toast,coffee
chili
pepperoni/pineapple/pickled jalapeno pizza
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This morning I dreamt of fish tacos. The lightly battered ones you get in mexico, topped with cabbage and crema. Slowly awakening, the taste of fresh corn tortillas still on my tongue was heartbreaking. Soon I tell myself as I stumble from bunk to coffee maker and the disappointment held therein. Dreams of espresso and tacos are common these days. The Oasis closes for the winter in two days and my food production is slowing accordingly. Like a squirrel, I ferry the non-freezables in what’s left of my pantry out to the battery room where it will stay warm all winter. We are a closing crew of five and I’ve made a big pot of chili to carry us through the next couple days. The guys seem fine with that, but to break up the monotony I’m making pizza for dinner tonight- our last dinner with full water and power. The wind is up to its old tricks again, pummeling the building, sneaking in the cracks. I don’t feel sad about leaving this one room school-house, it is more like salvation at this point. I’m wise enough to know that you abandon the ship before it gets completely dashed to pieces. I’ll brave the journey back to land where I’ll fall to my knees, kiss the dirt and let the green things remind me what they smell like.
Thanks, Jes, for all the wonderful writings, the apt descritions that helped all us readers travel vicariously. When you’re old, write a book. I just hope I’ll still be able to see/read by then! We have friends who have been traveling in AU and NZ-you will enjoy those places. We’ll be in snowy MT with your parents on the weekend and then in HI (Kaua’ii) the first week in March. Will we see you?? At least we’ll be sharing the warmth! Bon Voyage, Vaya Con Dios and Aloha Nui! Don
Chili must be in the air…..I had soaked some red beans so made a pot of chili with cubed butternut squash in it (yum!) for Super Bowl Sunday (for your brother), but instead of eating it, your Dad and I delayed gratification and ate a fantastic feast with friends, didn’t watch the Super Bowl and didn’t eat the chili until Monday. It was probably even better the second day, as I’m sure yours is. Bon Appetite!
Some evenings, before I headed to bed, I would let in your world of snow and ice…
Thanks Jes! These were some of my favorites:
Sunshine in the morning, sunshine at night, sunshine obscuring any view I might have out of the myriad windows that line our building.
It’s ten minutes into tomorrow, but it looks like today.
Seven sardines in fat red parkas.
More than anything, I came away from that meal grateful that my kitchen table back at The Oasis only has six chairs.
While assembling BLTs at lunch, I find a colony of stowaways in the lettuce.
I’d love to keep one in a jar. Poke some holes in the lid and give him a good aphid name, like Steve or Dale.
…but as soon as that smoky heat infiltrates your hot dog of questionable origins, or that burger(?) you found at the bottom of the deep-freeze, it does something magical.
…my real motive was once again, laundry.
I’ll brave the journey back to land where I’ll fall to my knees, kiss the dirt and let the green things remind me what they smell like.
Every time I have come home to Portland from this or that place, I savor a chestful of Pacific Northwest air.
The more I travel, the more I appreciate each Portland breath. Cool, minty, damp and crisp!
Enjoy all the dirt and every green growing thing!
~Lisa
Oh the irony in finding your website after finishing off the last of three days of Chili Verde Tacos. I just couldn’t eat the last bit, we had to toss the bottom. Hang in there!