I love the one on rainbow chard and you’ve given us such good links in that too. It also made me feel good – that though I have been on soups only for weeks now – I have been packing them with greens, like kale, chard and spinach. Another amazing thing I learned is you may have grown up in or frequented my old neighborhood in Sacramento.

I was reading about your sadness that your January birthday excluded you from holding the party at Fairytale Land and that even the best ice cream parlor was closed that month. I almost feel out of my bed – when I read Vic’s. Seeing that I then I knew you were talking about Land Park! this is exactly where I had my house until 2008, just blocks north of Vic’s on Vallejo Street. Some of the extra padding on my body comes from Vics for sure! Anyway – I am thrilled that you must have grown up in an area I know well and one that hardly changes a bit over time – so your childhood landmark’s are mine decades and decades later!!!

I loved my little Tudor style cottage there and it’s roomy garden. I had such high hopes of having the best veggie, herb and cutting garden there eventually – no such luck though.

Now, though I still have the azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons in my current yard — plants that Sacramento is also known for – it’s all redwood tree understory without but a shaft of sunlight a day! I have to get my vegetable garden kicks vicariously now through reading your blog and recipes. Luckily, you are doing a splendid job of filling in all the important like I am actually there with you details !!!! Including the paw prints of both you and Romeo – a completely wonderful image!!!! ((Hugs to you both)) – Michelle

Ouch – those ballerina feet hurt to look at! And yet so graceful underneath it all. I well remember the difficulty navigating ice and snow in winters back east, and have often imagined how much harder it would be if I lived there now.

Very glad that the necessity of ice-walking is an easier task for you now.

XOXO

Nicole

Thank you so much for sharing your personal experience with the ballet and toe shoes here. It really touched me, both to know how hard it was, and also to feel your appreciation of the ballet as I read. And yes, nice for you not to have walk on ice and snow. But oh, it is also quite beautiful. Like most difficult things are. xo

I told my wife that I’d handle dog-walking duties for the week since she’s a bit unsteady on her feet. I slipped on my pair of (Walking) YakTrax and gingerly went outside. No problem. I walked a bit. No problem. I went back and got the dog and walked to the end of the (steep-ish) driveway. No problem.

I walked our dog three times a day that week and not once did I feel unstable or about to fall or anything. Heck, I even would jog with them and never experienced a problem.

I keep a pair in each of our vehicles, prepared for the same thing when it happens ten years from now. 🙂

Parting funny(?): On the last day of that week, my wife said, “I’ll take the dog out.” So she headed outside, carefully avoiding any icy remnants and walked toward our next-door-neighbor’s house.

There was some ice in the driveway that the morning sun (or whatever!) made it difficult to see and WHOOMP! Right on to her rear. 🙁

Someone headed to work saw her fall and stopped and asked if she was okay. Fortunately, just some damaged pride. 🙂

I guess if I have any thoughts about the metaphor here, it’s that — armed with the proper tools — nothing can stop me? 🙂