers are playing. Yeah, I don't get it, either. The only part of the game I watched was Prince's half-time show. I find it funny that the Super Bowl folks thought Prince would be an appropriately decent act for half-time. Of course, he did keep it perfectly decent the whole time...I wondered if he was maybe under the weather since the performance was kind of lackluster. J thinks he's just, like the rest of us, slowing down with age. I also find it funny that the elevator music in the grocery these days consists of bands like The Cure and Morrissey! How odd. Not to mention Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd music being used to sell things like cars.