Home Alone

Paul has been away hunting with Rosey for four days. They should be home today, and both Lucy and I are ready for them to come home. I used to enjoy this time home alone more than I do now.

In addition to hunting, Paul takes a couple motorcycle trips a year so being alone is nothing new but as I get older, I enjoy it less. When he is away on the bike I worry. He calls daily which helps but I worry. And I am on pins and needles until I hear that bike drive into the driveway when I whisper a "thank you again, God" to whomever might be listening. I have traveled some without him, too, and I don't think he enjoys being home alone any more than I do.

My plans for most of this weekend were to keep Lucy company. She is quite despondent when both Paul and Rosey are away. I am apparently no fun. At least that's what her body language tells me. I am only good for someone to sit on first thing in the morning or cuddle up to at night. In between she mopes. Ever see a bouncy, energetic Jack Russell Terrier mope? It's quite sad.

I had an unexpectedly nice day yesterday. I read about a produce wholesaler in New Bedford with a gourmet shop open to the public. On Saturdays they have cooking demonstrations and food sampling. I emailed Gisele last night asking if she was interested in going. After a 4-mile walk on the bike path in the morning in preparation for the 'sampling,' we headed out.

What a find! I'm torn between saying I wish it was closer (about an hour's drive) and saying it's a good thing it's not because I'd be there every week. Let me just say it wasn't the cheapest place I've ever shopped but that's to be expected of anything that calls itself gourmet. Gisele and I basically ate our way through prepared dishes of salads, meat entrees, pastas, chowder, cheeses, dips and dessert all made with ingredients they were selling. We must have spent nearly two hours sampling and looking through the various spices, cheeses, pastas, sauces, oils, vinegars, preserves, fruits and vegetables. Serious sensory overload for me! I wanted it all. We finally decided we better go because we were starting our third pass through some of the dishes, and I think people were beginning to stare at us.


New Bedford is a waterfront city and during the nineteenth century it was one of the most important whaling ports in the world. Like many cities it has seen better days but it's still filled with beautiful old homes built by sea captains some in various stages of restoration. After we left the gourmet shop we rode through downtown looking for a place to have a quiet drink. We were lucky enough to find Cork Wine and Tapas Bar. Set in a restored granite building overlooking New Bedford's harbor, the cute and friendly young bartender told us it was built in 1837 supposedly for $1727. What a neat little place. The menu was interesting enough that I think I will take Paul back for dinner sometime soon.

I was pleased to see Caipirinha on their specialty drink menu and Gisele and I each ordered one. Caipirinha is a drink of fresh limes muddled with sugar added to cachaca, a liquor made from fermented sugar cane produced mostly in Brazil. It's a drink I discovered in Mexico several years ago and don't often see locally. It's also an ass-kicker as cachaca is generally between 38% and 80% alcohol by volume. But it's so good!

This morning I woke to a dark and dreary rainy day. A good day to stay in and catch up on a few things. Hope you are having a great weekend!