Oleomargarine

Back when, you got a little packet of dye to mix in with the lard-like substance, to make it yellow. We had home made Jersey butter most of the year, in one pound rectangles, under a covered dish. This new stuff was in no way comparable, but it was cheap, a mildly flavored lubricant. It's zero again so I have the lap blanket over my knees and wrapped up in my feet, and I've been reading about eating and manners for several days. The butter-knife, for instance, or knives generally, the folding knife, which way the blade is held, how one was never to point a knife at a person, who does the carving, how much of what is dedicated to whom. I'm easily distracted by almost anything, and now that I'm retreated from regular hours I'm liable to be found anywhere, at any time. The middle of the night I'm making sausage, also, because the stove is going, I roast a few vegetables; sometime in the wee hours I eat an amazing omelet, with a side of turnips, a sausage patty, and I think, holy shit, this is it. The fact that I caramelized an onion and folded in goat cheese in a way that would lead you to believe I'd done this before doesn't actually mean anything. The best of times we assume some, what? some connection that ties us to external events? Woke up today to incredibly clear blue sky, decided to make a town run, because I could. Library, of course, and there's a New Yorker in the mailbox and a book from Joel by Paula Poundstone whom I idolize. I need to work on filling all the wood stations tomorrow because we're supposed to get another blast of cold and snow, but I have plenty of reading material. Picked up a few things, watched part of a soccer match at the pub and had a lovely bowl of beer soup. I have no idea what it was, but it was good, hot and filling. Stopped by B's on the way home and he had a stack of printed matter for me, mostly issues of The London Review Of Books, which will occupy me for hours, and a care package from Barnhart who always leaves me interesting food items. This time some miso, some tangerines, and a jar of kimchee. I do love kimchee (I follow whatever spelling is on the label) on scrambled eggs, so I make a plate of that, with toast and marmalade. Later I have some ramen noodles with miso. I had hot water so I washed some dishes. Then I just curled up and read.