Ramblings from the Artic Tier

It’s a beautiful Autumn-like morning here in Minot. The leaves are falling from the trees in our yard—as well as crab cherries. Well, we used to call them crab apples, but they don’t get any bigger than a cherry. G calls them her “little berries” and carries them around tenderly like she's taking care of them. The weather is a crisp 48 degrees Fahrenheit. I took June outside to go potty this morning and she shivered and looked at me like “Why would you make me go potty out here?” I guess I’ve lived here long enough and accepted the changes (abnormalities) of Minot seasons. I’m actually looking forward to Fall and Winter.

Today I’m making Chicken Tortilla Casserole, Broccoli Salad, and Cream Cheese Brownies for a family I visit teach (she just had surgery and has four young boys and her husband has been recently deployed), a neighbor across the street (with a 21-month girl) whose husband just deployed for five or six months (she’s having a hard time), and our friends who’ll be joining us tonight for KILLER BUNNIES and dinner.

My mind has been a whirlwind of excitement. I think I’ve finally found a good combination of ingredients for broccoli salad and have also found a great technique for picturesque and drool-inducing Cream Cheese Brownies. Of course the brownie recipe is Mom’s and if you’d like a copy you can send her $20 with a 250 word essay saying why you deserve it with an email address or SASE and I will send you the technique for making them perfectly layered and luscious. For an actual brownie, you will have to travel to Minot and visit us. We do have a new full-size guest bed as well as our plain old twin-size guest bed.

Gotta get back to dinner preparations!