Uniformly Gray

Warm enough early this morning (temps falling all day) that I could shave and clean up, then a quick run into town for supplies. Library, then a pint and a bowl of clam chowder at the pub, then Kroger. Just as I was pulling up at B's place he was getting home and we chatted about books for an hour. I'm sick of the news, so I leave the radio off, put away groceries, get a slightly early drink, roll a smoke, and sit down for some editing. Beans on toast. Some ferns are still green, the Mountain Laurel, and green grass in B's creek bed. I picked up everything to make a large pork-fried rice. I got an extra pound of butter and feel that I'm getting close to making another pate. Veal liver, ox-tail marrow, mushrooms, and ground pork. With shallots and pistachios, be still my heart. I just need enough wash water to clean  the necessary utensils and it's supposed to rain before the next round of cold and snow. Chop wood, haul water. I'm not sure monotonous is the same as boring. I've grown fond of being idle (I like the word idle, and the word fond, so spend an hour looking them up) because it allows me free-range to just think about things. Sitting on a stump, trying to roll a cigaret in the rain. You could go anywhere from that. Francis Bacon, bacon, St. Francis; horny priests and an endless stream of acolytes. The library called and they have a book for me, Anne Tyler's Saint Maybe, which is from the 90's, I read it years ago, and I hadn't requested it. Still, I might pick it up, as it could be a message from the ether. Quite sore, but feeling good anyway. If I go to town to pick up the book I think I'll go ahead and get the mushrooms, the veal, and shallots for making the pate. The idea of using the ox-tail marrow has me salivating. Then I'll just have to wait for it to rain or snow so I'll have wash water. After a quite complete taste-test of the various methods of transporting pate to the mouth, I come down on the side of generic saltines. I don't use much salt, generally, so I like the bite of it on the cracker. Also, they're cheap. The pate isn't, I lose money making this stuff, but it is so goddamned good, I'd be a fool not to make it.